Screen AFM 2014 Day 1

Page 1

DA Y

1

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 2014

AT AMERICAN FILM MARKET www.ScreenDaily.com

Editorial +1 310 922 5908

Advertising +1 213 447 5120

TODAY

SCREENINGS

» Page 42


Global Screen GmbH Sonnenstraße 21 | 80331 Munich | Germany Ph + 49 89 2441295 500 | F + 49 89 2441295 520 info@globalscreen.de | www.globalscreen.de

MARKET PREMIERE

MARKET PREMIERE

MARKET SCREENING

A big-time small-heroes adventure, based on the beloved timeless story of Noah’s Ark, from the producer of “Niko & The Way To The Stars” and “Niko 2 – Little Brother, Big Trouble”.

Crumbling castles, mysterious riddles, frightening spirits, beautiful horses and a plucky, fearless heroine – the most beloved coming-of-age elements featuring eyepopping special effects are lovingly burnished in this “quest” film.

A hilarious mash-up of the best classic fairy tales for young and old alike, featuring a suicidal dragon, a brave little dwarf, non-stop gags, and toe-tapping songs in Stereo 3-D.

SANTA MONICA 5 WED | NOV 5 |1 PM AMC (2D) CINEPLEX 3 SAT | NOV 8 |11 AM BROADWAY (2D)

WED | NOV 5 | 11 AM AMC SANTA MONICA 6 SUN | NOV 9 | 3 PM AMC SANTA MONICA 7

WED | NOV 5 | 9 AM FAIRMONT 4 FRI | NOV 7 | 3 PM FAIRMONT 1

WINNER

BEST DOCUMENTARY GERMAN FILM AWARDS 2014

MARKET SCREENING Notoriously hip Berlin based celebrity hair dresser Tom Herzner falls in love with Heidi. Only one problem: Tom is gay. Rapid-fire dialogues and witty vignettes of gay will touch – and tickle – every viewer.

MARKET SCREENING This real life thriller tells the story of one of Israel’s prized intelligence sources, the son of a top Hamas leader, who is recruited to spy on his own people for over a decade.

SUN | NOV 9 | 1 PM FAIRMONT 1 SAT | NOV 8 | 5 PM LOEWS 3

MARKET SCREENING A mesmerizing, thought-provoking yet surprisingly amusing documentary on the life and times of Wolfgang Beltracchi, the biggest art forger of our times.

SUN | NOV 9 | 5 PM LOEWS 1

AWARD-WINNING DRAMA An emotionally gripping account of a first love and of a son’s loyalty to his father, played with mesmerizing intensity by Tobias Moretti and sensational newcomer Jonas Nay.


American Film Market 2014 Loews Hotel 6 th floor, Suite 638 Phone +1 310 - 570 - 4263

JASNA FRITZI BAUER

RIO DE JANEIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014

ROMA CINEMA FEST ALICE NELLA CITTÀ OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014

HEIKE MAKATSCH

AUREL MANTHEI

GLOBAL SCREEN PRESENTS AT AFM 2014

SIMON SCHWARZ

ABOUT A

SANDRO LOHMANN

GIRL

GIJON

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014

HOF

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014

A FILM BY MARK MONHEIM

GLOBAL SCREEN PRESENTS AN IMBISSFILM PRODUCTION IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH DIE FILM GMBH AND BAYERISCHER RUNDFUNK ABOUT A GIRL WITH JASNA FRITZI BAUER HEIKE MAKATSCH AUREL MANTHEI SIMON SCHWARZ LAURITZ GREVE DOROTHEA WALDA AMELIE PLAAS-LINK SANDRO LOHMANN NIKOLAUS FREI AND MANY MORE COSTUME DESIGN CAROLA RAUM MAKE-UP ANNIKA RAHNER RAIMUND RICHAR-VETTER PRODUCTION DESIGN CINZIA FOSSATI CHRISTINA HEIDELMEIER MUSIC BY SEBASTIAN PILLE SOUND DANIEL SEILER EDITOR STINE SONNE MUNCH MELANIE LANDA DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL SCHÖNAUER COMMISSIONING EDITORS BIRGIT METZ CLAUDIA GLADZIEJEWSKI TOBIAS SCHULTZE CO-PRODUCER ULI ASELMANN PRODUCER MARTIN REHBOCK SCREENPLAY MARK MONHEIM MARTIN REHBOCK DIRECTOR MARK MONHEIM SUPPORTED BY

FFF BAYERN FILMFÖRDERUNGSANSTALT BERLIN DEUTSCHER FILMFÖRDERFONDS

MARKET PREMIERE

MARKET PREMIERE

GERMANY’S OSCAR® ENTRY

An upbeat, feel-good young-adult film starring sensational newcomer Jasna Fritzi Bauer alongside Emmy-nominated Heike Makatsch (“Love, Actually”, “Hilde”) in a spot-on depiction of a teen who revises her view on life after her failed suicide attempt.

The ageing cabaret singer Ruth and the young but terminally ill Jonas give each other a reason and purpose to live in this moving and amazingly intricate film that shifts effortlessly between World War II, the post-war generation and today.

The aristocratic sisters Charlotte and Caroline both fall in love with the controversial young writer and hothead Friedrich Schiller. Defying the conventions of their time, the sisters decide to share their love with Schiller. What begins playfully, soon turns serious as it leads to the end of a pact ...

WED | NOV 5 | 3 PM AMC SANTA MONICA 6

WED | NOV 5 | 5 PM FAIRMONT 5 SUN | NOV 9 |11 AM AMC SANTA MONICA 1

SAT | NOV 8 | 8.30 AM LOEWS 1 SUN | NOV 9 | 7 PM FAIRMONT 1

GERMAN BOX OFFICE HIT When a ferret bites Felix and leaves him sterilized, he must find the soon-to-be mother of his child, the result of his only sperm donation... Fresh and turbulent, a breakout hit at the German box office.

MARKET PREMIERE Meet the Coskuns! With warm-hearted humor, this clash-of-cultures comedy toys with the clichés and biases Turks and Germans have of each other with a wink, a nudge and a dash of hot sauce.

COMING SOON An enchanting Christmas movie for the entire family! Young Hugo discovers a magical elf hiding in his house, who can only return to his world next Christmas …

COMING SOON A highly entertaining 3D-animated feature about a sparrow who believes he is a stork – until the time comes to migrate. Richard ventures south on his own, joined by an eccentric owl and a disco-singing parakeet …



DA Y

1

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 2014

AT AMERICAN FILM MARKET www.ScreenDaily.com

Editorial +1 310 922 5908

Advertising +1 213 447 5120

Woody, Quentin and Al’s hot titles align for AFM Michael Shannon

Shannon, Weisz lead Protagonist’s Marston drama BY ANDREAS WISEMAN

Rachel Weisz and Michael Shannon are to star in Maria Full Of Grace director Joshua Marston’s first English-language feature, which has come together ahead of AFM where it is likely to be among the hottest indie packages. New York production outfit Parts & Labor (Beginners, Love Is Strange) will produce the as-yetuntitled feature, also written by Marston, with Protagonist handling international sales. Weisz will play Alice, an intriguing guest introduced at a dinner party hosted by Tom (Shannon) and his wife. Tom thinks he knows Alice by a different name and background. Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy are producing alongside Lucas Joaquin and Protagonist’s Eddie Vaisman, with the film set to shoot in New York City in early 2015. “Joshua Marston is one of those film-makers I have admired and wanted to work with ever since I saw Maria Full Of Grace at Sundance 10 years ago,” said Protagonist CEO Mike Goodridge. “This project is such a fascinating, intoxicating script about identity and complacency in today’s world.”

BY JEREMY KAY

FilmNation has begun talks here on the upcoming Woody Allen project, one of several new titles to emerge on the eve of the market. Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone star in the comedy that Allen shot on the east coast over the summer about an angst-ridden philosophy professor who starts an affair with a student. No US distributor is attached so far although regular Allen distributor Sony Pictures Classics must be a front runner. Meanwhile buyers were also buzzing about Retribution, a remake of Belgian thriller The Memory Of A Killer, which marks the reunion of Al Pacino and Brian De Palma for the first time since Carlito’s Way in

Woody Allen

1993. Relativity International is understood to be in early talks with acquisitions executives on the story of a hitman and a cop who will go to any length to stop a Philadelphia child prostitution ring.

IM Global scares up The Ghouls BY WENDY MITCHELL

IM Global and China’s Wanda Media are teaming for worldwide sales, excluding China, for Wanda’s action adventure film The Ghouls. Sales will kick off here at AFM with IM Global handling sales for outside Asia and Wanda’s international distribution manager Celine Lin handling Asian territory sales. Unusually, the film brings together financing from three of China’s biggest film companies: Wanda Pictures, Huayi Brothers and Enlight Media. The film is based on the hit novel series, about a clan of grave robbers working in New York who

are called back to solve ancient mysteries in the tombs of China. The 3D epic is currently filming in China and New York and will be readied for a December 2015 release. Wuershan (Painted Skin: Resurrection) directs and Chen Kuo-Fu (Detective Dee) produces. IM Global’s Stuart Ford said, “The Ghouls promises to be a genuine blockbuster and a true visual spectacle. We’re thrilled to be working with Wanda as well as our friends at Huayi and Enlight.” The deal was brokered by Lin on behalf of Wanda Media’s general manager Gillian Zhao, and on behalf of IM Global by Ford, David Jourdan and Deborah Zipser.

Uma Thurman to play real-life WW2 secret agent Uma Thurman will play Second World War intelligence office Vera Atkins in John Hay’s upcoming drama Night And Fog. Paris-based sales agent Other Angle is launching sales here on the production, which is set to shoot in

Northern Ireland in 2015. Atkins was an intelligence officer who trained and dispatched hundreds of agents to Occupied France; after the war she diligently traced their fates. Atkins was also involved in the interrogation of Auschwitz

commander Rudolf Höss; Night And Fog will focus on this exchange. Jeremy Bolt and Elliot Jenkins of London and Los Angeles-based Impact Pictures are producing. Bolt’s credits include Event Horizon. Melanie Goodfellow

Meanwhile anticipation was high over a possible AFM visit by Quentin Tarantino. The Weinstein Company is kicking off its sales push for his The Hateful Eight and there has been talk among buyers of an appearance by the director. Voltage Pictures has come on to handle worldwide sales of Return To Sender, the psychological thriller starring Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick Nolte and Rumer Willis. Pike pays the victim of a home invasion who forms a strong bond with her imprisoned assailant. Fouad Mikati directs from a screenplay by Patricia Beauchamp and Joe Gossett. Candice Abela and Holly Wiersma produce.

TODAY

Christina Hendricks

NEWS Hurricane Hendricks Christina Hendricks is attached to star in Jonathan Lynn’s female buddy movie The Hurricanes, sold by Metro International » Page 8

Cheating heart Carnaby boards Jessica Brown Findlay romantic drama Everything Carries Me To You, about a dancer who suspects her lover is a cheat » Page 10

FEATURES The hot list Screen profiles the hottest buzz titles at AFM, from around the globe » Page 13

In the woods Corin Hardy on debut The Hallow » Page 38

Showbox deals Voltage sets Gangnam style its Standoff BY JEAN NOH

BY JEREMY KAY

South Korean distributor Showbox/ Mediaplex has done a raft of presales on Yoo Ha’s Gangnam Blues to most of Asia including Japan (The Klockworx) and China (Shanghai New Empire Entertainment and Shenzhen Da Fang Media). Gangnam Blues, currently in post-production, also sold to Hong Kong (Edko Films), Taiwan (Kbro Media), Indonesia (PT Prima), Vietnam (BHD), Thailand (Joy N Contents), the Philippines (Viva Communications), Myanmar (Colourful Garden Company) and Singapore and Malaysia (Golden Village Pictures). Set in the 1970s when the Gangnam area was being rapidly developed, the film portrays two childhood friends swept into the world of political corruption. Gangnam Blues is set for a local release in January. Showbox said Asian buyers were especially keen to see the big-screen debut of Lee Min-ho, from TV series The Heirs and City Hunter.

Voltage Pictures arrives at AFM with international rights to the thriller Standoff starring Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane. The Last House On The Left writer Adam Alleca directs from his own screenplay. Standoff centres on a grieving combat veteran (Jane) who offers shelter at his farmhouse to an orphan on the run from a sadistic assassin (Fishburne). Glacier’s Tove Christensen is producing alongside Lee Clay, Eric Gozlan and Michael Wexler. The project is in post and Paradigm represents US rights. Voltage Pictures’ AFM slate features action title Blunt Force Trauma with Ryan Kwanten, Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke; and the Cabin Fever remake. The sales roster includes sci-fi thriller Prisoner Of War and Fathers And Daughters directed by Gabriele Muccino and starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Paul and Diane Kruger.


LINEUP

BETA CINEMA

WALTER

SCREENINGS

T

A young man with a big job that gets in the way of a normal social life.

TODAY | Nov 5th | 3:00 p.m. Tunnel Post 1

DIRECTOR Anna Mastro (GOSSIP GIRL)

Saturday | Nov 8th | 11:00 a.m. AMC Santa Monica 4

T o g

CAST

Andrew J. West (THE WALKING DEAD), Peter Facinelli (TWILIGHT), Justin Kirk (WEEDS, MR. MORGAN‘S LAST LOVE), Neve Campbell (SCREAM, WILD THINGS), Milo Ventimiglia (HEROS, THAT´S MY BOY) with Virginia Madsen (SIDEWAYS) and William H. Macy (FARGO, MAGNOLIA)

DI

US DISTRIBUTOR

ENTERTAINMENT ONE

WE ARE YOUNG. WE ARE STRONG.

SCREENINGS

T

TODAY | Nov 5th | 8:45 a.m. Tunnel Post 1

A c

Saturday | Nov 8th | 8:45 a.m. Tunnel Post 1

DI

KAFKA’S THE BURROW

SCREENINGS

T

When surveillance creates a nightmare…

TODAY | Nov 5th | 11:00 a.m. Doubletree 1

A m

Monday | Nov 10th | 9:00 a.m. AMC Santa Monica 6

DI

WRECKED

SCREENINGS

L

Based on the bestselling novel by Charlotte Roche (Wetlands), translated into more than 15 languages.

TODAY | Nov 5th | 5:00 p.m. Doubletree 2

DIRECTOR Sönke Wortmann (THE MIRACLE OF BERN, POPE JOAN)

Saturday | Nov 8th | 1:00 p.m. Doubletree 2

A yo to

In his follow-up to Berlin Competition debut SHAHADA, Burhan Qurbani grippingly explores the driving forces of xenophobia during the violent riots in freshly reunited Germany.

CA

DIRECTOR Burhan Qurbani (SHAHADA) CAST

Devid Striesow (THE COUNTERFEITERS), Jonas Nay (HOMEVIDEO), Joel Basman (HANNA), David Schütter, Trang Le Hong and Saskia Rosendahl (LORE)

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

BEST EDITING ROME 2014

SIGNIS AWARD ROME 2014

SOCIAL AWARD ROME 2014

DIRECTOR Jochen Alexander Freydank (TOYLAND) CAST

CAST

Axel Prahl (GRILL POINT), Devid Striesow (THE COUNTERFEITERS), Robert Stadlober (CRAZY), Josef Hader (INDIA, THE BONE MAN)

BUSAN

WARSAW

FLASH FORWARD

COMPETITION

Lavinia Wilson, Jürgen Vogel (THE WAVE), Juliane Köhler (TWO LIVES), Anna Stieblich, Robert Gwisdek (THE WEEKEND)

AFM CONTACT Loews Hotel – Suite #635 / Phone +1 310 458 6700 ext. 635

CA

DI

CA

HEAD OFFICE Gruenwalder Weg 28d / D-82041

O


AT AFM

2014

THE LITTLE MEDIC

SCREENINGS

The adventurous story of Nano, who sets out on a fantastic journey through the body of his grand-father to save his life…

TOMORROW | Nov 6th | 5:00 p.m. Tunnel Post 1 Saturday | Nov 8th | 3:00 p.m. Tunnel Post 1

DIRECTOR Peter Claridge

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

3D AND 2D

THE FAREWELL PARTY

SCREENINGS

Anyone will be moved by this tender, unexpectedly charming tale. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Friday | Nov 7th | 9:00 a.m. Doubletree 1

DIRECTOR Sharon Maymon, Tal Granit

Sunday | Nov 9th | 3:00 p.m. Broadway Cineplex 1

CAST

Ze’ev Revach, Levana Finkelstein, Aliza Rozen, Ilan Dar Rafi Tavor

WINNER VENICE DAYS 2014 AUDIENCE AWARD BRIAN AWARD

ISRAELI FILM ACADEMY AWARD BEST ACTOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

TOUR DE FORCE

SCREENINGS

A vanilla dramedy that proves itself worthy at the moment of truth. VARIETY

Saturday | Nov 8th | 5:00 p.m. Doubletree 1

DIRECTOR Christian Zübert (THREE QUARTER MOON)

Sunday | Nov 9th | 11:00 a.m. AMC Santa Monica 4

CAST

Florian David Fitz (VINCENT WANTS TO SEA), Julia Koschitz, Jürgen Vogel (THE WAVE, THE FREE WILL), Johannes Allmayer (VINCENT WANTS TO SEA), Volker Bruch (GENERATION WAR), Miriam Stein (YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE, GENERATION WAR), Hannelore Elsner (CHERRY BLOSSOMS – HANAMI)

LOCARNO PIAZZA GRANDE

LABYRINTH OF LIES

SCREENINGS

An intelligent and arresting tale of an ambitious young prosecutor intent on bringing war criminals to justice. VARIETY

TOMORROW | Nov 6th | 8:45 a.m. Broadway Cineplex 1 Sunday | Nov 9th | 8:45 a.m. AMC Santa Monica 6

DIRECTOR Giulio Ricciarelli CAST

Alexander Fehling (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), André Szymanski, Friederike Becht (THE READER, HANNAH ARENDT), Johann von Bülow, Gert Voss US DISTRIBUTOR SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Oberhaching / Phone +49 89 673469 - 828 / beta@betacinema.com / www.betacinema.com


News

Christina Hendricks

Hendricks whirls to The Hurricanes By Andreas Wiseman

Christina Hendricks is attached to star in Jonathan Lynn’s female buddy movie The Hurricanes, about three very different women who reunite to resurrect their popular 1980s band. Metro International is shopping Annalisa D’Innella’s script at AFM, with the shoot slated to get underway in February 2015. Producers are Annalise Davis (The Railway Man) and Rajita Shah. Additional casting is under way. Further finance comes from Belgian co-producers Entre Chien Et Loup, Creative England and Cutting Edge Group. The script follows Kim Ayers, who 20 years earlier was the perkiest member of the band but is now a single mother. She has to reunite the group after a rapper samples one of their hits.

Dinerstein, Content gather at Campfire By Jeremy Kay

Former co-CEO of Preferred Film & TV Ross Dinerstein has launched the production company Campfire, backed by Content Media. Dinerstein has taken a couple of completed titles with him from Preferred Film & TV as part of his inaugural slate: sci-fi horror The Diabolical starring Ali Larter and Rodney Ascher’s The Nightmare. The roster features a new documentary project about the personal computer wars of the 1980s.

Dinerstein’s Los Angeles-based venture will make three to five features a year at various budget levels and genres; one to two TV and digital series; and three to four commercials through strategic partners with European-based production companies. Campfire will also provide postproduction services for in-house and third-party product. “Campfire is the company that I have been planning since I started in this business, and Content Media has given me the

Aldamisa visits M-Line makes Intimate Enemies City Of Strangers By Jean Noh Starring Ryoo Seung-bum (The Aldamisa Films has come on to handle international sales on the upcoming thriller City Of Strangers. Vadim Perelman (House Of Sand And Fog) will direct the story of a newly married woman who struggles to maintain her sanity after a brutal home invasion. Iranian-born Golshifteh Farahani, who is in the upcoming Exodus: Gods And Kings, will star.

South Korean sales company M-Line Distribution has picked up Fox International Productions Korea’s local-language comedy thriller My Intimate Enemies, directed by Im Sang-soo, and is launching sales at AFM. Im’s The Housemaid (2010) and The Taste Of Money (2012) both played in Cannes Competition, and sold to territories including France and North America.

Berlin File), the film also features Go Joon-hee, Yang Ik-june, Kim Eung-su and Kim Ju-hyeok. My Intimate Enemies is about a group of friends who get tangled up with ruthless criminals after finding a bag of cash. Fox International Productions Korea’s fourth local-language film, it is due out next year. M-Line is also selling Fox’s romantic drama Slow Video.

IFC hungers for Radiant’s Hearts

Bell flies to the cloud Silicon Valley entrepreneur Ray Bell, formerly of Oracle and Cisco, has announced the commercial launch at AFM of cloud-based online marketplace Digital Film Cloud Network (DFCN). The platform emerges from two years of development and is a free-to-access rights trading platform whose backers promise will disrupt the way rights are bought and sold. Sellers pay a 6% transaction fee on receipt of payment from the buyer for the rights they license. Since its soft beta launch at Cannes, Bell said DFCN has amassed more than 6,000 non-exclusive features on its database. Jeremy Kay

support and resources to make this dream a reality,” said Dinerstein, who has made 10 films with Content such as The Pact and The Divide. “Campfire will be an innovative company that works in all media and platforms.” Dinerstein has appointed Joel Henry as head of physical production, Saul Herckis as head of postproduction and Andrew Schwarz as co-ordinator of production and development. Lydia Dunham will continue to assist Dinerstein as he runs the day-to-day operations.

Phoenix Worldwide Entertainment is hosting a first screening today of F&ME’s black comedy Lost In Karastan (formerly EPIC) directed by Ben Hopkins, written by Pawel Pawlikowski and starring Matthew Macfadyen. Other F&ME productions at AFM are The President (sold by BAC) and Rio 50 Degrees (sold by Metro International).

Moviehouse adds four for AFM By Andreas Wiseman

London-based sales and production outfit Moviehouse Entertainment has signed four completed titles to its roster. Jack Laskey and Zhu Zhu star in completed romantic thriller Secret Sharer, the feature directo-

8 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

rial debut of Oscar-winning producer Peter Fudakowski (Tsotsi). Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella, the story follows a young sea captain’s journey to maturity. Action thriller The Contract, written by David Marconi (Enemy Of The State) and directed by Nic

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Saverio Costanzo’s Hungry Hearts from Mimi Steinbauer’s sales outfit Radiant Films International. Venice award-winners Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher star as a husband and his germophobic wife. Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with Steinbauer on behalf of the film-makers.

Auerbach, follows a London fund manager in a race against time over one explosive night. Director Jay Weisman’s 3D action sci-fi Shockwave Darkside, which world premiered at London’s FrightFest, charts mankind’s battle for the last supplies of water on the moon. Finally, Discoverdale follows a

Gaumont’s Ares thrills the buyers By Melanie Goodfellow

French director Jean-Patrick Benes’s post-apocalyptic tale Ares, about a man trying to keep his family safe, is starting to entice buyers for Gaumont. The film, which started shooting last week, has sold to Germany (Tiberius), South Korea (Double & Joy), Greece (Odeon), former Yugoslavia (Pa-Dora) and Turkey (Calinos). Ares marks the first feature for Benes, who wrote and directed the hit TV series Kaboul Kitchen. The film is co-produced by Gaumont and Matthieu Tarot’s Albertine Productions with Now You See Me director Louis Leterrier taking an executive producer credit. Gaumont’s slate also includes Franco-Iranian comedian and actor Kheiron’s feature debut All Three Of Us.

AFM briefs Lotus crosses one off Lotus Entertainment kicks off pre-sales here on The Crucifixion from Xavier Gens and producers Peter Safran and the Hayes brothers. The Conjuring co-writers Chad and Carey Hayes wrote the screenplay about an investigative journalist probing the case of a priest who murdered a nun during an exorcism.

eOne, Ink crown King eOne and The Ink Factory are to co-produce and co-finance Los Angeles thriller Message From The King by director Fabrice Du Welz. Chadwick Boseman will star; the film shoots from February.

cult band singer who thinks his father is Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale. Moviehouse Entertainment’s managing director Mark Vennis struck the deals. Moviehouse’s slate also includes animations The Hero Of Colour City and A Giant Adventure and comedy drama Funny Cow.

www.screendaily.com


WORLD PREMIERE AT THE AFM: TH THU | NOV 6 · 9.00 AM AMC SANTA MONICA 4

BEST BEST BOX BOX OFFICE OFFICE IN IN CUBAN CUBAN HISTORY HISTORY EVER EVER –– MORE MORE THAN THAN 250.000 250.000 ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS SOLA MEDIA GmbH · www.sola-media.com · STAND AFM: Loews Hotel, Suite #629 · Contact: Tania Pinto Da Cunha Mobile: +34 629 459 075 · tania@sola-media.com · Solveig Langeland · Mobile: +49 177 278 1625 · post@sola-media.com


News

Carnaby loves Brown Findlay

Kaleidoscope nabs Big Bird By Andreas Wiseman

UK sales outfit Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (KFD) has picked up documentary I Am Big Bird, the story of Caroll Spinney, the man who has played Sesame Street’s Big Bird since 1969. The deal covers worldwide distribution of all rights, excluding North America.

By Andreas Wiseman

Carnaby has boarded romantic drama Everything Carries Me To You, currently in pre-production, about a dancer who finds out her lover may be cheating. The cast is led by Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew Rhys and Freddie Fox. Emma Holly Jones is attached to direct with Hilary Shor (The Paperboy) on board to produce. Carnaby has also added director Toby Tobias’s thriller Blood Orange, starring Ben Lamb and musician Iggy Pop and executive produced by former Miramax executive Colin Vaines, which is currently shooting in Spain. The company will also be introducing Stuart Brennan’s zombie

Fortissimo to take Cover Fortissimo Films has picked up worldwide rights to writerdirector Ray Yeung’s dramatic comedy Front Cover. Currently in post-production, the English-language, New Yorkbased feature follows a gay Chinese-American fashion stylist who detests his cultural heritage until an assignment to style an actor from Beijing leads him to re-examine his identity. Jake Choi and James Chen star. Andreas Wiseman

Buyers wedded to 9ers’ Bride

Jessica Brown Findlay

By Jean Noh

horror Plan Z, currently in postproduction; spy thriller Damascus Cover with Jonathan Rhys Meyers attached; action drama A Love Of Money; online dating romantic comedy Casual Encounters starring Brooklyn Decker; and Martha Pinson’s Tomorrow, which is executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

South Korean sales company 9ers Entertainment has announced a slew of deals led by the presentday remake of Lee Myung-se’s 1990 hit My Love, My Bride selling to Japan (The Klockworx). Directed by Lim Chan-sang, the romantic comedy stars Shin Min-A and Jo Jung-suk. The film also sold to the Philippines (Viva),

CJ does Roaring trade By Jean Noh

South Korean distributor CJ Entertainment has sold local hit Roaring Currents to a number of territories including Germany (KSM), Latin America (Alebrije) and Italy (Minerva). Starring Choi Min-sik, the historical naval battle drama also sold to Benelux and Scandinavia (Splendid), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), India (Visual Reality), Turkey (Medyavizyon) and Mongolia (Bloomsbury). Pay-TV rights for Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Vietnam

Emilio Roso Michael Madsen Vincent Pastore Steven Bauer

DAY OF A FILM BY EMILIO ROSO

Chad N Walker and Dave LaMattina of Copper Pot Pictures direct. The deal was signed by Caroline Stern, director of sales and acquisition at KFD, and Abby Davis at Preferred Content. KFD’s slate also includes thriller The Last Survivors, monster horror Digging Up The Marrow and Rutger Hauer sci-fi pic RPG.

went to Popcorn, and in-flight rights to Emphasis. Roaring Currents has opened in the US, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand, becoming the biggest box-office hit for a South Korean film in each of these countries. In China, the film will have a wide release on more than 3,000 screens at the end of the year. CJ’s AFM slate also includes JK Youn’s Ode To My Father; Yim Pil-sung’s erotic vengeance drama Scarlet Innocence; and South Korea-Vietnam rom-com Let Hoi Decide.

FilmSharks gets Possessed By Jeremy Kay

FilmSharks International has come on to sell worldwide rights to stop-motion feature Possessed (Pos Eso) from former Aardman animator Sam. Guido Rud will tout the Spanish-language feature and is preparing an English-language version of the film (with talks ongoing with US distributors and voice cast for that version). Possessed centres on a flamenco dancer who seeks help to solve her son’s demented behaviour.

ON bORROWED TIME

EMILIO ROSO

CineTel hot for Lavantula CineTel Films arrives at AFM with international rights to Lavantula, Mike Mendez’s follow-up to Big Ass Spider!. The project, now in post from CineTel and The SyFy Channel, reunites Steve Guttenberg with his Police Academy co-stars Michael Winslow and Leslie Easterbrook in the story of lava-spewing tarantulas in Santa Monica.

Lightning strikes twice

Vietnam (Lotte Cinema Vietnam), Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and East Timor (Multivision Plus), Taiwan (AV-Jet) and airlines (Emphasis). 9ers also sold Cart, about the exploitation of employees by a bigbox retailer, to Hong Kong (Edko Films) and Taiwan (AV-Jet). AV-Jet and Multivision Plus also picked up horror film Mourning Grave.

SNITCH. RAT. DEAD MAN.

AFM briefs

Lightning Entertainment has added Louis Mandylor’s The Blackout and Brookstreet Pictures’ horror thriller GirlHouse, directed by Trevor Matthews and Jon Knautz, to its AFM slate.

Arrow nets a Good Kill Arrow Films has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Voltage Pictures’ Good Kill by Andrew Niccol and Politics Of Love (formerly Nailed).

Nightingale flies for 7 & 7 UK outfit 7 & 7 Producers’ Sales Service will begin sales at AFM on Anglo-Irish war romance A Nightingale Falling directed by Garret Daly and Martina McGlynn.

Devilworks finds Husband Devilworks has boarded world rights to US horror film The Perfect Husband from Italian writer-director Lucas Pavetto.

Two shoot for MK2 MK2 has announced that Atiq Rahimi’s Nocturne Afghan and Stéphane Brizé’s A Simple Man will shoot this winter.

VINCENT PASTORE

MARTIN KOVE

TUMBLEWEED

FOR LOVE. FOR FAMILY.

the true story of the informant who brought down the Israeli mafia

G O L I AT H

10 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

www.screendaily.com




FEATURE FOCUS

SCREENINGS, PAGE 42

■ AFM BUZZ FILMS ■ ASK THE EXPERTS ■ AFM MARKET FOCUS ■ TAIWAN BUZZ TITLES ■ THE HALLOW

(From left) Mark Wahlberg headlines Lionsgate’s Deepwater Horizon, Keanu Reeves is on board Lotus Entertainment’s Replicas, Naomi Watts will appear in IM Global’s Three Generations, Lucy Liu tops Visit Films’ Snakehead, Catherine Zeta-Jones stars in Sierra/Affinity’s The Godmother, and Quentin Tarantino directs TWC’s The Hateful Eight

American Film Market Buzz titles As international sales companies arrive in Santa Monica, Screen correspondents profile a selection of key titles, at various stages of production, available in the market US Sellers By Jeremy Kay Lionsgate will kick off pre-sales on Deepwater Horizon, JC Chandor’s follow-up to his imminent AFI Fest world premiere A Most Violent Year. Mark Wahlberg battles to rescue co-workers on a stricken oil rig. Shooting starts in March 2015 and Lionsgate will release in the US on September 30, 2016. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is among the producers. Good Universe should cause a stir Forest with its supernatural thriller The Forest, set in Japan’s haunted Aokigahara Forest where a young American searches for her twin sister. Jason Zada directs from an idea by David S Goyer. Lava Bear’s David Linde and Tory Metzger produce with Goyer. Focus Features will distribute in the US on January 8, 2016. IM Global heads to the market with Generations international rights to Three Generations, a comedic drama starring Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon and Elle Fanning. ICM Partners represents US rights to the project from Big Beach and InFilm Productions. Gaby Dellal will direct.

www.screendaily.com

Sierra/Affinity swings into town with The Godmother to star Catherine ZetaJones as Griselda Blanco, the first and only female Colombian drug cartel boss who was a key player in the Miami drug wars. Catalina Sandino Moreno and Fury’s Jon Bernthal join the cast and shooting is scheduled for spring 2015. Annapurna International will be touting a new, as yet untitled Richard Linklater project. Megan Ellison is producing the 1980s-set story of college life. Shooting has begun in Austin, Texas. Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Wyatt Russell and Zoey Deutch star. Voltage Pictures handles the high-tech

Fortitude International’s Urge

thriller I.T., starring the in-demand Pierce Brosnan. Production is set to begin on January 12 in Vancouver on the tale of an entrepreneur who falls foul of his IT consultant. John Moore directs and the producers are David T Friendly, Beau St Clair and Craig Flores. Lotus Entertainment has thrown a Keanu Reeves project into the mix with Replicas, a sci-fi thriller about a neuroscientist who attempts to bring his family back to life following a car accident. Tanya Wexler directs and Lorenzo di Bonaventura is among the producers. The Weinstein Company commences sales proper on See-Saw Films, Aquarius Films and Sunstar Entertainment’s Lion, a title it acquired in Cannes for most of the world, excluding Australia and New Zealand. Production is set to kick off in January on the story of an Indian boy who is adopted by an Australian couple but sets out some 25 years later to find his birth family. Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman are attached to star. TWC is also expected to

start sales on Quentin Tarantino’s Western The Hateful Eight, with the man himself rumoured to be heading to Santa Monica to meet with select buyers. Séville International will be touting international rights to the drama Len And Company starring Rhys Ifans, Juno Temple, Jack Kilmer, Keir Gilchrist and Kathryn Hahn. Tim Godsall directs the story of a miserable record producer who begins to grow up after he flees New York City to his upstate residence. There he faces his estranged son and a monstrous pop diva client. Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin finances and serves as executive producer with Kate Buckley. Visit Films is getting into the Lucy Liu business and will introduce buyers to Snakehead. Liu stars as a smuggled Chinese woman who finds herself the target of the FBI and New York gangs after she too becomes a human trafficker. The crime thriller is expected to be delivered in January 2016. Fortitude International arrives in Santa Monica with Urge starring Pierce Brosnan and Ashley Greene. The thriller, shooting now, is about friends on an »

November 5, 2014 Screen International 13


AFM buzz Hot titles

island who try out a dangerous new designer drug. Aaron Kaufman directs and Crank’s Skip Williamson and Mark Neveldine produce. CAA represents US rights. Myriad Pictures holds worldwide rights on Das Films’ Heart Beats 3D from director Duane Adler, writer on the Step Up franchise. Aimee Teegarden plays a feisty US hip-hop dancer who travels to India for a wedding. There she falls in love with a new style of dance and the man who introduces it to her. Sriram Das and Guneet Monga (The Lunchbox) produce. Content Media brings Feelgood Fiction and the BBC’s The Eichmann Show starring Martin Freeman and Anthony LaPaglia as a blacklisted TV director and innovative producer assigned to capture the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann on the small screen. The project recreates the 1961 trial and will use original footage. XYZ Films holds worldwide rights to 6 Days, the story of the SAS raid that ended the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London. Toa Fraser, who collaborated with XYZ on Toronto premiere The Dead Lands, will direct. General Film Corporation and partners finance the project and shooting is scheduled for the second quarter of 2015. Electric Entertainment’s Go With Me from hot Scandinavian director Daniel Alfredson stars Anthony Hopkins and Ray Liotta in the story of a woman who enlists the aid of a former logger to stand up against a local crime lord. UTA Independent Film Group handles US rights. The Exchange arrives with Justin Kelly’s controversial drama Michael starring James Franco, Zachary Quinto and Emma Roberts. Gus Van Sant and Lauren Selig are executive producers on the tale of a man who survives a health scare, finds god and renounces his gay

14 Screen International November 5, 2014

lifestyle. Franco produces with Vince Jolivette and Michael Mendelsohn. Hot on the heels of the independent Step Up series comes Cinema Management Group’s Born To Dance, featuring newcomer Tia Maipi, a member of The Royal Family hip-hop crew. Production has begun in Auckland on the story of an aspiring hip-hop dancer invited to audition for the best crew in the country. Vendetta Films distributes in Australia and New Zealand. Bleiberg Entertainment has Club Life starring Jerry Ferrara and Jessica Szohr. The film comes from the executive producers of Spring Breakers and charts the rise of a Manhattan club promoter. The Little Film Company will be selling thriller The Barber, starring Scott Glenn, Chris Coy, Stephen Tobolowsky, Olivia Taylor Dudley and Kristen Hager. The Chapman Filmed Entertainment and Travis Knox story centres on a father and son whose lives are irrevocably affected by a monstrous man. AMBI Distribution will be talking up All Roads Lead To Rome, a rom-com starring Sarah Jessica Parker as an uptight woman on a road trip with her former lover in pursuit of her rebellious daughter. Claudia Cardinale, Raoul Bova, Paz Vega and Rosie Day round out the cast. Ella Lemhagen directs and

The Exchange’s Michael, The Little Film Company’s The Barber, Lightning Entertainment’s Preggoland and FilmSharks International’s El Americano The Movie 3D

Andrea Iervolino, Monika Bacardi and Silvio Muraglia produce. Red Sea Media arrives with Beyond Skyline, about a tough detective on a relentless quest to free his son from a nightmarish alien warship. Liam O’Donnell wrote and directs and the producers are Greg and Colin Strause of effects house Hydraulx, Matthew Chausse and Roman Kopelevich of Red Sea Media. Lightning Entertainment will start sales on the recent Toronto world premiere comedy Preggoland starring James Caan and Sonja Bennett. FilmSharks International will be presenting El Americano The Movie 3D. Rico Rodriguez, Edward James Olmos, Lisa Kudrow and Kate del Castillo are among the voice cast on the Animex and Olmos Productions story about a young Mexican parrot who learns the true nature of courage. Pure Flix will be touting Do You Believe?, a narrative drama about the power of the cross starring Mira Sorvino, Cybill Shepherd, Sean Astin, Lee Majors, Alexa PenaVega, Ted McGinley and Delroy Lindo. Jonathan M Gunn will direct from the $110m global smash God’s Not Dead writing team of Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon. Epic Pictures is looking to give buyers some white hairs with Tales Of Halloween. Eleven directors contribute to the anthology including The Descent’s Neil Marshall and Saw II, III and IV director Darren Lynn Bousman. Shoreline Entertainment has the family film Symphony Of The Wild, marrying wildlife imagery with great works of classical music. Double Dutch International has Byrd And The Bees starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Tracy Spiridakos in the story of a struggling author on a trip to Scotland who lives out the most romantic story she has never written. »

www.screendaily.com



AFM BUZZ HOT TITLES

UK Sellers By Andreas Wiseman Embankment Films hits AFM with James Franco’s comedy-drama Zeroville, which is now shooting in California. Franco directs and stars alongside Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox and Will Ferrell. Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar’s outfit will also be showing footage of Kate Winslet-starrer The Dressmaker. eOne International will have promos of Mat Ross’s drama Captain Fantastic as well as footage of Jay Roach’s Trumbo and Gavin Hood’s Eye In The Sky. The company is also handling sales on Spotlight, Thomas McCarthy’s all-star story about The Boston Globe’s exposé on the cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Aaron Eckhart, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci star in the Participant Media and Anonymous Content thriller. Thorsten Schumacher and the HanWay team will be tempting buyers with teaser footage of Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise and Thai boxing script A Prayer Before Dawn (starring Charlie Hunnam) as well as first footage of Julian Jarrold’s Girls’ Night Out and Gerardo Naranjo’s untitled drama starring Dakota Fanning. Protagonist comes to Santa Monica with anticipated new Ben Wheatley action film Free Fire, and promos for Nick Love film American Hero and Adam Smith crimedrama Trespass Against Us, starring Michael Fassbender. The critically lauded Testament Of Youth has a first market screening. WestEnd’s slate includes Jeremy Saulnier thriller Green Room, starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and Patrick Stewart; Isabel Coixet’s Learning To Drive; and By Way Of Helena, starring Woody Harrelson and Liam Hemsworth. There will be a promo of A Perfect Day starring Benicio Del Toro. David Garrett’s Mister Smith is in Santa Monica with Dev Patel drama The Man Who Knew Infinity, about maths prodigy Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar, and will have footage of Drake Doremus’s anticipated Equals, starring Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult. Bankside comes to market with new images of Julianne Moore and Ellen Page drama Freeheld; and promos of Ashby, starring Mickey Rourke as a retired CIA assassin; and Adrien Brody drama Backtrack. K5 is in Santa Monica with Chet Baker biopic Born To Be Blue, starring Ethan Hawke; Christopher Walken and Amber Heard-starrer When I Live My Life Over Again; Brit List thriller The Survivalist; Caryn Waechter’s The Sisterhood Of Night; German horror film Der Nachtmahr and Armie Hammer thriller Mine. Goldcrest will be looking to cut deals on Liz Garbus-Galt Niederhoffer comedy Taxonomy and will also be introducing Slumber, a supernatural thriller from The Tea Shop &

16 Screen International November 5, 2014

Film Company, and US navy airmen adventure Against The Sun, starring Tom Felton. Independent’s AFM lineup is headlined by live-action family film A Bollywoof Tale, which was picked up before the market by Icon for UK distribution. The company also has footage from Jim Jarmusch’s muchtalked-about documentary about The Stooges and will shop Carol Morley’s The Falling. UMedia will be in Santa Monica with London-set drama A Hundred Streets, which has an ensemble cast including Idris Elba and Gemma Arterton; zombie thriller Generation Z;; and completed comedy drama Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks,, starring Gena Rowlands, Cheyenne Jackson and Jacki Weaver. Altitude hits AFM with post-apocalyptic zombie film Wyrmwood;; thriller Tiger House,, starring Kaya Scodelario, Ed Skrein and Dougray Scott; and revenge horror The Last Word. Salt comes to market with Catherine Hardwicke comedy drama Miss You Already,, starring Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette and will continue to shop Viking epic Northmen — A Viking Saga. New to Metro International’s slate is The Hurricanes,, a female buddy movie directed by Jonathan Lynn starring Christina Hendricks. The film is due to shoot early next year. Also on the slate are Afghan war film Kajaki and action thriller Destroyer.

(From top) UMedia’s Generation Z, Moviehouse’s The Secret Sharer, and (below) The Works’ There Are Monsters

SC Films will have a market premiere for animation Yellowbird and will continue to push Animal Crackerz with John Cleese; Charming 3D from John Williams; and Wish from Cory Edwards and Prana Animation. The Works will launch Bret Marcus’s boxing documentary Champs, featuring Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins; and will continue to sell Set Fire To The Stars and There Are Monsters. Celsius will be screening a promo of futuristic survival drama Into The Forest, starring Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood and Max Minghella, and will also introduce a murdermystery comedy from director John Duigan, which is due to shoot next year. Metrodome International’s slate includes a market debut screening of documentary Future Shock! The Story Of 2000AD, about the birth and development of the popular comic-book franchise that spawned the likes of Judge Dredd. GFM will be talking to buyers about Simon Pegg starrer Absolutely Anything, animation Blazing Samurai and heist thriller Severance. Jinga ’s genre lineup includes Ivan Kavanagh horror The Canal, Jeremy Wooding’s Blood Moon and Alejandro Hidalgo’s The House At The End Of Time. Moviehouse will introduce drama The Secret Sharer, inspired by a Joseph Conrad novella; crime thriller The Contract, written by David Marconi; and 3D sci-fi adventure Shockwave Darkside. Genesis offers Jon Drever’s SuperBob, produced by Robert Jones and Wayne Marc Godfrey; Friday Download: The Movie; and Reg Traviss drama Anti-Social. Parkland Pictures will be pushing marijuana documentary California High, as well as action film Allies and Keeping Rosy. Animation specialist Timeless will be showing a promo reel with new footage of Robodog. Carnaby’s line-up includes espionage thriller Damascus Cover, set to star Jonathan Rhys Meyers; rom-com Casual Encounters; and crime drama A Love Of Money. Kaleidoscope’s AFM premieres include Digging Up The Marrow, from Hatchet director Adam Green; thriller The Last Survivors; and sports documentary Life In Extremes. 7 & 7 Producers’ Sales Service has picked up Movie Mogul’s Frightfest chiller The Sleeping Room and will shop war romance A Nightingale Falling while Devilworks will be looking to do deals on horror The Perfect Husband from first-time director Lucas Pavetto. Manifest Film Sales will be introducing supernatural action-thriller Red Billabong, which is now in production in Australia; and continue to discuss The Laureate. Park Entertainment’s slate includes horror comedy The Editor, which premiered in Toronto’s Midnight Madness section; UK thriller Peterman; and darkly comic road » movie Petroleum Spirit.

www.screendaily.com



AFM BUZZ HOT TITLES

French Sellers By Melanie Goodfellow Wild Bunch kicks off sales on period drama Sunstroke from Russia’s Nikita Mikhalkov. New French titles include Patrice Leconte’s comedy Do Not Disturb; Rabid Dogs, a remake of Mario Bava’s 1970s cult classic; and Julie Delpy’s Paris-set romantic comedy Lolo. The company has a co-sales mandate on Jacques Audiard’s next untitled film with Celluloid Dreams and Nicolas Winding Refn’s recently announced The Neon Demon with Gaumont. StudioCanal launches Ben Stassen and Vincent Kesteloot’s 3D animated family adventure Robinson Crusoe, which is in production; as well as Michael Winterbottom’s financial crisis documentary The Emperor’s New Clothes fronted by controversial comedian Russell Brand. Other titles include Bastille Day and Tobias Lindholm’s A War. Celluloid launches sales on Jacques Audiard’s untitled film, as mentioned above, which is in production. The company wants to close final territories on S Craig Zahler’s cannibal action picture Bone Tomahawk, which finished shooting at the end of October. The company is also reporting strong interest for Bruce Beresford’s Tuscany-set romantic comedy Cooking With Fernet Branca, which is in pre-production. Indie Sales has added horror thriller What We Become from Denmark’s Bo Mikkelsen, set in an upscale neighbourhood cordoned off following the outbreak of a deadly strain of flu. Antichrist and A Royal Affair producer Meta Louise Foldager of Meta Film is producing with Sara Namer as lead producer. MK2 will screen promo reels for Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s The Decameron adaptation Wondrous Boccaccio; enigmatic love story Journey To The Shore by Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa; and Elodie Namer’s chess comedy The Tournament. TF1 International will launch Alexandre Aja’s psychological thriller Wedding Gown and Anne Giafferi’s romantic comedy Love At First Child and continue sales on Angelin Preljocaj’s ballet drama Polina. Memento Films International will unveil first images from the shoot of Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs and Xavier Giannoli’s Marguerite, loosely inspired by the story of the world’s worst soprano Florence Foster Jenkins. Versatile will continue sales on Santiago Mitre’s social thriller La Patota,, about an idealistic lawyer who is attacked by a gang while doing charity work in an impoverished border-town, and Jérome Bonnell’s love triangle comedy A Trois, On Y Va. Both films are in post-production. Genre specialist WTF will con-

18 Screen International November 5, 2014

tinue sales on Xmoor, which premiered at the UK’s FrightFest in August, and will also show first footage of comedy Zoom, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Alison Pill. WTF will also market premiere Gates Of The Son, an action film starring Mike Tyson. As well as co-selling The Neon Demon, Gaumont commences sales on Jean-Patrick Benes’ Ares, about a man battling to save his family in apocalyptic Paris, and All Three Of Us, the debut feature from French-Iranian entertainer Kheiron about an Iranian exile making his way in France. Leïla Bekhti, Zabou Breitman and Gérard Darmon star. EuropaCorp will offer the market premiere of Pascal Morelli’s animation 108 Demon-Kings, an adaptation of a Chinese classic co-produced with Shanghai-based Fundamental Films and will also screen France’s foreignlanguage Oscar submission Saint Laurent. It will also start sales on an untitled project by Gabriele Muccino about a father who devises a plan

(From top) Wide Management’s Cowboys, Urban Distribution International’s Long Way North, MK2’s Wondrous Boccaccio, and (left) Wild Bunch’s Sunstroke

to save his gravely ill daughter that will cost him his life, and Daniel Barber’s Underground, about a group of subterranean outcasts, based on an idea by Luc Besson. Wide Management, meanwhile, handles foreign-language Oscar submissions Cowboys, The Circle and The Gambler, as well as recent Toronto pick-up Margarita, With A Straw and Sans Sebastian prize-winner The Lesson. Urban Distribution International will screen a promo-reel for Rémi Chayé’s $10m animation Long Way North, about a Russian aristocrat who sets off for the North Pole in »

www.screendaily.com



AFM buzz Hot titles

search of her grandfather. Urban will continue sales on Maxime Giroux’s Felix And Meira, a love story between an eccentric man and a married Hasidic woman, which won best Canadian feature at Toronto. Bac Films will launch sales on thriller Taj Mahal, inspired by the Mumbai terrorist attacks and starring Stacy Martin. The film started shooting in mid-October. The company will also hold a work-in-progress screening of Raul Garcia’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptation Extraordinary Tales and continue sales on The President. Films Distribution will market premiere Stéphane Demoustier’s sports drama 40-Love about a father and son determined to succeed — in different ways — in business and tennis. Olivier Gourmet, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Charles Mérienne star. Elle Driver will begin sales on journalist Cyril Dion and actress Mélanie Laurent’s documentary Tomorrow looking at ways to tackle the ecological crisis. Other hot titles on its slate include Isabel Coixet’s arctic love triangle Nobody Wants The Night, starring Juliette Binoche, Rinko Kikuchi and Gabriel Byrne; and Benoit Jacquot’s Diary Of A Chambermaid starring Léa Seydoux, both of which are in post-production. Le Pacte will kick off sales on Guillaume Nicloux’s Valley Of Love, starring Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert as a divorced couple who are summoned to Death Valley by their son some six months after he supposedly died, and Jaco Van Dormael’s The Brand New Testament starring Benoit Poelvoorde as a Brussels-based God. It will also screen Cédric Kahn’s Wild Life starring Mathieu Kassovitz as a father who goes on the run with his son after he loses a custody battle. Other Angle Pictures is set to unveil details of John Hay’s Night And Fog, an adaptation of Sarah Helm’s A Life In Secrets about Second World War secret agent Vera Atkins, to be played by Uma Thurman; and French comedy West Coast about urban teenagers on holiday in the Brittany countryside. SND will continue sales on The Squad, the French remake of The Sweeney starring Jean Reno, which started shooting in Paris last month. The company will also offer the market premiere of feature-length animation Asterix: The Mansion Of The Gods, ahead of its French release on November 26. The company will also screen La Famille Bélier, about a girl growing up in a family of deaf people. Pathé International will launch sales on Stephen Frears’ Florence about the real-life heiress and wannabe opera diva Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep in the central role opposite Hugh Grant as her manager husband. Other hot titles on its slate include Ava DuVernay’s Martin Luther King project Selma, which will see first-look footage unveiled at AFI Fest on November 11. Genre specialist Reel Suspects will continue to pre-sell German Angst, which is in post-production ahead of a December release.

20 Screen International November 5, 2014

Other European sellers By Geoffrey Macnab

(From top) Global Screen’s Ooops, Noah Is Gone, Media Luna’s Luna, ARRI World Sales’ Vampire Sisters 2 — Bats In The Belly, Urban Distribution International’s Felix And Meira, and Beta Cinema’s Walter

One of German powerhouse Beta Cinema’s buzz titles at AFM is 13 Minutes (working title, and also known as Georg Elser) by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The film, an emotional portrait of the resistance fighter who tried to assassinate Hitler in 1939, reunites Beta with Hirschbiegel 10 years after their success with Downfall. The company will screen a first promo at AFM. Also generating buzz is Walter, which has been picked up by eOne for North America. AFM will be the first official market showcase for the comedy drama, directed by Anna Mastro (Gossip Girl) and starring William H Macy. German outfit ARRI Worldsales will be holding informal discussions with buyers about its slate of low budget, high concept English language horror thrillers from the new ARRI Production unit. The first of these will be presented formally to buyers early next year. ARRI will also be screening several new titles, among them Vampire Sisters 2 — Bats In The Belly (billed by director of sales Moritz Hemminger as “Twilight for kids”) East German breakdance movie Dessau Dancers and Tomasz E Rudzik’s new drama Agnieszka, starring Karolina Gorczyca. Fellow German company Global Screen is giving a market premiere to Ooops, Noah Is Gone, its animated movie from the producers of the Niko films. The company is also introducing buyers to Mark Monheim’s About A Girl, following a teenage girl who finds love after a failed suicide attempt. AFM is the first market at which Global will be selling To Life, starring Max Riemelt and Hannelore Elsner. Also new to its AFM slate is Lisa Mulcahy’s English-language kids quest movie, The Legend Of Longwood, starring Lucy Morton, Miriam Margolyes and Thekla Reuten. M-Appeal is beginning sales on Cuba-set drama Benjamin Or The Planetarium and, under its Raspberry&Cream label, on Like Cattle Towards Glow. Ida Martins’ Media Luna will be screening »

www.screendaily.com


For more information, please visit us at the AFM THE LOEWS HOTEL, SUITE 607 or contact us at starzglobal.com Š Starz Media. All rights reserved


AFM buzz Hot titles

Dave McKean’s Toronto premiere Luna, new Argentinian drama Aire Libre, and Dutch thriller The Wolf ’s Game. Meanwhile, Sola Media is giving a market premiere to kids’ pirate yarn Captain Sabertooth And The Treasure Of Lama Rama. Scandinavian sales outfit TrustNordisk will begin pre-sales on disaster movie The Wave in Santa Monica. “It is the first time you see a disaster movie on that kind of level coming out of the Nordic countries,” CEO Rikke Ennis says of the film by Norwegian director Roar Uthaug and produced by FanteFilm. TrustNordisk will be showing early footage to buyers, and all rights are available excluding the Nordic countries, where it will be released in August 2015 by Nordisk. TrustNordisk will also be continuing with pre-sales on Thomas Vinterberg’s The Commune, currently in pre-production, and preselling Nils Gaup’s The Last King. The company is also beginning sales on Swedish comedy drama A Man Called Ove and screening crime thriller The Absent One from director Mikkel Norgaard on the back of its huge box-office success in Denmark. Swedish outfit The Yellow Affair has a new Aussie comedy, Relative Happiness, starring Melissa Bergland. Yellow Affair will also be selling animated feature Pele Penguin Comes To Town, aimed at pre-school kids, and Ronnie Sandahl’s debut feature Underdog, already a festival favourite having picked up awards in Zurich and Chicago. In the run up to AFM, Svensk has been showing buyers links to Ole Bornedal’s epic 1864 — a TV series of eight 58-minute episodes with an accompanying feature film version that should be completed by late December — and is likely to be a candidate for festivals in early 2015. Svensk will be screen-

22 Screen International November 5, 2014

ing Nordic car racing comedy Borning, which has racked up 350,000 admissions locally. Also from Scandinavia, Eyewell will be serving up its first helping of American Burger, a new comedy-horror trilogy from production company LittleBig about the grisly misadventures of a group of US highschool jocks, cheerleaders and nerds on a trip through Europe. LevelK is giving a market premiere to sci-fi horror film Encounters, a grisly yarn about four young film-makers lost in the woods; and will be screening material from Anders Thomas Jensen’s dark comedy Men & Chicken

(From top) TrustNordisk’s The Wave, The Yellow Affair’s Relative Happiness and Hungarian National Film Fund’s Mirage

starring Mads Mikkelsen; and from Australian comedy Sucker starring Timothy Spall. Hungarian National Film Fund is using AFM to give a market premiere to Mirage by Szabolcs Hajdu, starring Isaach de Bankolé; and is also screening Virag Zomboracz’s Afterlife, a recent winner of the Best Feature Award at Valladolid. Spanish outfit DeAPlaneta is introducing buyers to Off Course, a new romantic comedy starring Yon Gonzalez and Blanca Suarez. A trailer is available and the completed film will be screened at Berlin’s EFM early next year. 6 Sales is screening Ride, directed by and starring Helen Hunt; and Mexican-Spanish horror hit Darker Than Night 3D. The company is also screening Christian Keller’s musical biopic, Gloria! The Price Of Fame, already snapped up by Picturehouse for the US. Latido is introducing buyers to revenge drama Fire from Tornasol and to ArgentinaBelgium coproduction La Tierra Rioja, a Western set in the rainforest. The company is also screening thriller The Ignorance Of Blood starring Paz Vega and Cuban Oscar entry Behaviour. Vicente Canales’ Film Factory is giving market premieres to Alex de la Iglesia’s football doc Messi, which screened in Venice Days; erotic thriller Death In Buenos Aires; and Basque suspense drama Flowers (Loreak). Other titles include Palm Trees In The Snow; Retribution starring Luis Tosar; and Spy Time, and the company will also be presenting the English promo reel of its new animated feature Mortadelo & Filemon: Miss sion Implausible. n

» The buzz titles from Asia will run in a series of special focuses in Screen’s AFM dailies. See Taiwan buzz titles, page 34 www.screendaily.com


ALTITUDE FILM SALES AFM SCREENINGS 2014 Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead MARKET PREMIERE AMC SANTA MONICA 2 - WED 5 NOV - 11:00 AMC SANTA MONICA 1 - SAT 8 NOV - 15:00

The Last Word MARKET PREMIERE AMC SANTA MONICA 4 - THURS 6 NOV - 17:00 AMC SANTA MONICA 4 - FRI 7 NOV - 13:00

Tiger House MARKET PREMIERE AMC SANTA MONICA 2 - WED 5 NOV - 13:00 AMC SANTA MONICA 7 - FRI 7 NOV - 09:00

Get Santa MARKET PREMIERE BROADWAY CINEPLEX 3 - FRI 7 NOV - 17:00 BROADWAY CINEPLEX 2 - SUN 9 NOV - 09:00

Big Game BROADWAY CINEPLEX 1 - SUN 9 NOV - 17:00 BROADWAY CINEPLEX 2 - MON 10 NOV - 15:00

Altitude Film Sales | At AFM Loews Hotel, Room 811 T: +1 310 458 6700 x 811

Altitude Film Sales | In London 34 Foubert’s Place, London W1F 7PX T: +44 207 478 7612

info@altitudefilment.com www.altitudefilment.com


ASK THE EXPERTS

We ask market regulars…

‘What’s your advice for getting the best out of AFM?’ Compiled by Andreas Wiseman

“AFM is not only an opportunity to focus on North American distributors, it’s also an opportunity to focus on international distributors that come to buy American films. All things are possible but AFM is essentially a market for genre films. I also think there should be a documentary about the last three days of the market, entitled The Decline Of Western Civilisation III: The Hollyweird Years.”

andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com

“Getting out for a run along the beach in the morning. It’s one of the rare markets where participants engage with their virtuous side.” Robert Walak president, production, acquisitions and TV, Europe, The Weinstein Company

Julian Richards head of production, Jinga Films

“Train for stairs and stares. Loews is so much easier if you don’t have to deal with the elevator. And learn the art of the 40-yard stare so you can ignore women in silver boob-tubes trying to hand you flyers.” Troy Lum managing director, Entertainment One Films, Australia

“One of the most helpful things is to attend the Pitch Conference hosted by IFTA and Stephanie Palmer. For the last few years Tobin Armbrust and Cassian Elwes have entertained us as well as ensured you didn’t waste years of your creative life on that script about your mother’s budgie.” Maxine Leonard president and CEO, Maxine Leonard Marketing & Publicity

CHRISTINE D’SOUZA agent, William Morris Endeavour

“I like to remind myself of Berlin in February while walking down the beach!” Bianca Obermaier acquisitions consultant, Weltkino

24 Screen International November 5, 2014

Prepare for stairs at the Loews

“AFM is one of the only film markets where you can actually break bread with buyers and talk for a few hours without them running out the door to catch a premiere. Take the opportunity to co-ordinate dinners with execs in a more relaxed environment.”

www.screendaily.com


AFM 2014

Friday Nov 7th · 11:00 am · Fairmont 5

Thursday 07th · 09:00 · Broadway Cineplex 4

Sunday Nov 09th · 03:00 pm · Fairmont 2

Sunday 10th · 11:00 · Broadway Cineplex 4

SCREENING | DIRECTED BY: TOM FERNÁNDEZ | CAST: PATRICIA CONDE, IVAN MASSAGUÉ | FAMILY, 95 min, SPAIN 2014

Saturday 09th · 11:00 · AMC Santa Monica 6 POST PRODUCTION | DIRECTED BY: NACHO G VELILLA | CAST: YON GONZÁLEZ, JULIÁN LÓPEZ, BLANCA SUÁREZ | ROMANTIC COMEDY, 105 min

THE MISFITS CLUB POST PRODUCTION | DIRECTED BY: CARLOS SEDES | CAST: CHARLOTTE VEGA, IVANA BAQUERO & ÀLEX MARUNY | DRAMA, 95 min

POST PRODUCTION | DIRECTED BY: MANUELA MORENO | CAST: NATALIA DE MOLINA, ÚRSULA CORBERÓ, CELIA DE MOLINA | COMEDY, 95 min Contact in AFM: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Room 753 Nerea Bautista Duarte | nbautista@deaplaneta.com | +34 638 800 011 | www.deaplanetainternational.com


MARKET FOCUS AFM

A

fter a quiet Berlin, a low-key Cannes and a traditionally sleepy Toronto for international sales, word is that AFM could complete a grand slam of muted markets. Eleventh-hour announcements are not unheard of and there are rumours Quentin Tarantino will drop in to trumpet The Hateful Eight, but at time of writing the independent film business was steeling itself for a distinct absence of showboating in Santa Monica. Buying and selling films in the space of a week offers a mere sketch of the detailed industry that exists year-round, however there is nothing like a market to bring things into sharp focus and the picture of 2014 so far is one of hard graft. The difficulty in assembling A-list packages stems from a perfect storm of mediocre screenplays, the ongoing talent exodus to TV, a furiously competitive US distribution arena that has seen notable flops such as Transcendence, and the alarmingly slow rate at which digital is filling the DVD void. It is difficult to ignore these words spoken by Alison Thompson in her recent keynote at Film London’s Production Finance Market: “As we all know, the situation now is just about as bad as it can be.”

Finding the ‘right stuff’ Yet opportunity knocks for the tireless entrepreneur willing to look anew at the life cycle of a film and, in these times of pioneering entertainment technology, perhaps even redefine the notion of what a film can be. The global business is awash with capital sources including a cavalcade of investors and content-hungry behemoths such as Alibaba from China, while international buyers remain hungry for exceptional entertainment and Netflix continues to throw about its weight. Sales companies attest to that company’s value as a pay-TV buyer but privately they will be intrigued and wary of how their brilliant new partner’s production and windowsmashing distribution ambitions play out. “We’ve got great deals with Netflix in the UK and Canada,” says eOne Films International president Harold van Lier. “They have been incredibly supportive of our movies. They’re expanding territorially and are very hungry for material.” Van Lier and eOne film production president Xavier Marchand are ramping up the home-grown slate and forging ties with the likes of David Lancaster’s Rumble Films as they assemble a reliable supply line of content. “There’s always that angst with salesmen to go to the pro-

26 Screen International November 5, 2014

Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel becomes a busy marketplace

Ready for business As A-list projects become more difficult to package, talent heads to TV and the Netflix effect remains uncertain, can AFM offer a silver lining, asks Jeremy Kay duction team and say, ‘Have you got anything?’, but ultimately you have to go out with the right stuff.” Van Lier will show footage from Captain Fantastic starring Viggo Mortensen and hopes to treat buyers to something from Trumbo and Eye In The Sky, both of which recently started production. “As a buyer we’re focusing that much more on directors,” he says, citing a lack of “great scripts” in the marketplace. “In Cannes we jumped on films by Denis Villeneuve and JA Bayona. We have distributed Prisoners and The Impossible before.” The London-based sales chief believes the theatrical experience will endure so long as savvy audiences are served original material. Furthermore his taste for auteurs removes the need to always sign A-list stars. “A lot of actors are busy for the next year and don’t want to commit, even six to eight months from now,” says Fortitude co-principal Nadine de

Barros, who recently boarded the thriller Urge starring in-demand Pierce Brosnan. Fortitude wants to mount more productions. Everybody does. De Barros does not say it, but home-grown product is one way of avoiding what one seller refers to as “irresponsible” over-priced bidding by sellers on desirable third-party packages.

‘Netflix has been incredibly supportive of our movies. They’re expanding territorially and are very hungry for material’ Harold van Lier, eOne Films International

Halle Berry has mixed film with TV work such as Extant

Taking to TV De Barros knows a thing or two about television and is preparing three mini-series to diversify the business. “There’s no shame any more in doing TV,” she says. “You’ve got Halle Berry doing TV and she’s still doing movies and sells really well.” It is particularly tricky to attach talent at this time of year. “There are all these companies trying to get movies packaged at the same time based on this artificial timeline. AFM, Sundance, Berlin — these don’t mean anything to actors,” she says. “There are some stars that work in certain individual markets and those who work across all the markets,” adds Vincent Bruzzese of research group C4, who cites Emma Watson and the enduring staple Bill Murray as two stars who can generate wide excitement among buyers. Red-hot Ethan Hawke must surely be added to that list. Recent editions of AFM have hosted a »

www.screendaily.com


33rd BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL 7  19 ApRIL RIL 2015 AT ThE BRUSSELS’ CENTRE FOR FINE ARTS

The first European Genre Film market Frontières 2015, the only European genrecinema co-production market ( part 5 ), more than 100 feature film premieres, 300 guests, producers, sales agents... 28th International Body Painting Contest

the 32nd Facial Make-Up Contest

© BIFFF & Simon Beuzart

the 9th Cosplay Contest 60,000 spectators…

FIFTH EDITION

BRUSSELS 9-11 APRIL 2015

BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL

Based in Brussels – during the BIFFF – the EGFM ( European Genre Film Market ) with the Frontières International Co-production Market is the one and only market place in Europe bringing together the genre film industry from all over Europe and North America. These events offer companies, both small and large, a unique European market place where they can make deals on projects and films, and exchange information and experiences. The EGFM is of course also open to Asian and Latin American buyers.

CONTACTS EGFM : Pascal Diot pascal@bifff.net • +33 (0)6 07 26 90 33 FRONTIERES : Julie Bergeron julie@vision-in-motion.com • +33 (0)1 43 58 29 55 BIFFF : Georges Delmote ( chairman ) georges@bifff.net • +32 (0)2 201 17 13 Freddy Bozzo & Chris Orgelt ( films ) freddy@bifff.net • chris@bifff.net


Presents at AFM 2

Therapy for a Vampire 500 YEARS OF MARRIAGE IS ENOUGH Directed by: David Ruehm Starring: Tobias Moretti, Jeanette Hain, Cornelia Ivancan, Dominic Oley Production: Novotny & Novotny, Filmproduktion Hugofilm Productions Status: Completed Delivery: Fall 2014

Head Office

Screening TODAY / Nov 5th / 5.00 p.m. / AMC Santa Monica 6

Picture Tree International / Zur Bรถrse 12 / 10247 Berlin / Germany Phone: +49.30 - 4208 248 - 0 / E-Mail: pti@picturetree-international.com / www. picturetree-international.com


M 2014

Our Office @ AFM | Loew’s Hotel | 6th Floor | Suite #630

A Hitman’s Solitude Before the Shot NO MISSION. NO LIFE. AND THEN SHE CAME ALONG.

Screening TOMORROW / Nov 6th / 5.00 p.m. Doubletree 2

The Pilgrim PAULO COELHO’S BEST STORY

Screening Friday / Nov 7th / 3.00 p.m. AMC Santa Monica 6

Not my Day ANOTHER FAIL-SAFE PLAN

Screening Friday / Nov 7th / 1.00 p.m. Fairmont 5

Electroboy SUPERMODEL. VISIONARY. PRISONER.

Screening Saturday / Nov 8th / 11.00 a.m. Doubletree 1

Pause WHEN THE STARS ARE SHAKING

Screening Saturday / Nov 8th / 9.00 a.m. Doubletree 2

Attending

Andreas Rothbauer: +49.151-544 58 921 andreas@picturetree-international.com

Yuanyuan Sui: +49.151-50 617 388 yuan@picturetree-international.com


Market focus afm

number of buyer presentations by A-list talent. This was virtually unheard of five years ago because the market is not officially part of a festival and talent is not milling about. Last year, tub-thumping by Russell Crowe for The Water Diviner, Elton John and Tom Hardy for Rocketman, and Don Cheadle for Kill The Trumpet Player spurred pre-sales and injected much-needed glamour into the event. A US distribution deal, as Bruzzese notes, “trumps everything.” Thompson, who is quietly building London-based Sunray Films after the closure of Focus Features International, touched on this as a jumpingoff point in her London keynote. “I am encouraged by what’s happening in the US in that there does seem to be very renewed competition in distribution,” she said. “There are now some premiere VoD windows that are really beginning to work.” Lionsgate and Tribeca Enterprises are about to launch SVoD service Tribeca Short List and digital players such as Netflix, Amazon, IFC, Magnolia, Gravitas, Amplify, Vimeo, Hulu et al continue to build their empires. At a time of clear bifurcation in the overloaded theatrical business, digital channels provide ample opportunities for aggregators and producers alike and sellers are well aware of the need to engage. “This is part of the new future,” says Content Media president of film Jamie Carmichael. “It’s part of the polarisation of big film and specialised arthouse films in the cinema and everything else is coming to you on the small screen. The biggest trend is the convergence of everything. If you just have the old model where you’re only doing film sales with no library and nothing else and you’re not funded by a hugely capitalised group, it’s going to be complicated.” Carmichael cites the company’s production alliances with the likes of Ross Dinerstein’s new Campfire and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions as critical, illustrating again the premium on excellence in product supply. He and his cohorts have worked hard to build a brand that caters to film, TV and digital. “We look at every film, country and right

sically to create content that customers do not even know they want until it comes out. The company is producing the TV series Marseilles in France and Narcos in Colombia. Then there is the four-film Adam Sandler deal that has drawn the ire of exhibitors after it emerged the films will premiere on the streaming service. Giants of the US exhibition circuit have already refused to carry Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, which Netflix and Imax said would premiere simultaneously online and in the large-screen format in August 2015. It remains to be seen whether the first-run feature aspirations of Netflix will land the independent suppliers of its pay-TV business in hot water with exhibitors.

Eye In The Sky

‘There are some stars that work in certain individual markets and those who work across all the markets’ Vincent Bruzzese, C4

Quentin Tarantino is likely to stop by AFM to talk to buyers about The Hateful Eight

30 Screen International November 5, 2014

and dissect it to work out the best way to do them. It’s not just about the three sales guys I have in film; it’s the 13-14 of us I have across the group in film, TV and everything.” Digital is reshaping the landscape and cannot be ignored. As the contracting advertising market caused TV sales to dwindle, Netflix came in and established a growing pay-TV network across nearly 50 countries and forced its way onto the table. Sales companies have no choice but to engage, even if, as some point out, Netflix minimum guarantees effectively act as flat licensing fees that put an end to overages. With HBO and CBS cutting the cord, it would take a reckless soul in the independent space to not get behind the great unbundling of entertainment. Another side to this is that like YouTube and others, Netflix owns a lot of proprietary information on consumer behaviour. An article in The Atlantic claimed the company had identified more than 76,000 genre categories based on viewer patterns. This is great for algorithms that keep visitors on the site. It could also be applied foren-

A shifting AFM For now, everybody is waiting to see what will happen, rather like the wait for the avalanche of prestige AFM projects. “The soufflé rises when it’s ready,” says Sierra/Affinity CEO Nick Meyer, whose company is behind the acclaimed autumn festival trio of Nightcrawler, Whiplash and Rosewater and is selling The Godmother starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. “It’s as close to AFM as the talent and producers and agencies can make it. Buyers want something that’s a viable theatrical movie and that leads the rest of the train [ancillary distribution].” Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) president Jean Prewitt has noted a broad divide among the needs of members. “The larger companies have been much more engaged with us as we fight with the US government to get implementation of open market regulations in China and for the ability to import theatrical films into China,” says Prewitt. Meanwhile the more modestly sized membership will appreciate how IFTA and AFM top brass have set up umbrella stands for groups such as Japan’s JETRO and converted hotel rooms in the Loews to accommodate shared space for those keen to keep costs down. “That demand wasn’t there five, 10 years ago for a relatively small space and s people working in a group setting.” n

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend

www.screendaily.com


JUNE WORLD PREMIERE!

Screening Tomorrow Thursday November 6, 9:00am - Fairmont 5

RAVEN BANNER ENTERTAINMENT

THE LOEWS HOTEL - SUITE 601 Michael Paszt mobile 647-997-0600 Sonia Lowe mobile 416-829-2373 James Fler mobile 416-428-3537 mpaszt@ravenbanner.ca

slowe@ravenbanner.ca

www.ravenbannerentertainment.com

RavenBanner AFM 2014 Wednesday Ad.indd 1

jfler@ravenbanner.ca

2014-11-03 5:39 PM


SCREENING AT AFM

PIRATE’S CODE: THE ADVENTURES OF MICKEY MATSON

SHELBY: THE DOG WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH AT 1PM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH AT 5PM

AMC SANTA MONICA 4

FAIRMONT 5

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH AT 1PM DOUBLETREE 1

SUITE 466 LOEWS HOTEL


SCREENING AT AFM

KATHERINE HEIGL BEN BARNES WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AMI CANAAN MANN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 1PM AMC SANTA MONICA 3 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 3PM DOUBLETREE 2

OFFICIAL SELCTION OF THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

SCREENING AT AFM

HAILEE STEINFELD JESSICA ALBA SAMUEL L. JACKSON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 AT 11AM BROADWAY CINEPLEX 1

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 AT 1PM BROADWAY CINEPLEX 2

SUITE 466 LOEWS HOTEL


TAIWAN HOT FILMS

Buzz titles Taiwan The year’s hottest Taiwanese films are being sold here at AFM. Sarah Cooper profiles a selection of the key titles, at all stages of production Battle For SkyArk

ALSO IN THE MARKET

Dir Simon Hung Empress Road Pictures is selling Hung’s $4m action adventure Battle For SkyArk, starring Caon Mortenson, Garrett Coffey and Taylor Coliee. Set in the near future, the Earth has been taken over by a mysterious race of creatures and humans have been forced to find refuge in SkyArk, a man-made city in the sky. Contact Empress Road Pictures, Galen Christy galen@empressroad.com

Black & White: The Dawn Of Justice

The Rice Bomber

Dir Tsai Yueh-hsun The 3D sequel to Tsai’s 2012 action hit Black & White: The Dawn Of Assault recently world premiered at Busan. Mark Chao and Huang Bo resume their roles with the addition of mainland star Lin Gengxin. Co-produced by Prajna Works Entertainment, Beijing Hualu Baina Film & TV and Gravity Pictures, the $15m film was made with an international team including French VFX house BUF (The Grandmaster) and stunt co-ordinator Jack Gill (Fast & Furious 5), who choreographed the action sequences.

Meeting Dr Sun

Paradise In Service

Contact June Wu, Ablaze Image junewu@ablazeimage.com

Meeting Dr Sun Dir Yee Chih-yen Yee, whose credits include the awardwinning Blue Gate Crossing in 2002, returns with this comedy drama revolving around two teenage boys, both intelligent but from poor families, who separately set out to steal their school’s statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China. Produced by Lee Lieh’s One Production Film Co, Meeting Dr Sun played at Taipei Film Festival with a local release through Warner Bros Taiwan. The cast is headed by newcomers Zhan Huai-yun and Wei Han-ting. Contact June Wu, Ablaze Image junewu@ablazeimage.com

My Geeky Nerdy Buddies Dir Chu Yen-ping Co-produced by Yen Peng Films Production and Bona Film Group, this

34 Screen International November 5, 2014

Battle For SkyArk

romantic comedy is about the consequences of turning up to a school’s couples party without a date, and stars Jam Hsiao and Maggie Jiang. Contact Virginia Leung, Distribution Workshop virginia@ distributionworkshop.com

Paradise In Service Dir Doze Niu Chen-Zer Ethan Juan, Wan Qian and Chen Jianbin star in this wartime romantic drama, written and directed by Niu, whose cred-

My Geeky Nerdy Buddies

its include gangster drama Monga and romantic drama Love. The story follows a twenty-something from southern Taiwan who is drafted to serve in the military on the remote island of Kinmen. Produced by Taiwan’s Atom Cinema and Beijing-based Huayi Brothers, Paradise In Service opened Busan International Film Festival, following a local release through Warner Bros Taiwan. Contact Ablaze Image (Asian territories) June Wu junewu@ablazeimage.com

Sashimi Dir/scr Pan Chih-yuan The latest film from Da-Yu: The Touch Of Fate director Pan is a $2.5m romantic comedy about a sashimi chef and an actress, starring Kang-sheng Lee and Yui Hatano, currently in post. Contact Sara Law, Mei Ah Entertainment s sara@meiah.com ■

Additional reporting by Liz Shackleton

Ablaze Image is also selling Cho Li’s The Rice Bomber, which screened in Berlin’s Panorama section, going on to play at Hong Kong International Film Festival and winning the special jury prize at Asian American International Film Festival. A quasidocudrama based on agricultural activist Yang Rumen’s book White Rice Is Not a Bomb, it was produced by Ocean Deep Films. Creative Century Entertainment Company is selling Chang Tsochi’s A Time In Quchi; Leading Lee’s autobiographical road movie Anywhere Somewhere Nowhere; children’s animation The Frogville and Wang Yi-bai’s Star Of Bethlehem. Encore Film Company is at AFM with the first market screening of Khan Lee’s $3m romantic drama Dream Fight. Mei Ah Entertainment Group is also selling Shi Chang’s $2.5m romantic comedy Live@Love, starring Yang Chin-hua and Liu Yi-hao. Alliance Star Alliance’s Battle, a hip-hop drama from director Ping Ho, currently in post, makes its market debut. (Left) Star Alliance’s Battle

www.screendaily.com


Packaging. Acquisitions. Distribution. Production.

Visit us at Loews 543. CONTACT SALES@CARDINALXD.COM.


Arclight_LuckyStiff_ScreenDailyAd_Right_2.qxp_Layout 1 2014-10-27 8:33 PM Page 1

AFM SCREENING

6 Nov — 5:00pm, Loews 2

Next Festival Screening — Fort Lauderdale Film Festival FROM THE TONY AWARD™ WINNING CREATORS OF BROADWAY HITS

MEMPHIS, RAGTIME, XANADU AND ROCKY THE MUSICAL

JASON ALEXANDER NIKKI M. JAMES STARRING TONY AWARD™ WINNERS

MONTREAL

MILL VALLEY

WORLD FILM FESTIVAL

FILM FESTIVAL

2014

2014

RAINDANCE

HOLLYWOOD

FILM FESTIVAL 2014

Fort Lauderdale

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014

HEARTLAND

FILM FESTIVAL

FILM FESTIVAL

2014

2014

DOMINIC MARSH NIKKI M. JAMES DENNIS FARINA PAMELA SHAW AND JASON ALEXANDER

you are looking for a LAUGH-A-MINUTE, FEEL-GOOD QUIRKY SATIRE “ Ifthat is stylishly put together and performed by a superb ensemble of actors, look no further. ” — The Hollywood News, Raindance Review

“ ...SHOW STOPPING NUMBERS,

with one scene reminiscent of the Moulin Rouge roofop... laughs aplenty, in each superbly well-blended song.

— The Hollywood News, Raindance Review

“ The humor, music,

singing and silly rebounds make

ThIS FIlM A MuST! ”

— Nathalie Petrowski, La Presse

“BREATHLESS, A MUSICAL FARCE

much like WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S with many first-rate voices.” — Variety

“A PERFECTLY OVER-THE-TOP FILM!” — Nathalie Petrowski, La Presse

“...a TALENTED CAST and A KITSCH STYLE. Jason Alexander gives a standout performance as optometrist Vinnie Di Ruzzio. Pamela Shaw is hilarious and pure diva as Rita LaPorta and the late Dennis Farina gives his final performance as Luigi in a glorious send off. ” — Loose Lips, Raindance Review

A MUSICAL COMEDY ABOUT DIAMONDS, DOGS, LOVE & DEATH

“With a style that blends CHICAGO and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY... NOT ONE BORING MINUTE

there is in this fable... that travels with a caustic humor and is carried by energetic and dynamic direction. — La Presse, Montreal Film Festival Review

AFM OFFICE Loews Hotel Suite #729

l

T 1 310 458 6700 x 729

www.arclightfilms.com


Arclight_LastKnights_ScreenDailyAd_v1b.qxp_Layout 1 2014-11-03 11:48 PM Page 1

PREMIERE SCREENING at AFM 5 Nov — 5:00pm

AMC Santa Monica 3

9 Nov — 3:00pm Fairmont 3

AFM OFFICE Loews Hotel Suite #729

l

T 1 310 458 6700 x 729

www.arclightfilms.com


Martin Mcdonough

PRODUCTION REPORT THE HALLOW

PRODUCTION DETAILS Dir Corin Hardy Scr Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino Prods Joe Neurauter, Felipe Marino Co-prods Brendan McCarthy, John McDonnell, Kate Sharp Exec prods Paul Brett, Tim Smith, Will Clarke, Michael J Mailis, Corin Hardy Cast Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael Smiley, Michael McElhatton Prod co Occupant Entertainment Financiers Prescience, Hyperion Media Group, Irish Film Board Int’l sales Altitude Distribution UK (eOne), former Yugoslavia (Cinemania), Malaysia (Suraya), Middle East (Gulf) Delivery/release date 2015

Corin Hardy on set, and (right) the director’s early concept art

On Hallow ground Corin Hardy, a former Screen International Star of Tomorrow, tells Ian Sandwell about the chills and characters of his debut feature, The Hallow

A

s pitches go, “Straw Dogs meets Pan’s Labyrinth” is about as enticing as they come and given writer-director Corin Hardy’s range of influences, it is little surprise those two films should meet in his debut feature. “The inspiration for the film came from my childhood love of fairy tales and stories, ultimately. Growing up loving everything from Morph to Ray Harryhausen, then getting into horrors like Evil Dead, Alien and The Thing and just generally loving monsters on screen,” says Hardy. “I wanted to make a horror movie that created a new monster. I’m a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro’s Spanish films, and I wanted to do my take — a straight fairytale movie, only not set in the fantastical world but in our world.” That movie is The Hallow (formerly titled The Woods), which follows a conservationist (Joseph Mawle) who, after moving to the Irish countryside with his wife (Bojana Novakovic) and baby, disturbs woodland creatures best left alone. Currently in post-production, the film shot for six weeks on location in the west of Ireland and was produced by Joe Neurauter and Felipe Marino of Occupant Entertainment, with Fantastic Films acting as the Irish co-producer and sales handled by Altitude. eOne holds UK rights.

To set it in the ‘real’ world, Hardy based everything in the script — co-written with Marino — on established folklore but was wary of adding too much to avoid it becoming a “fantasy movie”. “One of the key ideas was trying to look at what could be behind the fairytale mythology. The idea was to look at fairy lore and try to find ways of tying it in with some of the darker aspects of science and nature,” explains Hardy. Practical magic However, he is keen not to reveal too much about the film’s antagonists in order to retain a mystery around them, something that is all-too rare in the social media-obsessed film world. When Screen visits the film-maker in August at his south-coast home near Brighton, where editing is taking place, we get a sneak peek of the titular creatures that, in true horror-fan fashion, Hardy has brought to life by a mixture of old-school ‘man in suit’ practical effects, animatronics and computer-generated VFX — all with the help of creature FX supervisor John Nolan (Hellboy II: The Golden Army). Hardy expands: “There’s a number of VFX shots in the film but it’s all grounded on what is really there when we shoot. I loved what they did with the new Planet Of The Apes and how they

38 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

mixed those gritty real environments with the slick performance capture to blur the lines further, and I always want to try and create as real a foundation as possible, so it feels believable.” The strategy pays off. Screen witnesses a scene that sees the couple discover something in the woods and attempt to flee through fog-covered trees. It is an intense scene, wonderfully captured by DoP Martijn Van Broekhuizen, and the practical effects add to the sense of danger. Hardy is just as interested in the characters as he is the chills. “The great horror movies tend to be the ones that have great performances, like Jeff Goldblum in The Fly or Sigourney Weaver in Alien. That was another key thing I wanted to focus on in my first movie, I wanted to bring intense and believable performances to the table.” With the shoot seeing the film-maker work with everything you’re not meant to work with, from dogs to two five-monthold babies, and three weeks of night shoots, it wasn’t all plain sailing. “What I thought was my scaled-down debut movie was far more of a challenge than I anticipated, but I thrive on challenges and the hard-working crew really got on board,” enthuses Hardy. “We had two sets built in studio [Studio Solas, founded by Roger Corman] but otherwise it was all

filmed at authentic Irish locations, which were as dark, muddy and difficult to film in as you could imagine, but all importantly provided me with a tremendously atmospheric and textured, eerie setting.” So has it put Hardy off location filming in the future? “I’d always shoot on location, I love it. For me, it is what’s exciting and as much as I love all kinds of genres as well as the bigger studio movies, I don’t really find the idea of shooting for months in a green-screen studio much fun — I like to get my hands dirty, and s preferably a bit bloody, too.” ■

www.screendaily.com





Screenings Edited by Paul Lindsell paullindsell@gmail.com

AFM theatres AMC Santa Monica

Loews HD mini-theatres

1310 3rd Street Promenade, at Arizona Avenue

1700 Ocean Avenue — second floor

Broadway Cineplex

Ocean Screening Room

1441 3rd Street Promenade, just north of Broadway

1401 Ocean Avenue, at Santa Monica Boulevard

Doubletree Screening Room

Tunnel Post Screening Room

1707 4th Street, enter on lobby level

233 Wilshire Boulevard, at northwest corner of 3rd Street

Fairmont Screening Rooms

» Screening times and venues are correct at the time of going to press but subject to alteration. See thefilmcatalogue.com for late changes

101 Wilshire Boulevard, enter from 2nd Street

Market 8:30am La French

Thriller. 135 mins. Dir: Cedric Jimenez. Scr: Cedric Jimenez, Audrey Diwan. Cast: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Celine Sallette, Benoit Magimel. Gaumont. Marseille. 1975. Pierre Michel, a young magistrate with a wife and children, has just been transferred to help in the crackdown on organised crime.

8:30am La French See box, above

8:45am Roseville

Thriller/horror/drama. 120 mins. Dir: Martin Makariev. Scr: Borislav Zahariev. Cast: David Chokachi, Elena Petrova, Kalin Vrachanski. Wide. The events surrounding the unsolved police case in which guests of a mountain hut come face to face with terror, when the mysterious force that stalks them in the dark violently knocks on the door of their consciousness. Loews 1

We are young. We are strong.

Drama. 127 mins. Dir: Burhan Qurbani.

He decides to take on French Connection, a Mafia-run operation that exports heroin the world over. Paying heed to no one’s warnings, he leads a one-man campaign against Mafia kingpin Gaetan Zampa, the most untouchable godfather of them all. But Pierre Michel will soon understand that to get results he will have to change his methods. AMC Santa Monica 6

Scr: Burhan Qurbani, Martin Behnke. Cast: Devid Striesow, Jonas Nay, Trang Le Hong, Joel Basman, Saskia Rosendahl, Thorsten Merten, Paul Gabler, David Schutter, Jakob Bieber. Beta Cinema. It is impossible to forget the images from August 24, 1992 when, in the eastern German city of Rostock, a rampaging mob, to the applause and cheering of more than 3,000 bystanders, besieged and set fire to a residential building containing, among others, more than 120 Vietnamese men, women and children on what has since become known as “The Night Of The Fire”. The riots became a symbol for xenophobia in the just recently reunited Germany.

42 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

Apart from taking the country by surprise, they revealed a hitherto unknown, unsuspected underbelly. Recounts the incident from the perspectives of three very different characters.

hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him for ever and the two women who guided him to immortality.

TPost 1

Dear White People

9:00am The 7th Dwarf

Family/animation. 88 mins. Dir: Harald Siepermann, Boris Aljnovic. Scr: Bernd Eilert, Douglas Welbat, Harald Siepermann. Cast: Nina Hagen. Global Screen. When Bobo, the youngest of the seven dwarves, accidentally pricks Princess Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) and sends the kingdom into a century-long slumber, Bobo and the other six dwarves must travel into the future in order to revive Rose. and find that even the smallest dwarf can be a king. Fairmont 4

The Better Angels

Documentary/biography/ musical. 95 mins. Dir: AJ Edwards. Scr: AJ Edwards. Cast: Jason Clarke, Diane Kruger, Brit Marling, Wes Bentley. Electric Entertainment. The story of Abraham Lincoln’s childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana and the

Fairmont 3

Comedy/drama. 108 mins. Dir: Justin Simien. Scr: Justin Simien. Cast: Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyona Parrish. The Exchange. The lives of four black students at an Ivy League college. AMC Santa Monica 3

Films Distribution Promo Reel

Drama/comedy. 30 mins. Cast: Various. Films Distribution. Fairmont 5

Gone Astray

Thriller/suspense/ psycho-drama. 85 mins. Dir: Mike Criscione. Scr: Shawn Hoffman. Cast: Kaila Amariah, Chris Trousdale, Louis Baldonieri, Matt Marraccini, Anna Sundstrand, Tracey Heggins. Goliath Film & Media Holdings. Focuses on adolescent arguments, confusion and insecurities, and the place of religion and God in school and life. A diverse group of students are sent on a field trip that scares them straight and forces them to come to terms

with the place for faith and God in their lives. Fairmont 2

Gueros

Drama. 108 mins. Dir: Alonso Ruizpalacio. Scr: Alonso Ruizpalacios. Cast: Tenoch Huerta, Sebastian Aguirre, Ilse Salas, Leonardo Ortizgris. IM Global. Broadway 3

11:00am A Nightingale Falling

Drama/historical/ romance. 110 mins. Dir: Garret Daly, Martina McGlynn. Scr: Garret Daly. Cast: Tara Breathnach, Muireann Bird, Gerard McCarthy. 7&7 Producer’s Sales Service. Set in Ireland during the War of Independence, two sisters’ lives are changed forever as they care for a wounded soldier. What transpires is a tragic love story of a household and its inhabitants. AMC Santa Monica 7

After the Ball

Comedy. 90 mins. Dir: Sean Garrity. Scr: Jason Sherman, Kate Melville. Cast: Portia Doubleday, Chris Noth, Lauren Holly, Marc-Andre Grondin. Myriad Pictures. Kate Kassell’s dream is to design couture clothing, but after graduating no one will hire her. Sure, she’s got a fantastic

eye, but she’s also the daughter of retail guru and knock-off pioneer Larry Castle, whose stores sell clothes “inspired” by the very designers Kate wants to work for. Kate is left with no choice but to join Castle Clothing, where she must navigate around a duplicitous stepmother and two wicked stepsisters, whose aim is to discredit her at every turn. But through a budding romance with a prince of a guy in the shoe department, her godmother’s vintage clothes and a shocking switch of identities, Kate is able to expose the evil trio, save Castle Clothing — and prove that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Fairmont 1

Against the Sun

Action/adventure. 99 mins. Dir: Brian Falk. Scr: Brian Falk, Mark David Keegan. Cast: Tom Felton, Garret Dillahunt, Jake Abel. Goldcrest Films. A Second World War pilot, bombardier, and radioman find themselves adrift on a lifeboat without food or water after being forced to ditch their plane during a scouting mission. AMC Santa Monica 1

Dark House

Horror. 102 mins. Dir: Victor Salva. Scr: Charles » www.screendaily.com


C at h er i n e Hic k s

Ka i l a A m a r i a h

Joh n Rubi n s t ei n

EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE IN A

JAI DAY

DOMIZIANO ARCANGELI

SYBIL DANNING

VISIT GOLIATH AT THE AMERICAN FILM MARKET IN OFFICE 302 www.GOLIATHFILMANDMEDIAINTERNATIONAL.com info@GOLIATHFILMANDMEDIAINTERNATIONAL.com • (909) 612-1708

GOLIATH


SCREENINGS

Reuten. Global Screen. When 12-year-old Mickey Miller moves from New York to Ireland, she soon discovers a link between herself and the 300-year-old legend of the mysterious Black Knight, who regularly haunts the sleepy Irish village. With courage and a sharp mind, she sets out to save a precious herd of white horses and to thwart the evil plans of a greedy, ambitious woman. AMC Santa Monica 6

Monsters Dark Continent

Market 11:00am Ned Rifle

Drama/comedy. 85 mins. Dir: Hal Hartley. Scr: Hal Hartley. Cast: Liam Aiken, Aubrey Plaza, Martin Donovan, Parkey Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak. Fortissimo Films. Henry and Fay’s son,

Ned, sets out to find and kill his father for destroying his mother’s life. But his aims are frustrated by the troublesome, sexy and hilarious Susan, whose connection to Henry predates even his arrival in the lives of the Grim family. Broadway 1

Agron, Victor Salva. Cast: Tobin Bell, Luke Kleintank, Zack Ward. Lightning Entertainment Group. On his 23rd birthday, Nick is summoned by his mother to the asylum where she has been institutionalised since his childhood. Hoping that her request to see him is a sign of improvement, Nick is stunned by her revelation that the father he thought was dead is really alive, and that he may know the origin of Nick’s terrible psychic gift. Nick sets out to find his father with his best friend and girlfriend. Every road they take on the terrifying journey leads them back to the same abandoned mansion — a house that Nick thought had only existed in his childhood imagination. Finally succumbing to the will of the house, Nick becomes embroiled in an epic battle with a horrific dark force.

Kafka’s The Burrow

Loews 2

Thriller. 90 mins.

Drama. 110 mins. Dir: Jochen Alexander Freydank. Scr: Jochen Alexander Freydank. Cast: Axel Prahl, Josef Hader, Kristina Klebe, Robert Stadlober, Roeland Wiesnekker, Devid Striesow, Fritz Roth, Erwin Leder. Beta Cinema. Tells the story of a man in his prime who, having seemingly achieved everything, has entrenched himself in his burrow, a fortress-like apartment complex. But no matter how hard he tries to ignore it, there it is: the world outside. Surveillance cameras should ensure his safety and security, but the nightmare outside can’t be stopped: they know he is there, they want him, they want his wealth… and they are on their way. A film about isolation and dissociation, fear and loneliness in our time. Doubletree 1

Kill Me Three Times

44 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

Dir: Kriv Stenders. Scr: James McFarland. Cast: Simon Pegg, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Hemsworth. Cargo Entertainment. A mercurial assassin discovers he isn’t the only person trying to kill the siren of a sun-drenched surfing town. In this darkly comedic thriller, the hitman finds himself unravelling three tales of mayhem, murder, blackmail and revenge. Broadway 4

company, Wendy and Darwan find the courage to ask for directions, the strength to move forward, and a friendship for the ride. AMC Santa Monica 3

The Legend Of Longwood

Action/adventure/ fantasy. 100 mins. Dir: Lisa Mulcahy. Scr: Lisa Mulcahy, Nadadja Kemper, Gwen Eckhaus. Cast: Lucy Morton, Miriam Margolyes, Fiona Glascott, Sean Mahon, Thekla

Sci-fi/action/adventure. 115 mins. Dir: Tom Green. Scr: Jay Basu. Cast: Johnny Harris, Sam Keeley, Joe Dempsie. Protagonist Pictures. Ten years on from the events of ‘Monsters’, and the ‘Infected Zones’ have spread worldwide. Two soldiers embark on a life-altering mission through the dark heart of monster territory. By the time they reach their goal, they will have been forced to confront the fear that the true monsters on the planet may not be alien after all.

Reckless

Thriller. 90 mins. Dir: Joram Lursen. Scr: Frank Ketelaar. Cast: Marwan Kenzari, Tygo Gernandt, Sarah Chronis. Dutch Features. Ex-cons Victor and Rico are planning the biggest crime of their lives: to kidnap the beautiful daughter of a wealthy business tycoon. After taking her to a deserted building, they tie her up in a soundproof room. As the kidnapping plays out, it becomes apparent that no relationship is as it seems. Broadway 2

Streif See box, below

Virus X

Ned Rifle

Sci-fi/horror/thriller. 85 mins. Dir: Ryan Harris. Scr: Jeremiah Campbell. Cast: Jai Day, Domiziano Arcangeli, Sybil Danning, Dylan Vox. Goliath Film & Media Holdings. After being infected with a hyper-deadly virus mutation, five medical scientists must escape quarantine and force their way to freedom. Only a mysterious, silverhaired enforcer stands in their way.

See box, above left

Fairmont 3

AMC Santa Monica 5

The King of Tibetan Antelope

Animation. 83 mins. Dir: Yujun liu. Scr: Yujun liu. Cast: Ping Ju, Yang Li. China Film Promotion International. Loews 1

Learning To Drive

Romance/drama. 105 mins. Dir: Isabel Coixet. Scr: Sarah Kernochan. Cast: Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson. WestEnd Films. When her husband of 20 years walks out on her, Wendy Shields watches her comfortable life crumble overnight. Struggling to reclaim her independence in New York City, she hits a unique roadblock: she never learned to drive. Her life is forever changed when she meets Darwan, a driving instructor and part-time cab driver on the brink of an arranged marriage. In each other’s

Market 11:00am Streif

Action/adventure. 60 mins. Dir: Gerald Salmina. Scr: Tom Dauer. Cast: Aksel lund Svindal, Erik Guay, Max Franz. Red Bull Media House.

Four downhill ski racers offer a glimpse into the soul of extreme athletes as they take on the Super Bowl of skiing in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Fairmont 5

»

www.screendaily.com


SCREENING TODAY Wednesday, November 5 - 5:00pm Broadway Cineplex 4

AlSO SCREENING FRIDAY November 7 - 3:00pm Ocean Avenue Screening Room ROBIN WILLIAMS KATHY BAKER BOB ODENKIRK ROBERTO AGUIRE

BOULEVARD Produced by MONICA AGuIRRE DIEz BAROSSO RYAN BELENzON MIA ChANG JEffREY GELBER Written by DOuGlAS SOESBE Directed by DITO MONTIEL

Inception film Partners loews Suite 754 Jim Harvey EVP Intl Sales and Distribution

Tel +1 818-448-5730 jharvey@inceptionmg.com www.inceptionfilmpartners.com

Credits not contractual.


SCREENINGS

van Marle. Cast: Julian Ras, Roeland Fernhout, Jennifer Hoffman. Dutch Features. The first film in an upcoming trilogy about Gus and his mysterious Egyptian friend, the Dummie. Gus is a normal kid living in a very quiet village. Suddenly one day he walks into his bedroom and there’s an Egyptian mummy sitting on his bed. Broadway 1

Encounter

Jones is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who is trying to make a new life for herself. But when she is framed for a series of vicious murders by a cunning serial killer, Detective Tischler is slow to accept the fact she is a victim and not a predator.

Horror/drama/ supernatural thriller. 82 mins. Dir: Susannah O’Brien. Scr: Susannah O’Brien. Cast: Justin Arnold, Andrea Nelson. Sahara Vision Productions. A pair of newlyweds set up cameras in and around an old farm house for husband Ted’s grad school film thesis on orbs. It’s not long before they discover a dark and terrible secret that threatens their sanity and their lives.

Fairmont 3

Loews 3

Conspiracy of Silence

Gemma Bovery

Drama. 93 mins. Dir: John Deery. Scr: John Deery. Cast: Brenda Fricker, Hugh Bonneville, Chris O’Dowd, John Lynch. Angel Grace Productions. Heart-stopping story of love and faith amid a world of shadows and secrets.

See box, below

Market 11:00am Wyrmwood

Horror/action/ adventure. 85 mins. Dir: Kiah Roache Turner. Scr: Kiah Roache Turner, Tristan Roache Turner. Cast: Jay Gallagher, Blanca Bradey, Leon Burchill, Keith Agius. Altitude Film Sales. In the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, Barry has lost everything except his sister, Brooke. She is kidnapped by a gang of paramilitary thugs

and dragged off to a terrifying medical lab run by a psychotic doctor who is performing a series of deranged experiments on survivors. As Brooke struggles to devise an escape plan, she slowly realises the doctor’s experiments have given her strange powers over his zombie captives. Meanwhile, Barry teams up with fellow survivors Benny, Frank and Kelly determined to rescue Brooke. AMC Santa Monica 2

What Lola Wants

Zero Tolerance

Thriller. 77 mins. Dir: Rupert Glasson. Scr: Rupert Glasson. Cast: Sophie Lowe, Beau Knapp. Arclight Films. Seventeen-year-old Lola Franklin runs away from home but allows the world to believe she has been kidnapped. Intent on making her way across country, she meets a boy her age, Marlo, in a New Mexico diner. They fall instantly in love. But when Marlo learns of the reward for Lola’s safe return, he must confront his own past and decide whether to take Lola back home to collect the reward or help her continue her mysterious journey.

Action/adventure. 90 mins. Dir: Wych Kaosayananda. Scr: Wych Kaosayananda. Cast: Scott Adkins, Dustin Nguyen, Gary Daniels. Phoenix Worldwide Entertainment. A high-octane actionpacked revenge thriller starring a host of the brightest martial arts stars on the planet.

Fairmont 2

Wyrmwood See box, above

Fairmont 4

1:00pm The Candlelight Murders

Mystery/suspense/ thriller. 86 mins. Dir: Mike Criscione. Scr: Mike Criscione. Cast: Kaila Amariah, Traci Dinwiddie, Chris Trousdale, Keith David, Raymond Barry. Goliath Film & Media Holdings. Eighteen-year-old Rachel

46 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

The Houses October Built

Horror. 90 mins. Dir: Bobby Roe. Scr: Bobby

Roe. Cast: Brandy Schaefer, Zach Andrews. The Exchange. Every Halloween nearly 2,500 haunted attractions open across the US. These haunted houses and abandoned buildings try to provide the scare of a lifetime for more than 30 million visitors. The pressure felt by the creators of the haunted attractions to deliver the most extreme experience imaginable has lead to a dramatic rise in accidents, injuries, and crimes. This is the true story of a group of friends who set out to find the most terrifying experience in the US, eventually stumbling upon a fabled travelling haunt that blurs the lines between a carnival thrill ride and a living nightmare. They videotaped their journey. The haunted attractions depicted in this film are real. What happened is still unclear. Fairmont 4

Messi

Documentary. 90 mins. Dir: Alex De la Iglesia. Scr: Jorge Valdano. Cast: Diego Armando Maradona, Cesar Luis Menotti, Jorge Valdano, Johan Cruyff, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano. Film

Factory Entertainment. Lionel Messi from early life to international stardom. Doubletree 1

The Night Crew

Action/adventure/thriller. 92 mins. Dir: Christian Sesma. Scr: Christian Sesma, Paul Sloan. Cast: Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Bokeem Woodbine, Paul Sloan, Chasty Ballesteros. Premiere Entertainment Group. About a group of hardup bounty hunters who must survive the night in a desert motel against a horde of savage cartel killers when they realise their fugitive, a mysterious Chinese woman, is much more than she lets on. Fairmont 1

Ooops! Noah is gone…

Family. 90 mins. Dir: Toby Genkel. Scr: Ralph Christians, Marteinn Thorisson, Richard Conroy, Mark Hodkinson. Global Screen. Not all species made it onto the ark. So what did they do? They fought for survival and, in the case of eight-year-old Finny, found courage, friendship, self-confidence, team spirit and their true home. AMC Santa Monica 5

Loews 1

The Control Group

Horror/action/adventure/ sci-fi. 87 mins. Dir: Peter Hurd. Scr: Logan Gion. Cast: Brad Dourif, Ross Destiche, Jenna Enemy, Justen Jones, Taso Stavrakis, Luce Rains, Monique Candelaria. Point and Shoot Productions. Trapped in an abandoned asylum, five college students and the rogue scientists who abducted them must band together when a supernatural threat arises. AMC Santa Monica 3

Dummie the Mummy

Childrens/fantasy/ comedy. 80 mins. Dir: Pim van Hoeve. Scr: Tijs

Market 1:00pm Gemma Bovery

Romance. 99 mins. Dir: Anne Fontaine. Scr: Anne Fontaine, Pascal Bonitzer. Cast: Gemma Arterton, Fabrice Luchini, Jason Flemyng, Niels Schneider. Gaumont. Martin is an ex-Parisian hipster, now a baker in a Norman village. All that remains of his youthful ambition is

a lively imagination and a passion for literature, Gustave Flaubert in particular. We can sense his excitement when an English couple with bizarrely familiar names moves into a small farm nearby. Not only are the names of the new arrivals Gemma and Charles Bovery, but their behaviour also seems to be inspired by Flaubert’s heroes. Broadway 2

»

www.screendaily.com



SCREENINGS

she decides to pull the plug on her life. Luckily, she fails — and discovers what fun life and love can really be. AMC Santa Monica 6

Encounter

AMC Santa Monica 5

Horror/drama/ supernatural thriller. 82 mins. Dir: Susannah O’Brien. Scr: Susannah O’Brien. Cast: Justin Arnold, Andrea Nelson. Sahara Vision Productions. Loews 1

Hungry Hearts

Market 3:00pm Indigenous

Horror/thriller. 86 mins. Dir: Alastair Orr. Scr: Max Roberts. Cast: Pierson Fode, Lindsey McKeon, Sofia Pernas, Jaime Anderson. Lightning Entertainment Group. A group of young friends travel to Panama for a week of partying. Befriending a local woman in their hotel bar, they learn of a secret jungle hike to a pristine waterfall. The woman warns that other gringos

in search of the waterfall mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again. Ignoring her warnings, the group convinces her to guide them, thinking they have nothing to fear. What begins as a fun outing quickly turns terrifying when their guide mysteriously vanishes. As night closes in, the friends realise too late the truth behind her warnings — horrific, bloodthirsty, flesheating creatures are now stalking them.

motley pirate crew have seized control of a large merchant ship with plans of deploying a new and devastating type of weapon that could destroy every electronic device on Earth. Will Mickey be able to save the day? AMC Santa Monica 4

Santa Claus!

Family/action/adventure/ comedy. 82 mins. Dir: Alexandre Coffre. Scr: Laurent Zeitoun. Cast: Tahar Rahim, Victor Cabal. Kinology. Broadway 3

Loews 2

The Tragedy Posthumous

Romance/comedy/ drama. 93 mins. Dir: Lulu Wang. Scr: Lulu Wang. Cast: Jack Huston, Brit Marling, Lambert Wilson, Tom Schilling, Alexander Fehling. Bleiberg Entertainment. Set against the vibrant art mecca of modern Berlin, a love story between Liam Price, a struggling artist whose artwork skyrockets in value when he is mistakenly thought to have died, and McKenzie Grain, the reporter who tries to expose him for the fraud. Complications ensue when Liam, unable to resist basking in the glory of his success, shows up at the opening night of his own retrospective. When Liam meets McKenzie,

he is instantly drawn to her zestful determination and lies about his identity, pretending to be his own brother. Smart and resourceful, McKenzie quickly discovers Liam’s real identity and resolves to expose his hoax on the art world. Fairmont 2

The Pirate’s Code

Action/adventure/ family. 90 mins. Dir: Harold Cronk. Scr: Eric Machiela, Harold Cronk. Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Frank Collison, Tim Holmes. Highland Film Group. Our brave young heroes Mickey and his best friend Sully embark on another adventure. Admiral Ironsides and his

48 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

of control the suburban house becomes a terrifying arena for violence. AMC Santa Monica 2

3:00pm

Japanese woman has four days to say goodbye to him on board a yacht belonging to her western ex-husband’s wealthy family.

Suspense/drama. 109 mins. Dir: Saverio Costanzo. Scr: Saverio Costanzo. Cast: Adam Driver, Alba Rohrwacher, Roberta Maxwell. Radiant Films International. A young married couple in New York City engage in a fateful struggle over the life of their newborn child. Broadway 1

Indigenous See box, left

About A Girl

Jenny’s Wedding

Drama. 104 mins. Dir: Mark Monheim. Scr: Martin Rehbock, Mark Monheim. Cast: Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Heike Makatsch, Aurel Manthei, Simon Schwarz. Global Screen. Charleen, 15, quick-witted and sassy, is Kurt Cobain’s biggest fan and wonders why “growing up” has to be so complicated. One day, feeling especially rebellious,

See box, below

Last Summer

Drama. 90 mins. Dir: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli. Scr: Leonardo Guerra Seragnoli. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Yorick van Wageningen, Lucy Griffiths, Laura Sofia Bach, Daniel Ball, Ken Brady. Fortissimo Films. Having lost custody of her six-year-old son, a young

Last Weekend

Black Comedy. 94 mins. Dir: Tom Dolby, Tom Williams. Scr: Tom Dolby. Cast: Patricia Clarkson. Aldamisa International. When an affluent matriarch gathers her dysfunctional family for a holiday at their Northern California lake house, her carefully constructed weekend begins to come apart at the seams, leading her to question her own role in the family. Fairmont 5

Lost and Love

Drama. 112 mins. Dir: Sanyuan Peng. Scr: Sanyuan Peng. Cast: Andy Lau, Boran Jing. Huayi Brothers International. After losing his twoyear-old son, Lei begins a 14-year-long quest in search of his missing child. Hanging off the side of his motorcycle is his most valued token, the last picture he ever took of his son, which has been circulating on the microblogging community. On the road, he makes a stop at a repair shop where he comes across a young repairman, Zeng, who

Horror/drama. 102 mins. Dir: Ersen Denk. Scr: Ersen Denk. Cast: Wilma Elles, Lucia Oskerova. Silver Spear Pictures. A family moves into a house where some terrible things happened 70 years ago. When they find out the truth, it’s already too late because there is no way back. AMC Santa Monica 6

Tiger House

Thriller. 85 mins. Dir: Thomas Daley. Scr: Simon Lewis. Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Dougray Scott. Altitude Film Sales. Kelly sneaks into her boyfriend Mark’s house, but tonight she’s not the only unwelcome visitor. As the situation spirals out

Market 3:00pm Jenny’s Wedding

Romantic comedy. 95 mins. Dir: Mary Agnes Donoghue. Scr: Mary Agnes Donoghue. Cast: Katherine Heigl, Tom Wilkinson, Linda Emond. The Solution Entertainment Group. In the small town where she was born

no one can understand why Jenny, the prettiest and most popular local girl, is the last to marry. Her parents are desperate for her to settle down but Jenny’s wedding announcement, when it finally comes, is not what anyone anticipated. Doubletree 2

»

www.screendaily.com


C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

MY

K


SCREENINGS

outbursts in public, his embarrassed politician father forces him into a care home for the mentally unstable. Inside he meets fellow social outcasts Alex and Marie and together they manage to escape in their doctor’s car. Out on the open road, Vincent convinces the others to help him fulfil his mother’s dying wish and deliver her ashes to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, the unlikely trio enjoy one crazy adventure after another as they evade their doctor and Vincent’s father hot on their trail. AMC Santa Monica 3

Shrew’s Nest See box, left

Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks

Market 3:00pm Shrew’s Nest

Horror/suspense. 91 mins. Dir: Juanfer Andres, Esteban Roel. Scr: Juanfer Andres, Sofia Cuenca. Cast: Macarena Gomez, Nadia De Santiago, Luis Tosar. Film Factory.

Monte’s agoraphobia keeps her locked in a sinister apartment. But one day a neighbour falls down the stairwell and drags himself to their door. Someone has entered the shrew’s nest... perhaps he’ll never leave. Broadway 4

worse as bruised egos and buried resentments bubble to the surface. Cars explode, cabins burn, pot cookies are consumed, and when the smoke clears the brothers find themselves stranded in the punishing Rocky Mountain winter, fighting for both their relationship and their lives. Fairmont 4

was also kidnapped at the age of four. Robbed of the life he was meant to live, Zeng can only vaguely remember snippets of home — a chain-link bridge, bamboo trees, and his mother’s long braids. Impassioned, Lei posts Zeng’s story and information online. Agreeing to help each other’s cause, Lei accompanies Zeng to Chongqing to try to find his home, developing a fatherly relationship along the way. Broadway 3

Lost in Karastan

Comedy. 90 mins. Dir: Ben Hopkins. Scr: Pawel Pawlikowski. Cast: Matthew McFadyen, Myanna Buring, Noah Taylor. Phoenix Worldwide Entertainment. About a confused, washedup British film director, Emil, who is invited by a nascent state to make a national Epic in an obscure Caucasus Republic

ruled by an eccentric and corrupt dictator. When down and out Academy Award winning British film director Emil Miller receives an invitation to the Embassy of the Autonomous Republic of Karastan, little does he know that he will be embarking on one of the wildest journeys of his already diverse and colourful career. Fairmont 3

Mountain Men

Comedy. 90 mins. Dir: Cameron Labine. Scr: Cameron Labine. Cast: Chace Crawford, Tyler Labine. Myriad Pictures. When Cooper, who is now a big-city lawyer, returns home to a small northern town for his mother’s wedding, he plans to be in and out without a scratch. But his deadbeat brother, Toph, has other ideas. He coerces Coop into driving to the remote alpine cabin where they spent their childhood summers. Their plan goes from bad to

50 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

Never Look Back

Drama. 106 mins. Dir: Jingguang Wang. Scr: Jingguang Wang. Cast: Lan Wang, Tumai Fa. China Film Promotion International.

Drama/comedy. 112 mins. Dir: Arthur Seidelman. Scr: Richard Alfieri. Cast: Gena Rowlands, Cheyenne Jackson. Umedia International. When a formidable retired teacher hires an acerbic dance instructor to give her private dance lessons at her retirement condo — one per week for six weeks — they clash from the word go. But as the weeks go by and the antagonists learn to appreciate each other’s quirks, mutual understanding and friendship start to grow. AMC Santa Monica 1

THE SOUND AND THE FURY

Drama. 95 mins. Dir: James Franco. Scr: Matt Rager, William Faulkner. Cast: James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson, Ahna O’Reilly, Joey King, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride. New Films International. Captures the lives and passions of the Compsons, a once proud Southern family caught in a tragic spiral of loss and misfortune. Fairmont 1

Submerged

Thriller. 100 mins. Dir: Steven C. Miller. Scr: Scott Milam. Cast: Jonathan Bennett, Mario Van Peebles. Darclight Films. A young woman and her friends are targeted by a ring of vengeful kidnappers after their limo is forced off the road and into the depths of a lake. Now trapped underwater, their only hope for survival is the wounded bodyguard behind the wheel, an ex-military soldier determined to save them. Fairmont 2

Walter

Drama/comedy. 88 mins. Dir: Anna Mastro. Scr: Paul Shoulberg. Cast: William H Macy, Virginia Madsen, Andrew J West, Justin Kirk,

Neve Campbell, Jim Gaffigan, Peter Facinelli, Leven Rambin, Milo Ventimiglia. Beta Cinema. A ticket-taker at the local cinema believes he is the son of God. He has agreed to decide the eternal fate of everyone he comes into contact with. TPost 1

YELLOWBIRD (3D)

Action/adventure/ animation/family. 95 mins. Dir: Christian De Vita. Scr: Cory Edwards, Antoine Barraud. Cast: Dakota Fanning, Seth Green, Elliot Gould, Danny Glover, Christine Baranski, Richard Kind. SC Films International. A hapless bird must learn to fulfil his destiny. AMC Santa Monica 7

5:00pm As the Gods Will

Action/adventure/ thriller. 100 mins. Dir: Takashi Miike. Scr: Hiroyuki Yatsu. Cast: Sota Fukushi, Hirona Yamazaki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Shota Sometani. Toho Co. A group of high school students are forced to play a game of death without knowing who, why or how. Fairmont 1

Before I Disappear See box, below

Loews 3

Paper Planes

Family. 100 mins. Dir: Robert Connolly. Scr: Robert Connolly, Steve Worland. Cast: Sam Worthington, Anthony LaPaglia, Ed Oxenbould. Arclight Films. Tells the story of a young boy’s passion for flight and his journey to compete in the world paper plane championships in Japan. Broadway 2

The Road Within

Comedy. 101 mins. Dir: Gren Wells. Scr: Gren Wells. Cast: Robert Sheehan, Dev Patel, Zoe Kravitz, Robert Patrick, Kyra Sedgwick. Annapurna International. When severe Tourette’s sufferer Vincent can’t control his comical

Market 5:00pm Before I Disappear

Drama. 93 mins. Dir: Shawn Christensen. Scr: Shawn Christensen. Cast: Emmy Rossum, Shawn Christensen, Fatima Ptacek, Paul Wesley, Ron Perlman.

Electric Entertainment. At the lowest point of his life, Richie gets a call from his estranged sister, asking him to look after his 11-year-old niece, Sophia, for a few hours. AMC Santa Monica 4

»

www.screendaily.com



SCREENINGS

to withstand extreme space radiation. The crew realises that the creatures have survived their captivity in ice, and not without frightening mutation. After being locked in ice for three decades, the tardigrades won’t give up the warmth of human contact without a fight.

seeks to erase any trace of the Bartok’s clan and legacy, Raiden secretly conspires an audacious plan to infiltrate Mott’s impenetrable fortess and exact revenge.

Fairmont 3

Magical Girl

The Last Knights

Market 5:00pm Dessau Dancers

Family/urban. 90 mins. Dir: Jan Martin Scharf. Scr: Ruth Toma. Cast: Gordon Kaemmerer, Oliver Konietzny, Sonja Gerhardt, Rainer Bock, Wolfgang Stumph. ARRI Worldsales. Dessau, East Germany,

Boulevard

Drama. 88 mins. Dir: Dito Montiel. Scr: Douglas Soesbe. Cast: Robin Williams, Bob Odenkirk, Kathy Baker. Inception Film Partners. Although Nolan Mack and his wife Joy wake up under the same roof each morning, they seem to be living in separate worlds. Even a work promotion cannot seem to lift the emptiness that permeates his soul. But Nolan begins a surprising journey when he encounters a troubled young man named Leo who offers the incredible possibility of a new life. Broadway 4

Convict

Drama/action/adventure. 90 mins. Dir: David Field, George Basha. Scr: George Basha. Cast: George Basha, David Field. Carnaby International. A murderous end to an

1985: 18-year-old Frank and his friends have been infected by breakdance fever. At first they are suspiciously monitored by the ruling regime. But when the socialist government realises it cannot stop them, it tries to exploit them instead. Doubletree 1

innocent street fight sees war veteran Ray serving an 18 month sentence in the dark setting of the notorious Parramatta prison. Singled out by the famously violent warden, Ray has to quickly learn to navigate the internal struggles, turf wars and violent reality all in the hope that he will live to see his fiance again. Loews 1

Dessau Dancers See box, above

Dough

Comedy/drama. 92 mins. Dir: John Goldschmidt. Scr: Yehuda Jez Freeman. Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Pauline Collins, Ian Hart, Phil Davis, Jerome Holder. Umedia International. Nat Dayan is an old Jewish baker in London’s East End. Nat’s failing business gets an unexpected boost when his young Muslim apprentice, Ayyash, who is

52 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

also a part-time cannabis dealer, accidentally drops his stash into the dough and the chollah starts to fly off the shelf. AMC Santa Monica 7

Encounter

Horror/drama/ supernatural thriller. 82 mins. Dir: Susannah O’Brien. Scr: Susannah O’Brien. Cast: Justin Arnold, Andrea Nelson. Sahara Vision Productions.

A group of grad students have booked passage on a fishing boat, The Harbinger, to study a pod of orcas in the Bering Sea. But when the ship’s crew discovers a piece of mysterious Soviet space wreckage in the ice, things get deadly. The Russians experimented with tardigrades, small but resilient animals able

Action/adventure/ Drama. 100 mins. Dir: Kazuaki Kiriya. Scr: Michael Konyves, Dove Sussman. Cast: Clive Owen, Morgan Freeman. Arclight Films. A knight seeks vengeance when his lord is unjustly executed by a tyrannical emperor. Knight’s commander Raiden receives an honour above all else when Bartok, his childless lord, names him as his heir. But his happiness is destroyed when the emperor’s evil emissary, Mott, forces him to behead his surrogate father, and casts him and his men out of their castle divested of all titles and livelihood. But even as the paranoid Mott

AMC Santa Monica 3

Loitering With Intent See box, below

Drama. 127 mins. Dir: Carlos Vermut. Scr: Carlos Vermut. Cast: Jose Sacristan, Barbara Lennie, Luis Bermejo, Lucia Pollan. Films Distribution. The father of an ill girl tries to obtain his daughter’s last wish, the dress of the main character of a Japanese TV series. AMC Santa Monica 5

Spanish Affair

Comedy. 98 mins. Dir: Emilio Martinez-Lazaro. Scr: Borja Cobeaga. Cast: Clara Lago, Karra Elejalde. Film Factory Entertainment. Determined to win over Amaia, Rafa crosses Spain from south to north from his hometown of Seville to the Basque Country. Once there, he will do

Loews 2

The Forger

Heist. 115 mins. Dir: Philip Martin. Scr: Richard D’Ovidio. Cast: John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, Tye Sheridan, Jennifer Ehle, Anson Mount, Abigail Spencer, Marcus Thomas. The Solution Entertainment Group. Tells the story of a former child art prodigy and second-generation petty thief, Ray Cutter who arranges to buy his way out of prison to spend time with his ailing son, Will Cutter. Ray and his father, Joseph Cutter, must come together to carry out one last big job for the syndicate who financed his early release. AMC Santa Monica 1

Harbinger Down

Sci-fi/horror. 100 mins. Dir: Alec Gillis. Scr: Alec Gillis. Cast: Lance Henriksen. The Exchange.

Market 5:00pm Loitering With Intent

Comedy. 80mins. Dir: Adam Rapp. Scr: Michael Godere, Ivan Martin. Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Marisa Tomei, Sam Rockwell. 13 Films. After a chance run-in with a film producer eager to invest in a new project,

aspiring writers Dominic and Raphael need to come up with a script fast. Eager to jumpstart their careers the pair head to the seclusion of upstate New York to churn out their masterpiece. But when Dominic’s siren of a sister and a beautiful gardener turn up their plans are derailed. Ocean

»

www.screendaily.com


A M E R I C A N

F I L M

I N S T I T U T E

8 DAY

FILM FESTIVAL

NOV 6-13

DOWNLOAD THE MOBILE APP FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE

AFI.com

#AFIFEST


SCREENINGS

Suite 314, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401 Editor Wendy Mitchell, wendy. mitchell@screendaily.com, +44 7889 414 856 US editor Jeremy Kay, jeremykay67@ gmail.com, +1 310 922 5908 Chief reporter Andreas Wiseman, andreas. wiseman@screendaily.com, +44 7713 086 674 Production editor Mark Mowbray, mark. mowbray@screendaily.com, +44 7710 124 065 Sub editors Paul Lindsell, Adam Richmond Commercial director Andrew Dixon, andrew. dixon@screendaily.com, +44 7595 646 541 Sales manager Scott Benfold, scott.benfold@ screendaily.com, +44 7765 257 260 VP sales and business development, North America Nigel Daly, nigeldalymail@ gmail.com, +1 213 447 5120 International sales consultant Ingrid Hammond, ingridhammond@mac.com, +39 348 5165 631 Production manager Jonathon Cooke, jonathon. cooke@mb-insight.com, +44 7584 333 148 Festival and events manager Jessica Stacey +44 7468 707 867, jessica.stacey@ mb-insight.com Group commercial director, MBI Alison Pitchford, alison. pitchford@screendaily.com Chief executive, MBI Conor Dignam Printer Sinclair Printing, Los Angeles Screen International London 1st Floor Unit F2/G, Zetland House, 5-25 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4HJ Tel: +44 20 3033 4267 Subscription enquiries Tel: +44 1604 828 706 help@subscribe.screendaily. com

Market 5:00pm Therapy for a Vampire

Comedy. 87 mins. Dir: David Ruehm. Scr: David Ruehm. Cast: Tobias Moretti, Jeanette Hain, Cornelia Ivancan, Dominic Oley, David Bennent, Lars Rudolph. Picture Tree International. Five hundred years of marriage is enough Vienna, early 1930s. One fine evening, Sigmund Freud has a new patient on his couch — a mysterious count who can no longer bear the “eternally long” relationship with his

wife. The vain countess incessantly complains about not being able to look at herself in a mirror, the count tells the professor. Unaware of the fact that the count and his wife are vampires, Freud introduces his mysterious patient to a young painter, Viktor, who paints portraits that express more than a mirror ever could. While visiting the painter, the count takes an instant shine to Viktor’s girlfriend Lucy — more so than Viktor and the countess would like. AMC Santa Monica 6

whatever it takes to win her heart, no matter how unreasonable it may be. He’ll change his accent, his style, and he’ll lie to her no end, pretending to be Basque.

car crash that killed her father. As she slowly tries to recover, she begins to suspect that her mother and sister may somehow be involved in his death — but can she trust herself ?

Fairmont 4

Fairmont 2

Split Second

Therapy for a Vampire

Psycho-drama/mystery/ thriller. 82 mins. Dir: Mike Criscione. Scr: Trevor Allen, Ricky Lloyd George. Cast: Kaila Amariah, Catherine Hicks, Scott Bailey, Greg Evigan. Goliath Film & Media Holdings. Layla wakes up in her bed one day with no memories of her surroundings, family or the horrible

See box, above

54 Screen International at AFM November 5, 2014

To Life!

Drama. 86 mins. Dir: Uwe Janson. Scr: Thorsten Wettcke. Cast: Hannelore Elsner, Max Riemelt, Sharon Brauner, Aylin Tezel, Matthieu Carriere. Global Screen. Fate has taken its toll on the ageing cabaret singer Ruth and the

young but terminally ill Jonas. Yet despite their great age difference and their entirely opposite experiences in life, they form an intense bond and give each other a reason and purpose to live. Fairmont 5

The Vanished Elephant

Thriller. 109 mins. Dir: Javier Fuentes Leon. Scr: Javier Fuentes Leon. Cast: Salvador Del Solar, Angie Cepeda, Lucho Caceres. IM Global. Edo Celeste, a renowned crime novelist, is obsessed with the disappearance of his fiancee, Celia, who vanished on the day of the 2007 earthquake in southern Peru. Seven years later, an enigmatic woman brings Edo dozens of cryptic photos that may help him solve the mystery of her disappearance. Edo senses he’s being tempted into a dangerous game, but is convinced that resolving this photo puzzle is the only way to find her alive. A labyrinth of clues propels Edo into a frantic and surreal search through the streets of Lima and the deserted beaches of Paracas. His final destination will confront him with the ultimate riddle any writer could face. Broadway 1

mins. Dir: Ryan Harris. Scr: Jeremiah Campbell. Cast: Jai Day, Domiziano Arcangeli, Sybil Danning, Dylan Vox. Goliath Film & Media Holdings. After being infected with a hyper-deadly virus mutation, five medical scientists must escape quarantine and force their way to freedom. Only a mysterious, silver-haired enforcer stands in their way. Loews 3

Wrecked

Drama/comedy. 93 mins. Dir: Sönke Wortmann. Scr: Oliver Berben. Cast: Lavinia Wilson, Jurgen Vogel, Anna Stieblich, Stefan Gwisdek, Pauletta Pollmann. Beta Cinema. Tells the story of three completely normal days in the life of Elizabeth Kiehl: parenting, organic food and therapy are just as much a part of her everyday life as the common visits with her husband to a brothel. The young woman in her early 30s is highly neurotic, always worrying and is afraid of pretty much everything — except sex… and that’s why it is so important to her. Doubletree 2

7:00pm Awaiting

Virus X

Sci-fi/horror/thriller. 85

Thriller. 92 mins. Dir: Mark Murphy. Scr:

Mark Murphy. Cast: Tony Curran, Diana Vickers, Rupert Hill. Phoenix Worldwide Entertainment. A stranded businessman is rescued by a psychotic simpleton with cannibalistic tendencies and his daughter, and held against his will. Fairmont 1

Encounter

Horror/drama/ supernatural thriller. 82 mins. Dir: Susannah O’Brien. Scr: Susannah O’Brien. Cast: Justin Arnold, Andrea Nelson. Sahara Vision Productions. Loews 2

Politics of Love

Comedy/romantic comedy. 99 mins. Dir: David O. Russell. Scr: Kristin Gore, David Jesser, Matthew Silverstein. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel, James Marsden. Voltage Pictures. The story of a small-town waitress who accidentally gets a nail lodged in her head as her boyfriend attempts his marriage proposal. Her predicament leads her on a journey to Washington DC, where she meets a dashing but clueless congressman, who might be able to help her unusual case. Ocean

www.screendaily.com


SNAKEHEAD DIRECTED BY

BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM,

ONE IMMIGRANT AT A TIME.

EVAN JACKSON LEONG (Linsanity)

STARRING

LUCY LIU

(Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill) PRE-PRODUCTION

ALWAYS SHINE DIRECTED BY

A TWISTED THRILLER ABOUT

FAME AND OBSESSION

SOPHIA TAKAL (Green) STARRING

CAITLIN FITZGERALD (Masters of Sex)

MACKENZIE DAVIS (Halt and Catch Fire) PRE-PRODUCTION

Maika Monroe the Guest labor day

“A TEEN HORROR MOVIE LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.”

IndIewIre

“TENDER, INGENIOUS AND SCALP-PRICKINGLY SCARY.” COMPLETED

DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL (The Myth of the American Sleepover)

US DISTRIBUTOR: RADiUS-TWC

DIRECTED BY

The Telegraph

DIRECTED BY

“THE BREAKOUT GENRE HIT OF THE YEAR.” ToTal FIlm

DaviD Gulpilil Walkabout CroCodile dundee the traCker

ROLF DE HEER (The Tracker, Ten Canoes)

“AN UNFORGETTABLE FILM.” The ausTralIan

“A WORK OF HUMANE AND TENDER GENIUS.” The guardIan

“STIRRING SOULFULNESS.” The hollywood reporTer

OFFICIAL AUSTRALIAN ENTRY

FOREIGN LANGUAGE OSCARS 2015

COMPLETED

10.000 KM ONE YEAR. TWO COMPUTERS.

A CONTINENT BETWEEN THEM. AFM Office Loews Hotel Room 526 www.visitfilms.com info@visitfilms.com

FROM ACADEMY AWARD WINNER COMPLETED

JONATHAN DEMME (The Silence of The lambS)

Ryan Kampe rk@visitfilms.com +1 646 548 4700 Lorna-Lee Sagebiel lls@visitfilms.com +1 646 421 4574

COMPLETED



Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.