COLOGNE, Germany -- Johan Mardell, head of production at Scandinavian major Svesnk Filmindustri, is stepping down at the end of March to begin a new career as an independent producer, the company said Monday.
As production head since 2003, Mardell has overseen SF films ranging from Reza Bagher's Art House comedy "Popular Music" (2004) to the medieval epic "Arn -- The Knight Templar", at $30 million the most expensive Scandinavian film of all time. He also shepherded SF's impressive TV slate including the politically charged miniseries "Crown Princess" and the popular "Van Veeteren" detective series.
"Johan Mardell has played a most important part in the development and increased production activities the last few years," Svensk president and CEO Rasmus Ramstad said. "As he now chooses to leave the company and play an independent role as producer, we wish him the best of luck. We will of course try to find ways of cooperating with him in the future."
Mardell will stay on with Svensk as an executive producer on "Arn 2", which is in postproduction.
As production head since 2003, Mardell has overseen SF films ranging from Reza Bagher's Art House comedy "Popular Music" (2004) to the medieval epic "Arn -- The Knight Templar", at $30 million the most expensive Scandinavian film of all time. He also shepherded SF's impressive TV slate including the politically charged miniseries "Crown Princess" and the popular "Van Veeteren" detective series.
"Johan Mardell has played a most important part in the development and increased production activities the last few years," Svensk president and CEO Rasmus Ramstad said. "As he now chooses to leave the company and play an independent role as producer, we wish him the best of luck. We will of course try to find ways of cooperating with him in the future."
Mardell will stay on with Svensk as an executive producer on "Arn 2", which is in postproduction.
- 3/11/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Sundance Institute and the Royal Film Commission of Jordan have selected seven projects for the third annual Middle East Screenwriters Lab.
Chadi Zeneddine's filmmaker saga "Brahim" from Lebanon, Suhad Khatib's bombing tale "The Building" from Jordan and Ismael El Habbash's "Dancing at the Checkpoint" from the Palestinian territories were chosen.
The other participants and projects are Rola Nashef's gas station study "Detroit Unleaded" from USA/Lebanon, Sali Ma Ben Moumen's family saga "A Place for Atlas' Feet" and Hicham Ayouch's small-town drama "Samba Doo Maazooz" (both from Morocco) and Eyad Zahra's musician profile "Sammy Paradise" from USA/Syria.
This year's advisors include filmmaking vets Mary Harron, Nabil Ayouch, Reza Bagher, Craig Bolotin, Michael Goldenberg, Yousry Nasrallah and Shawn Slovo.
The event will take place in Jordan from Oct. 28 – Nov. 1.
Chadi Zeneddine's filmmaker saga "Brahim" from Lebanon, Suhad Khatib's bombing tale "The Building" from Jordan and Ismael El Habbash's "Dancing at the Checkpoint" from the Palestinian territories were chosen.
The other participants and projects are Rola Nashef's gas station study "Detroit Unleaded" from USA/Lebanon, Sali Ma Ben Moumen's family saga "A Place for Atlas' Feet" and Hicham Ayouch's small-town drama "Samba Doo Maazooz" (both from Morocco) and Eyad Zahra's musician profile "Sammy Paradise" from USA/Syria.
This year's advisors include filmmaking vets Mary Harron, Nabil Ayouch, Reza Bagher, Craig Bolotin, Michael Goldenberg, Yousry Nasrallah and Shawn Slovo.
The event will take place in Jordan from Oct. 28 – Nov. 1.
- 10/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- The Berlin International Film Festival has announced that it is expanding its cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair with a series of film-focused events at this year's book meet. Four films -- all literary adaptations -- from the fest's competition section this year will be presented on the opening day of the book fair: David MacKenzie's Asylum, based on the novel by Patrick McGrath; Mike Mills' Thumbsucker, adapted from Walter Kirn's novel; Robert Guediguian's The Last Mitterand, from the book by Georges-Marc Benamou; and Popular Music From Vittula, the Reza Bagher adaptation of the Mikael Niemi novel. The Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest publishing industry trade gathering set for Oct. 19-23, also will offer "speed dating" sessions for producers hunting for book rights. The one-to-one sessions among producers, international publishers and agents will be set up by the fair, with participants receiving a catalog of book rights available for film development.
- 10/2/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor-director Marty Sader's Most High took home the prize for best narrative film at the 12th annual Hamptons International Film Festival. The award -- dubbed the Golden Starfish Award for best narrative and worth $180,000 in goods and services -- was presented at closing ceremonies Sunday. Awards were presented by the fest's executive director Denise Kasell, board chairman Stuart Match Suna, programmer Rajendra Roy and emcee Bob Balaban, among others. The Golden Starfish short film award, plus $5,000 in cash, was presented to Gary Lundgren for Wow and Flutter. The Spike TV best documentary award, with a prize of $5,000 in cash and postproduction services, was awarded to Leslie Sullivan's A Touch of Greatness. Honorable mention was given to Ralph Arlyck's Following Sean. The Golden Starfish Award for international film, with a prize of cash and airline tickets worth $10,000, was presented to Reza Bagher's Capricciosa, a Swedish entry.
- 10/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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