A high-powered panel at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market pondered the condition of the theatrical market for arthouse films in Asia and Europe post-pandemic.
The two themes that emerged from the discussion were the necessity for films to have an X factor that can be marketed and, second, that restored classics are finding new audiences.
June Lee, content business team lead at Korea’s Watcha said that the company’s acquisition strategy for this year and the next is to either pick up a Hollywood blockbuster or “really arthouse films with elements that could go viral.”
The panel, which was moderated by Katarzyna Siniarska, head of sales at Poland’s New Europe Film Sales, also included Valeska Neu, international sales agent at Germany’s Films Boutique, Kini Kim of France’s The Jokers Films, Felix Tsang, sales and acquisitions manager at Hong Kong’s...
The two themes that emerged from the discussion were the necessity for films to have an X factor that can be marketed and, second, that restored classics are finding new audiences.
June Lee, content business team lead at Korea’s Watcha said that the company’s acquisition strategy for this year and the next is to either pick up a Hollywood blockbuster or “really arthouse films with elements that could go viral.”
The panel, which was moderated by Katarzyna Siniarska, head of sales at Poland’s New Europe Film Sales, also included Valeska Neu, international sales agent at Germany’s Films Boutique, Kini Kim of France’s The Jokers Films, Felix Tsang, sales and acquisitions manager at Hong Kong’s...
- 10/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The enduring popularity of the Asian LGBT and horror genres and the relationship with giant streamer Netflix were among the topics of discussion at a lively panel focusing on distribution at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market.
“I hate the fact that all the producers want to work with Netflix, it is also killing international sales as well. Because if all the big titles go to Netflix, it leaves very little room for independent distributors,” said Chen Shao-Yi, general manager at Screenworks Asia. “We also love Netflix because they give us money, so it’s truly a love-hate relationship.”
Chen’s fellow panelists were Nelson Mok, agent at WME Independent and Valeska Neu, international sales agent at Films Boutique and the panel was moderated by Lorna Tee, curator of Malaysian film incubator program Mylab.
LGBT and horror are among the most popular from Asia from...
“I hate the fact that all the producers want to work with Netflix, it is also killing international sales as well. Because if all the big titles go to Netflix, it leaves very little room for independent distributors,” said Chen Shao-Yi, general manager at Screenworks Asia. “We also love Netflix because they give us money, so it’s truly a love-hate relationship.”
Chen’s fellow panelists were Nelson Mok, agent at WME Independent and Valeska Neu, international sales agent at Films Boutique and the panel was moderated by Lorna Tee, curator of Malaysian film incubator program Mylab.
LGBT and horror are among the most popular from Asia from...
- 10/8/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Asian buyers are ultra-cautious as theatrical markets are still in recovery following the pandemic, but bright spots include animation and re-releases of classic titles, said a group of leading European sales agents at the Cannes Marche’s Spotlight Asia panel today.
Sellers including Charades, Kinology, Films Boutique and StudioCanal said Asian buyers are finally back in person at markets, following three years of pandemic travel restrictions, but there is very little pre-buying activity as buyers in most Asian markets now won’t make a decision before seeing completed films.
Stronger territories include Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, but South Korea is taking longer to come back. “Korea was traditionally a strong market for arthouse, but is now very difficult for us,” said Films Boutique’s Valeska Neu. “From time to time you see something break through, but Korea’s arthouse market is now very concentrated on high profile cast and big names.
Sellers including Charades, Kinology, Films Boutique and StudioCanal said Asian buyers are finally back in person at markets, following three years of pandemic travel restrictions, but there is very little pre-buying activity as buyers in most Asian markets now won’t make a decision before seeing completed films.
Stronger territories include Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, but South Korea is taking longer to come back. “Korea was traditionally a strong market for arthouse, but is now very difficult for us,” said Films Boutique’s Valeska Neu. “From time to time you see something break through, but Korea’s arthouse market is now very concentrated on high profile cast and big names.
- 5/20/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
German festival held awards ceremony on Friday (October 7)
Slovak director Michal Blasko’s debut feature Victim has won the Hamburg Producers Prize for International Cinema Co-Productions at Filmfest Hamburg.
The €25,000 prize sponsored by Hamburg’s Senate for Culture and Media was presented to the film’s German co-producers, Michael Reuter and Yogev Saar of Berlin-based Electric Sheep.
Victim debuted in Horizons at Venice Film Festival earlier this month, going on to play in Contemporary World Cinema at Toronto.
The film follows a Ukrainian immigrant living with her son in a small Czech border town. She is devastated when he is...
Slovak director Michal Blasko’s debut feature Victim has won the Hamburg Producers Prize for International Cinema Co-Productions at Filmfest Hamburg.
The €25,000 prize sponsored by Hamburg’s Senate for Culture and Media was presented to the film’s German co-producers, Michael Reuter and Yogev Saar of Berlin-based Electric Sheep.
Victim debuted in Horizons at Venice Film Festival earlier this month, going on to play in Contemporary World Cinema at Toronto.
The film follows a Ukrainian immigrant living with her son in a small Czech border town. She is devastated when he is...
- 10/9/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
German festival held awards ceremony on Friday (October 7)
Slovak director Michal Blasko’s debut feature Victim has won the Hamburg Producers Prize for International Cinema Co-Productions at Filmfest Hamburg.
The €25,000 prize sponsored by Hamburg’s Senate for Culture and Media was presented to the film’s German co-producers, Michael Reuter and Yogev Saar of Berlin-based Electric Sheep.
Victim debuted in Horizons at Venice Film Festival earlier this month, going on to play in Contemporary World Cinema at Toronto.
The film follows a Ukrainian immigrant living with her son in a small Czech border town. She is devastated when he is...
Slovak director Michal Blasko’s debut feature Victim has won the Hamburg Producers Prize for International Cinema Co-Productions at Filmfest Hamburg.
The €25,000 prize sponsored by Hamburg’s Senate for Culture and Media was presented to the film’s German co-producers, Michael Reuter and Yogev Saar of Berlin-based Electric Sheep.
Victim debuted in Horizons at Venice Film Festival earlier this month, going on to play in Contemporary World Cinema at Toronto.
The film follows a Ukrainian immigrant living with her son in a small Czech border town. She is devastated when he is...
- 10/9/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Julien Razafindranaly joins from The Match Factory.
Julien Razafindranaly, formerly senior sales executive at The Match Factory, has joined Berlin-based Films Boutique as head of sales. He replaces Louis Balsan who has left the company.
He will work closely with Valeska Neu, who works across all rights and TV sales, and Sophia Baumgärtner Perez who is responsible for sales and marketing.
Razafindranaly worked on the release of films including Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and Lukas Dhont’s Girl while at The Match Factory.
“Film sales are currently changing and...
Julien Razafindranaly, formerly senior sales executive at The Match Factory, has joined Berlin-based Films Boutique as head of sales. He replaces Louis Balsan who has left the company.
He will work closely with Valeska Neu, who works across all rights and TV sales, and Sophia Baumgärtner Perez who is responsible for sales and marketing.
Razafindranaly worked on the release of films including Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and Lukas Dhont’s Girl while at The Match Factory.
“Film sales are currently changing and...
- 1/28/2020
- by 88¦Louise Tutt¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Modovan comedy project ‘Carbon’ was the big winner.
Moldovan comedy Carbon has won the best pitch award at the Connecting Cottbus (coco) East-West Co-production Market held in Germany this week.
It is being produced by Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr and Ion Bors and will mark Bors’ feature directorial debut. The award includes a cash prize of €1,500 and free accreditation to the Producers Network at the Marche du Film in Cannes 2020.
The absurdist road movie, set during the armed conflict in Transnistria in the early 1990s, had been selected after winning the Transilvania Pitch Stop coco Award in Cluj in June.
It...
Moldovan comedy Carbon has won the best pitch award at the Connecting Cottbus (coco) East-West Co-production Market held in Germany this week.
It is being produced by Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr and Ion Bors and will mark Bors’ feature directorial debut. The award includes a cash prize of €1,500 and free accreditation to the Producers Network at the Marche du Film in Cannes 2020.
The absurdist road movie, set during the armed conflict in Transnistria in the early 1990s, had been selected after winning the Transilvania Pitch Stop coco Award in Cluj in June.
It...
- 11/8/2019
- by 158¦Martin Blaney¦40¦
- ScreenDaily
The film had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Israeli filmmaker Ofir Raul Graizer’s The Cakemaker from Films Boutique.
Jon Gerrans and Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing and Jean-Christophe Simon and Valeska Neu of Films Boutique negotiated the deal at this year’s German Films Previews at Karlovy Vary.
The Cakemaker centres on a German baker, Thomas, who falls in love with an Israeli businessman. When the businessman dies in an accident, Thomas travels from Germany to Israel to connect with the man’s wife and a bond is formed.
The film has also been acquired in Japan (Shin Nippon), Spain (Karma), Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (Mirada) and Hungary (Cirko Films).
The Cakemaker is an Israeli-German co-production, produced by Itai Kamir from Laila Films and Mathias Schwerbrock at Film Base Berlin.
“We’re thrilled to have this amazing film and hope that...
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Israeli filmmaker Ofir Raul Graizer’s The Cakemaker from Films Boutique.
Jon Gerrans and Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing and Jean-Christophe Simon and Valeska Neu of Films Boutique negotiated the deal at this year’s German Films Previews at Karlovy Vary.
The Cakemaker centres on a German baker, Thomas, who falls in love with an Israeli businessman. When the businessman dies in an accident, Thomas travels from Germany to Israel to connect with the man’s wife and a bond is formed.
The film has also been acquired in Japan (Shin Nippon), Spain (Karma), Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (Mirada) and Hungary (Cirko Films).
The Cakemaker is an Israeli-German co-production, produced by Itai Kamir from Laila Films and Mathias Schwerbrock at Film Base Berlin.
“We’re thrilled to have this amazing film and hope that...
- 7/7/2017
- ScreenDaily
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