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Tallinn: Ghost town doc wins Screen Best Pitch award
30 minutes ago
The prize offers editorial coverage during the winning film’s life-cycle.
The 15th edition of Tallinn’s Baltic Event Co-Production Market saw Screen International’s Best Pitch award being presented to Luxembourg-based producer Marion Guth of a_BAHN for UK artist filmmaker Vicki Thornton’s hybrid docu-fiction (N)Ostalgia.
a_BAHN currently has the UK’s Roastbeef Production and Norway’s Oya Films supporting the project about a remote Soviet ghost town on the edge of the Arctic Circle and its transformation into a tourist spectacle.
The Best Pitch Award - which is decided on by the co-production market’s participants and offers editorial coverage during the film’s life-cycle - was presented in the past to such projects as Finnish filmmaker Petri Kotwica’s suspense drama Rat King; Russian director Alexei German Jr.’s Under Electric Clouds; and the first pan-Baltic fiction co-production Seneca’s Day by Kristijonas Vildziunas.
Guth had also »
- screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
Russell Peters joins Judy Greer and Grace Park in comedy 'Public Schooled'
3 hours ago
Exclusive: Kaleidoscope boards world sales on feature which kicks off in Vancouver this week.
Kaleidoscope has boarded world sales (excluding Canada) on comedy feature Public Schooled, which begins principal photography in Vancouver this week.
Cast includes Archer and Ant-man star Judy Greer, comedian Russell Peters (Source Code) Grace Park (Hawaii 5-0) and, newcomer Daniel Doheny who will take the lead role of Liam.
Public Schooled is the story of socially awkward boy who has been home-schooled his whole life. When Liam falls in love with a popular one-legged girl, he abandons his mother’s suffocating love and enrols in public school - entering an eye-opening world of sex, drugs and social mayhem.
Directed by Kyle Rideout, the film is based on the original script by Motion 58 founders Rideout and Josh Epstein (both Eadweard).
Epstein will also be producing, alongside co-producer Adam Folk (Stake Land) and executive producer Justine Whyte (Rhymes for Young Ghouls)
Public Schooled is being »
- andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
Mia Hansen-Love's 'Maya' heads to India for 2017 shoot
8 hours ago
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Indian newcomer Aarshi Banerjee joins cast.
French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love is shooting her next film, Maya, in India in the last quarter of 2017. Indian newcomer Aarshi Banerjee has joined the cast alongside Roman Kolinka and Cédric Kahn.
Produced by France’s Les Films Pelleas, the film will be line produced in India by Mumbai-based La Fabrique Films. Germany’s Razor Films and Arte are co-producing, while Les Films du Losange has French rights.
The film follows a French hostage returning from Syria who heads to India after his traumatic experiences.
“We’re very excited to be part of this film; around two thirds will shoot in India at locations including Goa, Hampi and Bangalore,” said La Fabrique Films’ co-founder Deborah Benattar. “Also, the Indian crew is excited that the film is shooting on 35mm.”
Helene Louvart is on board as DoP of the film, which will also shoot in Lebanon and France.
La Fabrique »
- lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
Film Bazaar's buzz titles include cricketer doc, family drama, socially relevant horror
8 hours ago
Film Bazaar: Experts also praise Film Bazaar Co-Production Market’s new video pitching style.
Buyers and festival programmers were buzzing about a number of titles at Film Bazaar 2016, including Kabir Mehta’s Buddhagram, an inventive documentary with risqué scenes from the life of a flamboyant cricketer.
Another hot title, also in Film Bazaar Recommends, is Atanu Mukherjee’s Unknown Faces (Rukh), a Hindi-language drama about an 18-year-old boy dealing with a family tragedy.
Three documentaries making waves with international visitors are Vrinda Samartha’s English-language Limitless about female marathon runners; Rupak Das’ A Dream Document about young Mumbaikars who dream of stardom; and serial killer story The Karma Killings by Ram Devineni and Tushar Parekh.
Festival programmers were also keen on My Son Is Gay [pictured], a Tamil fiction feature by Lokesh R; and Marathi-language socially relevant horror film Hide N Seek (Lapachhapi) by Vishal Furia.
The industry was also buzzing about two Malayalam films: Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s fantasy »
- wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
Nikhil Mahajan ready to thrill again with 'Pune 52' sequel
8 hours ago
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Girish Kulkarni to star in sequel to 2013 neo-noir thriller.
Writer-director Nikhil Mahajan is working on a sequel to his 2013 Marathi language neo-noir thriller Pune 52.
“The scripting is done, the finance is in place. We are just waiting for [actor] Girish Kulkarni to become free,” said Mahajan, whose last film release was the 2015 vigilante film Baji.
“The sequel will thematically follow what happened in the last film but the character played by Girish will not be the same,” Mahajan added.
He also continues to develop Hindi-language project Daily (Dainik), which was announced in 2013. Mahajan said, “It’s a period film set in the 1970s so I need a decent budget. We have about 60% of the finance and are trying to raise the rest of the funds.”
After the Pune 52 sequel, Mahajan will also work on sugar factory politics film Factory (Kaarkhaana). Producers are Suhrud Godbole’s Ime Motion Pictures and Mahajan’s Blue Drop Films. »
- uditaj@gmail.com (Udita Jhunjhunwala)
Dacoit kicks off $20m fund with 'Cat Sticks'
8 hours ago
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: UK-based Indian entrepreneur Theo Shivdasani is setting up a $20m fund, Dacoit Films, to invest in a slate of independent film projects.
The first project to be backed by the fund is drug-themed youth drama Cat Sticks, which will be the directing debut of Kolkata-based photographer Ronny Sen [pictured].
Tanaji Dasgupta (Tasher Desh) and Shivdasani will produce the project through Shivdasani’s India-based production outfit, Dacoit Films India. Producer/lawyer Dina Dattani is on board as co-producer for the film, which is being set up as a UK-India co-production.
The film is scheduled to start shooting in Kolkata in February 2017 with a cast of newcomers. Sen is an award-winning photographer who recently won the Getty Images Instagram Grant for his work with the people of coal-rich city Jharia, which has been on fire for more than 100 years.
Dattani, who is also helping to structure the fund, said Sen’s feature debut promises to be “visually »
- lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
Dina Dattani boards Bangladeshi film 'A Foolish Man'
9 hours ago
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Bangladesh’s Abu Shahed Emon writes and directs.
UK and India-based producer Dina Dattani has boarded Co-production Market project A Foolish Man (Apodartho) as executive producer.
Bangladesh’s Abu Shahed Emon has written and will direct the project, which Mostofa S. Farooki will produce. The film follows a man who is mercilessly bullied and pretends to be a policeman to gain respect.
“The project appealed to me because it’s a satirical drama and he’s been very clever with the writing,” Dattani said. “Also he’s been working on the script for several years now so he’s polished it to the point where it’s really ready to film.”
The $200,000 project has already raised $62,000 in financing through Farooki’s production company Chabial. Dittani is now working with the filmmakers to raise the rest of the budget, as well as working on sales and festival strategy.
Dattani also recently »
- lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
Sally Wainwright awarded Wellcome Screenwriting Fellowship
13 hours ago
Happy Valley writer wins fellowship aimed at bringing the film and science industries closer together.
BAFTA award-winning writer, producer and director Sally Wainwright, known for TV dramas Happy Valley and Last Tango In Halifax, has been awarded the 2016 Wellcome Screenwriting Fellowship in partnership with BFI and Film4.
Currently in its fourth year, the annual award gives screenwriters the opportunity to develop stories for the screen which explore the impact of science and health on daily life.
For the first time in 2016, the fellowship was opened to individuals working in television as well as film. Wainwright was selected for the award from over 100 names across the film and television industries.
The fellowship carries an endowment of £30,000 ($24,000) along with a year-long programme including introductions to leaders in the science and medical fields, access to Henry Wellcome’s library, visits to medical research institutions and access to contemporary science research trials.
On receiving the award, Wainwright said: “It »
Studiocanal takes Danish thriller 'Darkland' for UK
19 hours ago
Sales outfit TrustNordisk also inks deals for Japan, China and Turkey.
Studiocanal has picked up Danish action thriller Darkland (Underverden) for UK release.
The deal was struck with sales agent TrustNordisk at the recent American Film Market.
TrustNordisk has also closed deals on the film for Japan (Gaga), China (Dd Dream) and Turkey (Euromedia), with further territories in negotiations.
Directed by feature debutant Fenar Ahmad, Darkland stars Dar Salim (A Hijacking), Stine Fischer Christensen (After The Wedding), Roland Møller (Land Of Mine), and Dulfi Al-Jabouri (A War).
The film follows a successful surgeon whose younger brother is murdered. When the police turn out to be unhelpful, he is forced to take matters into his own hands and to face the criminal gangs of Copenhagen by himself.
It was produced by Jacob Jarek for Profile Pictures with support from Danish Film Institut, Dr and Scanbox Entertainment - and executive produced by Thor Sigurjonsson, Ditte Milsted and [link »
- tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
Diff to open with 'Miss Sloane', close with 'Rogue One'
20 hours ago
This year’s Dubai International Film Festival (Diff, December 7-14) will open with John Madden’s political thriller Miss Sloane and close with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Starring Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane revolves around a ruthless lobbyist in Washington DC. Lucasfilm’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, directed by Gareth Edwards, opens in UAE theatres on December 15.
Celebrating its 13th edition this year, Diff will screen 156 films from 55 countries, including 57 world and international premieres, 73 Mena premieres, 12 Middle East premieres and 9 Gcc premieres.
Red carpet galas at Diff include the world premiere of Aditya Chopra’s Befikre; Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk; Swallows And Amazons, Emirati director Ali F. Mostafa’s third feature The Worthy; and Lone Scherfig’s romantic comedy Their Finest, starring Gemma Arterton, Bill Nighy and Sam Claflin.
Diff’s Beach Screenings include Jordan Robert’s Burn Your Maps, starring Vera Farmiga and Jacob Tremblay; Michaël Dudok de Wit »
- lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
VoD experts: "Be your own channel"
20 hours ago
Film Bazaar: Orly Ravid from The Film Collaborative advises film-makers to use grassroots outreach and social media marketing.
Start your online marketing six months before you approach a VoD platform and build a community for your film, advised The Film Collaborative (Tfc)’s Orly Ravid [pictured], speaking on a Knowledge Series panel yesterday at Film Bazaar in Goa.
“You have to first know your audience,” said Ravid who founded Tfc, a Us-based non-profit, to help filmmakers navigate digital distribution. “There are people who have thousands of followers on social media, so that becomes the platform. Become your own channel through grass roots outreach and social media marketing.”
During Film Bazaar, Tfc has picked up Deepthy Tadanki’s Satyavati: And We Call This Love for worldwide film festival distribution and world sales.
She used the successful example of Landfill Harmonic, a low-budget documentary from Paraguay, that had 250,000 Facebook fans and was acquired by Vimeo for $250,000. “Your film will fail »
- lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
Ffo: India needs fundamentals first, then incentives
20 hours ago
Film Bazaar: Experts warn not to rush into plans for a national film tax incentive.
India shouldn’t rush into the ultra competitive world of film finance incentives, experts said at a Film Facilitation Office (Ffo) workshop yesterday.
“We’re not thinking about incentives right now, you’ve got to get your ground beneath your feet first,” said Vikramjit Roy, head of India’s new Film Facilitation Office. “Once we create a film friendly environment the second step will be incentives. We don’t want to rush things.”
Uday Singh [pictured], MD of the India chapter of the MPAA bemoaned the fact that even some Indian productions were leaving the country because “it’s cheaper to make films abroad than here.” Even India-set British TV show Indian Summers shot in Malaysia because of the 30% incentive there.
“It’s a competitive market,” Singh added, noting that India would never be able to match something like Fiji’s 47% rebate on local »
- wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
Odeon, Nfts launch second edition of student short film event
22 hours ago
Films playing this year include Eva Riley’s Patriot and Brady Hood’s Sweet Maddie Stone.
Odeon and the National Film and Television School have reteamed for a second edition of their student short films showcase, following the inaugural event last October.
This year’s selected titles include two from current Screen International Stars of Tomorrow: Eva Riley’s Patriot [pictured]. which played in competition at Cannes 2015, and Brady Hood’s Sweet Maddie Stone.
The full programme will consist of a selection of seven former or current Nfts students’ short films from the past year — including live action, documentary and animation titles — which have not previously been shown to the general public.
The films will be simultaneously screened in 16 Odeon cinemas across the UK on January 17. Audiences will be invited to vote for their favourite of the films.
The other seven titles playing are: Present, The Alan Dimension, Fishwitch, A Love Story and Ferris & The Fancy Pigeon.
Ian »
Shabana Azmi: 'Woo big actors with the right roles'
22 hours ago
Film Bazaar: Actress talks about how first-time feature director lured her to Idgah.
When first-time directors approach established actors, they need to convince them that they’re right for the role and not just bringing finance or kudos to the project, said actress Shabana Azmi speaking at Film Bazaar’s Producers Lab yesterday.
Azmi recently took the plunge with first-time feature director Piyush Panjuani in Idgah, an adaptation of Munshi Premchand’s short story, which is screening in Film Bazaar Recommends. She added that the fact she knew the source material also helped.
“I wasn’t convinced in the beginning but he persuaded me that he wanted me as an actor,” Azmi said. “Also he saw something that I could bring to the role that I hadn’t seen myself. The script has to be right but you also have to have perseverance.”
Panjuani, who has a background in theatre and advertising, said it took »
- lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
Curzon Cinemas hires Alex Sheldon as commercial director
22 hours ago
Sheldon previously held the same role at Everyman Cinemas.
UK exhibitor chain Curzon Cinemas has appointed Alex Sheldon as its director of commercial operations.
From early January, Sheldon will oversee the development and growth of revenues across the retail sections of the Curzon brand, with a particular focus on Curzon’s food and drink offers. He will report directly to Curzon group CEO Philip Knatchbull.
Sheldon has 22 years’ experience in the leisure and hospitality industries, including as director of operations for Curzon rival Everyman Cinemas for two years between 2013 and 2015.
Philip Knatchbull commented on the appointment: “Alex has a wealth of experience working in this sector and is perfectly suited to add value to our key strengths; Curzon’s brand heritage, beautiful venues, quality programming and passionate staff.
“With three new UK cinemas opening next year, and Alex on board, our growing audience will experience the next level of our customer service and innovative retail offer.”
Sheldon »
- tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
Former Globe director Dominic Dromgoole launches movie company and feature debut
23 November 2016 2:21 AM, PST
Exclusive: Open Palm Films launches with Dromgoole-directed drama ‘Making Noise Quietly’; first-look image.
Dominic Dromgoole, former artistic director of London’s Globe theatre, has launched film production company Open Palm Films.
The indie outfit has recently wrapped its first production Making Noise Quietly (for which Screen can reveal the first image), a drama which is directed by Dromgoole and is adapted from Robert Holman’s well-received stage play of the same name.
The triptych of war-related stories follows a conscientious objector and a roaming artist during the Second World War; a bereaved mother struggling with the loss of her son who died in the Falklands; and an ageing holocaust survivor who seeks to bring peace to a disturbed young boy in Germany.
The film stars Deborah Findlay (The Lady In The Van), Barbara Marten (Oranges and Sunshine), Trystan Gravelle (National Treasure), Geoffrey Streafeild (Rush), Luke Thompson (Dunkirk) and Matthew Tennyson who reprises his role from the stage »
- andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
Sweden's Anagram plots second series of India-set 'Most Beautiful Hands Of Delhi'
23 November 2016 2:04 AM, PST
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Anagram Film is planning a second season of its India-set TV show The Most Beautiful Hands Of Delhi.
The first season of the “drama with a comedy touch” shot this year in Delhi and will air on Sweden’s Svt starting in early January 2017; producer Malte Forssell told Screen here at Film Bazaar that if the series is well received the second season could shoot later in 2017.
The story is about a 50-year-old Swedish cultural journalist, Goran (played by Björn Kjellman), visiting India who befriends a local man, Yogi (Joy Sengupta), and his family.
Author Mikael Bergstrand has written a series of three bestselling books about the adventures of of Goran and Yogi.
“The idea from the beginning is that you can create more episodes based on the friendships across these cultures,” Forssell said.
The first book (and TV season) is about Goran meeting Yogi and his mother, and his attraction »
- wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
Anagram plans more ‘Hands’ in India
23 November 2016 2:04 AM, PST
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Sweden’s Anagram Film is planning a second season of its India-set TV show The Most Beautiful Hands of Delhi.
The first season of the “drama with a comedy touch” shot this year in Delhi and will air on Sweden’s Svt starting in early January 2017; producer Malte Forssell told Screen here at Film Bazaar that if the series is well received the second season could shoot later in 2017.
The story is about a 50-year-old Swedish cultural journalist, Goran (played by Björn Kjellman), visiting India who befriends a local man, Yogi (Joy Sengupta), and his family.
Author Mikael Bergstrand has written a series of three bestselling books about the adventures of of Goran and Yogi.
“The idea from the beginning is that you can create more episodes based on the friendships across these cultures,” Forssell said.
The first book (and TV season) is about Goran meeting Yogi and his mother, and his attraction »
- wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
'India In A Day' director Mehta plans two more Delhi projects
23 November 2016 1:09 AM, PST
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Siddharth director Richie Mehta is planning two new projects in Delhi, financing will determine which will shoot first.
Feature film A Last Life has Sienna Films (Canada) and Vivek Kajaria’s Holy Basil (India) producing, and backing from Telefilm Canada.
The original script is about an elite family in Delhi whose heiress daughter becomes involved with the cook’s son, who is involved in an attack that further complicates their relationship. To prove his innocence, she has to journey through parts of Delhi that open her eyes. “She goes from the mansion to the garbage dump, and she’s finally understanding where he comes from,” writer/director Mehta said.
A Last Life will be a musical in the style of 1950s/1960s Indian musicals, he added. The film will be in English and Hindi, with the songs in a mix of languages including Hindi and Urdu.
The other project is a TV series, as yet »
- wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
Richie Mehta plans two more Delhi projects
23 November 2016 1:09 AM, PST
Exclusive/Film Bazaar: Siddharth and India In a Day director Richie Mehta is planning two new projects in Delhi, financing will determine which will shoot first.
Feature film A Last Life has Sienna Films (Canada) and Vivek Kajaria’s Holy Basil (India) producing, and backing from Telefilm Canada.
The original script is about an elite family in Delhi whose heiress daughter becomes involved with the cook’s son, who is involved in an attack that further complicates their relationship. To prove his innocence, she has to journey through parts of Delhi that open her eyes. “She goes from the mansion to the garbage dump, and she’s finally understanding where he comes from,” writer/director Mehta said.
A Last Life will be a musical in the style of 1950s/1960s Indian musicals, he added. The film will be in English and Hindi, with the songs in a mix of languages including Hindi and Urdu.
The other project »
- wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
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