"Spider Lillies" and "A Walk Into the Sea" Win Berlin Teddy Awards

The Berlinale's Teddy Awards, which honor gay content films screening in the festival, awarded three films in different categories, each with a 3000 euro cash prize. The Teddy for best feature went to Zero Chou's "Spider Lillies" (Ci-Qing), with "La Leon" by Santiago Otheguy receiving a special mention. Best doc went to Esther B. Robinson's "A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory." Actor Helmut Berger (The Godfather Trilogy) received a Teddy in honor of his lifetime of work. "Notes On a Scandal" by Richard Eyre won the audience prize. This year, no prize was given for short film. The juried prizes were chosen by eight members of queer and other film festivals. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Honors ]

Sundance's Five Shorts "Made for Mobile" Available for Download

The five short "made for mobile" films, premiering exclusively at the "3GSM World Congress" in Barcelona this week, are now available for mobile users to download. The five films are "A Slip in Time," Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, "Learning to Skateboard" by Jody Hill, "La Revolucion de Iguodala!" by Justin Lin, "Los Viajes de King Tiny" by Maria Maggenti and "Reno" by Cory McAbee. For more information, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Koch Lorber to Bring '05 Berlinale Winner "U-Carmen" to North America

2005 Berlinale Golden Bear winner "U-Carmen" by Mark Dornford-May has been picked up North American theatrical and home video rights by Koch Lorber Films in a deal with Fortissimo Films, Lorber president Richard Lorber announced Friday. The film will open in March at New York's Film Forum, followed by a roll out in select major markets with a DVD release planned for the third quarter of '07. The feature film is based on "Carmen," Bizet’s nineteenth century opera, with its classic "tale of love, jealousy, revenge and madness." "There are many reasons why Carmen is one of the world's most popular operas," commented Lorber in a statement. "But 'U-Carmen' takes an already powerful story and imbues it with a vibrancy, freshness and uniqueness and elevates the classic to a new level of modern-day relevancy." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

SF 360: SF International Asian American announces '07 program

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival unwrapped the titles for its 25th festival March 15-25. This year's 125 films follow the festival's growth from 13 films in 1982 in the wake of Wayne Wang's "Chang is Missing." An audience of 30,000 is expected, and the festival features a new home base. The festival's juried feature competition offers four world premieres: Desmond Nakano's "The American Pastime," Juwan Chung's "Baby," Kern Konwiser and David Ren's "Shanghai Kiss," and Joy Dietrich's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." Susan Gerhard reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Film Comment Selects Series Continues in NY

The Film Society of Lincoln Center's series Film Comment Selects continues this weekend. This year's 8th edition, includes Jean-Claude Brisseau's controversial "Exterminating Angels," and Paul Verhoeven's Oscar-nominated "Black Book," which opened and will close the event. For a look at the full list of films and calendar, visit the Film Society's website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

Sony Classics to Bring "The Children of Huang Shi" to North America

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to "The Children of Huang Shi," the company announced Friday. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode ("Tomorrow Never Dies") and written by Jane Hawksley and James MacManus the "heroic tale," set in a war-torn China in 1938, concludes production today in Shanghai. Inspired by true events, the film is the story of George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a young British journalist, who rescues 60 orphaned children who them on a treacherous 1000-mile journey along the Silk Road, through the Liu Pan Shan Mountains into the spectacular Gobi desert. Over the course of the journey he falls in love with a determined, self-trained nurse (Radha Mitchell), and makes a friend in Chen (Chow Yun-Fat), the leader of a Chinese partisan group. Madame Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a surviving aristocrat, assists in guiding them to safety in a remote village near the western end of China's Great Wall. SPC did not reveal a theatrical release date. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

BERLINALE '07 | "Raak" Wins Top Berlin Short Film Prize

The Golden Bear for short film at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival went to Hanro Smitsman's "Raak" from The Netherlands earlier this week, with the Berlinale Silver Bear prize shared by Manuel Schapira's "Decroche" from France and Arvin Chen's "Mei" from the USA, Taiwan and China. The Prix UIP went to Ralitza Petrova's "Rotten Apple" from the UK. Finally, the DAAD short film prize went to Nesimi Yetik's "Annem Sinema Ogreniyor" from Turkey.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors, Shorts ]

AFP: North Korean edge to third Asian entry at Berlin film festival

One man's bid to hold back the desertification of the Mongolian steppes set against the looming background of the North Korean nuclear programme has given Asia its third competition entry at the Berlin International Film Festival. "Hyazgar" (Desert Dream), a low-budget South Korean/French production, tells the story of Hangai, a farmer who is determined to continue planting trees to stem the march of the sands even when all his neighbours have given up the struggle. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Movies ]

Reuters: Oscar-nominated actors are bad--and that's good

They are a bloody dictator, diamond smuggler, crack-smoking school teacher, lecherous old man, and self-centered dad. But when it comes to winning an Oscar for best acting, the more human flaws, the better. This year's Oscar nominees for best lead actor--Forest Whitaker, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, Peter O'Toole and Will Smith--portray characters so fault-ridden that they are hard not to like. In fact, Oscar loves them. Bob Tourtellotte reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, People ]

AP: "Bordertown" shown at Berlin film fest

Jennifer Lopez brought "Bordertown," in which she plays a reporter trying to solve multiple killings of women in a Mexican border city, to the Berlin International Film Festival Thursday and said the role had been a life-changing experience. The movie, directed by Gregory Nava, aims to focus attention on killings around Ciudad Juarez over the past 14 years. Geir Moulson reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Festivals ]

NY Times: Whimsy, Pessimism and "Lady Chatterley" in Berlin

The 57th Berlinale, as the festival here is known, might best be thought of as an average festival. Not only because the films were generally so-so, with a few outright disasters balancing some high-quality work, but also because it seemed to typify what a film festival is these days. Once a bastion of difficulty and high seriousness--an identity that suited an event held in midwinter in a city with a vexed, often grim history--the Berlinale, which began last Thursday and concludes with awards on Sunday--has grown into something bigger, more varied and perhaps less distinctive. A.O. Scott gives his take on the Berlin International Film Festival, which concludes this weekend. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Festivals ]

Kino Takes U.S. Rights to "Lady Chatterley" and "Crossing the Line" in Berlin

U.S. rights to Pascale Ferran's "Lady Chatterley" and Daniel Gordon's doc "Crossing the Line" have been picked up by Kino International, the company announced Wednesday from the Berlin International Film Festival. Ferran's film is described by Kino as a "lushly sensual new take on D.H. Lawrence's landmark novels of the passionate, tragic love affair between an unfulfilled aristocratic wife and a rural gamekeeper. Kino president Donald Krim negotiated the deal with Francois Yon of sales agent Films Distribution. A summer release is planned. In "Crossing the Line," Gordon profiles a small group of American soldiers that defected to the North Korea, and focusing on the life story of Joseph Dresnok with one on one interviews--a lowly American GI who in 1962 walked across the heavily fortified DMZ. Krim sealed the US license in Berlin with producer Paul Yi of E Pictures, on the heels of the film's international premieres in Pusan and Sundance. An early fall US release is scheduled. Read Dennis Lim's take on "Lady Chatterly" from Berlin in indieWIRE.com. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

Roadside Nabs "How To Cook Your Life"

Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to "How To Cook Your Life," a new English-language, American-set documentary by German filmmaker Dorris Dorrie. The film, which debuted earlier this week at the Berlin International Film Festival, will be quickly released in U.S. theaters this Spring/Summer. Calling the film, "a food movie and a new age movie," Roadside co-president Howard Cohen told indieWIRE that he and co-president Eric d'Arbeloff will target audiences interested in new age/spirituality (similar to their approach in releasing "What The Bleep Do We Know?!," which earned about $11 million in theaters). In the documentary, chef Edward Brown demonstrates, in the words of the Berlinale catalog, "that food means much more than just nutrition and that cooking is a feast of the senses, as well as an act of love and generosity." Celebrating food and cooking, Dorrie captures Chef Brown's international lectures at Buddhist centers, while also exploring issues facing food and farming. Roadside co-president d'Arbeloff negotiated the deal with Atrix Films, acquiring the film after its first screening in Berlin. Cohen told indieWIRE that they will likely re-title the doc, "How to Cook Your Life: A Zen Master on the Art of Eating Well." [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

John Hart Announces New Venture - Evamere; Will Manage former Hart Sharp Assets

Hart Sharp Entertainment founding partners John Hart and Jeffrey Sharp are parting ways after ten years of operating their production company, and Hart has announced the establishment of a new venture. The new company, Evamere, will focus on feature film and Broadway theatrical productions, that include Todd Solondz's ("Welcome to the Dollhouse") latest project, "Life During Wartime" in the new slate. Also on Evamere's roster is "Alice Goest to Harlem" to be written by Geoffrey Holder and Hilton Als; James Solomon's "The Conspirator"; and an adaptation of Macbeth, entitled "Come Like Shadows" adapted by Nick Saunders and Jennifer Lee Carrell. In addition to the new projects, Hart will manage some of the titles that were developed at Hart Sharp including "Revolutionary Road," written by Justin Haythe and based on Richard Yates' novel, and Ed Wintle's memoir "Breakfast with Tiffany," adapted for film by Tommy O'Haver and Irene Turner, to be directed by O'Haver. Hart will oversee the management of Hart Sharp's library of films and the existing private equity funds, which he will manage as part of his new venture. "I am very proud of the movies that we have made over the span of our partnership," said Hart in a statement. "We built a company and developed and produced quality films, while safeguarding our investors' capital." [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Meserve Named President of Wind Dancer Films

Wind Dancer Partners Matt Williams and David McFadzean announced Wednesday Dete Meserve has been promoted to president, Wind Dancer Films and will be based in the company's new Beverly Hills, CA office. Meserve has been with the company since the mid-'90s, when she was brought in to oversee the administration and operations of the group in its evolution from a television to a film and theater company. As President, she will "oversee production, financing and distribution of Wind Dancer's film slate, continuing to manage the company's development fund and work with financiers to put films into production." The fund was established late last year to "develop high concept, commercial theatrical comedies" in the $15-$30 million budget range. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Goldwyn Picks Up Something "Priceless"

Samuel Goldwyn Films has picked up Pierre Salvadori's "Priceless" (originally titled "Hors de Prix"), which the it will release in the U.S. this summer, the company announced from Berlin. The romantic farce, starring Audrey Tatou, Gad Elmaleh, and Marie-Christine Adam is about a shy young bartender, who is mistaken for a millionaire by a beautiful, scheming opportunist named Irene (Tautou). The deal was negotiated by Peter Goldwyn, VP, Samuel Goldwyn Films with Wild Bunch. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

Delpy's "Two Days in Paris" Nabbed in Berlin by Goldwyn & Red Envelope

At the Berlinale today...Samuel Goldwyn Films and Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment have announced the joint acquisition of U.S. rights to Julie Delpy's feature directing debut, "2 Days in Paris," which had its world premiere earlier this week in the Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama section. Delpy wrote, directed, edited, composed music and stars in the culture clash romantic comedy set in Paris. The two companies are planning a Summer 2007 release. Co-starring Delpy and Adam Goldberg, the film depicts a couple who travel to Paris for 48 hours to visit the woman's parents. It was produced by Christophe Mazodier of Polaris, and Delpy, via her French production company Tempete Sous Un Crane, along with Germany's 3L Filmproduktion co-producing. The pact was negotiated by Peter Goldwyn, VP of Samuel Goldwyn Films and Bahman Naraghi, head of Red Envelope Entertainment along with Liesl Copland, head of acquisitions and distribution. Sebastien Chesneau from Rezo Films served as U.S. Sales agent for the movie. indieWIRE reported on the film in a recent dispatch from the festival. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

Killer Films' Christine Vachon at Apple Store Soho

Independent film producer Christine Vachon will be at Apple Store Soho Tuesday evening, February 13 (6:30pm-8:00pm) for "an inside look at how Killer Films utilizes Mac technology in its daily operations. Christine will share insights from her newly released book, A Killer Life: How an Independent Film Producer Survives Deals and Disasters in Hollywood and Beyond. Seating is limited, please arrive early." Read an excerpt from her book here.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

Barbet Schroeder Doc at Magnolia

Magnolia Pictures has confirmed its deal for Barbet Schroeder's feature-length doc, "Terror's Advocate," in a deal with sales company Wild Bunch. The film, produced by Rita Dagher is about Jacques Verges, described by Wild Bunch as, "the highly controversial French lawyer, war veteran, revolutionary, agitator and intellectual popularly known as 'The Devil's Advocate'." The controversial figure is known for, in the words of the company, "his persistent defense of those many perceive as the indefensible." In a statement, Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said, "We're very excited to be co-producing 'Terror's Advocate' with Barbet Schroeder and Wild Bunch. This is a fascinating story that speaks in a timeless manner to some of the most complex issues in world politics today. Barbet's clear eyed sensibilities, coupled with his sense of humor and absurdity, are the perfect match for this explosive subject matter." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

"Cyborg" to Open Hong Kong International Film Festival

Jacob Wong, Curator of the Hong Kong International Film Festival, has announced that Berlinale competition film "I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK" by Park Chan-wook will open the HKIFF at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 19th. The event runs through April 11, 2007. Park, along with stars Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) and Lim Soo-jung will attend the opening night next month. The opening night event precedes the annual Asian Film Awards which will be presented on March 20th in Hong Kong. "Park Chan-wook's masterpiece underscores the beauty of the human condition, profoundly touching on compassion which resonates universally," said Wong in a statement. "Equally, it's an honor to unveil the AFA trophy which will honor creative excellence in Asian film." indieWIRE reported on the new Park Chan-wook film in a recent dispatch from the Berlinale. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Festivals ]

GreeneStreet Sells "Tenderness"

John Polson's "Tenderness," a new film starring Russell Crowe has been sold to three major territories by GreeneStreet Films International. The company has secured deals in Italy (MediaFilm), Scandinavia (Nordisk), and Russia (21st Century) with pacts brokered by GSFI president Ariel Veneziano. The film has also been sold to Mexico (TV Azteca) and Argentina (Alfa), with Lionsgate handling the film in the U.S. "Tenderness" is described as the story of "a confused fifteen-year-old dreamer in search of an escape from her troubled home life." Other GSFI titles on sale at the European Film Market include John August's "The Nines," Danny Leiner's "Gary The Tennis Coach," Melissa Wallack and Bernie Goldmann's "Bill," among others. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

BBC: Film awards aim for better world

TV camera crews from all over the world are in town because the 57th annual Berlin International Film Festival is under way. But amid all the glamour and film premieres, there is another event vying for media attention - Cinema for Peace, which has been described by Bob Geldof as "the Oscars with brains." The international charity gala, which takes place annually at the Berlinale, is the place to be seen for any Hollywood star who is proud of having a social conscience. Tristana Moore reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, People ]

NY Times: Where'd You Go to Film School? In My Bedroom

When David Basulto decided to become a movie producer, the first thing he did was enroll in a class at a film school in Los Angeles. The second thing he did was drop out. Film schools "teach you a lot of theory, teach you to shoot on old, archaic systems," he said. "They're not cutting edge." The systems used at, say, the University of Southern California's Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts are anything but archaic. But Mr. Basulto's point is worth noting in the era of miniDV digital video cameras, Final Cut Pro editing systems and YouTube auteurs with development deals. Thousands of new filmmakers are just diving in, many with the help of instructional products claiming to provide low-cost, high-impact alternatives to film school. Justin Peters reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Film School ]

AFP: French film at Berlin festival plays witness to AIDS outbreak

French director Andre Techine said his new drama which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival looks at the start of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s because it deeply marked his personal life. "I lived through this period. And I have the feeling to have been spared a fate which many of my friends were not," he said after a press screening of "Les Temoins" (The Witnesses). "I wanted to talk about it because it changed my life, the way I live my relationships. I realised I was mortal." Emsie Ferreira reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Movies ]

SF360: Von Donnersmarck on his Oscar-nominated "The Lives of Others"

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut feature, "The Lives of Others," has won numerous awards, among others, 7 Lola Awards (the German equivalent of the Oscars), including Best Picture. It is now competing for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and opens in Bay Area theaters this Friday. We spoke with him when he visited San Francisco this January. Miljenko Skoknic reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Goldwyn Gets "Goya's Ghosts"

Samuel Goldwyn Films has announced the acquisition of North American rights to Milos Forman's "Goya's Ghosts," produced by Saul Zaentz. The company is planning a Summer '07 release for the film, which stars Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard. Written by Forman and Jean-Claude Carriere ("Birth," "Valmont") the film is described as being, "told through the eyes of celebrated Spanish painter Francisco Goya (played by Skarsgard), whose paintings are best known for both brutality and the colorful depictions of life during the Spanish Inquisition. The drama unfolds as Brother Lorenzo (Bardem), an enigmatic member of the powerful Spanish clergy, becomes infatuated with Goya's beautiful teenage muse, Ines (Portman). "Milos Forman and Saul Zaentz have created yet another beautiful and human story told against a fascinating period in history," said Samuel Goldwyn Jr. in a statement, "Their long collaboration has included 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest' and 'Amadeus' and we look forward to adding 'Goya's Ghosts' to that list of quality films." [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Odeon Takes Canadian Rights to Panorama Opener "The Tracey Fragments"

Berlinale Panorama opener "The Tracey Fragments" by Bruce McDonald has been picked up by Canada's Odeon Films. Odeon Films president Bryan Gliserman has sealed an all-rights-deal for the Canadian territory with the film's producers, Paul Barkin, Bruce McDonald, Sarah Timmins, and with Munich-based world sales company Bavaria Film International. The film is described as a "a dazzling pop art underground fashion, based on the critically-acclaimed and same-named novel by Vancouver author Maureen Medved, who also penned the screenplay, and stars young actress Ellen Page ("Hard Candy") as the scared protagonist Tracey Berkowitz." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

The Box Office Top Ten So Far

Each week, indieWIRE receives the final weekend numbers for specialty releases in theaters. This is our top ten for the three day weekend so far, with most numbers already in. The top ten is subject to change before the final chart is published tomorrow and the weekly box office column is written. Weekend box office data provided by Rentrak as of Monday, 6:00 p.m. EST. 1. "The Lives of Others" (Sony Pictures Classics) $213,589 wknd ($16,430 per scrn) 2. "Factory Girl" (MGM/The Weinstein Company) $195,698 wknd ($10,872 per scrn) 3. "Mafioso" (Rialto) $26,186 wknd ($5,237 per scrn) 4. "An Unreasonable Man" (IFC First Take) $20,106 wknd ($5,027 per scrn) 5. "Le Petit Lieutenant" (Cinema Guild) $9,161 wknd ($4,581 per scrn) 6. "Operation Homecoming" (Documentary Group) $4,516 wknd ($4,516 per scrn) 7. "Comedy of Power" (Koch Lorber Films) $4,220 wknd ($4,220 per scrn) 8. "Breaking and Entering" (The Weinstein Company) $90,031 wknd ($4,092 per scrn) 9. "Venus" (Miramax) $470,071 wknd ($3,561 per scrn) 10. "Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse) $3,577,283 wknd ($3,130 per scrn) 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Two Initiatives Unveiled for First International Emerging Talent Film Festival

New details of the first International Emerging Talent Film Festival, which will take place in the Principality of Monaco May 12 - 15 on the heels of the Festival de Cannes, were unveiled during a fest event in Berlin Monday by Marco Orsini, executive director. co-founders Noriko Bonafede, IEFTA president and Max Ryerson, the new festival's creative director. IETFF's Global Film Forum is a program that will "encourages professional filmmakers and developing countries to interact with the potential of conducting business together." The GFF seeks to provide delegates from the developing world the tools, incentives, procedures and infrastructure necessary to attract feature film production to their locales. Global Film Expression, meanwhile, will focus on education, utilizing cinema to as a "medium of personal, social and cultural expression." GFE will provide hands-on instruction on filmmaking to those who lack the resources. Outreach, scholarships and production resources will be offered to help train filmmakers in the underdeveloped and developing world and to support them in teaching and shooting in these regions. IETFF will screen 22 films from international emerging filmmakers in competition. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

The Guardian Interview: David Lynch

"You grow in creativity and intelligence. And the side effect is that negativity starts to recede. Things like hate, anger and depression, sorrow, anxieties - these things start to recede and you live life in more freedom, more flow of ideas, more appreciation and understanding of everything." The American auteur was on stage at the NFT in the UK to discuss his oeuvre, his debt to transcendental meditation, the genesis of his latest film, Inland Empire, and why he went on the road with a cow. The Guardian reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

AFP: Sharon Stone turns down the heat in Berlinale contender

Hollywood diva Sharon Stone has switched off the sex appeal to play a neglected wife and mother in "When a Man Falls in the Forest," a Berlin Film Festival contender which she also produced. After the film's premiere, Stone said her appearance as a seductive murderer in the 1992 global smash hit "Basic Instinct" bought her greater freedom to pick roles that challenged her. "Each actor or actress has their breakthrough film," she said Monday. Deborah Cole reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Festivals ]

WGA Honors "Sunshine," "Departed" and "Evil"

On Sunday night in Los Angeles, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced the winners of the 2007 Writers Guild Awards presenting the prize for original screenplay to Michael Arndt for "Little Miss Sunshine" and the award for adapted screenplay to William Monahan for "The Departed" (based on "Infernal Affairs" written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong. The award for documentary screenplay went to Amy Berg for "Deliver Us From Evil." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

GreeneStreet Takes Sales Rights for "The Nines"

GreeneStreet Films International has acquired "The Nines" for international sales, the group announced from Berlin. UTA and HJTH negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers with GreeneStreet Films International president Ariel Veneziano and founder and president John Penotti. The directorial debut of screenwriter John August, ("Corpse Bride") the film stars Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy and Elle Fanning in a film that mixes "reality with mysterious sci-fi and fantasy elements. 'The Nines' is comprised of three different scenarios each featuring the same actors in different - and sometimes overlapping - roles." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

Reuters: Film on Nazi hunter Wiesenthal debuts in Berlin

Simon Wiesenthal spent over half a century tracking down Nazi war criminals in a quest to deliver justice for the victims of Hitler's terror. Now, just over a year after his death, a new film looks back on his amazing journey from concentration camp survivor to world-renowned super-sleuth, examining the charismatic and controversial man behind the headlines. Cut from thousands of hours of archive footage and interviews, "I Have Never Forgotten You - The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal" describes the personal suffering that motivated Wiesenthal to dedicate his life to the pursuit of his Nazi tormentors. Noah Barkin reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Movies ]

Studiocanal Takes French Rights to "The Signal"

Studiocanal has acquired acquired the rights to French-speaking Europe to "The Signal<" by David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry and Dan Bush, Shoreline Entertainment announced over the weekend from Berlin. Shoreline's director of worldwide distribution, Sam Eigen and director of sales, Brian Sweet negotiated the deal with Studiocanal's EVP of sales and marketing, Rodolphe Buet and acquisitions and marketing manager Laurent Campagne. Magnolia Pictures picked up theatrical rights in January to Shoreline's horror film in North America, the U.K. and Australia following the midnight screening of the film in Sundance. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Berlin ]

Germany and E. Europe "Want Candy"

The UK's Ealing Studios International, which is screening "I Want Candy" at Berlin's European Film Market, has secured rights in Germany and Eastern Europe. The group is the sales unit of Ealing Studios, which is expecting more films up for sale in the next 12 months. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Berlin, Biz ]