Launched in 2004 in Kawaguchi City of Saitama Prefecture as a film festival to discover and nurture new talent, the 18th edition of Skip City International D-Cinema Festival was held virtually from September 25 to October 3. Jury and Audience award winners were announced at the Closing Ceremony on October 3.
Luzzu (Malta), directed by Alex Camilleri, received the Grand Prize in the International Competition. The film is about a man who agonises over his decision to choose the family fishery business or a better life for his family. Naoto Takenaka, the President of the Jury commented, “The director’s perspective is not icky, but cool and hot. I think it is irresistible. Luzzu is a great film.” This is the first film from Malta to be nominated for, and to have received, this award.
In addition Rival, directed by Marcus Lenz, won the Best Director award. The film is about the lonely battle...
Luzzu (Malta), directed by Alex Camilleri, received the Grand Prize in the International Competition. The film is about a man who agonises over his decision to choose the family fishery business or a better life for his family. Naoto Takenaka, the President of the Jury commented, “The director’s perspective is not icky, but cool and hot. I think it is irresistible. Luzzu is a great film.” This is the first film from Malta to be nominated for, and to have received, this award.
In addition Rival, directed by Marcus Lenz, won the Best Director award. The film is about the lonely battle...
- 10/5/2021
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
The festival will run online from September 25-October 3.
World premieres of seven local titles head the line-up of Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival, which runs fully online from September 25-October 3.
Six of the world premieres are in the Japanese feature competition, and include Battlecry, the first animation to compete in the section, directed by Japanese filmmaker Yanakaya. Set in a fictitious 1980s Japan, the film centres a soldier on furlough who returns to his country, where he finds himself on a mission to investigate the circumstances of a drug called Golden Monkey which is running through society.
Also...
World premieres of seven local titles head the line-up of Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival, which runs fully online from September 25-October 3.
Six of the world premieres are in the Japanese feature competition, and include Battlecry, the first animation to compete in the section, directed by Japanese filmmaker Yanakaya. Set in a fictitious 1980s Japan, the film centres a soldier on furlough who returns to his country, where he finds himself on a mission to investigate the circumstances of a drug called Golden Monkey which is running through society.
Also...
- 9/1/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The 13th edition will take place online from 16-25 April, and will include two new international competition awards for documentary and fiction films, as well as a pitching event for new projects. The Dutch international human rights film festival Movies That Matter has announced that it is launching two new competition prizes and an industry programme for its 13th edition, set to take place online from 16-25 April: the Grand Jury Documentary Award, made possible by Dutch public broadcaster Bnnvara, and the Grand Jury Fiction Award. For each prize, worth €5,000, eight films have been selected from across the festival’s programme strands. The fiction strand includes Philippe Lacôte's Night of the Kings (France/Ivory Coast/Canada/Senegal), Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić's Quo Vadis, Aida?, Kaweh Modiri's Mitra (Netherlands/Germany/Denmark), Serbian helmer Ivan Ikić's Oasis, Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh's Gagarin (France), Nir Bergman's Here We Are...
The new film by Dutch-Iranian director Kaweh Modiri is world-premiering in the Limelight section of the 50th IFFR. Thirty-seven years after her daughter was executed in Iran, Haleh finds the woman who betrayed her. The traitor, now a loving mother herself and freshly arrived in the Netherlands, does not recognise Haleh, and trusts her as an older and wiser countrywoman. While Haleh is plotting her revenge, she gets to know the perpetrator better than she would have liked to. This is the plot of Mitra, the new feature by Dutch-Iranian director Kaweh Modiri, set to world-premiere in the Limelight section of the 50th IFFR (1-7 February). Mitra is a Dutch-German-Danish co-production, produced by Baldr Film, Igc (In Good Company) Films and Snowglobe. The world sales are handled by Dutch outfit Nine Film. Check out our exclusive trailer below: [vid 397049]...
Looking for VeneraThe first titles for the International Film Festival Rotterdam's hybrid multi-part 50th edition program have been revealed. Under new festival director Vanja Kaludjercic, the newly-organized and extended IFFR 2021 will feature a new program structure, with competition sections to be presented between 1 – 7 February. The festival will resume again between 2 – 6 June with Bright Future (the festival's existing section dedicated to emerging film talent) and what will be the festival's latest and largest section, Harbour. In February the festival will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of Amsterdam's Eye Filmmusuem, while in June IFFR's own 50th year will be celebrated with a special anniversary program. Tiger COMPETITIONAgate mousse (Selim Mourad)Bebia, à mon seul désir (Juja Dobrachkous)Bipolar (Queena Li)Black MedusaA Corsican Summer (Pascal Tagnati)The Edge of Daybreak (Taiki Sakpisit)Feast (Tim Leyendekker)Friends and Strangers (James Vaughan)Gritt (Itonje Søimer Guttormsen)Landscapes of Resistance (Marta Popivoda)Liborio (Nino Martínez Sosa...
- 12/22/2020
- MUBI
The Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR) has unveiled the line-up for its 50th edition, with the Mads Mikkelsen-starring Riders Of Justice set to open the fest.
You can see the full line-up below. The event has had to change its traditional format for 2021 due to ongoing pandemic disruption. It will now run as a two-stage event, initially with a hybrid showcase of films February 1-7, followed by a physical event June 2-6.
The flagship Tiger Competition has confirmed 16 titles, 14 of which are world premieres. There are a further 15 titles in the Big Screen competition, which looks to bridge the gap between popular and arthouse cinema, while the non-competitive Limelight section will feature 13 titles, most of which have played other festivals, such as Magnus von Horn’s Sweat and Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida?.
Anders Thomas Jensen’s dark comedy Riders Of Justice will be having its international premiere...
You can see the full line-up below. The event has had to change its traditional format for 2021 due to ongoing pandemic disruption. It will now run as a two-stage event, initially with a hybrid showcase of films February 1-7, followed by a physical event June 2-6.
The flagship Tiger Competition has confirmed 16 titles, 14 of which are world premieres. There are a further 15 titles in the Big Screen competition, which looks to bridge the gap between popular and arthouse cinema, while the non-competitive Limelight section will feature 13 titles, most of which have played other festivals, such as Magnus von Horn’s Sweat and Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida?.
Anders Thomas Jensen’s dark comedy Riders Of Justice will be having its international premiere...
- 12/22/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The project is written and directed by German-based Mongolian director Uisenma Borchu.
Pim Hermeling’s Amsterdam-based Nine Film has acquired international sales rights, outside Germany, to Berlinale Panorama title Black Milk, written and directed by German-based Mongolian director Uisenma Borchu.
It will be released in Germany by Munich-based Alpenrepublik.
Black Milks a semi-autobiographical drama about a young woman in search of her roots.
“We have a tendency to follow women and stories about women. This is something important for us,” said Nelleke Driessen, head of sales and acquisitions for Nine Films.
Driessen was attending the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr...
Pim Hermeling’s Amsterdam-based Nine Film has acquired international sales rights, outside Germany, to Berlinale Panorama title Black Milk, written and directed by German-based Mongolian director Uisenma Borchu.
It will be released in Germany by Munich-based Alpenrepublik.
Black Milks a semi-autobiographical drama about a young woman in search of her roots.
“We have a tendency to follow women and stories about women. This is something important for us,” said Nelleke Driessen, head of sales and acquisitions for Nine Films.
Driessen was attending the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr...
- 1/30/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
Jordan’s Royal Film Commission has raised the upper limit of the cash rebate on eligible productions filming in the Kingdom to 25%, from the current 20%. The agency made the announcement on Sunday at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market on Sunday.
Legendary Entertainment’s ‘Dune’ is one of the first Hollywood productions taking advantage of the revised incentive. The incentive also extends to the streaming companies.
The rebate scheme now ranges from 10-25% on all qualified expenses incurred within Jordan on film, television, web series and radio production, commercials, photography, electronic games and animation. The expenses should not exceed 75% of the production’s overall value.
The scheme requires a minimum spend of $1 million. The maximum rebate granted to a foreign production has now been lifted to $2 million, and is provided to a production services company registered in Jordan. To qualify, the production must employ at least 50 Jordanian crew members and train 20 interns.
Legendary Entertainment’s ‘Dune’ is one of the first Hollywood productions taking advantage of the revised incentive. The incentive also extends to the streaming companies.
The rebate scheme now ranges from 10-25% on all qualified expenses incurred within Jordan on film, television, web series and radio production, commercials, photography, electronic games and animation. The expenses should not exceed 75% of the production’s overall value.
The scheme requires a minimum spend of $1 million. The maximum rebate granted to a foreign production has now been lifted to $2 million, and is provided to a production services company registered in Jordan. To qualify, the production must employ at least 50 Jordanian crew members and train 20 interns.
- 10/6/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
’Under The Shadow’, ’Radio Dreams’ actors set for project from Dutch-Iranian Kaweh Modiri.
A cast of actors with Iranian roots whose credits include Under The Shadow, Radio Dreams and Fack Ju Göthe 2, have signed up for Dutch-Iranian Kaweh Modiri’s upcoming suspense drama Mitra.
Inspired by the director’s own family history, the project will be set between present day Netherlands and 1981 Tehran. 37 years after her daughter Mitra was executed in Iran and she fled her home country, Haleh leads a successful life as a renowned academic in the Netherlands. Her peaceful existence is shaken by the arrival of...
A cast of actors with Iranian roots whose credits include Under The Shadow, Radio Dreams and Fack Ju Göthe 2, have signed up for Dutch-Iranian Kaweh Modiri’s upcoming suspense drama Mitra.
Inspired by the director’s own family history, the project will be set between present day Netherlands and 1981 Tehran. 37 years after her daughter Mitra was executed in Iran and she fled her home country, Haleh leads a successful life as a renowned academic in the Netherlands. Her peaceful existence is shaken by the arrival of...
- 3/1/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
This year’s Berlinale is full of features from filmmakers all around that world that have Dutch producers on board. Some are documentaries, some are dramas, but each one has a Dutch imprint. Geoffrey Macnab from The Independent reports.
‘Monos’ by Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos
Monos, directed by Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos, is screening both in Sundance and Berlin. This is a kidnap drama involving child soldiers set deep in the Colombian jungle. Amsterdam-based Lemming Film discovered the project at CineMart in 2016. “We were immediately drawn by the premise of the project and of course by directors Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos, whose work so far has been really impressive,” says Lemming’s CEO Leontine Petit.
There are several other co-producers on board, among them La Franja from Colombia itself, Campo Cine from Argentina, Mutante Cine in Uruguay, and Pandora from Germany. Petit knew it...
‘Monos’ by Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos
Monos, directed by Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos, is screening both in Sundance and Berlin. This is a kidnap drama involving child soldiers set deep in the Colombian jungle. Amsterdam-based Lemming Film discovered the project at CineMart in 2016. “We were immediately drawn by the premise of the project and of course by directors Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos, whose work so far has been really impressive,” says Lemming’s CEO Leontine Petit.
There are several other co-producers on board, among them La Franja from Colombia itself, Campo Cine from Argentina, Mutante Cine in Uruguay, and Pandora from Germany. Petit knew it...
- 2/26/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The international co-production market, CineMart, creates a platform to offer filmmakers the opportunity to launch their ideas to the international film industry and to find the right connections to get their projects financed and distributed.CineMart refocused
As of this year, CineMart has been streamlined to better serve film professionals to find the right connections. Head of Iffr Pro Marit van den Elshout:
We’ve downsized the selection to 16 projects in order to give each project more care and attention. The projects now start preparations a month in advance with a specially appointed mentor. We’ve also implemented a new structure for the one-to-one meetings, which will be tailored more to the needs of each project. Additionally, CineMart presents a new format called Spotlight, in which the project teams and their mentors discuss each project publicly for all CineMart guests.
Out of 16 selected projects (from 400 submissions) the juries selected four award winners.
As of this year, CineMart has been streamlined to better serve film professionals to find the right connections. Head of Iffr Pro Marit van den Elshout:
We’ve downsized the selection to 16 projects in order to give each project more care and attention. The projects now start preparations a month in advance with a specially appointed mentor. We’ve also implemented a new structure for the one-to-one meetings, which will be tailored more to the needs of each project. Additionally, CineMart presents a new format called Spotlight, in which the project teams and their mentors discuss each project publicly for all CineMart guests.
Out of 16 selected projects (from 400 submissions) the juries selected four award winners.
- 2/8/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
An interview with Kaweh Modiri, the Cinemart filmmaker who won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000 for the development of an international co-production.
People who attend the Rotterdam Film Festival and Cinemart (Iffr for short) for the most part are an idealistic group truly believing that film can change the world. And the corollary to this is that we feel united with the world in our quest. The Dutch have always actively promoted international voices, in cinema, arts and in general. The Hubert Bals Fund and the Netherlands Film Fund seek coproductions and have a role in world cinema which belies the small size of their country.
Cinemart Winners
For those who are not aware, Holland (properly named The Netherlands, and the people speak Dutch — not Danish:) has always welcomed those fleeing persecution, war or famine. During the Spanish Inquisition the Dutch opened their doors and their arms to the...
People who attend the Rotterdam Film Festival and Cinemart (Iffr for short) for the most part are an idealistic group truly believing that film can change the world. And the corollary to this is that we feel united with the world in our quest. The Dutch have always actively promoted international voices, in cinema, arts and in general. The Hubert Bals Fund and the Netherlands Film Fund seek coproductions and have a role in world cinema which belies the small size of their country.
Cinemart Winners
For those who are not aware, Holland (properly named The Netherlands, and the people speak Dutch — not Danish:) has always welcomed those fleeing persecution, war or famine. During the Spanish Inquisition the Dutch opened their doors and their arms to the...
- 2/8/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
’Mitra’, ’Electrocute’, ’A White, White Day’, ‘Disco Afrika’ scoop prizes.
Source: Iffr
The winners of the 35th edition of CineMart, International Film Festival Rotterdam’s storied co-production market, have been revealed.
Of the 16 selected projects, there were four winners: Kaweh Modiri’s Dutch feature Mitra took the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000; Gastón Solnicki’s Argentine feature Electrocute won the Filmmore Post-Production Award of €7,500; Hlynur Pálmason’s A White, White Day took the Arte International Prize of €6,000; and Luck Razanajaona’s Disco Afrika won the Wouter Barendrecht Award, given to a director under 35-years-old, of €5,000.
The winners were presented their prizes at a ceremony in Rotterdam on Wednesday evening (Jan 31).
The 2018 edition of CineMart featured a revamped and streamlined format of presentations and meetings, changes that have been welcomed by attending industry that Screen spoke to during the festival.
The jury for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, which was comprised of Arben Zharku, Dorien van de Pas and [link=nm...
Source: Iffr
The winners of the 35th edition of CineMart, International Film Festival Rotterdam’s storied co-production market, have been revealed.
Of the 16 selected projects, there were four winners: Kaweh Modiri’s Dutch feature Mitra took the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000; Gastón Solnicki’s Argentine feature Electrocute won the Filmmore Post-Production Award of €7,500; Hlynur Pálmason’s A White, White Day took the Arte International Prize of €6,000; and Luck Razanajaona’s Disco Afrika won the Wouter Barendrecht Award, given to a director under 35-years-old, of €5,000.
The winners were presented their prizes at a ceremony in Rotterdam on Wednesday evening (Jan 31).
The 2018 edition of CineMart featured a revamped and streamlined format of presentations and meetings, changes that have been welcomed by attending industry that Screen spoke to during the festival.
The jury for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, which was comprised of Arben Zharku, Dorien van de Pas and [link=nm...
- 1/31/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Mina, Electrocute, A White, White Day, Disco Afrika scoop prizes.
Source: Iffr
The winners of the 35th edition of CineMart, International Film Festival Rotterdam’s storied co-production market, have been revealed.
Of the 16 selected projects, there were four winners: Kaweh Modiri’s Dutch feature Mitra took the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000; Gastón Solnicki’s Argentine feature Electrocute won the Filmmore Post-Production Award of €7,500; Hlynur Pálmason’s A White, White Day took the Arte International Prize of €6,000; and Luck Razanajaona’s Disco Afrika won the Wouter Barendrecht Award, given to a director under 35-years-old, of €5,000.
The winners were presented their prizes at a ceremony in Rotterdam on Wednesday evening (Jan 31).
The 2018 edition of CineMart featured a revamped and streamlined format of presentations and meetings, changes that have been welcomed by attending industry that Screen spoke to during the festival.
The jury for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, which was comprised of Arben Zharku, Dorien van de Pas and [link=nm...
Source: Iffr
The winners of the 35th edition of CineMart, International Film Festival Rotterdam’s storied co-production market, have been revealed.
Of the 16 selected projects, there were four winners: Kaweh Modiri’s Dutch feature Mitra took the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000; Gastón Solnicki’s Argentine feature Electrocute won the Filmmore Post-Production Award of €7,500; Hlynur Pálmason’s A White, White Day took the Arte International Prize of €6,000; and Luck Razanajaona’s Disco Afrika won the Wouter Barendrecht Award, given to a director under 35-years-old, of €5,000.
The winners were presented their prizes at a ceremony in Rotterdam on Wednesday evening (Jan 31).
The 2018 edition of CineMart featured a revamped and streamlined format of presentations and meetings, changes that have been welcomed by attending industry that Screen spoke to during the festival.
The jury for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, which was comprised of Arben Zharku, Dorien van de Pas and [link=nm...
- 1/31/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Rotterdam CineMart was the first coproduction market. After being duplicsted by Ifp in New York, Hong Kong Film Festival and Pusan Film Film Festival, its format became the industry standard.
This year it has been streamlined to better serve film professionals to find the right connections. Head of Iffr Pro Marit van den Elshout: “We’ve downsized the selection to 16 projects in order to give each project more care and attention. The projects now start preparations a month in advance with a specially appointed mentor. We’ve also implemented a new structure for the one-to-one meetings, which will be tailored more to the needs of each project. Additionally, CineMart presents a new format called Spotlight, in which the project teams and their mentors discuss each project publicly for all CineMart guests.”
Selected CineMart titles qualify for four awards:
the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000 for a European co-production;the...
This year it has been streamlined to better serve film professionals to find the right connections. Head of Iffr Pro Marit van den Elshout: “We’ve downsized the selection to 16 projects in order to give each project more care and attention. The projects now start preparations a month in advance with a specially appointed mentor. We’ve also implemented a new structure for the one-to-one meetings, which will be tailored more to the needs of each project. Additionally, CineMart presents a new format called Spotlight, in which the project teams and their mentors discuss each project publicly for all CineMart guests.”
Selected CineMart titles qualify for four awards:
the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000 for a European co-production;the...
- 1/26/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Eight features and eight short films from the Netherlands or supported by the Dutch have been selected for the 67th Berlin International Film Festival that runs 9–19 Feb 2017.“The Wound”
“The Wound” is the only film ever to world premiere in Sundance, continue into Hivos Tiger Competition in Rotterdam and play Opening Night at the Berlinale Panorama. The movie is universal and potent exploraton of conflicting conceptions of what it means to be a man.
A lonely, young factory worker Xolani travels to a remote mountain camp in South Africa to tend teenage boys going through a traditional Xhola rite of passage. This year, Xolani is assigned to mentor Kwanda, a coddled Jo’burg boy who challenges the customs of the camp and is ostracized by other initiates. Kwanda, as observant as he is insolent, quickly notices the attraction between Xolani and his fellow caregiver, the volatile Vija. Heeding Kwanda’s exhortations,...
“The Wound” is the only film ever to world premiere in Sundance, continue into Hivos Tiger Competition in Rotterdam and play Opening Night at the Berlinale Panorama. The movie is universal and potent exploraton of conflicting conceptions of what it means to be a man.
A lonely, young factory worker Xolani travels to a remote mountain camp in South Africa to tend teenage boys going through a traditional Xhola rite of passage. This year, Xolani is assigned to mentor Kwanda, a coddled Jo’burg boy who challenges the customs of the camp and is ostracized by other initiates. Kwanda, as observant as he is insolent, quickly notices the attraction between Xolani and his fellow caregiver, the volatile Vija. Heeding Kwanda’s exhortations,...
- 2/7/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Mammoth Lakes Film festival concluded on Sunday, May 29th with the award-winning documentary Sonita, followed by a lively, music and fun-filled awards presentation at Sierra Events Center. Over 50 films were screened over the five day fest, including premieres, presentation of the first ever Sierra Spirit Award to legendary director Joe Dante, filmmaker bonding at screenings and events, including a film fest hosted trip to Bodie ghost town. Awards, detailed below, included the presentation of the physical Orson trophy, each one with its own personality, and all created by local artist Josh Slater.
Jury Award for Feature Narrative – Bodkin Ras, a first time feature by director Kaweh Modiri. This Dutch film, shot in the remote town of Forres Scotland, caught the Jury by surprise with its intriguing blend of documentary and fiction. Its lyrical images, Poetic construction and poignant performances have indelible haunting effects that stay with the viewer. Awards:...
Jury Award for Feature Narrative – Bodkin Ras, a first time feature by director Kaweh Modiri. This Dutch film, shot in the remote town of Forres Scotland, caught the Jury by surprise with its intriguing blend of documentary and fiction. Its lyrical images, Poetic construction and poignant performances have indelible haunting effects that stay with the viewer. Awards:...
- 6/3/2016
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Gabriel Mascaro. Photo by Beto Figueiroa.Similarly to the “slow cinema” fad of international art-house cinema, the docufiction format and variations of the fiction and documentary marriage seem to be in high demand by festival programmers, judging by last year´s Locarno and this year´s Rotterdam programs. The plethora of films at the intersection of both realms, resulting in a blending of cinematic strategies, styles and codes of both formats, span a wide spectrum of options from audience-pleasers like Kaweh Modiri´s Bodkin Ras to avangardishly-tuned Pietro Marcello´s Lost and Beautiful. Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro also fits the label, currently dominating the festival circuit with award-reaping Neon Bull, which sees its release in the Us cinemas on April 8, followed by a retrospective devoted to the director at New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center. Mascaro was born in north-eastern region of Brazil in Recife, the capital and the...
- 4/7/2016
- by Martin Kudlac
- MUBI
Exclusive: Shoreline has acquired worldwide sales rights to Kaweh Modiri’s docu-fiction hybrid, which will receive its North American premiere at SXSW on Saturday.
Bodkin Ras premiered recently at the Rotterdam Film Festival where it won the Fipresci Award.
The SXSW Sx Global Section entry will centres on a mysterious fugitive who arrives in a gritty Scottish town looking to escape his criminal past and start a new life.
Iranian-Dutch actor Sorab Bayat stars in the allegory about the plight of immigrants. Raymond van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam produced alongside IntiFilms.
“Real life people and events inspire my work, which is mainly character based,” said Modiri. “This story is what happens when those characters collide. Between 2007 and 2011 I spent time in the town of Forres, Scotland, and got to know the townsfolk who went on to star in Bodkin Ras.
“Hidden between the Highlands and the sea, this town got me thinking about the idea of...
Bodkin Ras premiered recently at the Rotterdam Film Festival where it won the Fipresci Award.
The SXSW Sx Global Section entry will centres on a mysterious fugitive who arrives in a gritty Scottish town looking to escape his criminal past and start a new life.
Iranian-Dutch actor Sorab Bayat stars in the allegory about the plight of immigrants. Raymond van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam produced alongside IntiFilms.
“Real life people and events inspire my work, which is mainly character based,” said Modiri. “This story is what happens when those characters collide. Between 2007 and 2011 I spent time in the town of Forres, Scotland, and got to know the townsfolk who went on to star in Bodkin Ras.
“Hidden between the Highlands and the sea, this town got me thinking about the idea of...
- 3/10/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Other winners included Bodkin Ras, Land Of Mine and Embrace Of The Serpent.
Babak Jalali’s Radio Dreams has tonight won the Hivos Tiger Awards Competition and €40,000 - shared by director and producer - at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (Jan 27-Feb 7).
The film, which received its world premiere at Iffr, is a comedy about an Iranian writer who pursues an ambitious goal of bringing together Metallica and Kabul Dreams, Afghanistan’s first rock band. It marks the second feature of Jalali, whose Frontier Blues debuted at Locarno in 2009.
The jury said it had awarded the prize to Radio Dreams “for its subtle and humorous reflection on displacement and alienation of a group of misfits in a foreign culture.” [Click here for Babak Jalali interview]
In addition, a special jury award worth €10,000 was presented to La última tierra by Pablo Lamar, “for exceptional artistic achievement in sound design”. [Click here for interview]
The winners were announced at the Iffr 2016 Awards Ceremony, held at the...
Babak Jalali’s Radio Dreams has tonight won the Hivos Tiger Awards Competition and €40,000 - shared by director and producer - at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) (Jan 27-Feb 7).
The film, which received its world premiere at Iffr, is a comedy about an Iranian writer who pursues an ambitious goal of bringing together Metallica and Kabul Dreams, Afghanistan’s first rock band. It marks the second feature of Jalali, whose Frontier Blues debuted at Locarno in 2009.
The jury said it had awarded the prize to Radio Dreams “for its subtle and humorous reflection on displacement and alienation of a group of misfits in a foreign culture.” [Click here for Babak Jalali interview]
In addition, a special jury award worth €10,000 was presented to La última tierra by Pablo Lamar, “for exceptional artistic achievement in sound design”. [Click here for interview]
The winners were announced at the Iffr 2016 Awards Ceremony, held at the...
- 2/5/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Lined up for the International Film Festival Rotterdam's Bright Future program this year are works by Ana Cristina Barragán, Samuele Sestieri, Kaweh Modiri, Lee Seung-won, Jonas Rothlaender, Bernardo Britto, Yi Cui, Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito, Fernanda Romandía, Arun Karthick, Emiliano Rocha Minter, Yosuke Okuda, Pimpaka Towira, Uchida Eiji, Vlado Skafar, Penny Lane, Matt Johnson, Elisa Miller, Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Tsubota Yoshifumi, Lucile Hadžihalilovic, Simon Stone, Pietro Marcello, Bi Gan, João Salaviza, Pascale Breton, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Avishai Sivan, Jony Perel, Alex Santiago Pérez and many others. » - David Hudson...
- 1/6/2016
- Keyframe
Lined up for the International Film Festival Rotterdam's Bright Future program this year are works by Ana Cristina Barragán, Samuele Sestieri, Kaweh Modiri, Lee Seung-won, Jonas Rothlaender, Bernardo Britto, Yi Cui, Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito, Fernanda Romandía, Arun Karthick, Emiliano Rocha Minter, Yosuke Okuda, Pimpaka Towira, Uchida Eiji, Vlado Skafar, Penny Lane, Matt Johnson, Elisa Miller, Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Tsubota Yoshifumi, Lucile Hadžihalilovic, Simon Stone, Pietro Marcello, Bi Gan, João Salaviza, Pascale Breton, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Avishai Sivan, Jony Perel, Alex Santiago Pérez and many others. » - David Hudson...
- 1/6/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
History's FutureScheduled to open later this month (27 January - 7 Febuary 2016), the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam has announced the titles included in its competition, which has scaled back the number of films competing to eight this year.Tiger Award COMPETITIONHistory's Future – Fiona Tan (The Netherlands, world premiere)The Land of the Enlightened – Pieter-Jan De Pue (Belgium, The Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, European premiere)Motel Mist – Prabda Yoon (Thailand, world premiere)Oscuro animal – Felipe Guerrero (Colombia, Argentina, The Netherlands, Germany, Greece, world premiere)Radio Dreams – Babak Jalali (USA, world premiere)La última tierra – Pablo Lamar (Paraguay, The Netherlands, Chile, Qatar, world premiere)Where I Grow Old – Marília Rocha (Brazil, Portugal, world premiere)A Woman, a Part – Elisabeth Subrin (USA, world premiere)
Bright FUTUREAlba – Ana Cristina Barragán (Ecuador, Mexico, Greece, world premiere)Alone – Park Hongmin (South Korea, international premiere)Animal político – Tião (Brazil, world premiere)The Bear Tales – Samuele Sestieri, Olmo Amato (Italy,...
Bright FUTUREAlba – Ana Cristina Barragán (Ecuador, Mexico, Greece, world premiere)Alone – Park Hongmin (South Korea, international premiere)Animal político – Tião (Brazil, world premiere)The Bear Tales – Samuele Sestieri, Olmo Amato (Italy,...
- 1/5/2016
- by Notebook
- MUBI
You hear it all the time: Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News. But Americans were buying all the same, and to quote Screen International: “The current market is focused on smart money and smart deals, not volume of product”. Business at Afm was also solid though unspectacular. Moreover, the pre-buying of projects may be below the radar of this $3 billion business of international film buying and selling. TrustNordisk’s CEO Rikke Ennis says that 70% of their films are pre-sold. As you look at the upcoming Winter Rights Roundup due out in two weeks from SydneysBuzz.com/Reports, you will notice many of the films have been pre-buys this market and many films screening were already pre-sold during Afm in November.
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
- 2/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Beki Probst, head of Berlin’s European Film Market (Efm), has hit back at claims that the 2014 edition was “sluggish” or “lukewarm” while the Berlinale Co-Production Market has handed out its awards.
Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, was responding to reports of a quieter market.
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said in an exclusive interview with ScreenDaily.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m cheque, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
In the opinion...
Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, was responding to reports of a quieter market.
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said in an exclusive interview with ScreenDaily.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m cheque, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
In the opinion...
- 2/14/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
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