News
Microwave powers $3.7m fund
Mr Perfect visits Japan South Korea’s Mirovision has sold Kim Myung-gyun’s Mr Perfect to a slew of Asian territories including Twin for Japan. The coming-of-age comedy drama has also gone to Vietnam (Lotte Vietnam), Taiwan (Cola Films) and Malaysia (Hwayea Multimedia). The film, about a golfer and his relationship with his manager, stars two rising actors from Korean TV dramas, Yoon Si-yoon and Yeo Jin-goo. Mirovision is also launching sales on Roy Lee’s Melo, a “hardcore melodrama” about a woman who becomes unhinged when her lover’s ex-girlfriend shatters her happiness. The film stars Kim Hae-na and Victor Lee. The company is also selling Kang Je-gyu’s short film, Awaiting, which is part of the Beautiful 2014 omnibus. Liz Shackleton
By Andreas Wiseman
The BFI has joined Microwave founding partners Film London and BBC Films for the next iteration of the low-budget production initiative behind Hong Khaou’s Sundance hit, Lilting. Film London is hosting a networking breakfast here in Cannes today to discuss the $3.7m (£2.2m) earmarked by the trio
for the next round of Microwave. Freshly revealed today is the offer of development funding to all shortlisted film-makers and further development grants of up to $16,800 (£10,000) for advancing films. The scheme is due to produce up to six features over three years, with production budgets of $250,000 (£150,000).
IMAX has secured its first commercial cinema deal for Scandinavia, with Nordic Cinema Group. The IMAX in the SF Bio anchor multiplex at Stockholm’s Mall of Scandinavia will open in autumn 2015. IMAX president of EMEA Andrew Cripps told Screen in Cannes that, in Nordic Cinema Group, “we couldn’t pick a better partner… I hope it’s a relationship
Appropriate Behaviour, joins the team as senior Microwave executive, while Tessa Inkelaar steps into a development producer role. Deborah Sathe is head of talent development and production. A distribution consultant and a business and legal affairs exec are due to join. The scheme aims to long list at least 50% black, Asian and minority ethnic film-makers.
Fiddlesticks flies high in Europe By Michael Rosser
German kids adventure Fiddlesticks has been snapped up buyers following its market premiere. Following a deal with Farbfilm, which will release theatrically in Germany and Austria in October, the feature has been sold to France (Pretty Pictures), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe) and Romania (Metropolis).
Fiddlesticks
IMAX projects first Scandi deal By Wendy Mitchell
A total of $168,000 (£100,000) will come from Microwave, with the remaining $84,000 (£50,000) expected to be raised by the film’s producers. Completed films will have access to an additional $42,000 (£25,000) of P&A funds. Olivier Kaempfer, who produced previous Microwave title Borrowed Time and executiveproduced Sundance 2014 title
we can build on because Scandinavia is very important to us.” This deal follows recent pacts in Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Estonia and Slovakia. IMAX is set to open a new screen at the revamped Empire Leicester Square in London at the end of the month. Other IMAX news includes the firm planning to debut its first laser system in Russia in 2015, and booking another local-language
Directed by: Margarita CADENAS
6 Screen International at Cannes May 19, 2014
Russian project, Nikolai Lebedev’s Flight Crew, to open in October 2015; this follows the success of Russian hit Stalingrad. IMAX has 58 screens in Russia, and Stalingrad was also a hit in China, where it earned more than $11.5m. In China, IMAX has 150 screens open with a further 250 in the works. Other local-language releases on the horizon include Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home.
Deals for Benelux and Norway will be announced soon, according to director Veit Helmer, who is coordinating theatrical sales himself while Beta Film handles TV sales. Fiddlesticks tells the story of six youngsters who try to free their grandparents from an old people’s home, with a cast that includes Benno Fürmann and Fritzi Haberlandt.
F&ME introduces fantastic four By Michael Rosser
London-based Film & Music Entertainment (F&ME) has brought the first four features of its 10-picture $30m slate to the Marché. Sold in Cannes by Metro International Entertainment is Julien Temple’s Rio 50 Degrees, a look at the city’s cultural, political and technical revolutions from the 1970s to 2011, ahead of the Brazilian World Cup. F&ME has just delivered Ben
Directed by: Marcos CARNEVALE
Hopkins-directed comedy Welcome To Karastan to Stealth Media Group; while Bac Films Distribution is shopping Mohsen Makhmalbaf ’s The President, the story of a fallen dictator, that wrapped in Georgia in April. Also now wrapped and readying for sale is football documentary Streetkids United II: The Girls From Rio, directed by Brazilian film-maker Maria Clara Costa. The Brazilian co-producer on the sequel is Total Filmes.
Directed by: César RODRÍGUEZ
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