Connext is a crucial promotional event for Flanders filmmakers and projects.
Connext, the annual industry showcase for new films and TV dramas made in Flanders and Brussels, will present new projects from some of the region’s leading filmmakers including Kevin Janssens, Veerle Baetens, and Fien Troch.
The 2022 hybrid edition will run onsite in Antwerp from October 9-11 and online from October 10-24.
The 82 titles being presented range from project pitches to works in progress through completed films and series.
Many familiar names from Flemish film and TV are participating. Janssens will be pitching his new TV series Breendonk, a...
Connext, the annual industry showcase for new films and TV dramas made in Flanders and Brussels, will present new projects from some of the region’s leading filmmakers including Kevin Janssens, Veerle Baetens, and Fien Troch.
The 2022 hybrid edition will run onsite in Antwerp from October 9-11 and online from October 10-24.
The 82 titles being presented range from project pitches to works in progress through completed films and series.
Many familiar names from Flemish film and TV are participating. Janssens will be pitching his new TV series Breendonk, a...
- 10/4/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Flanders Image, the promotional arm of the Vaf film fund of Belgium’s Flemish-speaking community, has unveiled the 80 projects selected for its annual Connext showcase, running as a hybrid event from October 10-24.
The showcase, which will hold a physical component in Antwerp from October 9-11, unfolds against the backdrop of a high-profile year for Belgian film and the cinema of its Flemish-speaking community in particular.
Lukas Dhont’s Close won Cannes Grand Prize and is now a frontrunner in the best international film category of the Oscars as Belgium’s submission; while Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch clinched Cannes Jury Prize for Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains (ex-acquo with Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo).
Rebel, the homecoming film of Bad Boys For Life directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, has also been making waves internationally after debuting Out of Competition at Cannes.
These films were all showcased at previous editions of Connext.
The showcase, which will hold a physical component in Antwerp from October 9-11, unfolds against the backdrop of a high-profile year for Belgian film and the cinema of its Flemish-speaking community in particular.
Lukas Dhont’s Close won Cannes Grand Prize and is now a frontrunner in the best international film category of the Oscars as Belgium’s submission; while Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch clinched Cannes Jury Prize for Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains (ex-acquo with Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo).
Rebel, the homecoming film of Bad Boys For Life directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, has also been making waves internationally after debuting Out of Competition at Cannes.
These films were all showcased at previous editions of Connext.
- 10/3/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Le plus vivant possible
With three shorts under her belt and noteworthy second assistant director gigs for Maïwenn’s Polisse and Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir, Belgian filmmaker Delphine Girard has in part charted a course into feature filmmaking with a project that is, in some capacity, based on Une soeur – the short film that won her a trip to the final round of the Oscars in the Best Live Action Short Film (2020). With production set to begin in March in Brussels, Girard with reteamed with Veerle Baetens, Selma Alaoui and Guillaume Duhesme with the added presence of Anne Dorval. Le plus vivant possible won the ArteKino International Award as part of the Coproduction Village of Les Arcs Film Festival in 2020.…...
With three shorts under her belt and noteworthy second assistant director gigs for Maïwenn’s Polisse and Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir, Belgian filmmaker Delphine Girard has in part charted a course into feature filmmaking with a project that is, in some capacity, based on Une soeur – the short film that won her a trip to the final round of the Oscars in the Best Live Action Short Film (2020). With production set to begin in March in Brussels, Girard with reteamed with Veerle Baetens, Selma Alaoui and Guillaume Duhesme with the added presence of Anne Dorval. Le plus vivant possible won the ArteKino International Award as part of the Coproduction Village of Les Arcs Film Festival in 2020.…...
- 1/7/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
God Exists, Her Name is Petrunija
Macedonia’s Teona Strugar Mitevska fifth feature is the intriguingly titled God Exists, Her Name is Petrunija. Produced by Labina Mitevska through Sisters and Brother Mitesvski Production, and co-produced by Entre Chien et Loup, Vertigo Productions and Spiritus Movens, Mitevska employs her I Am From Titov Veles Belgium cinematographer Virginie Saint-Martin. Newcomer Zorica Nusheva makes her debut as Petrunija. Mitesvka’s 2004 debut How I Killed a Saint went to Rotterdam and her 2007 title I Am From Titov Veles won a Special Jury Prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival and was programmed in Berlin’s 2008 Panorama Program.…...
Macedonia’s Teona Strugar Mitevska fifth feature is the intriguingly titled God Exists, Her Name is Petrunija. Produced by Labina Mitevska through Sisters and Brother Mitesvski Production, and co-produced by Entre Chien et Loup, Vertigo Productions and Spiritus Movens, Mitevska employs her I Am From Titov Veles Belgium cinematographer Virginie Saint-Martin. Newcomer Zorica Nusheva makes her debut as Petrunija. Mitesvka’s 2004 debut How I Killed a Saint went to Rotterdam and her 2007 title I Am From Titov Veles won a Special Jury Prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival and was programmed in Berlin’s 2008 Panorama Program.…...
- 1/2/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Annihilation (Alex Garland)
More terrifying than any creature Hollywood could dream up is the unraveling of one’s mind—the steady loss of a consciousness as defined by the memories, motivations, and knowledge built up from decades of experience and reflection. With Annihilation, Alex Garland’s beautiful, frightening follow-up to Ex Machina, he portrays this paralyzing sensation with a sense of vivid imagination, and also delivers a cadre of horrifying creatures to boot.
Annihilation (Alex Garland)
More terrifying than any creature Hollywood could dream up is the unraveling of one’s mind—the steady loss of a consciousness as defined by the memories, motivations, and knowledge built up from decades of experience and reflection. With Annihilation, Alex Garland’s beautiful, frightening follow-up to Ex Machina, he portrays this paralyzing sensation with a sense of vivid imagination, and also delivers a cadre of horrifying creatures to boot.
- 5/25/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Better than ever, now in its seventh year, the spectacular program with its filmmaking guests and a committed community of dedicated and intellectually alive filmgoers invigorates the mind and activist tendencies already in play.
Take for instance, University of Arizona Professor Noam Chomsky, one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world, speaking with Regents’ Professor Toni Massaro about social justice and the environment. Here he is, in person, being honored as every word he speaks is treated as a jewel. Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Chomsky has written more than 100 books, his most recent being Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power. An ardent free speech advocate, Chomsky has published and lectured widely on U.S. foreign policy, Mideast politics, terrorism, democratic society and war. Chomsky, who joined the UA faculty this fall, is a laureate professor in the Department of...
Take for instance, University of Arizona Professor Noam Chomsky, one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world, speaking with Regents’ Professor Toni Massaro about social justice and the environment. Here he is, in person, being honored as every word he speaks is treated as a jewel. Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Chomsky has written more than 100 books, his most recent being Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power. An ardent free speech advocate, Chomsky has published and lectured widely on U.S. foreign policy, Mideast politics, terrorism, democratic society and war. Chomsky, who joined the UA faculty this fall, is a laureate professor in the Department of...
- 11/13/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
"You need a lot of love. From your audience, too." Studiocanal has debuted the first UK trailer for a Belgian drama titled Souvenir, starring French actress Isabelle Huppert as a former singer now working at a factory in a small town. The film played at a few major festivals last fall, including Toronto and London, and is opening in Us theaters later this year. Huppert plays Liliane Cheverny, who was once "Laura", a singer who finished second in the 1974 European Song Contest. Her singing dreams are reignited when she meets a young boxer who convinces her she should make a comeback. Also starring Kévin Azaïs, Johan Leysen, Muriel Bersy, and Benjamin Boutboul. This looks like a provocative, passionate film about lost dreams. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Bavo Defurne's Souvenir, direct from YouTube: Liliane (Isabelle Huppert) was once "Laura", a rising star in the singing world, who had her moment of glory when she finished second in the ...
- 6/20/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
It’s not a major film festival without a new film from Isabelle Huppert. While Cannes saw the premieres of Happy End and Claire’s Camera, last fall a handful of films starring the actress came to Tiff and one was the drama Souvenir. Directed by Bavo Defurne, the film follows her as a factory worker whose semi-famous past bubbles up when she begins a new relationship. Set for a U.K. release this month, a new trailer has now arrived.
We said in our review, “With some nice feel-good moments and a couple crippling defeats, Defurne allows his characters to evolve despite the abbreviated run-time of 90 minutes. So while the relationship is half-baked to a point–hormones running wild–both Liliane and Jean are three-dimensional. We empathize with each misstep, their quick-tempered rejection of the other rapidly replaced by coy looks of forgiveness. And we appreciate their undying support...
We said in our review, “With some nice feel-good moments and a couple crippling defeats, Defurne allows his characters to evolve despite the abbreviated run-time of 90 minutes. So while the relationship is half-baked to a point–hormones running wild–both Liliane and Jean are three-dimensional. We empathize with each misstep, their quick-tempered rejection of the other rapidly replaced by coy looks of forgiveness. And we appreciate their undying support...
- 6/20/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Besides becoming an unlikely internet favorite, Isabelle Huppert has been ridiculously busy, so much so that we forgot about “Souvenir.” Making its international premiere at Tiff last fall, the film more or less got lost in all the buzz around Paul Verhoeven‘s “Elle,” but the picture is now quietly making its way to cinemas.
Directed by Bavo Defurne, the film runs with an interesting premise, following a former singer who takes another chance at making it big, thanks to the interest of a young fan.
Continue reading Isabelle Huppert Makes A Comeback In New Trailer For ‘Souvenir’ at The Playlist.
Directed by Bavo Defurne, the film runs with an interesting premise, following a former singer who takes another chance at making it big, thanks to the interest of a young fan.
Continue reading Isabelle Huppert Makes A Comeback In New Trailer For ‘Souvenir’ at The Playlist.
- 6/20/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Author: Stefan Pape
The French have a remarkable ability to present formulaic romantic comedies that affectionately abide by the tropes of the genre at hand, in unique, creative ways. Whether it be Up For Love or Love is in the Air, or even Heartbreaker and Populaire, they tell familiar stories in a resourceful manner, and Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir is very much cut from the same cloth – yet there’s a distinct comfortability to these movies that make for congenial cinema.
Isabelle Huppert plays Liliane Cheverny, who went by the stage name of Laura, coming in second place to Abba in the Eurovision Song Contest. Labelled a has-been, she now works at a pate factory, which is where she meets the opportunist young boxer Jean Leloup (Kévin Azais), who recognises her instantly given his father was such a big fan of her work. Wanting nothing more than to convince her...
The French have a remarkable ability to present formulaic romantic comedies that affectionately abide by the tropes of the genre at hand, in unique, creative ways. Whether it be Up For Love or Love is in the Air, or even Heartbreaker and Populaire, they tell familiar stories in a resourceful manner, and Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir is very much cut from the same cloth – yet there’s a distinct comfortability to these movies that make for congenial cinema.
Isabelle Huppert plays Liliane Cheverny, who went by the stage name of Laura, coming in second place to Abba in the Eurovision Song Contest. Labelled a has-been, she now works at a pate factory, which is where she meets the opportunist young boxer Jean Leloup (Kévin Azais), who recognises her instantly given his father was such a big fan of her work. Wanting nothing more than to convince her...
- 6/19/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Netflix has acquired the worldwide Svod rights to Drake Doremus’ “Newness,” Deadline reports. The film stars Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa as a couple in contemporary Los Angeles navigating the world of online dating and social media–driven hookup culture. The film was a last-minute addition to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Courtney Eaton, Danny Huston and Courtney Eaton. Netflix acquired the rights in a reported seven-figure deal.
– Gravitas Ventures has acquired writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s second feature film, “Abundant Acreage Available.” The film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay Award in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The film focuses on siblings Tracy (Amy Ryan) and Jesse...
– Netflix has acquired the worldwide Svod rights to Drake Doremus’ “Newness,” Deadline reports. The film stars Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa as a couple in contemporary Los Angeles navigating the world of online dating and social media–driven hookup culture. The film was a last-minute addition to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Courtney Eaton, Danny Huston and Courtney Eaton. Netflix acquired the rights in a reported seven-figure deal.
– Gravitas Ventures has acquired writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s second feature film, “Abundant Acreage Available.” The film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay Award in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The film focuses on siblings Tracy (Amy Ryan) and Jesse...
- 6/16/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Distributor plans autumn release following deal with Pathe International.
Strand Releasing has picked up North American rights to Souvenir starring Isabelle Huppert and Kevin Azaïs.
Bavo Defurne directed the film, which concerns a former singer who works in a factory and whose days of glory appear to be behind her.
When a co-worker discovers her talent he persuades her to hit the road for a comeback tour and a budding romance ensues.
Strand distributed Defurne’s previous feature North Sea Texas as well as his short films.
The distributor is no stranger to Huppert either, having released Anne Fontaine’s My Worst Nightmare, Guillaume Nicloux’s Valley Of Love, and Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness.
Strand plans an autumn release and negotiated the deal with Pathe International. Bonjour Pictures, Frakas Productions, Deal Productions, and Avenue B Productions produced Souvenir.
“This film is making an amazing journey and I think Souvenir comes to the Us at the...
Strand Releasing has picked up North American rights to Souvenir starring Isabelle Huppert and Kevin Azaïs.
Bavo Defurne directed the film, which concerns a former singer who works in a factory and whose days of glory appear to be behind her.
When a co-worker discovers her talent he persuades her to hit the road for a comeback tour and a budding romance ensues.
Strand distributed Defurne’s previous feature North Sea Texas as well as his short films.
The distributor is no stranger to Huppert either, having released Anne Fontaine’s My Worst Nightmare, Guillaume Nicloux’s Valley Of Love, and Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness.
Strand plans an autumn release and negotiated the deal with Pathe International. Bonjour Pictures, Frakas Productions, Deal Productions, and Avenue B Productions produced Souvenir.
“This film is making an amazing journey and I think Souvenir comes to the Us at the...
- 6/9/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Awards season: Isabelle Huppert collects her Crystal French Cinema Award at the Ministry of Culture in Paris surrounded by directors including Benoît Jacquot and Anne Fontaine Photo: Richard Mowe
After her surprise best actress win at the Golden Globes (against more obvious contenders as Natalie Portman [Jackie] and Amy Adams [Arrival], last night (16 January) it was the turn of the French to honour Paul Verhoeven’s Elle star Isabelle Huppert.
Isabelle Huppert: “Sometimes the idea of culture falls by the wayside. In France, we have a tendency to think that the values of culture are very high and we have to keep them that way.”
Just returned from Los Angeles with her Globe trophy in her suitcase, the normally serene Huppert was visibly moved by the accolade bestowed in a ceremony at the Ministry of Culture overlooking the historic Palais Royal in the heart of Paris.
The award from the legendary...
After her surprise best actress win at the Golden Globes (against more obvious contenders as Natalie Portman [Jackie] and Amy Adams [Arrival], last night (16 January) it was the turn of the French to honour Paul Verhoeven’s Elle star Isabelle Huppert.
Isabelle Huppert: “Sometimes the idea of culture falls by the wayside. In France, we have a tendency to think that the values of culture are very high and we have to keep them that way.”
Just returned from Los Angeles with her Globe trophy in her suitcase, the normally serene Huppert was visibly moved by the accolade bestowed in a ceremony at the Ministry of Culture overlooking the historic Palais Royal in the heart of Paris.
The award from the legendary...
- 1/16/2017
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
French actress Isabelle Huppert has made a big splash starring in at least two widely acclaimed films this year: Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” about a businesswoman who is assaulted in her home and then begins stalking her attacker, and Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Things to Come,” about a philosophy professor who’s life is thrown in disarray when her husband leaves her for another woman. Now, Huppert returns yet again in Bavo Defurne’s “Souvenir,” about a middle-aged factory worker’s new relationship with a young boxer. Watch a trailer for the film below. (Note: there are no English subtitles.)
Read More: Why ‘Elle’ Star Isabelle Huppert Is the Actress Whose Oscar Time Has Come
In the film, Huppert plays Liliane, an unassuming model employee in a pâté factory who meets a new worker named Jean (Kévin Azaïs) who boxes in his spare time. They soon form a platonic relationship, but...
Read More: Why ‘Elle’ Star Isabelle Huppert Is the Actress Whose Oscar Time Has Come
In the film, Huppert plays Liliane, an unassuming model employee in a pâté factory who meets a new worker named Jean (Kévin Azaïs) who boxes in his spare time. They soon form a platonic relationship, but...
- 11/10/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
This week we spoke with Isabelle Huppert, an actress who not only delivers one of the year’s best performances in Elle, but delivers another one of the year’s best performances in Things to Come. The prolific actress also had another film premiere earlier this season with Souvenir, which debuted at Tiff. Directed by Bavo Defurne, the film follows her as a factory worker whose semi-famous past bubbles up when she begins a new relationship. While it doesn’t have a U.S. release yet, it’ll be landing in France by the end of the year and the first trailer — albeit one without English subtitles — has arrived.
We said in our review, “With some nice feel-good moments and a couple crippling defeats, Defurne allows his characters to evolve despite the abbreviated run-time of 90 minutes. So while the relationship is half-baked to a point–hormones running wild–both Liliane and Jean are three-dimensional.
We said in our review, “With some nice feel-good moments and a couple crippling defeats, Defurne allows his characters to evolve despite the abbreviated run-time of 90 minutes. So while the relationship is half-baked to a point–hormones running wild–both Liliane and Jean are three-dimensional.
- 11/10/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Jury led by Jeremy Thomas awards Terence Davies title with top award.
The 43rd annual Film Festival Ghent (Oct 11-21) awarded Terence Davies’ A Quiet Passion with the Grand Prix for Best Film.
Shot largely at Aed Studios in Antwerp, the Emily Dickinson biopic is a UK-Belgium co-production.
The international jury was led by Jeremy Thomas. The veteran UK producer was also recognised by the festival for his contribution to cinema, receiving the lifetime achievement award.
Ahead of the closing-night screening of Belgian film-maker Bavo Defurne’s romantic drama Souvenir, Thomas and his jury – including Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, author Jonathan Coe and actresses Maaike Neuville, Lina El Arabi and India Hair – handed out the prizes.
Davies’ A Quiet Passion win came with $47.500 (€43,500) in prize money; special mention went to Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s Glory.
The Georges Delerue Award for best score went to Us producer/composer Johnny Jewel for Fien Troch’s Home...
The 43rd annual Film Festival Ghent (Oct 11-21) awarded Terence Davies’ A Quiet Passion with the Grand Prix for Best Film.
Shot largely at Aed Studios in Antwerp, the Emily Dickinson biopic is a UK-Belgium co-production.
The international jury was led by Jeremy Thomas. The veteran UK producer was also recognised by the festival for his contribution to cinema, receiving the lifetime achievement award.
Ahead of the closing-night screening of Belgian film-maker Bavo Defurne’s romantic drama Souvenir, Thomas and his jury – including Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, author Jonathan Coe and actresses Maaike Neuville, Lina El Arabi and India Hair – handed out the prizes.
Davies’ A Quiet Passion win came with $47.500 (€43,500) in prize money; special mention went to Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s Glory.
The Georges Delerue Award for best score went to Us producer/composer Johnny Jewel for Fien Troch’s Home...
- 10/24/2016
- ScreenDaily
“I’ll let myself be surprised, as my good friend Michael Haneke would say,” says French actress about Oscar prospects.
There has been growing buzz in recent weeks around Isabelle Huppert’s chances of clinching Best Actress at the 2017 Oscars for her multi-layered performance as a woman who turns the tables on a rapist in Paul Verhoeven’s French-language thriller Elle.
The French actress – who counts one Bafta, two Palme d’Or, a shared Silver Lion and a slew of life-time achievement tributes among the 60-odd awards she has won over her 40-year career – has never made it to the Academy Award nomination stage before.
But there appears to be a groundswell of feeling at home and in Los Angeles that this should be her year.
A win would come on the back of a high-profile 12 months on the international festival circuit for Huppert, linked to her appearances in Elle as well as French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love...
There has been growing buzz in recent weeks around Isabelle Huppert’s chances of clinching Best Actress at the 2017 Oscars for her multi-layered performance as a woman who turns the tables on a rapist in Paul Verhoeven’s French-language thriller Elle.
The French actress – who counts one Bafta, two Palme d’Or, a shared Silver Lion and a slew of life-time achievement tributes among the 60-odd awards she has won over her 40-year career – has never made it to the Academy Award nomination stage before.
But there appears to be a groundswell of feeling at home and in Los Angeles that this should be her year.
A win would come on the back of a high-profile 12 months on the international festival circuit for Huppert, linked to her appearances in Elle as well as French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love...
- 10/17/2016
- ScreenDaily
Coureur won the events best project pitch, while Cloduboy triumphed in the Works In Progress strand.
Organisers of the inaugural NeXT event in Ghent, hosted by Flanders Image, intend to re-stage the event in 2017 following positive feedback from industry at this year’s programme.
NeXT welcomed international industry guests – including festival programmers, distributors and sales executives – to meet with Belgian producers and distributors, view finished Flemish films, and listen to pitches of projects in development or presentations of works in progress.
There were eight projects in development pitched, with an international jury selecting Coureur as best pitch. In the Works In Progress, the jury picked Cloudboy as the winner of the 13 films in post-production.
Finished films screening included Fien Troch’s Home, Peter Monsaert’s Le Ciel Flamand, Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir, Christophe Van Rompaey’s Vincent And The End of the World, and Nic Balthazar’s Everybody Happy.
Peter Bouckaert [pictured] of leading Belgian producer Eyeworks pitched...
Organisers of the inaugural NeXT event in Ghent, hosted by Flanders Image, intend to re-stage the event in 2017 following positive feedback from industry at this year’s programme.
NeXT welcomed international industry guests – including festival programmers, distributors and sales executives – to meet with Belgian producers and distributors, view finished Flemish films, and listen to pitches of projects in development or presentations of works in progress.
There were eight projects in development pitched, with an international jury selecting Coureur as best pitch. In the Works In Progress, the jury picked Cloudboy as the winner of the 13 films in post-production.
Finished films screening included Fien Troch’s Home, Peter Monsaert’s Le Ciel Flamand, Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir, Christophe Van Rompaey’s Vincent And The End of the World, and Nic Balthazar’s Everybody Happy.
Peter Bouckaert [pictured] of leading Belgian producer Eyeworks pitched...
- 10/14/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Coureur won the events best project pitch, while Cloduboy triumphed in the Works In Progress strand.
The inaugural NeXT event in Ghent, hosted by Flanders Image, has revealed its best pitch and works in progress winners.
NeXT welcomed international industry guests – including festival programmers, distributors and sales executives – to meet with Belgian producers and distributors, view finished Flemish films, and listen to pitches of projects in development or presentations of works in progress.
There were eight projects in development pitched, with an international jury selecting Coureur as best pitch. In the Works In Progress, the jury picked Cloudboy as the winner of the 13 films in post-production.
Finished films screening included Fien Troch’s Home, Peter Monsaert’s Le Ciel Flamand, Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir, Christophe Van Rompaey’s Vincent And The End of the World, and Nic Balthazar’s Everybody Happy.
Peter Bouckaert [pictured] of leading Belgian producer Eyeworks pitched Stijn Coninx’s Don’t Shoot and presented...
The inaugural NeXT event in Ghent, hosted by Flanders Image, has revealed its best pitch and works in progress winners.
NeXT welcomed international industry guests – including festival programmers, distributors and sales executives – to meet with Belgian producers and distributors, view finished Flemish films, and listen to pitches of projects in development or presentations of works in progress.
There were eight projects in development pitched, with an international jury selecting Coureur as best pitch. In the Works In Progress, the jury picked Cloudboy as the winner of the 13 films in post-production.
Finished films screening included Fien Troch’s Home, Peter Monsaert’s Le Ciel Flamand, Bavo Defurne’s Souvenir, Christophe Van Rompaey’s Vincent And The End of the World, and Nic Balthazar’s Everybody Happy.
Peter Bouckaert [pictured] of leading Belgian producer Eyeworks pitched Stijn Coninx’s Don’t Shoot and presented...
- 10/14/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
British director’s Palme d’Or winning film opened the 43rd edition of the festival.
I, Daniel Blake director Ken Loach and actress Hayley Squires were in Ghent, Belgium last night (Oct 11) for the opening of the 43rd Film Fest Gent.
Loach, tireless at age 80, passionately introduced his Palme d’Or winning drama five times in five separate cinema screens at the Kinepolis multiplex. Loach said, “This is a story we needed to share. It is in a sense about how we choose to live together.”
The veteran director also held a Q&A away from the red carpet, at a public screening at the Vooruit, a venue that has long been associated with socialist causes, where the audience gave him a lengthy standing ovation.
Festival artistic director Patrick Duynslaegher said he wanted to open the festival with I, Daniel Blake because it offered a shared artistic experience “without excluding social and political relevance.”
Loach was also...
I, Daniel Blake director Ken Loach and actress Hayley Squires were in Ghent, Belgium last night (Oct 11) for the opening of the 43rd Film Fest Gent.
Loach, tireless at age 80, passionately introduced his Palme d’Or winning drama five times in five separate cinema screens at the Kinepolis multiplex. Loach said, “This is a story we needed to share. It is in a sense about how we choose to live together.”
The veteran director also held a Q&A away from the red carpet, at a public screening at the Vooruit, a venue that has long been associated with socialist causes, where the audience gave him a lengthy standing ovation.
Festival artistic director Patrick Duynslaegher said he wanted to open the festival with I, Daniel Blake because it offered a shared artistic experience “without excluding social and political relevance.”
Loach was also...
- 10/12/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Roskam’s third feature The Racer And The Jailbird starring Matthias Schoenaerts will be among the line-up.
Flanders Image – a division of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund — is hosting the first NeXT event from Oct 9-12 in Ghent, Belgium.
The event will include a showcase of new films and pitches of future projects, alongside works in progress presentations from both established names and new talents of Belgian cinema made in Flanders. There will also be a day of talks, workshops and panel discussions that bring together local filmmakers and international experts.
Among the high profile Flemish films to be discussed will be Michael R Roskam’s third feature The Racer And The Jailbird, described as a dark romantic drama and starring his Bullhead star Matthias Schoenaerts alongside Adèle Exarchopoulos; and Loft director Erik Van Looy’s new thriller The Prime Minister, which is being sold by The Works. Those are both part of short works in progress presentations...
Flanders Image – a division of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund — is hosting the first NeXT event from Oct 9-12 in Ghent, Belgium.
The event will include a showcase of new films and pitches of future projects, alongside works in progress presentations from both established names and new talents of Belgian cinema made in Flanders. There will also be a day of talks, workshops and panel discussions that bring together local filmmakers and international experts.
Among the high profile Flemish films to be discussed will be Michael R Roskam’s third feature The Racer And The Jailbird, described as a dark romantic drama and starring his Bullhead star Matthias Schoenaerts alongside Adèle Exarchopoulos; and Loft director Erik Van Looy’s new thriller The Prime Minister, which is being sold by The Works. Those are both part of short works in progress presentations...
- 9/30/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
It starts with bubbles. So many bubbles rising slowly in liquid as the opening credits in script font flash onscreen. And when the camera finally pans out to see what it’s been that’s mesmerized us so? A glass of water with an Alkaseltzer dropped in, of course. This is the humor director Bavo Defurne and his co-writers Jacques Boon and Yves Verbraeken infuse throughout their outside-the-box romance Souvenir. As it is the woman about to drink this concoction is hardly special: she lives alone, watches trivia game shows, and works at a pâté factory garnishing one pan after the next in blissful monotony and anonymity. Today is the day that all stops.
Liliane (Isabelle Huppert) has a secret no one has yet caught onto until a twenty-two year old boxer begins working at her job. Jean (Kévin Azaïs) recognizes her from somewhere, but it takes a couple days...
Liliane (Isabelle Huppert) has a secret no one has yet caught onto until a twenty-two year old boxer begins working at her job. Jean (Kévin Azaïs) recognizes her from somewhere, but it takes a couple days...
- 9/9/2016
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
A selection of films from the 2016 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has been unveiled, with films by Jim Jarmusch, Maren Ade, Tom Ford, Paul Verhoeven, Damien Chazelle, and many more.Opening NIGHTThe Magnificent Seven (Antoine Fuqua)GALASDeepwater HorizonArrival (Denis Villeneuve)Deepwater Horizon (Peter Berg)The Headhunter's Calling (Mark Williams)The Journey Is the Destination (Bronwen Hughes)Jt + The Tennessee Kids (Jonathan Demme)Lbj (Rob Reiner)Lion (Garth Davis)Loving (Jeff Nichols)A Monster Calls (J.A. Bayona)Planetarium (Rebecca Zlotowski)Queen of Katwe (Mira Nair)The Rolling Stones of Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America (Paul Dugdale)The Secret Scripture (Jim Sheridan)Snowden (Oliver Stone)Strange Weather (Katherine Dieckmann)Their Finest (Lone Scherfig)A United Kingdom (Amma Astante)Special PRESENTATIONSLa La LandThe Age of Shadows (Kim Jee-woon)All I See Is You (Marc Forster)American Honey (Andrea Arnold)American Pastoral (Ewan McGregor)Asura: The City of...
- 8/12/2016
- MUBI
Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) programmers have served up the first picks from what will be a typically daunting menu in September.Scroll down for full list of Galas, Special Presentations
The world premiere of Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven will open the 41st Tiff on September 8. The western remake stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-Hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard.
It marks a third visit to the festival for Fuqua, who previously screened Training Day and The Equalizer at Tiff.
The festival will close on September 17 with The Edge Of Seventeen, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick.
The coming-of-age comedy-drama marks the feature debut of writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig and is produced by Oscar-winner James L. Brooks (Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets).
Gala world premieres
Unveiling its first wave of titles, Tiff announced that world premieres in its Gala strand would include...
The world premiere of Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven will open the 41st Tiff on September 8. The western remake stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-Hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard.
It marks a third visit to the festival for Fuqua, who previously screened Training Day and The Equalizer at Tiff.
The festival will close on September 17 with The Edge Of Seventeen, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick.
The coming-of-age comedy-drama marks the feature debut of writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig and is produced by Oscar-winner James L. Brooks (Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets).
Gala world premieres
Unveiling its first wave of titles, Tiff announced that world premieres in its Gala strand would include...
- 7/26/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival — aka Tiff — has announced its first round of picks for this year’s festival, including Galas and Special Presentations, along with the festival’s opening night selection, Antoine Fuqua’s “The Magnificent Seven,” and their closing night pick, Kelly Fremon Craig’s feature directorial debut “The Edge of Seventeen.” Filled with early awards contenders, returning filmmakers and favorites from other festivals from around the globe, it’s a meaty selection of offerings that firmly announces the imminent arrival of the cinematic bonanza otherwise known as the fall festival season.
There are plenty of familiar faces here, including Denis Villeneuve, who will be bringing his “Arrival” to the same festival that has also screened his “Sicario” and “Prisoners” in previous years. The year after debuting his “Being Charlie” at Tiff, director Rob Reiner will return with his Woody Harrelson-starring biopic “Lbj.” Lone Scherfig, who has...
There are plenty of familiar faces here, including Denis Villeneuve, who will be bringing his “Arrival” to the same festival that has also screened his “Sicario” and “Prisoners” in previous years. The year after debuting his “Being Charlie” at Tiff, director Rob Reiner will return with his Woody Harrelson-starring biopic “Lbj.” Lone Scherfig, who has...
- 7/26/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Pre-sales revealed for feel-good, cross-cultural comedy.
Pathé International is hoping to capitalise internationally on growing domestic buzz for French cross-cultural comedy One Man And His Cow (La Vache) after it swept the awards at the Alpe d’Huez International Comedy Film Festival in January.
Fatsah Bouyahmed won best actor for his performance as an Algerian farmer who crosses France on foot with his prize cow Jacqueline to fulfill a life-long dream of attending the Paris Agricultural Show.
The film — produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun of Quad Films (the team behind global hit Untouchable) alongside popular actor Jamel Debbouze — also clinched the Grand Prix and the audience award.
The film has already pre-sold to Germany and Austria (Alamode), Belgium (Alternative Film) and Switzerland (Pathé) and Pathé International sales chief Muriel Sauzay says there is a potential for the film to travel even wider.
“It’s a really positive, feel-good film about...
Pathé International is hoping to capitalise internationally on growing domestic buzz for French cross-cultural comedy One Man And His Cow (La Vache) after it swept the awards at the Alpe d’Huez International Comedy Film Festival in January.
Fatsah Bouyahmed won best actor for his performance as an Algerian farmer who crosses France on foot with his prize cow Jacqueline to fulfill a life-long dream of attending the Paris Agricultural Show.
The film — produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun of Quad Films (the team behind global hit Untouchable) alongside popular actor Jamel Debbouze — also clinched the Grand Prix and the audience award.
The film has already pre-sold to Germany and Austria (Alamode), Belgium (Alternative Film) and Switzerland (Pathé) and Pathé International sales chief Muriel Sauzay says there is a potential for the film to travel even wider.
“It’s a really positive, feel-good film about...
- 2/11/2016
- ScreenDaily
Souvenir
Director: Bavo Defurne
Writers: Bavo Defurne, Jacques Boon, Yves Verbraeken
Belgian director Bavo Defurne moves from coming out narrative with his 2011 debut North Sea Texas to comeback story with sophomore effort, Souvenir (a title Joanna Hogg is currently using for her next project, expected in 2017). Liliane, a faded Eurovision singer now works in a pate factory, but a much younger man who happens to be an aspiring boxer, fancies her. Together, they stage a grand come back for the forgotten chanteuse. While this sounds offbeat and cute, Defurne scores Isabelle Huppert as his faded pop star and Kevin Azais, a recent Cesar winner for Love at First Fight (2014) as the younger man. This sounds like a far cry from Defurne’s first film, a solid Belgian drama about gay youth, which was distributed by Strand Releasing stateside in 2012. We look forward to seeing Huppert in a much lighter, significant...
Director: Bavo Defurne
Writers: Bavo Defurne, Jacques Boon, Yves Verbraeken
Belgian director Bavo Defurne moves from coming out narrative with his 2011 debut North Sea Texas to comeback story with sophomore effort, Souvenir (a title Joanna Hogg is currently using for her next project, expected in 2017). Liliane, a faded Eurovision singer now works in a pate factory, but a much younger man who happens to be an aspiring boxer, fancies her. Together, they stage a grand come back for the forgotten chanteuse. While this sounds offbeat and cute, Defurne scores Isabelle Huppert as his faded pop star and Kevin Azais, a recent Cesar winner for Love at First Fight (2014) as the younger man. This sounds like a far cry from Defurne’s first film, a solid Belgian drama about gay youth, which was distributed by Strand Releasing stateside in 2012. We look forward to seeing Huppert in a much lighter, significant...
- 1/11/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
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
Several projects have won prizes at Berlinale Talents 2014 (formerly known as the Berlinale Talent Campus).
There were 300 Talents selected for this year’s programme, which ran Feb 8-13.
During the Talent Project Market, the €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was given to Bavo Defurne [pictured] from Belgium for his project Souvenir.
The nomination prizes, each worth €1.000, went to Kaleena Kiff from Canada (The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson) and Ása Hjörleifsdóttir from Iceland (The Swan).
Robert Bosch Stiftung presented the Film Prize for International Cooperation to these three teams who get up to €60,000 each:
Manivelle-Memories of the Man of Tomorrow, Lebanon/Germany) [animation]
Possessed by Djinn, Jordan/Germany [documentary]
Dry Hot Summers, Egypt/Germany [short fiction film]...
There were 300 Talents selected for this year’s programme, which ran Feb 8-13.
During the Talent Project Market, the €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was given to Bavo Defurne [pictured] from Belgium for his project Souvenir.
The nomination prizes, each worth €1.000, went to Kaleena Kiff from Canada (The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson) and Ása Hjörleifsdóttir from Iceland (The Swan).
Robert Bosch Stiftung presented the Film Prize for International Cooperation to these three teams who get up to €60,000 each:
Manivelle-Memories of the Man of Tomorrow, Lebanon/Germany) [animation]
Possessed by Djinn, Jordan/Germany [documentary]
Dry Hot Summers, Egypt/Germany [short fiction film]...
- 2/14/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Several projects have won prizes at Berlinale Talents 2014 (formerly known as the Berlinale Talent Campus).
There were 300 Talents selected for this year’s programme, which ran Feb 8-13.
During the Talent Project Market, the €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was given to Bavo Defurne [pictured] from Belgium for his project Souvenir. The nomination prizes, each worth €1.000, went to Kaleena Kiff from Canada (The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson) and Ása Hjörleifsdóttir from Iceland (The Swan).
Robert Bosch Stiftung presented the Film Prize for International Cooperation to these three teams who get up to €60,000 each:
Manivelle-Memories of the Man of Tomorrow, Lebanon/Germany) [animation]
Possessed by Djinn, Jordan/Germany [documentary]
Dry Hot Summers, Egypt/Germany [short fiction film]...
There were 300 Talents selected for this year’s programme, which ran Feb 8-13.
During the Talent Project Market, the €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was given to Bavo Defurne [pictured] from Belgium for his project Souvenir. The nomination prizes, each worth €1.000, went to Kaleena Kiff from Canada (The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson) and Ása Hjörleifsdóttir from Iceland (The Swan).
Robert Bosch Stiftung presented the Film Prize for International Cooperation to these three teams who get up to €60,000 each:
Manivelle-Memories of the Man of Tomorrow, Lebanon/Germany) [animation]
Possessed by Djinn, Jordan/Germany [documentary]
Dry Hot Summers, Egypt/Germany [short fiction film]...
- 2/14/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
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
New films from Peter Webber, Pernille Fischer Christensen, Oliver Schmitz, Eran Kolirin.
A total of 39 features have been selected for Berlin’s co-production market (Feb 9-11).
Directors with work in the market include Peter Webber, Pernille Fischer Christensen, Oliver Schmitz, Eran Kolirin, Christos Georgiou, Erik Skjoldbjaerg and Nir Bergman.
All projects have 30% of their financing in place while budgets range from €700,000 to €6.5m.
This year’s Residency participants comprise Emir Baigazin, Alistair Banks Griffin, Bence Fliegauf, Sebastián Lelio, Elina Psykou and José Luis Valle. The participants will present new projects to potential partners at the co-production market.
The Talent Project Market will see ten new producers and directors primed for the international market. Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox featured last year, while Italian filmmaker Fabio Mollo’s Il Sud e Niente plays in this year’s Generation programme.
Five companies have been selected for the Company Matching programme and three more projects have been picked for the...
A total of 39 features have been selected for Berlin’s co-production market (Feb 9-11).
Directors with work in the market include Peter Webber, Pernille Fischer Christensen, Oliver Schmitz, Eran Kolirin, Christos Georgiou, Erik Skjoldbjaerg and Nir Bergman.
All projects have 30% of their financing in place while budgets range from €700,000 to €6.5m.
This year’s Residency participants comprise Emir Baigazin, Alistair Banks Griffin, Bence Fliegauf, Sebastián Lelio, Elina Psykou and José Luis Valle. The participants will present new projects to potential partners at the co-production market.
The Talent Project Market will see ten new producers and directors primed for the international market. Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox featured last year, while Italian filmmaker Fabio Mollo’s Il Sud e Niente plays in this year’s Generation programme.
Five companies have been selected for the Company Matching programme and three more projects have been picked for the...
- 1/10/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Mads Matthiesen’s Emma and Bavo Defurne’s Souvenirs among other hot projects.
Terence Davies upcoming biopic devoted to the life of American poet Emily Dickinson A Quiet Passion was one of the hot projects at this year’s edition of the Paris Project co-production market.
The event, which ran from June 30 to July 3 within the capital’s public-focused Paris Cinema film festival, is aimed at connecting international filmmakers with French producers, sales agents and distributors.
“We’ve had 36 scheduled meetings in three days and fitted a few more in between,” said Roy Boulter, who is producing the picture alongside Solon Papadopoulos through their Liverpool-based Hurricane Films.
“We’re in the fortunate position that there is an appreciation of both Dickinson and Terence in France,” commented Boulter. “Terence is like Ken Loach in that he has as many fans across the Channel as at home. Even if we don’t secure a co-producer here, we’ve had...
Terence Davies upcoming biopic devoted to the life of American poet Emily Dickinson A Quiet Passion was one of the hot projects at this year’s edition of the Paris Project co-production market.
The event, which ran from June 30 to July 3 within the capital’s public-focused Paris Cinema film festival, is aimed at connecting international filmmakers with French producers, sales agents and distributors.
“We’ve had 36 scheduled meetings in three days and fitted a few more in between,” said Roy Boulter, who is producing the picture alongside Solon Papadopoulos through their Liverpool-based Hurricane Films.
“We’re in the fortunate position that there is an appreciation of both Dickinson and Terence in France,” commented Boulter. “Terence is like Ken Loach in that he has as many fans across the Channel as at home. Even if we don’t secure a co-producer here, we’ve had...
- 7/5/2013
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – Coming of age dramas are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but few are ever brave enough to grapple with the profound transitions that occur during one’s teenage years. Young American moviegoers’ first encounter with foreign cinema is often the result of their search for honest and unflinching portraits of sexual awakening and discovery. In terms of sheer maturity, American movies are still woefully below the curve set by most countries.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
One of the best films of the last decade was Céline Sciamma’s “Tomboy,” a captivating French drama about a 10-year-old girl who dresses in boyish clothing and develops feelings for one of her female friends. The picture offered a hopeful twist on Kimberly Peirce’s “Boys Don’t Cry” by accentuating the healing that occurs when one is true to one’s own identity. Sciamma proved to be as skilled as the Dardenne Brothers in...
Rating: 2.5/5.0
One of the best films of the last decade was Céline Sciamma’s “Tomboy,” a captivating French drama about a 10-year-old girl who dresses in boyish clothing and develops feelings for one of her female friends. The picture offered a hopeful twist on Kimberly Peirce’s “Boys Don’t Cry” by accentuating the healing that occurs when one is true to one’s own identity. Sciamma proved to be as skilled as the Dardenne Brothers in...
- 2/15/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Early on in Belgian writer-director Bavo Defurne's North Sea Texas, we watch as Yvette (Eva Van der Gucht) walks in on her effeminate young son -- Pim (Ben Van den Heuvel) -- as he fantasizes about being a beauty pageant contestant while wearing a tiara. Perhaps due to her nonchalant approach to parenting, Yvette barely bats an eye at the sight of her son dressed up as a girl; and though Pim never really officially "comes out," we can sense an overall indifference towards sexuality in this quaint Flemish town on the coast of the North Sea. North Sea Texas has nothing to do with "coming out" or navigating one's own sexuality; this is a story about a 16-year-old Pim's (Jelle Florizoone) first love, albeit a clandestine affair with a slightly older boy, Gino (Mathias Vergels). Their relationship is only kept secret because that is what the Gino requests; otherwise,...
- 11/14/2012
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The most striking thing about North Sea Texas is the handsome precision of its aesthetic, which, from the windswept beaches of its coastal setting to the ’70s duds that match home décor, comes close to endowing the film with a magical-realist vibe. A native Belgian and graduate of a Brussels art school, writer/director Bavo Defurne isn’t interested in being a fly on the wall. From a portfolio of ethereal photography to a handful of short films (including Campfire, which gobbled up praise as it cruised the international festival circuit), Defurne has an affinity not for the affected, but for the just north of actual, beautifying his subject matter without robbing it of its weight. In North Sea Texas, his feature debut, Defurne adapts a tale originally told by Flemish author André Sollie, about two boys, Pim (Jelle Florizoone) and Gino (Mathias Vergels), who share a closeted romance. A...
- 11/2/2012
- by R. Kurt Osenlund
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Cult director Bavo Defurne's touching Belgian coming-of-age drama North Sea Texas (2011) is now available to own on DVD courtesy of UK distributor Peccadillo Pictures. To celebrate this release, we've kindly been given Three DVD copies of the film to give away to our lucky readers. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.
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- 8/17/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
North Sea Texas
Directed by Bavo Defurne
Written by Bavo Defurne and Yves Verbraeken
Belgium, 2011
A wistful mother and her seventeen-year-old son take in a gypsy traveler as a house patron. After a slew of ceremonious courtesies, the mother and her son pit themselves against each other, in hopes of seducing the same man.
Strange? Surely. But in Bavo Defurne’s North Sea Texas, this kind of peculiarity is par for the course. Charming, quaint, and deceptively funny, North Sea Texas is a gay coming-of-age story that’s appropriately queer.
North Sea Texas tells the story of Pim (Jelle Florizoone), an introverted teenaged boy who struggles with his apparent homosexuality and his fatally nostalgic mother (Eva van der Gucht). An avid drawer, Pim confides in his illustrations, and when his relationship with an older boy, Gino (Mathias Vergels), begins to escalate, Pim discovers his indelible muse.
In terms of a...
Directed by Bavo Defurne
Written by Bavo Defurne and Yves Verbraeken
Belgium, 2011
A wistful mother and her seventeen-year-old son take in a gypsy traveler as a house patron. After a slew of ceremonious courtesies, the mother and her son pit themselves against each other, in hopes of seducing the same man.
Strange? Surely. But in Bavo Defurne’s North Sea Texas, this kind of peculiarity is par for the course. Charming, quaint, and deceptively funny, North Sea Texas is a gay coming-of-age story that’s appropriately queer.
North Sea Texas tells the story of Pim (Jelle Florizoone), an introverted teenaged boy who struggles with his apparent homosexuality and his fatally nostalgic mother (Eva van der Gucht). An avid drawer, Pim confides in his illustrations, and when his relationship with an older boy, Gino (Mathias Vergels), begins to escalate, Pim discovers his indelible muse.
In terms of a...
- 5/20/2012
- by Justin Li
- SoundOnSight
I can't remember a time I went to the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) press launch and looked over the list of films and saw so many I was interested in seeing. The claim to fame for over the years is to call it the largest and most-highly attended festival in the United States. This is a fact I've often taken issue with as I don't equate quantity with quality. Granted, there has been a large number of quality features to play the fest over the years, including Golden Space Needle (Best Film) winners such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), My Life as a Dog (1987), Trainspotting (1996), Run Lola Run (1999), Whale Rider (2003) and even recent Best Director winner, Michel Hazanavicius's Oss 117: Nest of Spies in 2006. That said, looking over this year's crop of films I see a lot of films I will be doing my absolute best to see.
- 4/27/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Well known especially on the gay and lesbian festival circuit for his short movies, Bavo Defurne covers familiar ground affectingly with this story of a few years in the life of the shy, good-looking Pim, a lad in his mid-teens living on the bleakly beautiful Belgian coast near Ostend. He's neglected by his single mother, the blowsy, feckless Yvette, who's more interested in her accordion and fancy men than in her son. As a result, he's drawn into the family of a sympathetic neighbour and falls in love with her son Gino, three years his senior, who convinces himself their liaison is a passing phase. An understated film, strong on mood, a bit reminiscent of Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey.
DramaWorld cinemaPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions...
DramaWorld cinemaPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions...
- 4/7/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Headhunters (15)
(Morten Tyldum, 2011, Nor/Ger) Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Eivind Sander. 100 mins
It's a Scandinavian crime thriller, but for once, this isn't like The Killing or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It's closer to the Coen brothers, with enough unpredictable plot turns, eccentric touches and morbid laughs to banish the Nordic darkness. There's something of Steve Buscemi about its hero, too: Hennie plays a slimy corporate headhunter/secret art thief who meets his match, loses his grip and literally ends up in the toilet as a result.
Le Havre (PG)
(Aki Kaurismäki, 2011, Fin/Fra/Ger) André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin. 93 mins
Applying his gentle, silent-comical approach to the tale of an illegal immigrant and his French protectors reaps rewards for Kaurismäki in a movie that's whimsical on the surface but built on firm foundations.
This Must Be The Place (15)
(Paolo Sorrentino, 2011, Us) Sean Penn, Frances McDormand,...
(Morten Tyldum, 2011, Nor/Ger) Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Eivind Sander. 100 mins
It's a Scandinavian crime thriller, but for once, this isn't like The Killing or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It's closer to the Coen brothers, with enough unpredictable plot turns, eccentric touches and morbid laughs to banish the Nordic darkness. There's something of Steve Buscemi about its hero, too: Hennie plays a slimy corporate headhunter/secret art thief who meets his match, loses his grip and literally ends up in the toilet as a result.
Le Havre (PG)
(Aki Kaurismäki, 2011, Fin/Fra/Ger) André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin. 93 mins
Applying his gentle, silent-comical approach to the tale of an illegal immigrant and his French protectors reaps rewards for Kaurismäki in a movie that's whimsical on the surface but built on firm foundations.
This Must Be The Place (15)
(Paolo Sorrentino, 2011, Us) Sean Penn, Frances McDormand,...
- 4/6/2012
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
This beautiful-looking film about fledging gay love on the Belgian coast drifts by placidly
An engaging, if placid, debut from acclaimed shorts director Bavo Defurne. Pim (Jelle Florizoone) is a 15-year-old boy living in a dull Belgian coastal town with his fading beauty queen mum. He's in love with Gino (Mathias Vergels) – the dashing older boy next door. Gino's a little in love with Pim, too, but wants to keep their relationship a secret, especially from his younger sister, who's dappy over Pim. Defurne makes a point of shunning social realism and presents lonely, horny Pim's story through a fog of polished-to-a-glow stylishness. North Sea Texas looks beautiful, is acted brilliantly, but it's hard to get a hold on when Pim's drifting by in a dream world.
Rating: 3/5
DramaWorld cinemaHenry Barnes
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content...
An engaging, if placid, debut from acclaimed shorts director Bavo Defurne. Pim (Jelle Florizoone) is a 15-year-old boy living in a dull Belgian coastal town with his fading beauty queen mum. He's in love with Gino (Mathias Vergels) – the dashing older boy next door. Gino's a little in love with Pim, too, but wants to keep their relationship a secret, especially from his younger sister, who's dappy over Pim. Defurne makes a point of shunning social realism and presents lonely, horny Pim's story through a fog of polished-to-a-glow stylishness. North Sea Texas looks beautiful, is acted brilliantly, but it's hard to get a hold on when Pim's drifting by in a dream world.
Rating: 3/5
DramaWorld cinemaHenry Barnes
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content...
- 4/6/2012
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★☆☆ Belgian director Bavo Defurne produces an enjoyable debut with first feature North Sea Texas (2011), an adaptation of the novel This Will Last by Yves Verbraeken, providing an arresting portrayal of a young boy's first love. Pim (Jelle Florizoone) lives in a dead-end town on the coast of Belgium with his single mother - and minor local celebrity - Yvette (Eva van der Gucht). Pim spends much of his time daydreaming about becoming a beauty queen in order to escape the monotony of his life, but as he matures his attention shifts to the boy next door, Gino (Mathias Vergels).
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 4/5/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
BFI London's 26th Lesbian and Gay film festival opens tonight with a lineup that boasts at least a dozen feature films that could be marketed as mainstream. So why is it still a niche event?
Tonight sees the opening of the 26th Lesbian and Gay film festival at the BFI in London, making it one of the longest-running gay-focused events in the UK. I recall being there in 1988. As a young lesbian from the sticks I was bowled over by its sophistication, but could not for the life of me understand much of what appeared on the screen. All I can remember is being surprised at glimpses of sex and genitalia and confused about the artsy focus. Today it is more mainstream, and definitely more accessible with its feature-length dramas and political (rather than avant garde) documentaries about serious issues around the world, but it remains a niche interest within the film festival circuit.
Tonight sees the opening of the 26th Lesbian and Gay film festival at the BFI in London, making it one of the longest-running gay-focused events in the UK. I recall being there in 1988. As a young lesbian from the sticks I was bowled over by its sophistication, but could not for the life of me understand much of what appeared on the screen. All I can remember is being surprised at glimpses of sex and genitalia and confused about the artsy focus. Today it is more mainstream, and definitely more accessible with its feature-length dramas and political (rather than avant garde) documentaries about serious issues around the world, but it remains a niche interest within the film festival circuit.
- 3/23/2012
- by Julie Bindel
- The Guardian - Film News
After the phenomenal success of last year’s twenty fifth anniversary celebrations, the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival returns this coming week for its twenty sixth instalment, with another internationally flavoured and diverse line-up. Last year defied the recession and saw punters turn out to support the ailing festival which was under threat of being scrapped, luckily its back with a ten day slot devoted to the best new, old and experimental queer filmmaking. With a huge line-up of over sixty screenings and handful of talks and debates there is a lot to be seen, so here I am just going to pick some key highlights and a few personal choices.
Obviously the opening and closing night galas are the most hyped and talked about, and this year it would seem, for especially good reasons. Opening the festivities (for a third time) is Canadian-American director Thom Fitzgerald with Cloudburst,...
Obviously the opening and closing night galas are the most hyped and talked about, and this year it would seem, for especially good reasons. Opening the festivities (for a third time) is Canadian-American director Thom Fitzgerald with Cloudburst,...
- 3/19/2012
- by Tom Day
- Obsessed with Film
A UK trailer has been sent to us for Bavo Defurne's debut feature, the coming-of-age drama North Sea Texas based on Andre Sollie's novel This Is Everlasting.
Peccadillo Pictures - who previously handled Weekend and Tomboy - has picked up the Belgian production for a UK cinema release on April 6, 2012, it's been announced. Several stills are included here.
Defurne built up a reputation with stylised short films such as Campfire and Particularly Now, In Spring.
Influenced by filmmakers such as Carl Dreyer and Eisenstein as well as photographers such as Herbert List and Pierre et Gilles, North Sea Texas celebrates the heartache of first love.
The movie is in Dutch (the most prominent of the three languages spoken in Belgium, the others being German and French) with English subtitles.
Here's the official synopsis:
Pim lives in a run-down house in a dead-end street somewhere at the Belgian coast, together...
Peccadillo Pictures - who previously handled Weekend and Tomboy - has picked up the Belgian production for a UK cinema release on April 6, 2012, it's been announced. Several stills are included here.
Defurne built up a reputation with stylised short films such as Campfire and Particularly Now, In Spring.
Influenced by filmmakers such as Carl Dreyer and Eisenstein as well as photographers such as Herbert List and Pierre et Gilles, North Sea Texas celebrates the heartache of first love.
The movie is in Dutch (the most prominent of the three languages spoken in Belgium, the others being German and French) with English subtitles.
Here's the official synopsis:
Pim lives in a run-down house in a dead-end street somewhere at the Belgian coast, together...
- 2/21/2012
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Acquisitions: a fitting business for the new year. One of 2012′s first concerns The Black Marks, a heist comedy from Canadian helmer Jonathan Sobol that stars Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel, and Matt Dillon. A press release (via Deadline) informs us that Dimension will distribute the film, which you can read a plot synopsis of below:
“Crunch Calhoun (Russell), a third rate motorcycle daredevil and semi-reformed art thief, agrees to get back into the con game and pull off just one more lucrative art theft with his untrustworthy brother Nicky (Dillon). Crunch reassembles the old team and comes up with a plan to steal a priceless historical book, but the successful heist leads to another, far riskier, plan devised by Nicky. What the brothers don’t realize is they each have their own agenda and their plan goes awry in this con movie about brotherhood, honor and revenge.”
Jay Baruchel figures...
“Crunch Calhoun (Russell), a third rate motorcycle daredevil and semi-reformed art thief, agrees to get back into the con game and pull off just one more lucrative art theft with his untrustworthy brother Nicky (Dillon). Crunch reassembles the old team and comes up with a plan to steal a priceless historical book, but the successful heist leads to another, far riskier, plan devised by Nicky. What the brothers don’t realize is they each have their own agenda and their plan goes awry in this con movie about brotherhood, honor and revenge.”
Jay Baruchel figures...
- 1/5/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Strand Releasing has acquired U.S. rights to the coming of age drama "North Sea Texas" ahead of its U.S. premiere at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival. The Flemish-Belgian production, directed by Bavo Defurne, was recently awarded the youth prize at the Rome Cinema Festival. Here's the synopsis per Strand: Pim lives with his ex-beauty queen, single mother in a small town on the Belgian coast. An introverted boy, Pim brightens up his days with drawing and dreaming up fantasy lives . He expresses his emerging desires through a secret collection of "borrowed" objects that he keeps in a shoebox. With teenage years comes sexual awareness and he now draws and dreams of Gino, the older boy next door, his motorcycling hero. But this first love seems likely to end in disappointment. Pim’s mother, Yvette, has dreams of her own. Tired of unwanted suitors and bored with small town life,...
- 1/4/2012
- Indiewire
Bavo Defurne's North Sea Texas goes to Strand Releasing Strand Releasing has picked up all U.S. rights to the coming-of-age story from Wavelength Pictures, reports Variety. The film which makes its U.S. premiere in the World Cinema program of the Palm Springs Film Festival, stars Jelle Floorizoone, Eva Van Der Gucht, Luk Wijns, Thomas Coumans, Mathias Vergels and Nina Marie Kortekaas. The announcement was made today by Strand for the Belgian film which screened at the Rome Cinema Festival where it won the Alice Nella Citta 13+ Award. Adapted from the novel "This Is Everlasting" by Andre Sollie, this is the synopsis, courtesy of the Palm Springs Film Festival: A lonely gay adolescent suffers the pangs of unrequited love in this poignantly rendered coming-of-ager. The narrative unfolds in a small town on the Belgian coast in the late 1960s and 70s, where introverted dreamer Pim grows up accustomed...
- 1/4/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Bavo Defurne's North Sea Texas goes to Strand Releasing Strand Releasing has picked up all U.S. rights to the coming-of-age story from Wavelength Pictures, reports Variety. The film which makes its U.S. premiere in the World Cinema program of the Palm Springs Film Festival, stars Jelle Floorizoone, Eva Van Der Gucht, Luk Wijns, Thomas Coumans, Mathias Vergels and Nina Marie Kortekaas. The announcement was made today by Strand for the Belgian film which screened at the Rome Cinema Festival where it won the Alice Nella Citta 13+ Award. Adapted from the novel "This Is Everlasting" by Andre Sollie, this is the synopsis, courtesy of the Palm Springs Film Festival: A lonely gay adolescent suffers the pangs of unrequited love in this poignantly rendered coming-of-ager. The narrative unfolds in a small town on the Belgian coast in the late 1960s and 70s, where introverted dreamer Pim grows up accustomed...
- 1/4/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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