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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2014
AT BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL www.ScreenDaily.com
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Austen comedy hits EFM BY ANDREAS WISEMAN
Self Made
Geffen’s life swap with WestEnd BY ANDREAS WISEMAN
UK outfit WestEnd Films has boarded sales on Shira Geffen’s sophomore feature Self Made (Boreg), which is due to be completed in time for Cannes. The drama, produced by David Mandil’s Movie Plus, and Moshe Edery and Leon Edery of United King, shot in Israel last summer. It stars Sarah Adler alongside newcomer Samira Saraya. Waltz With Bashir editor Nili Feller is on board. Shot in Hebrew and Arabic, Geffen’s film follows two women — one Palestinian and one Israeli — who are forced to swap lives on opposite sides of the border after a mix-up at a checkpoint. Self Made reunites the production and sales team behind Oscarnominated 2011 drama Footnote. Geffen’s 2007 debut, Jellyfish, won the Camera d’Or.
Sienna Miller has landed the lead in Whit Stillman’s upcoming Jane Austen adaptation, which UK sales outfit Protagonist has added to its EFM slate. Chloe Sevigny, best known for roles in Zodiac and Boys Don’t Cry, has also been cast as a close friend of Miller’s character in the period comedy, titled Jane Austen’s Love & Friendship. Stillman is gearing up for a
summer shoot in Ireland on his adaptation of the novella by Emma and Pride And Prejudice author Austen. Miller, nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Alfred Hitchcock TV biopic The Girl, will play the lead in the comedy, which is produced by Katie Holly of Dublinbased Bl!nder Films (Citadel) and Stillman’s outfit Westerly Films. It is backed by the Irish Film Board. In classic Austen style, the story
Exclusive Media’s future uncertain BY JEREMY KAY
Uncertainty continued to swirl over the future of Exclusive Media last night as it appeared that co-chairs Nigel Sinclair and Guy East were headed for the exit. As Alex Walton and his team pressed ahead with sales on the reconstituted Black Mass project starring Johnny Depp, the cochairs were locked in crisis talks. While The Woman In Black was a
bona fide smash, the disappointing global performance of Rush and the financial ramifications of Exclusive’s top-heavy structure appear to have tested the patience of backers Dasym Investment Strategies. Insiders noted that Sinclair and East, who own part of Exclusive, could segue into a producer role on the back of their past successes. Speculation has turned to who will now run the company, with
Hubert Boesl
some suggesting Exclusive Media COO Mark Schipper as the strongest potential candidate. On Friday, CEO and co-chair Sinclair stated: “Exclusive Media’s management is engaged in collaborative discussions with our partners from Dasym Investment Strategies BV regarding the forward plan for the company. We will make an announcement regarding the outcome at the appropriate time.”
Global Screen is Coming In
eOne inks deals for Watermark
BY ANDREAS WISEMAN
BY ANDREAS WISEMAN
Toronto doc Watermark has sold to a number of major territories for eOne Films International, including the US (eOne), Australia (Madm a n ), B e n e l u x ( C i n é a r t ), German-speaking Europe (Senator), UK (Soda Pictures) and India (Pictureworks). Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky’s doc, which screens in the Berlinale Special strand, charts how water shapes the lives of people from around the globe. Baichwal’s docs Payback and Manufactured Landscapes both played at Sundance. UK-based Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team, with Montreal-based Anick Poirier set to lead subsidiary label Seville International.
follows the beautiful and scheming Lady Susan Vernon (Miller) as she attempts to find a husband for herself and her long-suffering daughter, Federica. Stillman told Screen: “The story of the brilliant Lady Susan Vernon’s struggles with the wealthy, smug De Courcy clan is perhaps [Austen’s] most sparkling comedy. Sienna Miller is a wonderful talent who will lead a brilliant ensemble cast.” Additional casting is underway.
Leading man Jack O’Connell with director Yann Demange in Berlin for the photocall of Irish Troubles drama ’71. See review page 12
Global Screen has picked up sales rights to German rom-com Coming In. Marco Kreuzpaintner’s latest feature tells the story of a gay male hairdresser who falls in love with a female beauty-parlour owner. Kostja Ullmann and Aylin Tezel star alongside Ken Duken, August Zirner and Katja Riemann. Summerstorm Entertainment and Warner Bros Film Productions Germany co-produce in co-operation with Bavaria Film Partners.
TODAY
The Suspect
NEWS Prime Suspect Showbox scores deals on South Korean action thriller The Suspect » Page 6
REVIEW Troubles ahead Yann Demange’s Competition film, ’71 proves tense and exciting » Page 12
FEATURE Breaking the Ice The story behind Chinese Competition film Black Coal, Thin Ice » Page 20
SCREENINGS
» Page 28
Moland woos Indian Bride BY WENDY MITCHELL
Hans Petter Moland, who has In Order Of Disappearance in Competition, will direct The Indian Bride, adapted by Erlend Loe from Karin Fossum’s bestseller of the same title. The film is set for a summer 2015 shoot in India and Norway on a budget of $5.4m-$6.8m (¤4m¤5m). The psychological drama/ tragic love story will be produced as a joint venture between Scandi powerhouses Tre Vanner/Svensk (Sweden) and Motlys (Norway). The lead producers are Helen Ahlsson of Tre Vanner/Svensk and Yngve Saether of Motlys. The story follows a longtime bachelor who meets and marries an Indian beauty, who is later murdered. Saether told Screen: “I felt immediately that this wasn’t a traditional crime story but more of a dramatic love story.” The team expects to confirm a sales company after the Berlinale, and are meeting with potential Indian partners here. “There is a lot of interest due to the popularity of the novel and the team,” Ahlsson said. No cast is attached yet.
UDI snaps up international sales on Gavin’s Hector Urban Distribution International (UDI) has picked up international sales on Hector, starring Peter Mullan as a homeless man who tries to reconnect with his past life. The feature, previously known as Victor, marks the directorial debut
of photographer Jake Gavin. Shooting started earlier this week on location in Glasgow and will continue in London via Liverpool. The film is set for an autumn delivery. Stephen Malit will produce alongside Scottish co-producer
Simon Mallinson. David Raedecker, who picked up Sundance’s best cinematography prize in 2012 for his work on Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother The Devil, is also attached to the project. Melanie Goodfellow
The Indian Bride team