All articles by Patrick Frater – Page 2

  • News

    Onoma racks up ChokDee sales

    2005-02-17T04:00:00Z

    Onoma International has scored a raft of sales on its Thai-boxing drama ChokDeeby French director Xavier Durringer. The film, which stars martial arts star Dida, Bernard Giraudeau andrising Thai-French model Vanessa Vanida Faivre, was sold to Victory forBelgium, Svensk Filmindustri for Scandinavia, Front Row for the Middle East,Amero Mitra for ...

  • News

    Korean dramas fetch record prices with Japanese buyers

    2005-02-17T04:00:00Z

    Japanese buyers at EFM are breaking records for the size of the dealsbeing made on Korean films.In an inter-Asian buying spree, Comstock paid $4m for Korea Pictures'period action drama The Duellist, pre-sold on the strength of a clipreel. Due to finish production in April, the Lee Myung-se-directed tale of afemale ...

  • News

    Red feeling Lucky on Plateaux

    2005-02-16T04:00:00Z

    Italiandistributor Lucky Red has pre-bought multi-territory rights to A Thousand Plateaux (Chungae Eui Gowon),the Mongolian-set epic to be directed by controversial Korean director JangSun-woo. Thefilm is sold internationally by independent Korean sales house, Cineclick Asiaand was presented last month at Rotterdam's CineMart project market. There ithad $1m of finance in ...

  • News

    Mirovision sends My Boyfriend to Nippon

    2005-02-16T04:00:00Z

    Koreanmini-conglomerate Mirovision has tied up a clutch of high profile sales on itsSundance/EFM slate and extended its relationship with controversial directorPark Chul-soo.My Boyfriend Type B, a romantic comedy about the Asianphenomenon of dating according to blood groups - B-type men have a reputationas being selfish and arrogant - was sold ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch goes crazy in Berlin

    2005-02-16T04:00:00Z

    WildBunch has hosted the hot stand at this year's EFM market, with the Frenchseller signing over 50 deal memos at Berlin so far. Despitewell-publicised problems on Go Go Tales, Abel Ferrara has not scared offbuyers for his upcoming all-star Mary. Starring Juliette Binoche, ForestWhitaker, Heather Graham, and Mathew Modine, Mary ...

  • News

    Moviehouse picks up international rights to Shut Up

    2005-02-15T04:00:00Z

    Moviehouse Entertainment,one of the UK's leading cross-over art-house sellers, has picked up rights toShut Up & Shoot Me (Sklapni A zastre l Me), an over-the-top comedyfrom Czech commercials director Steen Agro.Currently inpost-production, the film features a man who works six jobs, so his ungratefulfiancee can buy high-end designer shoes and ...

  • News

    Fortissimo dines out on Nina's Heavenly Delights

    2005-02-15T04:00:00Z

    Fortissimo Film Sales hasadded an extra course to its Berlin spread by picking up Nina's HeavenlyDelights, a family-foodie comedy scripted by Dear Frankie writerAndrea Gibb.The film, set in Glasgow, isdirected by Pratibha Parmar, an award-winning British documentary directormaking her feature debut. Rising star Shelly Cohn (Possession)plays a young Indo-Scottish woman ...

  • News

    Midsummer Dream unveils key voice cast

    2005-02-15T04:00:00Z

    Stars including Rhys Ifans,Toby Stephens, Brian Blessed and Fiona Shaw have joined the key voice cast forthe international release of Dygra Films' Midsummer Dream, which is soldat Berlin by Lumina Films.Midsummer Dream is aSpanish-made CGI-animation very loosely based on Shakespeare's classic play,being directed by Angel de La Cruz and Manolo ...

  • News

    Arclight takes on rights to Spacey's First Time

    2005-02-15T04:00:00Z

    Arclight has picked upinternational rights to dark comedy Mini's First Time, which is producedby Ed Bass' Bold Films and Berlin festival entrant Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet.The picture, now in postproduction, stars Nikki Reed as a 17-year-old who likes to experiment. Thingsturn sour, when, trying her hand as a call-girl, she discovers ...

  • News

    Park's Lady sells to Japan and US

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    Korean giant CJ Entertainment closed two major deals on SympathyFor Lady Vengeance, the third and finalpart of Old Boy director ParkChan-wook's revenge trilogy.The film was bought fora multi-million dollar sum byToshiba Entertainment for Japan and by Tartan Films for North America.The $6m film is five weeks into its 12 week ...

  • News

    Celluloid Dreams grabs Grace and Good rights

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    French sales house Celluloid Dreams has expanded itsEnglish-language slate with a pair of powerful acquisitions. It has grabbed international rights on Savage Grace, one of the hottest US indie projects of the moment,and Good, a feature adaptation ofC P Taylor's acclaimed play about an otherwise moral professor whoformulates Hitler's Final ...

  • News

    Israel lends helping hand to Palestinian bomber drama

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    Just daysafter the Middle Eastern summit in Egypt, Israel has offered a cinematic olivebranch to a Palestinian filmmaker.Paradise Now, a drama about the last 24 hours of twoPalestinian suicide bombers that was made by a Palestinian-born director on theWest Bank will receive distribution support from the Israeli Film Fund. Thepublic ...

  • News

    Shochiku strikes multiple Hidden Blade deals

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    Japanese giant Shochiku,which is celebrating its 110th anniversary, has struck deals onTuesday's competition film The Hidden Blade (Kakushi Ken Oni No Tsume) for the US, Germany, France and Australia. The period martial artsdrama, directed by the Oscar-nominated Yoji Yamada (Twilight Samurai), was soldto Tartan Films for the US, EMS for ...

  • News

    Fortissimo dances off with Mad Hot Ballroom rights

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    Fortissimo Film Sales has picked up international rights toSlamdance hit film Mad Hot Ballroom. Therights were sold by Paramount Classics, which acquired the film outsideAustralia and New Zealand jointly with Nickelodeon last month.Directed by Marilyn Agrelo and written by Amy Sewell, thedocumentary tracks a group of 11-year old New York ...

  • News

    Arclight picks up powerhouse comedy pair

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    Arclight Films has picked up international sales rights totwo new films: $15m contemporary comedy thriller Three Bad Men and US comedy Nothing But The Truth.Three Bad Men is oneof the first films to emerge from Priority Pictures, the new company headed byColin Leventhal and Marion Pilowsky. It is produced by ...

  • News

    TFI adds Clark, Captain Alatriste to slate

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    TF1 International has added the biggest-ever Spanish filmand the new title by controversial director Larry Clark to its European FilmMarket slate. Swashbuckling 17th century adventure CaptainAlatriste has an all star cast headed byLord of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen alongside Eduardo Noriega, JavierCamara, Elena Anaya and Enrico Lo Verso. The ...

  • News

    Palm acquires US rights to City Of Men

    2005-02-14T04:00:00Z

    US distributor Palm Picturesyesterday acquired North American distribution rights to City Of Men, the TV series that picks up from FernandoMeirelles' Oscar-nominated smash film City Of God. International rights are being handled by theUK's Lumina Films. Lumina is also gearing up topre-sell the feature film of City Of Menwhich will ...

  • News

    Rezo Int'l takes rights to Rohmer, Karel titles

    2005-02-14T00:00:00Z

    Newly launched French saleshouse Rezo International has picked up international rights to new pictures byFrench veteran Eric Rohmer and The World According To Bush directorWilliam Karel.Rohmer aims to shoot TheRomance Of Astrea And Celadon at the end of 2005 and complete it in timefor Venice 2006. The film is adapted ...

  • News

    Gold Circle looks to draw Garcia to Smoke

    2005-02-14T00:00:00Z

    Gold Circle Films is infinal negotiations to hire Spanish first-time director Victor Garcia to directthe horror suspense feature Smoke.The film is based on a specscript by Ronnie Christensen and is being produced by The Grudgeproducers Roy Lee & Doug Davidson of Vertigo Entertainment and Lauren Lloydat Bedlam Media.The SleepingWith The ...

  • News

    Cineclick unveils details of Kim Ki-duk's Bow

    2005-02-14T00:00:00Z

    Cineclick Asia has unveiled details of the new picture fromKim Ki-duk, the Korean maestro (ThreeIron) who last year won best director prizes at both Berlin and Venice.Kim has previously announcedseveral projects, including one to be co-produced in Europe, but The Bow, a challenging drama about thegrowing love affair between a ...