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TODAY
SCREENINGS
» Page 38
Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch
To honour his brother, Royd Tolkien takes on the quest of a lifetime... AFM MARKET SCREENING: 31st October - 1.30pm at Laemmle 4 International Sales: Evolutionary Films - Loews #727
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Proxima
Pathé blasts off Proxima Pathé International is kicking off sales on French writer/director Alice Winocour’s astronaut drama Proxima. The film stars Eva Green as a single mother who signs up for a year-long space mission, leaving behind her young daughter. When Green’s character joins an all-male crew — played by Matt Dillon, Lars Eidinger and Aleksey Fateev — she battles to prove herself while coping with the guilt of leaving her daughter. Pathé International unveils first footage during AFM and has also revealed the first-look image (pictured). The film marks Winocour’s third feature as a director after Augustine and Disorder, and is produced by Isabelle Madelaine and Émilie Tisné. Other titles on Pathé’s AFM slate include family comedy The Brand New Adventures Of Aladin and Paul Verhoeven’s nun drama Benedetta. Melanie Goodfellow
Parkland fields Trautmann BY GEOFFREY MACNAB
New UK distribution outfit Parkland Entertainment, which was launched earlier this year by Parkland Pictures CEO John Cairns with former Arrow Films acquisitions director Tom Stewart, has made its first pick-up. The new company has acquired all UK rights to Trautmann, Marcus H Rosenmüller’s biopic about Bert Trautmann, the former German PoW who became a professional soccer player in the UK, from Beta Cinema. Trautmann will be released in the UK next year.
BY JEREMY KAY
A year on from what attendees described as the slowest AFM in a while, prospects were looking up heading into the 2018 iteration as early presentations and a bevy of A-list packages have stirred a sense of optimism. On Tuesday Mister Smith hosted a packed session at The Arclight featuring promos from Samuel L Jackson drama The Banker, Charlie Hunnam, Jack O’Connell and Jessica Barden drama Jungleland, and Constantin Films’ sci-fi Haven — Above Sky.
Voltage staged a lively session at the AMC that included first footage from its Jessica Chastain action thriller Eve, which Tate Taylor is directing. Later today, STX International will present the first trailer from UglyDolls at The Arclight. On Saturday, Taylor will be talking up AGC Studios’ Breaking News In Yuba County, while Ron Howard will trumpet White Horse Pictures’ Pavarotti documentary, sold by HanWay. The hot new packages that are cropping up most frequently in conversation with buyers include
FilmNation’s George Miller epic Three Thousand Years Of Longing to star Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man through Endeavor Content and Millennium Media’s Red Sonja revival. Another project that has triggered early talk is Automatik’s love triangle drama Mainstream, to star Andrew Garfield and Jason Schwartzman. Gia Coppola will direct and Wild Bunch is launching sales, with CAA Media Finance handling US rights, as it does on Three Thousand Years Of Longing.
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Carole Bethuel
Early AFM buzz sparks cautious optimism
Claes Bang and Elizabeth Debicki star in neo-noir thriller The Burnt Orange Heresy. HanWay Films is handling international sales, and CAA and UTA Independent Film Group are managing the US sale.
Brown Findlay boards WestEnd’s Banishing BY TOM GRATER
Jessica Brown Findlay and Sean Harris will lead the cast of director Christopher Smith’s horror The Banishing. WestEnd Films is producing the project and handling sales at AFM. Principal photography will begin on November 5 in the UK. Set in the 1930s, The Banishing tells the story of a young reverend, his wife (Findlay) and daughter who move into a manor with a
horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and threatens to tear the family apart, the reverend must turn to black magic and seek the help of a famous occultist (Harris) or risk losing his daughter. Producers are Jason Newmark and Laurie Cook alongside Maya Amsellem and Sharon Harel-Cohen from WestEnd Films. Director Smith is an experienced genre filmmaker whose credits
include Severance, Creep and Triangle. “Set against a backdrop of escalating tensions in Europe and the rise of fascism, The Banishing offers the perfect set-up for a rich ghost story and ultimately a tale of possession,” Smith said. WestEnd’s AFM slate also features Agnieszka Holland’s Gareth Jones, Carmel Winters’ Float Like A Butterfly, Marc Forster’s The Cow, Jeremy Sims’ Rams and Ross Whitaker’s boxing doc Katie.
TODAY
Howling Village, page 6
NEWS Chill factor Toei brings Takashi Shimizu horror Howling Village to market » Page 6
Papi travels Bankside seals US deal on Toronto title Papi Chulo » Page 6
FEATURE The arrivals The hot projects at AFM from sellers around the globe » Page 12
SCREENINGS
» Page 38
Match Factory unleashes Moll’s Bêtes The Match Factory is introducing Dominik Moll’s new feature Seules Les Bêtes, an adaptation of the 2017 novel by French author Colin Niel, to AFM buyers this week. Moll is in development on the project, which will star Denis Ménochet, Damien Bonnard, Laure Calamy and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. The film marks a continuation of The Match Factory’s collaboration with German production outfit Razor Film, with whom it partnered on Waltz With Bashir, Wadjda and Looking For Oum Kulthum, and with leading French company Haut Et Court. Seules Les Bêtes tells the story of a woman who is presumed missing when her car is discovered on the side of an isolated mountain road following a snowstorm. While the police have no leads, five people each harbour a secret that connects them to her disappearance. Production is due to begin on the France-Germany co-production in early 2019. Germany-born French director Moll’s previous features include Harry, He’s Here To Help (aka With A Friend Like Harry...), which premiered in Cannes’ Competition in 2000 and won four French César Awards, and Lemming (2005), starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Geoffrey Macnab
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MARKET PREMIERE
MARKET PREMIERE
5 CINEPLEX 4 SAT | NOV 3 | 03:00 PM ARCLIGHT THU | NOV 1 | 11:30 AM BROADWAY BUYERS ONLY MARKET PREMIERE 1 CINEPLEX 1 FRI | NOV 2 | 03:00 PM BROADWAY BUYERS ONLY SUN | NOV 4 | 03:00 PM ARCLIGHT MARKET PREMIERE
A nerve-wracking psychothriller based on the international best-seller by Sebastian Fitzek by genre expert Christian Alvart (“Pandorum”, “Antibodies”, “Nick: Off Duty”) with a stellar cast.
MARKET PREMIERE 5 SUN | NOV 4 | 11:00 AM ARCLIGHT MARKET PREMIERE
A touching documentary about the glamourous residents of a very special retirement home, with actress Connie Sawyer (“When Harry Met Sally ...”) and producer Daniel Selznick (“American Grafitti”).
A gripping political thriller with tour-de-force performances by A-listers Ronald Zehrfeld (“Phoenix”, “The People vs Fritz Bauer”) and Alexander Fehling (“Homeland”, “Labyrinth of Lies”).
CURRENT SLATE A hard-hitting, nail-biting gangster film, in which German A-listers Moritz Bleibtreu (“Baader Meinhof Komplex”, “The Elementary Particles”) and Birgit Minichmayr (“Downfall”, “Everyone Else”) play a nerve-wracking cat-and-mouse game. Authentically staged and fast-paced, ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME is the new film by Özgür Yildirim (“Chiko”).
COMING SOON A fast paced, modern thriller with a top-notch cast, starring Max von der Groeben (“Suck Me Shakespeer”), Jella Haase (“Suck Me Shakespeer”, “Berlin Alexanderplatz”) and Clemens Schick (“Casino Royale”, “Point Break”) in the lead roles. Thomas Sieben (“Distance”) directs this tense power-play of greed and intrigue with outstanding visuals and skillfully tricks us at every turning point.
COMING SOON In COMEBACK, director Philipp Kadelbach (“Naked Among Wolves”) celebrates life, music, and the fact it’s never too late to start over. Starring Jan Josef Liefers (“Knocking on Heaven’s Door”), Jürgen Vogel (“The Wave”), André M. Hennicke (“Victoria”) and the members of the legendary “Scorpions”.
Contact at AFM Loews Hotel 6 th floor, Suite 638 C +49 173 3599306
MARKET SCREENINGS – 3D SANTA WED | OCT 31 | 03:30 PM AMC MONICA 6 SANTA FRI | NOV 2 | 11:30 AM AMC MONICA 6
A moving and thrilling 3D animation adventure by Sven Unterwaldt (“The 7th Dwarf”) for the whole family. A story about the power of friendship and the victory of love over hate.
MARKET SCREENING SANTA MONICA 6 SAT | NOV 3 | 11:30 AM AMC MARKET SCREENING
A high-profile 3D animated feature film about a smart cat and her quirky friends who finds themselves in a biggerthan-life-adventure. Directed by Academy Award®-winning brothers Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein (“LUIS AND THE ALIENS”), MARNIE’S WORLD brims with verbal gags, action and adventure, and offers great entertainment for the whole family.
GLOBAL SCREEN PRESENTS AT AFM 2018
COMING SOON Set in a magical world of fantasy, populated by mythical creatures, BAYALA is based on the popular bayala® brand, a high-end line of fantasy figurines produced by Schleich. From the producers of worldwide successes “Niko & The Way To The Stars” and “Ooops! Noah is gone ...”.
COMING SOON MY FAIRY TROUBLEMAKER is a thrilling, charming, high-end 3D animated feature film, co-produced by Fabrique d’Images, Luxemburg, (“Ooops! Noah is Gone ...” and “Luis and the Aliens”). The screenplay, full of action, humor, magic and heart lets us lough about our little weaknesses and shows that with a real friend everything is possible. Great entertainment for the whole family!
COMING SOON Historically accurate, authentic and with lots of rich period detail and atmosphere, this moving animated film for the whole family retells the story of the peaceful revolution of 1989 from a child’s perspective. An entertaining and exciting tale of the Fall of the Wall, and of the people who were brave enough to change the world, which will make a lasting impression, not only on young viewers.
COMING SOON In this second instalment of the internationally successful 3D animation “OOOPS! NOAH IS GONE …” from the producers of worldwide successes “Niko” and “Luis and the Aliens”, our courageous youngsters once again go through many thrilling adventures and eventually save all of the animals in the ark.
NEWS
Toei points the way to Shimizu’s Village BY JEAN NOH
Japan’s Toei Company is launching sales at AFM on director Takashi Shimizu’s upcoming horror film Howling Village. Best known as the creator of the Japanese Ju-on series and The Grudge franchise, Shimizu’s latest chiller is claimed to be inspired by real-life events: “The truth behind
the darkest secret in the history of Japan,” according to Toei. It centres on a village at the end of a forgotten tunnel from which no-one has ever returned alive. A dam was built over it in an effort to erase the past, but the story looks into where the people went, what happened to them and why the place is called Howling
Village. Muneyuki Kii (A Bride For Rip Van Winkle) is producing. The Japanese-language film is set to start shooting in November, with an official cast announcement still to come. Toei Company is planning to wrap the shoot in April 2019 with a tentative release date set for January 2020.
Pluto branches out with Tree BY TOM GRATER
Berlin-based sales outfit Pluto Film has picked up rights to South African feature The Tree. The film is from producers Elias Ribeiro and Cait Pansegrouw of Urucu Media, whose previous feature The Wound premiered at Sundance 2017 and made the 2018 Oscar foreign-language film shortlist. The Tree marks the debut of writer/director Louw Venter. Pro-
The Tree
duction is now underway in South Africa. Inge Beckmann, Gideon Lombard, Tarryn Wyngaard and Niza Jay star.
The film’s interlinked stories follow four characters in Cape Town: a fugitive addict who loses track of her child when she leaves him alone to turn one final trick; a frustrated cop who faces up to the demons of a traumatic childhood; a young nurse who clings to a disintegrating bubble of fantasy; and a designer in a crumbling relationship who is confronted by his fear of connection.
Papi Chulo
Blue Fox bites for Papi Chulo BY TOM GRATER
Blue Fox Entertainment has swooped on North American rights to John Butler’s black comedy Papi Chulo following the film’s well-received premiere in Toronto. Matt Bomer stars alongside Alejandro Patiño (The Runaways) in the story of a lonely TV weatherman who strikes up an unusual friendship with a middle-aged Latino migrant worker. Wendi McLendon-Covey, Elena Campbell-Martinez and D’Arcy Carden round out the cast. Bankside handles world sales rights and is showing the film to buyers at AFM. Blue Fox is planning a theatrical release in North
America in spring 2019. Rob Walpole and Rebecca O’Flanagan of Treasure Entertainment produced Papi Chulo, with Screen Ireland, Head Gear Films, RTE and Windmill Lane providing finance. Executive producers are Phil Hunt and Compton Ross for Head Gear Films, and Hilary Davis and Stephen Kelliher for Bankside Films. Writer/director Butler’s previous credits include The Stag and Handsome Devil. Bankside’s AFM slate also includes Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn’s Normal People and Adam Randall’s I See You.
EXECUTIVE FOCUS JOHN FRIEDBERG, PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL SALES, STXINTERNATIONAL What else does the company have in the production pipeline?
As a producer with US and UK distribution capability, STX has an advantage over companies that merely sell. John Friedberg shares insights on the eve of AFM.
In January, we’re also starting Greenland, which is our big-budget disaster thriller with Neill Blomkamp at the helm and starring Chris Evans. This was our massive acquisition in Cannes last year that’s now coming to fruition. We’re in week five of production on 17 Bridges, a crime thriller that is the first project Chadwick Boseman selected following the success of Black Panther. We’re in week two on My Spy starring Dave Bautista. Seeing how funny he was in Guardians Of The Galaxy, our production group knew we had to put that talent to use. These titles are the core of our slate along with Second Act, our Jennifer Lopez comedy that comes out this December, and The Upside with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston, which is coming out in January.
What’s the order of business at AFM besides announcing last-minute projects? We’re super busy. Some films are in production, some in pre-production, and some are nearing completion and release. [At AFM] the world will get a first look at UglyDolls, STX’s first foray into big-budget family animation. We’re launching our first trailer and will have a presentation for our distribution partners. We’re also launching The Boy 2 starring Katie Holmes; this is our fourth collaboration with Lakeshore. In a place where Halloween and The Nun are doing enormous business, to go and make a film with a modest budget and distribute it wide in the US and UK and put it through our output partners is exciting, and that starts in January.
What volume are you dealing with as a distributor of content you produce, and as a seller? As a production group, we’re starting on
6 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
10-12 films per year and we’re releasing more than 15 films with a combination of productions and domestic acquisitions. From an international acquisitions standpoint, we’re able to secure five to six films per year. However, we might make offers on more than 20 films.
What works with international distributors? We are reading everything and looking for high-concept, unique stories we haven’t seen before, marketable talent and directors with a proven track record don’t hurt. But first and foremost is the story.
‘Having US distribution and financing capabilities is one of the key reasons STX is so competitive’ John Friedberg, STXinternational
What keeps you up at night? It’s generally accepted that the challenge of finding US distribution or the rise of the streaming companies has caused disruption in the industry. Having US distribution and financing capabilities is one of the key reasons STX is so competitive. Regarding the streamers, we have found opportunities to work with them as partners and collaborators to enhance our business overall.
What’s the strategic benefit of AFM? It gives us an incredible opportunity for our international partners to meet with our domestic distribution and production partners here in Los Angeles on our home turf, and allows everyone to create a cohesive global plan.
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NEWS
Takita breaks Silence with Media Asia BY LIZ SHACKLETON
Japanese filmmaker Yojiro Takita, best known as director of Oscarwinning drama Departures, is making his Chinese-language debut in Media Asia’s Silence Of Smoke. Han Geng (So Young), Zhang Guoli (Back To 1942) and Summer Xu (Looper) head the cast of the film about a cakemaker who takes over the family business but cannot replicate his father’s success. When his daughter is diagnosed with leukaemia and his father dies after having come out of retirement to help him, the cakemaker starts to understand his dad and appreciate all he has done for him. In production, the film is coproduced by Media Asia and Beijing-based Magilm Pictures. In addition to Departures, which won the best foreign-language film Oscar in 2009, Takita has recent credits including Sakura Guardian In The North and The Last Recipe. His foray into Chinese production appears to herald a new trend in mainland China’s film industry, with Japanese filmmaker Shunji Iwai also making his Chineselanguage debut with Last Letter, produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan’s We Pictures, scheduled for release this month. Chan’s We Distribution is handling sales on Last Letter at AFM.
Bong’s Parasite finds healthy hosts for CJ BY JEAN NOH
South Korea’s CJ Entertainment has locked multiple pre-sales deals on Bong Joon Ho’s latest project Parasite and has picked up international sales rights on Starry Starry Night director Tom Lin’s The Garden Of Evening Mists, adapted from Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng ’s Man Booker Prize nominated novel of the same title. Parasite is Bong’s return to Korean-language filmmaking after Okja and Snowpiercer, and has sold to North America (Neon), German-speaking Europe (Koch
Films), French-speaking territories (The Jokers Films) and Japan (Bitters End). The film stars Song Kang Ho (Snowpiercer) as a man who, with his unemployed family, takes a peculiar interest in the Park family. Other cast include Lee Sunkyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo Shik, Park So-dam and Chang Hyae Jin. Currently in post-production after wrapping in September, the film is set for local release in 2019. The Garden Of Evening Mists is an Astro Shaw and HBO Asia
production, with backing from the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS). Taiwanese filmmaker Lin is working with an international cast that includes Malaysian actress Sinje Lee, Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe, Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang and UK actors David Oakes, Julian Sands and John Hannah. The film tells the story of Teoh Yun Ling who seeks solace in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia after the Second World War. The film wrapped in August and is now in post-production.
TrustNordisk plays its Queen BY WENDY MITCHELL
TrustNordisk has boarded international sales for May elToukhy’s Danish drama Queen Of Hearts, which is now in post. Trine Dyrholm stars as a lawyer who starts an affair with her teenage stepson, played by rising Swedish talent Gustav Lindh. The film was the buzziest presentation at Haugesund’s Works in Progress in August. Caroline Blanco produces with Nordisk’s René Ezra. Local release is set for March 28, 2019.
Queen Of Hearts
Karmouz War hits target for Premiere Los Angeles-based Premiere Entertainment Group has launched talks here with worldwide buyers on Karmouz War starring martial-arts ace Scott Adkins. Amir Karara also stars in this year’s Egyptian boxoffice smash, which takes place in British-occupied Egypt in the time before the 1952 revolution. Adkins plays a soldier locked up for misconduct, then unleashed against Egyptian troops. Peter Mimi directed from his own screenplay based on a story by Mohamed El Sobky, who produced. “We’re very proud of Karmouz War and its success in Egypt. We are looking forward to teaming up with Premiere Entertainment,” said El Sobky. “Scott Adkins proves why he’s one of the top action-movie stars in the world,” added Carlos Rincon, Premiere vice-president of acquisitions. Elias Axume, Premiere president and CEO, and Rincon negotiated the deal with the producers. Premiere’s AFM slate includes comedy Stella’s Last Weekend starring Nat and Alex Wolff, action title Danger One with Tom Everett Scott, and Duplass brothers dramedy Unlovable with John Hawkes. Jeremy Kay
MPI votes on post-Brexit thriller BY TOM GRATER
New York-based MPI Media Group has beefed up its AFM slate with the acquisition of three titles, including UK post-Brexit thriller White Chamber. From writer/ director Paul Raschid, the film is
set in a UK of the near future where civil war has broken out and martial law has been declared by a military government. Shauna MacDonald stars as a government prisoner, with Oded Fehr as the general who tortures
White Chamber
8 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
her for information. The film played at festivals this year, including Sitges, FrightFest, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. MPI has also boarded thriller Level 16, which premiered at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Texas. It follows two teens trapped in a prison-like school. It was directed by Danishka Esterhazy, and Katie Douglas and Celina Martin star. The company has also picked up sci-fi comedy Mega Time Squad following its premiere at this year’s Fantasia in Montreal. Directed by Tim van Dammen, the film follows a low-level criminal who steals an ancient time-travel device.
Screen Media seeks homes for Joe Sill debut Stray Screen Media International kicks off worldwide sales (excluding China) at AFM on supernatural noir Stray starring Karen Fukuhara. The story centres on an orphan investigating her mother’s murder. Screen Media plans a day-and-date North American release for the first half of 2019. Joe Sill makes his directorial debut. Eric B Fleischman, Sean Tabibian, JD Dillard and Alex Theurer produce. Screen Media’s Seth Needle negotiated the deal with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers. Jeremy Kay
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@ AFM 2018
ANITA GENRE DRAMA DIRECTOR LONGMAN LEUNG (Cold War series) CAST LOUISE WONG, TERRANCE LAU
This long-awaited biopic provides a vivid account of the remarkable life of Anita Mui in and behind the limelight, chronicling her journey from a child performer to becoming one of world's most recognized music icons.
THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY BEHIND ONE OF WORLD'S GREATEST SONGSTRESSES
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THE WHISTLEBLOWER GENRE ACTION THRILLER DIRECTOR XUE XIAOLU (Finding Mr. Right) CAST TANG WEI (Lust, Caution), LEI JIAYIN (How Long Will I Love U)
A woman vows to expose the multi-national conspiracy her company engages in and puts her own life at stake.
THE TEAM BEHIND THE HIT FINDING MR. RIGHT SERIES REUNITES FOR A SPELLBINDING, GENRE-BENDING ADVENTURE
SEND ME TO THE CLOUDS GENRE DRAMA DIRECTOR TENG CONGCONG CAST YAO CHEN (Journey To The West: Demons Strike Back)
In order to raise money to cure her cancer, a female journalist accepts a job to write an autobiography of an old painter.
ONE WOMAN’S ROAD TO PERDITION BECOMES A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY
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Executive attending : Julian Chiu / (852) 9739 8628 / chiujulian@edkofilm.com.hk
THE POET GENRE DRAMA DIRECTOR LIU HAO (Back To The North, Addicted To Love) CAST SONG JIA (The Master, Shock Wave), ZHU YAWEN (The Founding Of An Army, The Golden Era)
During the Chinese economic reform in the 80s, a mine worker aims to improve his life by becoming a poet, with the help of his wife.
IN COMPETITION, TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
MONSTER HUNT 2 GENRE FANTASY ADVENTURE DIRECTOR RAMAN HUI (Monster Hunt) CAST TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI (The Grandmaster), BAI BAIHE (Monster Hunt) JING BORAN (Time Raiders)
This sequel to the mega blockbuster follows monster king Wuba as he faces another threat from the dark lord who plots to seize the throne.
SEQUEL TO THE 2015 BLOCKBUSTER THAT GROSSED OVER US$400 MILLION WORLDWIDE
THE LIQUIDATOR GENRE ACTION DIRECTOR XU JIZHOU CAST DENG CHAO (The Mermaid), ETHAN JUAN (The Assassin), KARENA LAM (Zinnia Flower)
A criminal psychologist teams up with a rookie detective to track down a vigilante serial killer.
HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED FILM ADAPTATION OF LEI MI'S POPULAR NOVEL SERIES CRIMINAL MINDS
JAPAN & TAIWAN BUZZ, FROM P32
As the 2018 American Film Market kicks off, Screen highlights some of the buzziest projects being offered by international sales companies NORTH AMERICA By Jeremy Kay FilmNation arrives at AFM with George
Miller’s Three Thousand Years Of Longing. Little is currently known of the project, except that it may involve genies. Miller will also direct his follow-up to Mad Max: Fury Road, which is described as an epic love story. CAA represents North American and Chinese rights. AGC International launches sales on the dark comedy Breaking News In Yuba County, to star Allison Janney and Laura Dern. Tate Taylor will direct the story about a woman trying to conceal the truth about her dead husband from the police and her local news anchor sister. Endeavor Content, which owns sales agency Bloom, launches talks with worldwide buyers on Hugh Jackman drama Bad Education, currently in production. Jackman will play disgraced former Roslyn School superintendent Frank Tassone, who was imprisoned for an $11m embezzlement scheme. Cory Finley directs and the cast includes Allison Janney and Ray Romano. Producers are Fred Berger, Brian KavanaughJones, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Oren Moverman and Mike Makowsky. Lionsgate International has boarded sales on thriller Run from Searching writer/director Aneesh Chaganty, starring Sarah Paulson as the sinister mother of a teenage girl raised in isolation. Lionsgate will distribute in the US through its Summit label. The roster includes Partici-
12 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
pant Media’s drama Dry Run (working title), which Todd Haynes will direct, about a lawyer who takes on a chemical giant. Mark Ruffalo is producing with Participant Media and Killer Films. Focus Features will release in the US. Voltage Pictures has international rights to Jessica Chastain action thriller Eve, which began shooting in September and reunites the star and producer with her director on The Help, Tate Taylor. Colin Farrell and Common also star in the tale of an assassin on the run. Voltage is producing with Chastain’s Freckle Films. The slate includes TIFF Fipresci winner Skin, Maven Pictures’ story of a remorseful white supremacist starring Jamie Bell. Millennium Media is offering buyers Red Sonja, which is currently out to a director and lead actor to portray the female warrior from the sword-andsorcery comic books. Millennium Films has earmarked production in Bulgaria and Mark Canton (Escape Plan) is among the producers. Seville International will be tempting buyers with Below, an Australian drama about the moral awakening of a young man recruited to work security at a refugee detention centre. Maziar Lahooti directs Ryan Corr and Anthony LaPaglia. Seville’s Anick Poirier has a busy slate, including Morena Films’ Spanishlanguage film Advantages Of Traveling By Train, which is earmarked for a December start
BUZZ mostly in San Sebastian, and follows a young editor who experiences a lifechanging encounter on a train. XYZ Films kicks off talks with international buyers on Synchronic, a film about two New Orleans paramedics (Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie) whose lives are torn apart after encountering a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with otherworldly effects. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead co-direct and co-produce alongside David Lawson Jr and Rustic Films. UTA Independent Film Group and XYZ Films represent US rights. Magnolia International will be talking up Emma Tammi’s highly regarded TIFF premiere The Wind, a supernatural western from Soapbox Films and Divide/Conquer based on Teresa Sutherland’s screenplay about a woman who moves to the western frontier and encounters an evil presence roaming the plains. Caitlin Gerard stars with Julia Goldani Telles, Ashley Zukerman, Miles Anderson and Dylan McTee. IFC Midnight holds US rights. The Exchange will be talking up Street Gang a documentary Gang, about the US TV phenomenon Sesame Street Street. Mad Ballroom Hot Ballroom’s Marilyn Agrelo will direct. Film Sales Company has
worldwide (Right) The Wind
(Pictured above from left) Horrible Histories: The Movie — Rotten Romans (UK), Sibyl (France), Kingdom Of Sweden (Sweden)
rights to Lena Headey passion project The Flood, about a cynical UK immigration officer whose confrontation with a refugee changes her life. The cast includes Headey’s fellow Game Of Thrones star Iain Glen and Arsher Ali, and the Megatopia Films project is in post. Epic Pictures will be talking up supernatural comedy Extra Ordinary, which is in post and stars Will Forte, Claudia O’Doherty and Maeve Higgins in the story of a driving instructor who must save a woman from a rock star seeking to use her for satanic purposes. Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman direct and Ireland’s Blinder Films is producing the feature in co-production with Umedia and Epic Pictures. Screen Ireland is financing with Umedia and Inevitable Pictures. Visit Films has boarded international sales on Meredith Danluck’s completed mystery State Like Sleep from Sight Unseen Pictures, Code Red Productions and Scythia Films. Katherine Waterston stars with Michael Shannon in the tale of a photographer who unravels the story of her celebrity husband’s final days. The slate includes this year’s Locarno Golden Leopard winner A Land Imagined. Arclight Films will launch sales on Furie, an action thriller led by Vietnamese superstar Veronica Ngo (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Netflix’s Bright) as a retired gangster who rejoins the fray when her daughter is kidnapped by an organ-trafficking ring. Le-Van Kiet directs. »
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WELCOME ABOARD For sales inquiries, please contact : Tim Grohne, President, International tim@carnabyinternational.com Jonathan Walik, Sales Executive jonathan@carnabyinternational.com Office: UK Film Centre, Zuma Room, 7th Floor, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
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Highland Film Group has worldwide rights to We Summon The Darkness, which takes place against the backdrop of a killing spree by Satanists as three friends head to a party at a secluded country home. Marc Meyers directs and the film stars Alexandra Daddario, Keean Johnson and Amy Forsyth. Radiant Films International will launch international sales on thriller Stripped starring Charlie Cox and Brittany Snow. Cox will play a married man who harbours a dangerous obsession with a high-priced escort. Snow will play his wife. Di Bonaventura Pictures is partnering with Vancouver-based Lighthouse Pictures, and production is scheduled to start in Vancouver in spring 2019. Red Sea Media has picked up worldwide rights to Dolph Lundgren thriller Hard Night Falling, about a criminal mastermind who attempts to steal ancestral gold from a wealthy family during a party, unaware one of the guests is a highly trained operative. In post. Cinema Management Group launches worldwide sales on an animated adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost and has teamed up with Robert Chandler’s Space Age Films and Gina Carter and Stephen Fry’s Sprout Pictures. Fry will voice the beleaguered spirit at a stately home whose antics fail to scare the estate’s new American owners. He is joined in the voice cast by Freddie Highmore, Imelda Staunton and Toby Jones. Production is set for early 2019. Toronto-based Raven Banner is selling the English- and Spanish-language supernatural thriller Belzebuth about a series of murders on the US-Mexico border. Emilio Portes directs and Joaquin Cosio stars alongside Tobin Bell and Tate Ellington. The roster includes Issa Lopez’s Tigers Are Not Afraid from Mexico. Gunpowder & Sky has the worldwide rights on Lords Of Chaos from Jonas Akerlund, which stars Rory Culkin and centres on crimes that occurred in Norway in the early 1990s involving the black-metal bands Mayhem and Burzum. The film premiered in Sundance. Blue Fox Entertainment has international rights to The H Collective’s The Parts You Lose starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul. Christopher Cantwell directs the story about the unlikely friendship between a young deaf boy and a fugitive in rural North Dakota. Paul produces alongside Mark Johnson and Tom Williams. Bleiberg Entertainment has worldwide rights to The Assent, a horrorthriller in post about a young father seeking the help of a disgraced priest to save the son he believes is possessed. Pearry Teo directs and the cast includes Rob Kazinsky from Captain Marvel.
14 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Lords Of Chaos
State Like Sleep
Concourse Film Trade brings Percy, a drama starring Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci and Zach Braff about a stubborn small-town farmer who stands up to a corporate conglomerate after he is attacked for allegedly stealing patented seeds. Clark Johnson (S.W.A.T.) directs. Film Mode has worldwide rights on Rabid, in partnership with 101 Films. The film is in post and centres on a young woman who undergoes dangerous untested stem-cell treatment after an accident leaves her scarred beyond recognition. Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska are directing alongside John Serge. Laura Vandervoort stars. 13 Films arrives with worldwide rights to Affairs Of State starring Thora Birch, Adrian Grenier and Mimi Rogers, about a young campaign aide who gets in way over his head when he sleeps with the wife and daughter of a presidential candidate. Pure Flix/Quality Flix will be touting the thriller Welcome To Mercy from Scream and The Others producer Cary Granat. IFC has lined up a November 2 US release for the story about a US woman visiting Latvia who (Right) Karmouz War
is afflicted by visions and wounds resembling the stigmata. Kristen Ruhlin stars. Storyboard Media has picked up recent TIFF selection and sci-fi thriller Freaks, which stars Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern and newcomer Lexy Kolker in the story of a young girl who grows up in isolation and overcomes her disturbed father’s warnings about the world outside. Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky wrote and directed. The slate includes thriller Arkansas starring Liam Hemsworth and Vince Vaughn, which Storyboard is co-selling with VMI Worldwide. AMBI Distribution launches sales on Colombian auteur Ciro Guerra’s Waiting For The Barbarians starring Johnny Depp, Mark Rylance and Robert Pattinson. The story centres on an official in a colonial outpost who is charged with treason. The production is about to start shooting in Morocco and Italy. Toronto’s DDI launches worldwide sales on Satanic Panic starring Rebecca Romijn as the leader of a cult in need of a virgin sacrifice when a pizza delivery girl arrives. Chelsea Stardust Peters directs and the cast includes Hayley Griffith and AJ Bowen.
Shoreline Entertainment has worldwide rights to Lexicon Entertainment’s Waterlily Jaguar, about a novelist whose pursuit of truth threatens to destroy his marriage. Paul Thomas Anderson serves as executive producer, and James Le Gros and Mira Sorvino star. Melora Walters, who starred in Anderson’s Magnolia and Boogie Nights, directs. Octane Entertainment has worldwide rights to Teacher starring Kevin Pollak, about a high-school English teacher who goes to disturbing lengths to protect his favourite students from bullies. FilmBridge International arrives with rights to Trick, which will star Dermot Mulroney as a small-town detective on the trail of a serial killer that people believed he had killed years earlier. Patrick Lussier will direct. Ellen S Wander and Gabriela Lugo are producing. MPI Media Group is staging the market premiere of Level 16, a dystopian thriller about a group of teen girls trapped in a mysterious and cruel boarding school that hides a dark secret. Danishka Esterhazy directs a cast that includes Katie Douglas, Celina Martin, Sara Canning and Peter Outerbridge. The film has support from Telefilm Canada, CBC Films, The Shaw Rocket Fund and Ontario Creates. VMI International has international rights to Run With The Hunted, a crime thriller starring Ron Perlman and Michael Pitt about a young man’s rise up the ranks of a street gang. John Swab directs and XYZ Films represents US rights to the production from Salem Street Entertainment, Title Media, Wing And A Prayer Pictures, Roxwell Films and El Ride Productions. Bondit Media Capital financed. In post. Saboteur Media will launch sales on the gothic teen vampire film Carmilla, starring Lin Shaye from Insidious and Robert Englund from A Nightmare On Elm Street. Production is scheduled to start in New York in spring 2019. Spotlight Pictures has Chinese animation Kung Food, a $12m 3D feature from Yi Animation about an innocent steamed bun who must become a hero and save the world of foods. Premiere Entertainment Group has worldwide sales rights on Egyptian boxoffice smash Karmouz War starring martial-arts ace Scott Adkins and Amir Karara. The ElSobky Film production centres on a soldier in British-occupied Egypt in the times leading up to the 1952 revolution. Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has worldwide rights to Tikato (3D), an animation from Spain’s Pasozebra about a merchandising mascot fighting to save himself and others from extinction. »
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Screen spread OP.pdf
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UNITED KINGDOM By Tom Grater Embankment Films is now in produc-
tion on Military Wives, Peter Cattaneo’s story about a military wives choir starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan. London and Los Angeles-based 42 is producing with Tempo Productions’ Piers Tempest. CAA is co-representing the US sale, while Lionsgate has taken UK rights. Mister Smith Entertainment is launching sci-fi thriller Haven — Above Sky to buyers at the market. The film, which began production last month, will star Nora Arnezeder and Iain Glen in a story set after a global catastrophe that has wiped out most of humanity. Tim Fehlbaum is directing, with German outfit Constantin Film producing and Roland Emmerich as an exec producer. The Song Of Names is HanWay Films’ buzz title at this market. Francois Girard directs Tim Roth and Clive Owen in the story based on Norman Lebrecht’s novel, which follows a man who discovers a musical clue that sheds light on the disappearance of his friend when they were boys in wartime London. Currently in production, the film is shooting across London, Budapest, Treblinka, Montreal and New York. Altitude Film Sales has Horrible Histories: The Movie — Rotten Romans, the feature adaptation of the popular children’s book and TV series that Altitude is producing in-house. Nick Frost, Craig Roberts and Kim Cattrall star, with Dominic Brigstocke directing. Altitude will also distribute in the UK and Ireland in partnership with Lorton Entertainment. Bankside Films will be showing a promo for Normal People, the Northern Ireland-set love story starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville. The film is adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name and tells the tale of a couple dealing with the wife’s breast-cancer diagnosis and treatment. Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn are co-directing. CAA is representing US rights. Rocket Science has Resistance currently in production and will be sharing first images. Written and directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz, the film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Bella Ramsey and Matthias Schweighöfer in the story of a group of Jewish boy scouts who worked with the French Resistance to save the lives of 10,000 orphans during the Second World War. Also in production is Dirt Music, which Cornerstone Films is bringing to AFM. Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Hedlund and David Wenham star in the
18 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Horrible Histories: The Movie — Rotten Romans
Gwen
Haven — Above Sky
haunting love story set against the backdrop of Western Australia’s evocative landscape, which was adapted from Tim Winton’s Man Booker-prize shortlisted novel. Universal Pictures will distribute in Australia and New Zealand. Protagonist Pictures is now in postproduction on How To Build A Girl, the adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s novel directed by Coky Giedroyc. Beanie Feldstein stars as an opinionated and over-
weight teenager who leaves her hometown to reinvent herself as a badass and adventurous music critic. WestEnd Films brings its buzz title The Banishing to the AFM. Christopher Smith directs the story of a young reverend, his wife and daughter who move into a manor with a horrifying secret. Shooting wrapped prior to the market on New Zealand gang film Savage, on which Film Constellation is handling
sales. Jake Ryan, John Tui and Chelsie Preston Crayford star in the film, which is based on real-life stories of New Zealand’s fearsome street gangs of the 1960s-1980s. Sam Kelly is directing. STXinternational’s buzz title at AFM is UglyDolls, the first entry in what is envisioned to be a franchise of animated features. Kelly Asbury is directing and Robert Rodriguez is producing the project, which is based on the toy brand. The voice cast includes Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Emma Roberts and Nick Jonas. The film is an STX Entertainment production and the company will also handle US distribution. Independent Film Company has sci-fi Archive, the feature directing debut of Gavin Rothery, who was the concept designer on Duncan Jones’ Moon. Theo James and Stacy Martin star in the film about a scientist working in a remote facility developing humanoid androids, whose secret motive is to be reunited with his dead wife. The project begins shooting this month in Hungary. Horror film Z is in post-production for AMP International. It is a collaboration between writer/director Brandon Christensen and writer/producer Colin Minihan and is about a family that finds itself terrorised by the eight-year-old son’s imaginary friend. ICM is representing rights in North America. Great Point Media has William McGregor’s Gwen, fresh from its premiere in Toronto’s Discovery strand. Starring Eleanor Worthington-Cox, the film is a period piece set in rural Wales following the fates of a mother and two young daughters plagued by a series of ominous events on their hillside farm. Maxine Peake also stars. GFM Films has Saint Seiya: Knights Of The Zodiac, a superhero-style live- »
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18.10.18 12:13
AFM BUZZ THE LOWDOWN
Dark Sense
action film based on the Japanese Saint Seiya franchise, which has generated $1.1bn to date through its IP across TV series, manga and licensing. The project will be directed by Tomek Baginski, with Toei Animation and A Really Good Film producing. It is in pre-production with an expected start date of late spring 2019. Completed Irish western Never Grow Old is Metro International’s buzz title at this AFM. John Cusack, Emile Hirsch and Déborah Francois star in writer/ director Ivan Kavanagh’s story of an undertaker who faces a moral dilemma when a ruthless gang of outlaws terrorises his sleepy frontier town. Evolutionary Films is handling There’s A Hole In My Bucket. The feature documentary is made by Royd Tolkien, the great-grandson of The Lord Of The Rings author JRR Tolkien, and is about his journey to complete a bucket list of 50 challenges created for him by his brother Mike, who died after a battle with motor neurone disease. The film is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. SC Films is screening Legend Of Hallowaiian in the market. The feature animation, set over the course of one Halloween evening on the islands of Hawaii, features a voice cast of Mark Hamill, Noah Schnapp and Vanessa Williams. Viva Pictures has North America rights. Timeless Films will be selling Jungle Beat The Movie at this market. From writer/director Brent Dawes, the animated feature, currently in production, is about a group of jungle animals visited by an alien that has been sent to conquer them.
Aasha The Street Dog
Goalpost Film is handling sales on Ben Wheatley’s Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, which premiered at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. The film centres on a man who hires a lavish manor for his extended family to celebrate New Year. BBC Films backed the production, and the broadcaster has retained UK rights. Documentary specialist Dogwoof has Without Compromise, Reiner Holzemer’s portrait of fashion designer Martin Margiela, which is now in production. Film Seekers has newly signed comedy I Love My Mum from Spanish writer/director Alberto Sciamma. The film has a European ensemble cast featuring Kierston Wareing, Dominique Pinon, Aida Folch and former soccer star Frank Leboeuf. It tells the tale of a mother and her worried son who must find their way back to England after waking up in a shipping container in Morocco wearing only their pyjamas. (Right) Demon Eye
20 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Moviehouse Entertainment has A War Story, John Laing’s New Zealand drama about Pulitzer Prize-winning CNN correspondent Peter Arnett’s mission to locate and interview the then little-known Osama bin Laden. Parkland Pictures has Titanium White, Piotr Smigasiewicz’s crime thriller about an art researcher who, while surveying the final works of Michelangelo Caravaggio, discovers a series of criminal events has taken place. Piotr Adamczyk and Alessandra Mastronardi star in the film. Cinestaan Film Company
is handling sales on Aasha Dog which is The Street Dog, now in post-production. The live-
action all-animal family feature, set on the streets of Delhi, is directed by Frederik Du Chau. The English-language feature will be delivered in the second quarter of 2019. Carnaby International is selling Rise Of The Footsoldier 4: Marbella at this AFM. Andrew Loveday directs this instalment in the UK gangster franchise, which follows a notorious criminal who heads to Marbella to settle a score with a rival. Loveday also stars alongside Craig Fairbrass and Emily Wyatt. Reason8 will be market screening select footage from suspense thriller Stray. The film is based on an original story by Anna Starobinets and is about a couple who adopt an orphan. The mother begins to believe the child is their son who went missing several years ago, while the father fears something more sinister. Olga Gorodetskaya is directing. 20th Century Fox will distribute the film in Russia and the CIS in March 2019. Devilworks has Ryan Simons’ supernatural horror Demon Eye, which follows a young woman who returns to her father’s country house following his mysterious death where she finds a cursed amulet. Darren Day and Ellie Goffe star. Jinga Films ’ buzz title is horror Reborn, which is screening in the market prior to its world premiere at FrightFest Halloween in London on November 3. Julian Richards directs the story of a stillborn baby girl who is brought back to life by electro-kinetic power before being abducted from the hospital and raised as a captive. Barbara Crampton and Chaz Bono star. Park Circus is representing Free Solo for international theatrical rights (excluding UK and North America) on behalf of National Geographic, as part of the company’s ongoing deal to represent the National Geographic catalogue internationally. The film, which has grossed more than $1m at the US box office, is about one man’s attempt to free solo climb Yosemite’s 3,000ft high El Capitan wall. 7&7 Producers’ Sales Service will be selling Dark Sense at AFM. The UK paranormal thriller is based on Peter A Flannery’s novel First And Only, and follows psychic Simon who, after foreseeing his own death at the hands of a serial killer, enlists the help of an ex-special forces soldier. Kew Media Group has The Go Go’s Go’s, Alison Ellwood’s feature documentary about the titular American new wave band. Trevor Birney and Corey Russell produce. »
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AFM BUZZ THE LOWDOWN
FRANCE By Melanie Goodfellow Doc & Film International is focusing on
US director Jonathan Nossiter’s end-ofthe-world drama Last Words, set in 2085 and starring Nick Nolte, Charlotte Rampling, Alba Rohrwacher, Stellan Skarsgard and Valeria Golino, and fashion documentary House Of Cardin by P David Ebersole and Todd Hughes. New titles on mk2 Films’ slate include Justine Triet’s drama Sibyl, starring Virginie Efira as a psychotherapist who becomes obsessed with a young actress played by Adele Exarchopoulos. Other upcoming titles include Céline Sciamma’s 18th-century drama Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, starring Adele Haenel as a bride who gets involved with the female artist painting her portrait. New titles on the TF1 International slate include How To Be A French Lover (Just A Gigolo), which stars Kad Merad as an ageing gigolo who enlists the help of his 10-year-old nephew to help him find a new millionaire. It also kicks off sales on Roxane starring Guillaume de Tonquédec as an organic egg producer trying to turn his favourite hen into an internet star in a bid to save his business. Gaumont world premieres Alexis Michalik’s big-screen adaptation of his stage hit Edmond, about the writing of the play Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand in 1897. It will also show a first promo real for Anne Fontaine’s fairytaleinspired sensual comedy Pure As Snow starring Isabelle Huppert. Charades kicks off sales on Ben Stassen and Jérémie Degruson’s family animation Bigfoot Superstar, as well as Jonas Alexander Arnby’s drama Suicide Tourist, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as a detective investigating a facility specialising in assisted-suicide fantasies. Other titles include psychological thriller Swallow, a debut feature from Carlo Mirabella-Davis starring Haley Bennett as a pregnant woman who starts uncontrollably eating objects. Bac Films International shows a first promo for Martin Rosete’s romantic comedy Remember Me, starring Bruce Dern as an old man trying to connect with a former love of his life who is battling Alzheimer’s, and a new promo for family animation Terra Willy. Playtime has the world premiere of Fred Grivois’ Somalia-set hostage drama 15 Minutes Of War and launches sales on Emmanuel Hamon’s drama Escape From Rakka, starring Swann Arlaud as a man trying to extract his wife and son from Syria. It also has 5 Is The Perfect Number, an adaptation of the Italian graphic novel
22 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Heretiks
Swallow
By The Grace Of God
by Igort, starring Toni Servillo and Valeria Golino, and Abdel Raouf Dafri’s war drama The Breitner Commando, set during the Algerian war of independence. It will also show first footage of Francois Ozon’s By The Grace Of God, inspired by the victims of a Catholic priest in Lyon accused of sexually abusing boy scouts. Memento Films International premieres footage for Justin Kurzel’s The True History Of The Kelly Gang, starring George MacKay as notorious Australian bush ranger and outlaw Ned Kelly. It also has Benedict Andrews’ drama Against All Enemies starring Kristen Stewart as iconic actress Jean Seberg, when she becomes embroiled in an FBI investigation about her support for the civil rights movement in 1960s Los Angeles. New additions to the WTFilms slate include UK director Paul Hyett’s supernatural horror picture Heretiks, about a woman accused of witchcraft who is sent to an isolated convent where evils forces are at play. Versatile shows the first teaser for Ninja Thyberg’s feature debut Jessica about a Swedish girl who moves to Los Angeles with ambitions of breaking into the adult film industry, and a new promo-reel for Can Evrenol’s fantasy-adventure (Right) Pure As Snow
Girl With No Mouth about four deformed children fighting to survive in the wake of a nuclear disaster. SND premieres animation Asterix: The Secret Of The Magic Potion ahead of its French release in December. Hot titles for Indie Sales include German director Thorsten Klein’s Englishlanguage Second World War drama Adventures Of A Mathematician, inspired by the life of Polish-American hydrogen bomb scientist Stanislaw Ulam, and Memory: The Origins Of Alien, exploring the unreleased materials that inspired Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic. It will be ready to coincide with the film’s 40th anniversary in 2019. Other Angle kicks off sales on Love Is On The Move starring Romane Bohringer and Philippe Rebbot as a separating couple who decide to rebuild their lives in the
same single apartment, splitting it in two, and All Inclusive, Fabien Onteniente’s comedy starring Franck Dubosc, Josiane Balasko, Thierry Lhermitte and FrancoisXavier Demaison. Celluloid Dreams continues sales on its Venice pair: Tunisian horror film Dachra and Sébastien Marnier’s high-school thriller School’s Out, starring Laurent Lafitte as a teacher who gets on the wrong side of a group of nihilistic students. Elle Driver shows first images of fantasy thriller The Room; Roberto Saviano’s big-screen adaptation of his bestseller La Paranza Dei Bambini, directed by Claudio Giovannesi, about teen crime bosses in Naples; and Cédric Kahn’s family comedy-drama Happy Birthday, starring Catherine Deneuve and Emmanuelle Bercot. Urban Distribution International
(UDI) will show first images for Italian director Giovanni La Parola’s western My Body Will Bury You, about female bandits operating on the island of Sicily on the eve of Italy’s reunification. Studiocanal will screen Michael Herbig’s adventure thriller Balloon, about two families who escaped from Communist East Germany in 1979 in a homemade hot-air balloon. It will also show Amanda Sthers’ comedy-drama Holy Lands, starring James Caan as a cardiologist who abandons his life in New York to set up a pig farm in Israel. Pathé International launches sales on Alice Winocour’s astronaut drama Proxima, starring Eva Green and Matt Dillon, and will also screen French family comedy The Brand New Adventures Of Aladin. Its slate also includes Paul Verhoeven’s nun drama Benedetta. Upcoming titles on The Bureau Sales slate include Eva Riley’s Perfect Ten, about a 15-year-old gymnast at a crossroads in her life, and Harry Wootliff ’s couple drama Only You, which is in post. Wide will market premiere Portuguese filmmaker Bruno Gascon’s human-trafficking drama Carga. »
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AFM_Day1_Shared_GJ+PSL.pdf 1 26/10/2018 11:18:46
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AFM BUZZ THE LOWDOWN
REST OF EUROPE
NORDICS
TrustNordisk has added two titles to its slate for AFM: Nini Bull Robsahm’s
GERMANY
Picture Tree International is giving a
market premiere to culture-clash comedy Kingdom Of Sweden, directed by Peter Dalle, in which Joseph and Mary are crossing the desert looking for a safe home for their unborn child — and end up in Sweden, the land of peace, equality and Ikea. A promo for minimalist drama 100 Things will be shown, loosely inspired by cult Finnish documentary My Stuff. It is also selling Polish horror thriller Dark, Almost Night from director Borys Lankosz. Beta Cinema is screening first footage from Caroline Link’s When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, based on Judith Kerr’s bestselling novel. The company’s AFM slate also includes Nikolaus Leytner’s The Tobacconist about a young man’s friendship with Sigmund Freud during the Nazi occupation of Vienna, which stars Bruno Ganz, and biopic Trautmann about the former German soldier Bert Trautmann who became a professional soccer player in Britain. Beta Cinema is also presenting its sex, drugs and pingpong road movie 25 Km/h, about two brothers crossing Germany on mopeds. The cast includes Lars Eidinger and Franka Potente. Ida Martins’ Cologne-based Media Luna is giving a premiere to jazz-based film noir My Foolish Heart, about the final days of legendary trumpeter Chet Baker. Also on its AFM slate is the JA Bayonaproduced I Hate New York, which explores the lives of a number of New York’s most famous underground artists and trans activists. Arri Media’s new titles for AFM include Huseyin Tabak’s Gipsy Queen, about a Roma single mother who uses boxing to better her life. The film is due for release in early 2019. Also fresh on the slate is wilderness drama Lysis, directed by Rick Ostermann and starring Oliver Masucci and Louis Hofmann. The film is about a father who takes his estranged son on a rafting trip, where things go very badly wrong. Arri’s new family movie Double Trouble is a story about a fun-loving kid’s misadventures with a magical mirror. It is the latest film from Marcus H Rosenmüller, currently winning plaudits for (Right) Cut Off
26 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
The Elfkins — Baking A Difference
Trautmann. The company is also presenting dark family drama In The Middle Of The River, starring Eric Hunter; giving a world premiere to horror movie The Sonata starring Freya Tingley and Rutger Hauer; and screening another horror picture, Hanna’s Homecoming from Esther Bialas, fresh from its premiere at Hof International Film Festival. Global Screen is presenting Cut Off, a psycho-thriller directed by Christian Alvart and starring Moritz Bleibtreu and Lars Eidinger. The film will receive its first market screenings following a successful autumn release in Germany. Just before AFM, the company picked up Thomas Sieben’s thriller Kidnapping Stella, starring Max von der Groeben and Jella Haase. Also new on its slate for the market is animated feature Fritzi — A Revolutionary Tale from Ralf Kukula and Matthias Bruhn. Set in East Berlin in 1989, the film will be released next year in time for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Berlin-based Films Boutique is presenting Sudabeh Mortezai’s sex-trafficking drama Joy, which won the best film award in BFI London Film Festival’s Competition section. The Match Factory’s AFM screenings include Arturo Infante’s aliens-in-Cuba drama The Extraordinary Journey Of Celeste Garcia. Also on its slate, fresh from a world premiere in San Sebatian, are Iciar Bollain’s Yuli, a biopic of ballet star Carlos Acosta, and Roberto Minervini’s feted documentary What You Gonna Do Fire? The Match When The World’s On Fire?. Factory will also bring Carlos Reygadas’s Our Time to Santa Monica along with The Mountain by Rick Alverson, starring Jeff Goldblum and Tye Sheridan, and documentary Carmine Street Guitars by Ron Mann. Stuttgart-based family specialist Sola Media i s introducing
Norwegian horror/psychological thriller The Lake Of Death, adapted from a 1942 novel about friends fighting to stay alive in the dark forests and fjords of Norway, and May El-Toukhy’s Queen Of Hearts, a Danish drama about a successful woman (played by Trine Dyrholm) who embarks on a dangerous affair with her teenage stepson (Gustav Lindh). Both films are now in post-production. At TrustNordisk’s promo-reel screening, teasers will also be shown for Fenar Ahmad’s Valhalla, a Norse mythology fantasy adventure starring Roland Moller and Stine Fischer Christensen, and Mikael Hafstrom’s The Perfect Patient, about a Swedish journalist investigating a famous serial-killer case. David Dencik and Alba August star. SF Studios will have a teaser for 438 Days, a dramatic thriller directed by Jesper Ganslandt and based on the true story of Swedish journalists imprisoned in Ethiopia. It also has promos for Britt-Marie Was Here, directed by Tuva Novotny and starring Pernilla August as a woman who starts her life over after 40 years of marriage, and Espen Sandberg’s biopic Amundsen, about early 20th-century polar explorer Roald Amundsen. SF is screening the completed erotic drama An Affair from Norwegian filmmaker Henrik M Dahlsbakken, about a female teacher who begins a relationship with a student. LevelK’s titles include Australian drama Celeste, directed by Ben Hackworth and starring Radha Mitchell as a retired opera diva; Ukrainian sci-fi family adventure The Bobot directed by Max Ksjonda; and Finnish drama One Last Deal directed by The Fencer’s Klaus Haro. One Last Deal has closed a series of deals since premiering in Toronto. Yellow Affair is selling Selma Vilhunen’s Stupid Young Heart, a Finnish drama about teen parents in a multicultural neighbourhood, Simo Halinen’s thriller East Of Sweden and Kerstin Polte’s German drama Cloud Whispers. The company is also offering a new edit of thriller Robin, directed by Antonio Tublén. Kasper Tuxen
By Geoffrey Macnab, Gabriele Niola, Wendy Mitchell and Elisabet Cabeza
Valhalla
buyers to its new animated feature, The Elfkins — Baking A Difference from Akkord Film, the outfit behind Raven The Little Rascal. The CG-animated feature looks at the German legend of the Elfkins — gnomes who used to help humans with household chores before being ousted by a tailor’s malevolent wife; this is the story of their return. The film will be ready next year with Tobis planning a release for fall 2019. ITALY
Rai Com will launch sales on Volare from director Gabriele Salvatores. Currently in pre-production, the film is a father-andson relationship story set on a road trip across northern Italy. The Italian outfit will also show a new promo for Freaks Out, the second feature from Gabriele
Mainetti (They Call Me Jeeg) about a gang of circus freaks on the loose in Rome during the Second World War. True Colours will screen The Legend Of The Christmas Witch at AFM, a fantasycomedy from Italian genre director Michele Soavi starring Paola Cortellesi, who played the lead in last year’s surprise Italian hit Like A Cat On A Highway. The company will also screen director Jacopo Rondinelli’s extreme-sports actionthriller Ride. Intramovies has two new Italian titles on its AFM slate. Lucania is a tale of land, blood and magic set in rural Italy from director Gigi Roccati, while The Vegetarian by Roberto San Pietro is a drama about an Indian boy who lives in Italy and works with cows. The animals are considered holy in the country of his »
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FURTHER TERRITORIES By Geoffrey Macnab
Blood Fest
birth, but in his new home are destined for the slaughterhouse. Minerva Pictures is premiering its new acquisition Blood Fest here at AFM. Owen Egerton’s horror title is set in the world of fantasy film festivals and stars Zachary Levi (Chuck). The company will also launch sales on Antonello Grimaldi’s Italian road movie Friends Will Be Friends. Filmexport will screen Nicolas Tuozzo’s The Great Noise Of Silence, an Argentinian murder mystery produced by Fox International, and Falklands War-set military drama Soldiers Only Known By God from Argentinian filmmaker Rodrigo Fernandez Engler. Summerside International is bringing the ska-themed documentary Rock The World, shot between Italy, Jamaica and Japan to connect the different roots of the genre. The Rome-based outfit’s slate also includes Finnish drama The Violin Player by Paavo Westerberg, about a former violin player who falls in love with one of her students, and Love Therapy by Claudio Cicconetti, a comedy about two analysis patients forced to help each other. SPAIN
Film Factory Entertainment’s AFM line-
up includes Venice Competition and Toronto title The Accused, a psychological thriller revolving around sex, social media and the death of a young girl; Argentinian producers K&S and Rei Cine are jointly producing. Leonardo S b a ra g l i a ( Wi l d Tales) stars as the conflicted father of the prime suspect played by Lali Esposito (That’s Not Cheating). On the suspense front, Film Factory is also showing a trailer for Unbridled, a loose adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House from the producers of The Fury Of A Patient Man. Jota Linares is directing and Natalia de
28 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Molina (Quién Te Cantara) is starring. Film Factory is also selling buddy comedy Taxi To Treasure Rock, starring Dani Rovira. With a strong Latin American slate as usual, Latido Films is showcasing Spanish box-office hit Champions by Javier Fesser (Camino), a dramedy about a basketball coach sentenced to do community service with a team of players with disabilities. Champions is Spain’s entry for the Oscars and so are two other titles handled by Latido: Oscar pick for Uruguay and Venice title A Twelve-Year Night by Alvaro Brechner and Brazil’s The Great Mystical Circus, which premiered at Cannes and is directed by veteran Carlos Diegues. Starring Vincent Cassel, the film tells the story of the family that owned the titular circus over five generations. Latido’s slate also includes the latest from Argentinian filmmaker Juan Jose Campanella, whose The Secret In Their Eyes won the best foreign-language film Oscar in 2010. His new film is comedy The Weasels and the Madridbased sales company has the first promo available at its AFM booth. Filmax International’s slate once again showcases its thrillers, with the company screening the market premiere of 70 Big Ones, a story about a bank robbery that premiered at Sitges International Film Festival. Directed by Koldo Serra, it stars Emma Suarez and Hugo Silva. San Sebastian’s Golden Shell winner Between Two Waters , directed by Isaki Lacuesta, will also be handled by Filmax.
(Right) Champions
Australian outfit Odin’s Eye is introducing action-thriller Angel’s Rage, which is produced by Lene Borglum’s Space Rocket, the company behind Only God Forgives and Neon Demon. Directed by Michael Spooner and starring David Sakurai, it is in pre-production. Horrorthriller The Furies, from the producers of Sundance hit The Killing Ground, will be presented to buyers at AFM. The company will also have first images from its animation franchise, Tales From Sanctuary City. HNFF World Sales, from Hungary, is giving a first market screening to X — The eXploited, a quirky thriller from Karoly Ujj Meszaros about a police officer afflicted with a panic disorder that makes her afraid of crime scenes, who stumbles on a serial murder case. Budapest-based Luminescence is pre-selling Pinocchio — A True Story. It is also introducing buyers to its new animated adventure comedy My Sweet Monster, directed by Maxim Volkov of Sheep And Wolves fame. My Sweet Monster is produced in 3D CGI by Sergey Selyanov. Russian outfit Mars Media has teamed up with Central Partnership, the Russian distributor of its war epic T-34. Central Partnership will now handle Chinese rights on the film, which is due to be released on 2,000 screens in Russia in late December. Mars Media is screening high-concept thriller The Perfect Ones, and will show the first footage of Sabre Dance, a biopic of Aram Khachaturian, the celebrated Soviet-Armenian composer who wrote his most famous piece — the music for ballet Gayane — during the Second World War. Central Partnership is beginning
X — The eXploited
sales on Baba Yaga: Terror Of The Dark Forest, the latest production from Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad, Leviathan, Loveless), and will be introducing buyers to sci-fi action movie The Blackout, directed by Egor Baranov. Its AFM slate also includes Evgeny Abyzov’s horror film Guests, China-Russia comedy How I Became Russian (co-directed by Akaki Sakhelashvili and Xia Hao) and literary mystery thriller Gogol. A Terrible Vengeance, starring Oleg Menshikov. The latter is part of a trilogy about 19th-century writer Nikolai Gogol investigating supernatural murders. Russian animation specialist Wizart is presenting The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands, due to be released at home in January, and Sheep And Wolves: Pig Deal. Dutch Features Global Entertainment has two completed titles pre-
miering at AFM: Israeli action drama The Bouncer and wildlife feature Living On The Edge, set in the Wadden Sea wetlands. Poland’s New Europe Film Sales is introducing buyers to Syllas Tzoumerkas’s third feature, The Miracle Of The Sargasso Sea, currently in post-production. The company’s slate also includes Ivan I Tverdovsky’s Jumpman, fresh from its Karlovy s Vary premiere in the summer. ■
T-34
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SCREENING TODAY 11:00 | LAEMMLE MONICA FILM CENTER 3 PRESENTS
RAVEN BANNER ENTERTAINMENT | LOEWS HOTEL | SUITE 601 James Fler +14164283537 jfler@ravenbanner.ca
Michaelangelo Masangkay +14169852544 michaelangelo@ravenbanner.ca
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HOT PROJECTS JAPAN
Our Departures
Full steam ahead This year’s AFM line-up from Japan arrives to fanfare. Sadao Nakajima returns after a 20-year hiatus, and there’s a swathe of new talent ready to impress. Liz Shackleton reports Chiwawa Dir Ken Ninomiya Mugi Kadowaki (Love’s Whirlpool) and Ryo Narita (Code Blue: The Movie) star in this coming-of-age drama based on a popular manga about the impact of an Instagram star’s murder on her group of friends. Also starring internationally known actors Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill) and Tadanobu Asano (Silence), the film is scheduled for Japanese release in January. Contact Asako Suzuki, Kadokawa suzuki_as@kadokawa.jp
Day And Night Dir Michihito Fujii Shinnosuke Abe (13 Assassins) stars in this crime drama about a man forced to return to his hometown following the suicide of his father, a whistleblower who revealed malpractice at a major car company. He starts to think about
32 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
revenge after meeting a worker in a children’s nursing home who commits crimes based on a conviction that he is helping the children. Produced by Japanese actor Takayuki Yamada, the film is currently in post-production for release in January. Contact Emico Kawai, Nikkatsu kawai@nikkatsu.co.jp
His Lost Name Dir Nanako Hirose Yuya Yagira (Nobody Knows) and veteran actor Kaoru Kobayashi (Midnight Diner) star in t h i s d ra m a , w h i c h marks the feature debut of Hirokazu Kore-eda protégé Hirose. The story revolves around (Right) Day And Night
a middle-aged widower who gives shelter to a young man he finds almost unconscious on a river bank. While he treats the boy like a son, the local townspeople start to suspect he is connected to a recent incident. Produced by Kore-eda’s Bunbuku, Bandai Namco Arts, AOI Pro and The Asahi Shimbun Company, the film premiered in Busan’s New Currents competition. Contact Haruko Watanabe, Gaga watanabh@gaga.co.jp
It Comes Dir Tetsuya Nakashima Scheduled for Japanese release on December 7, this supernatural thriller is directed by one of Japan’s hottest filmmakers, Nakashima (Confessions, The World Of Kanako), based on Ichi
Sawamura’s novel about a young couple haunted by a sinister presence. The cast is headed by Junichi Okada (The Eternal Zero), Nana Komatsu (The World Of Kanako), Satoshi Tsumabuki (Rage) and Haru Kuroki (The Little House). Toho is handling international sales on the film, with the exception of Europe, which is covered by Gaga Corp. International contact Akihiro Takeda, Toho a_takeda@toho.co.jp Europe contact Haruko Watanabe, Gaga watanabh@gaga.co.jp
Jesus Dir Hiroshi Okuyama The feature debut of short film and music video director Okuyama, this drama recently premiered in San Sebastian International Film Festival’s New Directors section. Produced by Tadashi Yoshino, the film revolves around a young boy who attends a Christian school when he moves to the country-
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side to live with his grandmother and starts to see a very small Jesus figure appear before him every time he prays. Nikkatsu has picked up international rights to the film and is also selling Okuyama’s short Tokyo 21st October, which premiered at Busan International Film Festival. Contact Emico Kawai, Nikkatsu kawai@nikkatsu.co.jp
Just Only Love Dir Rikiya Imaizumi Based on Mitsuyo Kakuta’s award-winning novel, the latest romantic drama from hot indie director Imaizumi tells the story of a one-sided love affair between an obsessive young office worker and a guy who treats her as completely disposable. Rising actress Yukino Kishii and Ryo Narita (Code Blue: The Movie) head the cast of the film, which recently premiered in Competition at Tokyo International Film Festival.
His Lost Name
Contact Yasushi Miyamae, Colorbird ymiyamae@colorbird.co.jp
Love’s Twisting Path
Marriage Hunting Beauty
Dir Sadao Nakajima The first film from 84-year-old director Nakajima (The Seburi Story) after a 20-year hiatus, this period drama follows a fallen samurai who is hunted down by the swordsmen of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (My Man) is assistant director on the film, which stars Kengo Kora, Mikako Tabe and Ryo Kimura. Japanese release is scheduled for spring 2019. Contact Momoko Nakamura, Free Stone Productions momoko.nakamura@freestone.jp
Marriage Hunting Beauty Dir Akiko Oku Based on a popular web comic, this romantic comedy stars Mei Kurokawa as a 30-something web designer who turns to online dating to find a husband. The Japanese release is scheduled for March 23, 2019. Also starring Asami Usuda, Tomoya Nakamura and Kei Tanaka, director Oku won the audience award at 2017’s Tokyo International Film Festival for her last film Tremble All You Want. Contact Momoko Nakamura, Free Stone Productions momoko.nakamura@freestone.jp
Our Departures Dir Yasuhiro Yoshida The latest film in Shochiku’s Railways franchise revolves around a female train driver played by Kasumi Arimura (Flying
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Jesus
Colors). Yoshida (Birthday Card) has been brought in to direct and the cast also includes Jun Kunimura (The Wailing). The film, which recently premiered in Busan’s A Window On Asian Cinema section, is scheduled for Japanese release on November 30.
Until I Meet September’s Love
between parallel universes. Director Mori’s credits include Satoshi: A Move For Tomorrow, and the film is being lined up for release in the first half of 2019. Contact Shion Komatsu, Shochiku shion_komatsu@shochiku.co.jp
around her after her boyfriend leaves his smartphone in a taxi. Contact Masashi Yamamoto, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) y-masa@green.tbs.co.jp
Contact Shion Komatsu, Shochiku shion_komatsu@shochiku.co.jp
Stolen Identity
Until I Meet September’s Love
Dir Hideo Nakata
Dir Toru Yamamoto
Parallel World Love Story
Based on novel written by Akira Shiga, this suspense thriller is directed by Nakata (The Ring, Chatroom) and stars Keiko Kitagawa (The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift), Kei Tanaka, Yudai Chiba and Ryo Narita. Scheduled for Japanese release in early November, the film revolves around a temp worker who finds mysterious events taking place all
Haruna Kawaguchi (Creepy) and Issei Takahashi (Shin Godzilla) star in this adaptation of Yumi Matsuo’s novel about a woman who starts hearing a voice in her apartment, claiming to be from the future. Warner Bros Japan will release the film theatrically in Japan in early 2019.
Dir Yoshitaka Mori Yuta Tamamori, Riho Yoshioka and Shota Sometani head the cast of this adaptation of a novel by Keigo Higashino, one of Japan’s most popular writers. The story involves a love triangle between two boys and a girl who travel
Contact Naoko Satoh, Nippon TV s satohn.stf@ntv.co.jp n
October 31, 2018 Screen International at AFM 33
HOT PROJECTS TAIWAN
A champion line-up
An erotic thriller, a romantic fantasy and a hitmen action comedy are among the buzz Taiwanese productions available at this year’s AFM. Silvia Wong reports Dad’s Suit Dir Hung Po Hao Set to world premiere at the upcoming Golden Horse Film Festival, this family drama is about an octogenarian man who, against his will, ends up in a nursing home in Taipei, the city where his children live. All he wants is to spend the last days of his life in his hometown of Pingxi. Phoebe Huang, who plays the man’s daughter, has been nominated for the best supporting actress prize at the Golden Horse Awards. Dad’s Suit is the feature debut of Hung after directing popular TV drama Wake Up 2 last year. Veteran David Tang (Who Killed Cook Robin) serves as producer.
We Are Champions
Paradise Next
Paradise Next
Contact Renaissance Films tang12345678@gmail.com
Dir Yoshihiro Hanno
Deep Evil Dir Mark Lu This erotic crime thriller, a rare genre for Taiwanese film in recent years, is Lu’s feature directing debut. It follows the investigation of a gruesome murder by police and a forensic scientist, with a top plastic surgeon and a gallery owner among the prime suspects. Kaiser Chuang (Who Killed Cock Robin), Ivy Shao (The Tenants Downstairs) and Fu Meng Po (The Last Verse) head the cast. This marks the first film project of Fiona Lo’s Transmit Media Entertainment, which produced web drama Lost? Me Too!, also directed by Lu. Contact Sky Film com
cs98h040@gmail.
A Fool In Love, Love Like A Fool Dir Blue Lan Actor-turned-filmmaker Lan’s directorial debut is a romantic fantasy about a boy with Down’s syndrome who believes that a ‘compensated-dating’ girl is a mermaid, like the heroine in his favourite picture book. Produced by Eric Liang’s Sky Film, the film stars veteran actress Tien Niu (The Blue Choker), Bamboo Chen (The Great Buddha+), Kuo Shu Yao (The Teenage Psychic) and Lan, who is known for his acting roles in Night Market Hero and Forever Love. Contact Lammy Li, Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific lammy.li@fox.com
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad Show
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad Show
Killer Not Stupid Dir Jack Neo
Dir Hsieh Nien Tsu Renowned producers Yeh Jufeng (The Great Buddha+) and Wang Wei Zhong have teamed up for this big-screen adaptation of a popular stage comedy about a struggling broadcaster, Crazy TV, that catches nationwide attention when two robbers break in during a live talk show and hold up the studio. The theatre production’s director Hsieh helms the film and the cast includes Ou Han Sheng, Lim Min Chen, Liu Kuang Ting and Na Dou. Warner Brothers Taiwan will release it for Chinese New Year 2019. Contact Desmond Tang, MandarinVision desmond@ mandarinvision.com
34 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Dad’s Suit
Killer Not Stupid marks the first film shot in Taiwan for Singapore’s most commercially successful director Neo, who is best known for the I Not Stupid and Ah Boys To Men franchises. Neo’s new action comedy follows two hitmen who decide to end their career with one final mission, only for matters to get complicated when their nemesis comes after them. The cast includes Jay Shih, Amber An, Na Dou and Lin Mei Hsiu. Singapore’s mm2 Entertainment and Turner Asia Pacific are co-producing, with a Chinese New Year 2019 release scheduled for Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Contact mm2 Entertainment nelsonmok@ mm2entertainment. com
Shot entirely in Taiwan, this TaiwanJapan co-production between James Liu’s Joint Pictures and Fumiko Osaka’s Shimensoka stars Satoshi Tsumabuki (Rage) and Etsushi Toyokawa (Love Letter) as two hitmen on the run in Taiwan, where they hope to find atonement. However, they cannot escape the murder of a crime boss’s daughter. Paradise Next marks the third feature of composer-turned-director Hanno, whose soundtrack credits include features for Hou Hsiao-hsien and Jia Zhangke including, most recently, Mountains May Depart. Ryuichi Sakamoto will compose a theme song for Paradise Next, which also co-stars Taiwanese actress Hsieh Hsin Ying (The Assassin). Contact James Liu, Joint Entertainment james@j-ent.com.tw
We Are Champions Dir Chang Jung Chi Touch Of The Light producer Rachel Chen reunites with director Chang for this inspirational sports drama revolving around Taiwanese youth’s obsession with the High School Basketball League. When two brothers play for rival teams from different schools, their sibling bond is put to the test. The young cast includes Fandy Fan (At Café 6) and Berant Zhu (How To Train Our Dragon). Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific is co-producing. Contact Lammy Li, Fox Networks Group s Asia Pacific lammy.li@fox.com ■
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SCREENING TODAY 9:00 | LAEMMLE MONICA FILM CENTER 3 PRESENTS
RAVEN BANNER ENTERTAINMENT | LOEWS HOTEL | SUITE 601 James Fler +14164283537 jfler@ravenbanner.ca
Michaelangelo Masangkay +14169852544 michaelangelo@ravenbanner.ca
WWW.RAVENBANNERENTERTAINMENT.COM
SCREENINGS Edited by Paul Lindsell
paullindsell@gmail.com
AFM THEATRES AMC SANTA MONICA 1310 3rd Street Promenade, at Arizona Avenue ARCLIGHT SANTA MONICA Santa Monica Place, level 3 BROADWAY CINEPLEX 1441 3rd Street Promenade, just north of Broadway
MARKET 09:00 THE BOAT
Thriller. 86mins. Dir: Winston Azzopardi. Scr: Winston Azzopardi, Joe Azzopardi. Cast: Joe Azzopardi. Carnaby International Sales & Distribution. A lone fisherman on his daily run finds himself lost in a thick fog that proves impossible to navigate. The worst is yet to come when his encounter with a seemingly abandoned sailboat becomes a fight for survival against an unknown enemy. ArcLight 5
GAUMONT PROMO REELS AFM 2018
20mins. Gaumont. AMC Santa Monica 1
LIFECHANGER
Horror, thriller. 84mins. Dir: Justin McConnell. Scr: Justin McConnell. Cast: Lorna Burke. Raven Banner Entertainment. A murderous shapeshifter sets out on a blood-soaked mission to make things right with the woman he loves. Laemmle Monica Film Center 3
RAMPANT
Action/adventure. 121mins. Dir: Kim Sung-hoon. Scr: Hwang
Jo-yoon. Cast: Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun. Contents Panda/NEW. Prince Ganglim, one of King Lee Cho’s sons who is known for his superior martial arts skills, comes back to Joseon after his long captivity, only to find his home country swarmed with ‘Night Demons’. ArcLight 4
ROBIN: WATCH FOR WISHES
09:00 ROBIN: WATCH FOR WISHES
Drama. 98mins. Dir: Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler. Scr: Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler. Cast: Jeff Burrell, Aiden Flowers, Clayton Nemrow, Leni Speidel. Electric Entertainment.
A man of words is forced to become a man of action when he discovers the secret bucket list of his terminally ill son. The two abscond from the hospital to experience a father-son adventure in South Africa and fulfil the boy’s greatest wishes… with the police in hot pursuit. AMC Santa Monica 3
See box, above
SURVIVING CHRISTMAS
Comedy. 100mins. Dir: James Dearden. Scr: James Dearden. Cast: Joely Richardson, Gemma Whelan, Sally Phillips, Michael Landes, Patricia Hodge, Ronni Ancona, James Fox. Metro International Entertainment. When two sisters come together to spend the Christmas holiday with their families in their recently deceased parents’ country house, ancient sibling rivalries flare up with hilarious consequences. ArcLight 3
TRUE COLOURS PROMO REEL
Action/adventure, comedy, drama, horror. 120mins. Dir: Various. Scr: Various. Cast: Various. True Colours Glorious Films.
38 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Promos of True Colours’ upcoming titles AMC Santa Monica 4
09:30 BANKSIDE FILMS PROMO REEL
Comedy, drama, thriller. 60mins. Dir: Various. Scr: Various. Cast: Various. Promo screening of How To Fake A War; I See You; Normal People. ArcLight 6
PLAYTIME PROMO REEL
115mins. Dir: Various. Scr: Various. Cast: Various. Laemmle Monica Film Center 2
11:00
Cast: Tarjei Sandvik Moe, Andrea Braein Hovig, Carsten Bjornlund, Anneke von der Lippe. SF Studios. When former gymnast Anita lands a job as a gym teacher in a wealthy area of Oslo, her student Markus immediately comes on to her. The mutual attraction with the exceptionally confident teenager leads to a sexual relationship. Risking her marriage, job and image, Anita dives into the affair, which for her becomes an obsession. ArcLight 9 BAC FILMS PROMO REEL
100mins. BAC Films Distribution.
Action/adventure, martial arts, thriller. 94mins. Dir: Julien Leclercq.
» Screening times and venues are correct at time of press but subject to alteration. For late changes visit thefilmcatalogue.com
Jordan. Cast: Alex Maruny, Joe Manjon, Claudia Pons, Julia Molins, Daniel Horvath. Jinga Films. In this satire about social networking, a group of friends celebrating a farewell party are attacked by three home invaders who subject them to a twisted game of life and death while streaming their ordeal on the internet to achieve celebrity status. Laemmle Monica Film Center 5
EDMOND
HEX
Comedy, historical. 112mins. Dir: Alexis Michalik. Scr: Alexis Michalik. Cast: Thomas Soliveres, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner, Alice de Lencquesaing. Gaumont. 1897, Paris in the ‘Belle Epoque’. Edmond Rostand is a playwright of potential genius. Unfortunately, all he has written until now has been a flop. He is paralysed by the sight of a blank page and his inspiration has dried up. Thanks to his admirer Sarah Bernhardt, he is approached by the greatest actor of the day, who insists on appearing in his next play. And he wants to premiere it in three weeks. The only problem: Edmond has not yet written it, and has no idea what story he will tell.
Horror. 85mins. Dir: Rudolf Buitendach. Scr: Rudolf Buitendach. Cast: Jenny Boyd. Raven Banner Entertainment. A young backpacker’s holiday romance turns into a nightmare when the girl of his dreams starts to suffer from strange and terrifying blackouts, and in their desperate search for a cure, the couple become the unwitting playthings of a vengeful and horrific entity.
ArcLight 3
FRAMED THE BOUNCER
AFM SCREENINGS ON DEMAND Loews Hotel, room 334
AMC Santa Monica 1
AMC Santa Monica 3
AN AFFAIR
Drama. 91mins. Dir: Henrik M Dahlsbakken. Scr: Henrik M Dahlsbakken.
Scr: Jeremie Guez. Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme. Other Angle Pictures. Lukas is a single father who works at night at a discotheque to support his eight-year-old daughter. By accident he loses his job and ends up working as a bouncer at a strip club. He is then forced by dirty cops to infiltrate the gang that owns the place. He has to make the right choices to survive and save his daughter.
LAEMMLE’S MONICA FILM CENTER 1332 2nd Street
Horror. 80mins. Dir: Marc Martinez Jordan. Scr: Jaume Cuspinera, Marc Martinez
Laemmle Monica Film Center 3
UP AND AWAY
Animation, family. 81mins. Dir: Karsten Kiilerich. Scr: Karsten Kiilerich. Cast: Eoin McCormick. Sola Media. A village boy, his faithful goat, a powerseeking sultan, two hungry crocodiles, an unscrupulous villain, a streetwise city girl, an absent-minded carpet dealer and, of course, a flying carpet all play their part in this adventure. The » www.screendaily.com
SCREENINGS
mansion, cut off from the world after the unsolved murder of the rest of their family some years ago. Their strange but peaceful lives are disrupted by the arrival of a distant cousin, who may uncover their secrets — or steal their fortune. Broadway Cineplex 2
13:00 THE EMPEROR OF PARIS
MARKET 11:30 THE UNCOVERING
Thriller. 108mins. Dir: Nacho Ruiperez. Scr: Nacho Ruiperez. Cast: Michel Noher, Jan Cornet, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Francesc Garrido. Filmax. When Jordi returns to the village where he spent part of his childhood, he receives two pieces of news that have a profound effect on him. One, his father isn’t buried, as he had believed, in the
tale of a thousand-andone-nights-hillbilly who, against all odds, manages to travel the world, defeat his enemies, overcome his own fear, and who eventually returns home with an unexpected bonus. ArcLight 1
11:30 CELEBRATION
Documentary. 74mins. Dir: Olivier Meyrou. Scr: Olivier Meyrou. Cast: Yves Saint Laurent. Playtime. As Yves Saint Laurent draws the sketches for his final collection, behind the scenes, Pierre Berge manages a series of events to celebrate the fashion icon. Immersed inside the couture house during YSL’s final two years there, documentary filmmaker Olivier Meyrou’s camera films the YSL-Berge duo. Laemmle Monica Film Center 2
village cemetery, and two, Vera, a young girl who was supposedly killed alongside his father, is still alive. Armed with this new information, Jordi decides to stay in the village and try to find out what really happened. Beneath the facade of an ordinary village lies an underground world of prostitution rings, corruption and rivalry between friends and families. AMC Santa Monica 4
CHARLIE SAYS
Drama. 104mins. Dir: Mary Harron. Scr: Guinevere Turner. Cast: Matt Smith, Suki Waterhouse, Hannah Murray. Fortitude International. Inspired by true events, we follow Leslie Van Houten’s downward spiral — from the start of her time in Charles Manson’s infamous ‘Family’, to her ultimate imprisonment for the murders she helped him commit.
mysterious vigilante known as ‘El Chicano’. ArcLight 4
COCONUT THE LITTLE DRAGON — INTO THE JUNGLE
Animation, comedy, family. 80mins. Dir: Anthony Power. Scr: Mark Slater, Gabriele M Walther, Anthony Power. Kaleidoscope Film Distribution. In this fun-filled sequel, Coconut, the little fire dragon, is going on holiday, along with his best friends, Oscar and Matilda. As they board a steamship taking them to a mysterious summer camp, little do they know what lies ahead is a hair-raising adventure involving a sinking ship, a dragon lost at sea, carnivorous plants and some wild water dragons. This could turn out to be the worst holiday ever.
Laemmle Monica Film Center 4 By confirmed RSVP only
THE UNCOVERING See box, left
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE
Drama, mystery, thriller. 95mins. Dir: Stacie Passon. Scr: Mark Kruger. Cast: Alexandra Daddario, Taissa Farmiga, Sebastian Stan, Crispin Glover. Great Point. Two sisters live with their uncle in a crumbling
AMC Santa Monica 1
Drama. 108mins. Dir: Fernando Timossi. Scr: Fernando Timossi. Cast: Frank Egusquiza, Lieter Ledesma, Gaston Pauls, Hugo Reyes. Vedado Films. Four lifelong Cuban friends, accurately described by their nicknames: ‘Mr Elegant’, ‘Brutus’, ‘Philo’ (Philosopher) and, last but not least, protected and ostracised at the same time, ‘Nutty’, the group’s harmless yet truly demented resident person of the neighbourhood. Laemmle Monica Film Center 3
IN THE HOOD
Drama. 97mins. Dir: Olga Zueva. Scr: Olga Zueva. Cast: Danila Kozlovsky, Ilya Malanin. Central Partnership Sales House. Vova and his best friend Kisa work for the local thug in Vladivostock, until one assignment forces them to question their own morality and puts their friendship to the ultimate test. Laemmle Monica Film Center 1
BETA CINEMA PROMO REEL
Drama. 115mins. Beta Cinema. ArcLight 9
REBORN See box, below
Laemmle Monica Film Center 6 FILM CONSTELLATION PROMO REEL
25mins. Film Constellation.
AMC Santa Monica 2
AMC Santa Monica 6
EL CHICANO
POLAROID
Action/adventure. 108mins. Dir: Ben Hernandez Bray. Scr: Joe Carnahan, Ben Hernandez Bray. Cast: Raul Castillo, George Lopez. The Exchange. A cop is drawn into his ex-con brother’s death while investigating the crime-fighting exploits of a
Horror. 88mins. Dir: Lars Klevberg. Scr: Blair Butler. Cast: Javier Botet, Madelaine Petsch, Kathryn Prescott, Katie Stevens, Mitch Pileggi. 13 Films. High-school loner Bird Fitcher has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious Polaroid vintage
40 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
camera she stumbles upon, but it does not take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end.
Action/adventure, historical. 115mins. Dir: Jean-Francois Richet. Scr: Eric Besnard. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Olga Kurylenko, Freya Mavor, August Diehl, Fabrice Luchini, James Thierree. Gaumont. At the height of Napoleon’s reign, Vidocq — the only man who successfully broke out of prison 27 times — is a legend. Left for dead after his latest, dazzling escape, the ex-con is lying low as a modest cloth merchant. When his past catches up with him, he is framed by former cellmates for a murder he did not commit. To prove his innocence, he makes a deal with the police: in exchange for his freedom, he will hunt down all the thieves and murderers on the streets of Paris. From convict to sheriff — Vidocq becomes the ‘Emperor of Paris’.
THE FOAM OF DAYS
MARKET 13:00 REBORN
Fantasy, horror. 80mins. Dir: Julian Richards. Scr: Michael Mahin. Cast: Barbara Crampton, Kayleigh Gilbert, Michael Pare, Chaz Bono, Rae Dawn Chong, Peter Bogdanovich. Jinga Films.
A stillborn baby girl is abducted from a morgue and brought back to life by electrokinetic power. On her 16th birthday, she escapes captivity and sets out to find her mother, leaving a bloody trail of destruction. Broadway Cineplex 3
»
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SCREENING TOMORROW 9:30 | LAEMMLE MONICA FILM CENTER 4 PRESENTS
RAVEN BANNER ENTERTAINMENT | LOEWS HOTEL | SUITE 601 James Fler +14164283537 jfler@ravenbanner.ca
Michaelangelo Masangkay +14169852544 michaelangelo@ravenbanner.ca
WWW.RAVENBANNERENTERTAINMENT.COM
SCREENINGS
2024, Ahab and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct the armed forces minister of North Korea in an underground bunker below the Korean DMZ. In a moment, the team gets caught under a crossfire that threatens to take the mission to the brink of the World War Three.
13:30 CHARADES PROMO REEL
Animation, comedy, drama. 40mins. Dir: Various. Charades. ArcLight 2
THE FESTIVAL
Comedy. 98mins. Dir: Iain Morris. Scr: Keith Akushie, Joe Parham. Cast: Joe Thomas, Hannah Tointon. Protagonist Pictures. After Nick’s girlfriend dumps him, his best mate Shane has the perfect antidote to his break-up blues: three days at an epic music festival.
ArcLight 7 By invitation only. RSVP via email is required in advance.
WTFILMS PROMO REEL
Laemmle Monica Film Center 2
THE FURIES
Horror. 80mins. Dir: Tony D’Aquino. Scr: Tony D’Aquino. Cast: Airlie Dodds, Linda Ngo, Taylor Ferguson, Danielle Horvat. Odin’s Eye Entertainment. Rebellious high-school students Kayla and Maddie are stalked and abducted by a sinister presence while out bombing their neighbourhood with graffiti. Waking up, in the woods, bound and disoriented in a claustrophobic coffinlike apparatus, Kayla’s first thought is of Maddie. Before she has a chance to ruminate on the dreadful fate that may have befallen her friend, Kayla notices a terrifying masked man fast approaching, armed with a razor-sharp axe. As a chase ensues, it soon becomes clear Kayla and her pursuer are not alone. There are six more young women, each with a masked stalker assigned to them. As the threat of more killers closes in, she races to save as many girls as she can. AMC Santa Monica 4
GWEN
Drama. 84mins. Dir: William McGregor. Scr: William McGregor. Cast: Maxine Peake, Eleanor Worthington Cox. Great Point. In the stark beauty of 19th-century Snowdonia, a young girl tries desperately to hold her home together. Struggling with her mother’s mysterious illness, her father’s absence and a
MARKET 15:00 25 KM/H
Comedy. 115mins. Dir: Markus Goller. Scr: Oliver Ziegenbalg. Cast: Bjarne Madel, Lars Eidinger, Sandra Huller, Franka Potente, Alexandra Maria Lara, Jella Haase, Jordis
ruthless mining company encroaching on their land, a growing darkness begins to take grip of her home, and the suspicious local community turns on Gwen and her family. Broadway Cineplex 4
Triebel, Wotan Wilke Mohring. Beta Cinema. Two very different brothers reunite and start a special journey — a road trip on their motorbikes, which they imagined in their childhood. ArcLight 5
Mapplethorpe, one of the most controversial and influential photographers of the 20th century. Broadway Cineplex 2
THERE’S A HOLE IN MY BUCKET
Laemmle Monica Film Center 6
Documentary. 87mins. Dir: Robert Cavanah. Cast: Royd Tolkien. Evolutionary Films. Royd Tolkien, greatgrandson of JR Tolkien, lost his brother Mike to ALS (Motor Neuron Disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2015. But Mike, who was the more adventurous and sporty of the two brothers, left behind a bucket list of 50 things he wants Royd to complete in his absence. Now Royd will embark on the ultimate adventure of adrenalin and emotion to fulfil his brother’s ambitions.
MAPPLETHORPE
Laemmle Monica Film Center 4
LIFE SUPPORT
Comedy, drama. 94mins. Dir: Larry Clarke. Scr: Larry Clarke. Cast: Brian Dennehy, Lesley Ann Warren, Mo Gaffney, David Koechner, Tom Arnold, JK Simmons. Taylor & Dodge. Eddie, the black sheep of the family, comes home as his father is passing away to discover he must step into his dad’s shoes as a responsible adult, and that he has a son with his ex-girlfriend, Susan.
Biography, drama. 92mins. Dir: Ondi Timoner. Scr: Ondi Timoner. Cast: Matt Smith. The Exchange. An intimate portrait of the life of Robert
42 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
15:00
historical. 105mins. Dir: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Scr: Michael Mitnick. Cast: Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Katherine Waterston. 13 Films. The dramatic story of the cut-throat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world. Laemmle Monica Film Center 3 By confirmed RSVP only
Comedy, drama. 100mins. Dir: Amanda Sthers. Scr: Amanda Sthers. Cast: James Caan, Tom Hollander, Rosanna Arquette, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Efrat Dor. Studiocanal. Facing a crossroads in his life, Harry Rosenmerck leaves New York and his family with an unlikely plan to start a pig farm in Nazareth, causing the anger of neighbouring local communities. Broadway Cineplex 1
THE DAMNED
NOMIS
Horror. 90mins. Dir: Evgeny Ruman. Scr: Yoav Shutan-Goshen, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Irad Rubinshtein. Cast: Amit Rahav, Daniel Gad, Nimrod Hochernberg. Jinga Films. Cursed by a Bedouin woman, three young soldiers on a training exercise in the desert slowly descend into madness and turn on each other as the unforgiving landscape plays tricks with their minds.
Psycho-drama, thriller. 99mins. Dir: David Raymond. Scr: David Raymond. Cast: Henry Cavill, Alexandra Daddario, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, Brendan Fletcher. Fortitude International. A weathered lieutenant, his police force and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who is linked to years of female abductions and murders.
Laemmle Monica Film Center 5
ArcLight 3
DOGWOOF PROMO REEL
Documentary. 90mins. Dogwoof. ArcLight 9 By invitation only
See box, above
GAUMONT PROMO REEL
THE CURRENT WAR
20mins. Gaumont.
Biography, drama,
AMC Santa Monica 1
25 KM/H
HOLY LANDS
TAKE POINT
Action/adventure. 114mins. Dir: Kim Byung-woo. Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Lee Sun-kyun, Jennifer Ehle, Kevin Durand. CJ Entertainment. On the day of US presidential election in
Drama, thriller. 70mins. Dir: Jouri Smit, Zoe Wittock, Olivier Abbou. Scr: Jouri Smit, Aurelien Molas. Cast: Sophie Turner, Noemie Merlant, Emmanuelle Bercot, Adama Niane, Stephane Caillard. WTFilms. Promos include: Heavy; Heretiks; Get In; Av: The Hunt; Jumbo; Adopt A Daddy; Smiley; and more. Laemmle Monica Film Center 1
15:30 ALTITUDE PROMO REEL
Drama. 115mins. Altitude Film Sales. ArcLight 6
ELDORADO
Documentary. 92mins. Dir: Markus Imhoof. Scr: Markus Imhoof. Cast: Markus Imhoof. Playtime. Drawing inspiration from his personal encounter with the Italian refugee child Giovanna during Second World War, Markus Imhoof tells how refugees and migrants are treated today. ArcLight 4
FIDEL UP CLOSE
Documentary, historical. 90mins. Dir: Gabriel Beristain, Roberto Chile, Eduardo ‘Tato’ Flores. Scr: Hubert Barrero. Cast: Fidel Castro. Vedado Films. Fidel Castro remains one of the most controversial figures of our time, yet we know next to nothing about the man who implausibly survived countless murder attempts on his life, and lived a full, long life until age 90. Fidel Up Close will »
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SCREENINGS
AFM SCREENINGS ON DEMAND The following titles are available to view during AFM at the Loews Hotel, Room 334
ALL OR NOTHIN’
Drama, historical, suspense, true story. 88mins. Dir: Charles K Campbell, Charles K Campbell. Cast: Carl G Herrick, Brendan Alpiner. Michigan Pride. In 1853, 28 slaves escaped from Boone County, Kentucky. Unwilling to accept their departure, wealthy plantation owners set out to find them. MARKET 15:30 KINGDOM OF SWEDEN
Comedy. 88mins. Dir: Peter Dalle. Scr: Peter Dalle. Cast: Claes Mansson, Johan Ulveson, Peter Dalle, Bjorn Gustafsso. Picture Tree International. A young couple, Joseph and Mary, make their way through the desert on a northbound journey
ANY ONE OF US
to Sweden – the land of opportunities. At the very same time, an older couple sets out from the ‘promised land’ on a southbound journey in search of youth, a toned body and a great tan. Follow these and several other characters in their struggle to achieve happiness. Broadway Cineplex 4
offer a novel outlook on his persona, from a different angle, to attempt a fresher and closer look, in order to reveal the man behind the myth through little known stories and testimonies of those who were near him during the most important historic landmarks of his life.
the teens’ only weapon is to covertly record the takeover and put it on the web in a desperate attempt to attract outside help. It’s a race against time before the whole human race becomes extinct.
Laemmle Monica Film Center 6
THE SNOW QUEEN: MIRRORLANDS
KINGDOM OF SWEDEN See box, above
REPLICATE
Horror, sci-fi, thriller. 94mins. Dir: John Murlowski. Scr: John Murlowski, Steven Palmer Peterson. Cast: Andi Matichak, Calum Worthy, Joel Courtney. Arclight Films. While making a web series mocking their quaint small town, two high school teens slowly discover that their relatives and neighbours are being killed and replaced by creatures that are perfect copies of their victims. As the entire town is taken over,
Planeta Inform Film Distribution. Katya has a powerful gift: she sees ghosts. When her twin sister disappears, Katya begins a desperate search. Police insist her sister does not exist, that she is a figment of Katya’s twisted imagination. However, during her search Katya discovers that there is a serial killer loose on the streets, and her sister is one of his victims. There is still hope to save her, but in a dark and mysterious city full of secrets, you can’t trust anyone. Not even yourself.
Documentary. 86mins. Dir: Fernando Villena. Cast: Paul Basagoitia, Nichole Munk. Red Bull Media House. After a devastating spinal cord injury, a driven champion chronicles his life as he battles body and mind in an inspiring story of resilience. ASESINATO EN LA ISLA
AMC Santa Monica 4
Drama, suspense, thriller. 90mins. Dir: Alyn Darnay. Cast: Jordi Vilasuso, Barbie Castro, Brian Gross, Brian Patrick Clark. Concord Films (US); Reel One Entertainment (international).
TABALUGA
ASTRAL
See box, below
Horror, thriller. 84mins.
Dir: Chris Mul. Scr: Chris Mul. Cast: Frank Dillane, Vanessa Grasse, Damson Idris. Film Seekers. A student coming to terms with the death of his mother turns to astral projection to reconnect with her. BETRAYED
Action/adventure. 98mins. Dir: Harley Wallen. Scr: Harley Wallen. Cast: John Savage, Richard Tyson, Blanca Blanco. Vision Films. When the Cartel comes to Detroit and tries to push the Russian Mafia out, things don’t go as planned. So now the mayor must do whatever it takes to get his kidnapped daughter back.
Broadway Cineplex 2
Thriller. 97mins. Dir: Stephen C Stepher. Scr: Stephen C Stepher. Cast: Billy Flynn, Christa B Allen, Scottie Thompson, Lillo Brancato, DB Sweeney, Chris Mulkey. Vision Films. A sales rep visits a small town in Louisiana on business and finds himself in a dark world of corruption and murder with 24 hours to live, running from the police, the mob and a sheriff who wants him dead.
Documentary. 72mins. Dir: Vonda Harrell, Daniel Camenisch. Scr: Vonda Harrell, Daniel Camenisch. Cast: Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, George Bush. Mission Pictures International. Explores key moments in Billy Graham’s journey from dairy farmer’s son to evangelist. BUCKSHOT
Road movie. 80mins. Dir: Joshua J Smith. Scr: Joshua J Smith. Cast: Frank Collison, Tim DeZarn, Allan
Action/adventure. 85mins. Dir: MarieGrete Heinemann. Scr: Kevin Interdonato. Cast: Claudia Christian, Louis Mandylor, Peter Dobson, Kristen Dalton. Princ Films. Mickey Rady, a rogue undercover cop, and Kook Packard, a smooth and charismatic con man, together rip off those operating outside of the law for their own gain. But things go awry when a heist sucks them deep into a city-wide conspiracy. DORMITORYO: ENDLESS ROOM
Comedy, drama. 80mins. Dir: Emerson Reyes. Scr: Emerson Reyes. Cast: Ces Quesada, Charles Aaron Salazar, Vandolph Quizon. TBA Studios. Set one rainy evening in a dorm where the varied occupants are at some pivotal point in their lives, all tucked away in solitary rooms, talking about collective experiences, sharing a similar fate. DREAM KILLER
MARKET 15:30
THE SOUL CONDUCTOR
TABALUGA
Horror, thriller. 89mins. Dir: Ilya Maksimov. Scr: Anna Kurbatova, Alexander Topuriya. Cast: Alexandra Bortich.
Action/adventure, animation. 90mins. Dir: Sven Unterwaldt. Scr: Gerrit Hermans. Cast: Cameron Ansell. Global Screen.
44 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
DEAD ON ARRIVAL
DIRTY DEAD CON MEN BILLY GRAHAM: AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY
Laemmle Monica Film Center 4
Animation. 80mins. Dir: Alexey Tsitsilin, Robert Lence. Scr: Alexey Zamyslov, Alexey Tsitsilin, Robert Lence, Vladimir Nikolaev. Cast: Vladimir Nikolaev. Wizart. After King Harald nearly loses his family due to the Snow Queen’s evil deeds, he bans the use of magic. The only one who can stop him, and keep the magic in the world, is Gerda.
Wasserman. Princ Films. A struggling country singer journeys to Nashville in his father’s footsteps.
When the brave fire dragon Tabaluga meets beautiful ice princess Lilli, it is love at first sight. To save their world from a tyrannical snowman, they embark on their biggest adventure. AMC Santa Monica 6
Drama, musical, suspense, thriller. 90mins. Dir: Barbie Castro. Scr: David Chester, Doug Campbell. Cast: Christy Carlson Romano, Taylor Castro, Jacy King, Gail Soltys. Concord Films. When a rising teen singer is accused of murdering her producer, her supportive mother must save her. »
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SCREENINGS
Claremont. Vision Films. Story of how superheroes have conquered the world.
ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS
Romance. 90mins. Dir: Terry Cunningham. Scr: Rick Garman, Catherine Fridey. Cast: Alexa PenaVega, Carlos PenaVega. Mission Pictures International. Returning to her hometown in Utah to restore a derelict hotel in time for Christmas, Laura Trudeau discovers old passions and true love can never be fully forgotten.
THE STOP HIT
Action/adventure, martial arts, thriller. 100mins. Dir: Dr Z. Scr: Dr Z. Cast: Dr Z, Carter Wong, John Ng-Long Cheung. Reel Asian Films. Story of an international drug ring between Los Angeles and Hong Kong.
FIDEL UP CLOSE
THE UNWILLING
Documentary, historical. 90mins. Dir: Gabriel Beristain, Roberto Chile, Eduardo ‘Tato’ Flores. Scr: Hubert Barrero. Cast: Fidel Castro. Vedado Films.
Horror, thriller. 84mins. Dir: Jonathan Heap. Scr: Jonathan Heap, David Lipper. Cast: Dina Meyer, Lance Henriksen, Bree Williamson. Vision Films. After the death of a much-despised patriarch, a mysterious box shows up during the reading of the will.
AFM SCREENINGS ON DEMAND PERSECUTED
HAVANA KYRIE
Drama, family, musical. 105mins. Dir: Paolo Confsorti. Scr: Alfredo Mazzara. Cast: Franco Nero. Vedado Films. A lost man finds passion again in Cuba, aided by music and the son he never met.
Thriller. 100mins. Dir: Yesid Leone. Scr: Yesid Leone. Cast: Maria Gaviria, Roberto Escobar, Millard, lead singer of the band MercyMe. KILLER ISLAND
HEAVY WATER
Documentary. 85mins. Dir: Michael Oblowitz. Scr: Michael Oblowitz. Cast: Nathan Fletcher, Makua Rothman, Danny Fuller, Herbie Fletcher. Red Bull Media House. A close look at Nathan Fletcher’s relationship with big-wave surfing. I’LL BE NEXT DOOR FOR CHRISTMAS
Comedy, family. 100mins. Dir: David Jay Willis. Scr: David Jay Willis, Jenna Park. Cast: Juliette Angelo, Atticus Shaffer, Nicole Sullivan. Vision Films. When 16-year-old Nickey’s long-distance boyfriend decides to visit for the holidays, she’s determined to spare him her family’s over-the-top Christmas obsession by staging a fake Christmas. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
Drama, family. 150mins. Dir: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin. Scr: Alex Cramer, Jon Erwin, Brent McCorkle. Cast: Dennis Quaid, Cloris Leachman, J Michael Finley. Mission Pictures International. The true story of Bart
Drama, suspense, thriller. 90mins. Dir: Alyn Darnay. Scr: Christine Conradt. Cast: Barbie Castro, Jordi Vilasuso, Jackie Moore, Jacy King, Brain Gross. Concord Films. While on a dream vacation, a woman becomes a target when she suspects one of the locals may have committed multiple murders. LIVING AMONG US
Horror. 82mins. Dir: Brian A Metcalf. Scr: Brian A Metcalf. Cast: Esme Bianco, John Heard, Thomas Ian Nicholas, William Sadler, Andrew Keegan. Vision Films. When vampires make themselves public, a group of documentarians granted access soon realise they are in for more than they bargained. MAKING BABIES
Romantic comedy. 88mins. Dir: Josh F Huber. Scr: Josh F Huber. Cast: Eliza Coupe, Steve Howey, Ed Begley Jr. Vision Films. A couple put their bodies, wallet and marriage through the ringer of modern infertility treatments.
46 Screen International at AFM October 31, 2018
Geraldine Zivic. Media Luna New Films. A journey through crime, corruption and the psychology of the human being. Loews Hotel, Room 334
Eric Aradits. Little Film Company. Octav returns home to sell his childhood house. As he wanders through the estate, he relives joyful scenes from his childhood eventually finding answers to the questions that have cast a shadow over his adult life.
THE WAY WE WEREN’T
Drama. 112mins. Dir: Avi Nesher. Scr: Avi Nesher, Noam Schpancer. Cast: Joy Rieger, Sasson Gabai. Foresight Unlimited. Two rebellious young women cross paths unexpectedly in Jerusalem, with startling consequences.
Romantic comedy. 93mins. Dir: Rick Hays. Scr: Brian DiMuccio, Aria Eisenstat, Rick Hays. Cast: Fiona Gubelmann, Ben Lawson, Tobin Bell. Vision Films. Two people who meet after their previous relationships have imploded, exaggerate, fib and outright lie to make themselves more appealing.
THE OVAL
WE DIE YOUNG
Drama. 83mins. Dir: Rolf van Eijk. Scr: Rolf van Eijk. Cast: Steve Wall, Gijs Naber, Raymond Thiry. Media Luna New Films. The last day of legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker.
Thriller. 85mins. Dir: John Safyurtlu. Scr: John Safyurtlu. Cast: Michael Shaffrey. Aegean Entertainment. An unstable president orders a nuclear strike in an attempt to retain power.
Action/adventure. 96mins. Dir: Lior Geller. Scr: Lior Geller. Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme. Foresight Unlimited. A 14-year-old boy inducted into gang life is determined his 10-year-old brother won’t follow the same path.
NEOMANILA
PERSECUTED
Drama, suspense, thriller. 101mins. Dir: Mikhail Red. Scr: Mikhail Red, Rae Red, Zig Madamba Dulay. Cast: Eula Valdez, Timothy Castillo, Rocky Salumbides. TBA Studios. An orphan teenager is recruited by a notorious death squad. The group’s leader becomes a maternal figure to the young boy but their loyalties will be tested.
See box, above
MARRIAGE KILLER
Drama, suspense, thriller. 90mins. Dir: Bernard Salzman. Scr: Doug Campbell, David Chester. Cast: Jason London, Barbie Castro, Kristen Renton. Concord Films. A married couple decide to explore a “member’s only night club” but soon realise the deadly consequences. MY FOOLISH HEART
THE OTHER STORY
POINT MAN
Action/adventure, drama. 97mins. Dir: Phil Blattenberger. Scr: Phil Blattenberger. Cast: Christopher Long, Jacob Keohane, Chase Gutzmore. Vision Films. A trio of soldiers vow revenge on their platoon when they are left behind enemy lines.
OCTAV
Drama, romance. 102mins. Dir: Serge Ioan Celebidachi. Scr: James Olivier, Serge Loan Celebidachi. Cast: Marcel Iures, Victor Rebengiuc,
RISE OF THE SUPERHEROES
Documentary. 115mins. Dir: Tom O’Dell. Scr: Tom O’Dell. Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Hugh Jackman, Chris
WHAT LIES AHEAD
Thriller. 88mins. Dir: Rob Gardner. Scr: William J Viglione. Cast: Rumer Willis, Emma Dumont, Kelly Blatz. Vision Films. When two young women embark on a road trip, an unseen peril emerges. ZOOKS
Animation. 93mins. Dir: Kristoff Leue, Dimitri Leue. Scr: Kristoff Leue, Dimitri Leue. Cast: Matteo Simoni, Frank Focketyn, Warre Borgmans. Media Luna New Films. A contemporary fairytale about people and nature.
THE DAILY AT AFM Suite 333, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California, 90401 Tel +1 310 458 6700 (ext 333) Editorial Editor Matt Mueller, matt.mueller@screendaily.com, +44 7880 526 547 US editor Jeremy Kay, jeremykay67@gmail.com, +1 310 922 5908 Senior reporter Tom Grater, tom.grater@screendaily.com, +44 7436 096 420 Group head of production & art Mark Mowbray, mark.mowbray@screendaily.com, +44 7710 124 065 Group art director Peter Gingell Sub editors Willemijn Barker-Benfield, Paul Lindsell, Adam Richmond Advertising and publishing Publishing director Nadia Romdhani, nadia. romdhani@screendaily.com, +44 7540 100 315 Commercial director Scott Benfold, scott.benfold@ screendaily.com, +44 7765 257 260 President, North America Nigel Daly, nigeldalymail@gmail. com, +1 213 447 5120 US sales executives Danny De Lillo, danny.delillo@ screendaily.com, +1 917 818 8701 Nikki Tilmouth, nikki. screeninternational@gmail.com, +1 323 868 7633 International account managers Hettie Halden, hettie.halden@ screendaily.com, +44 7900 500 799 Ingrid Hammond, ingridhammond@mac.com +39 05 7829 8768 Gunter Zerbich, gunter.zerbich@ screendaily.com, +44 7540 100 254 Production manager Jonathon Cooke, jonathon.cooke@mb-insight.com, +44 7584 335 148 Chief executive, MBI Conor Dignam Printer Sinclair Printing, Los Angeles Screen International, London MBI, Zetland House, 5-25 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4HJ, United Kingdom Subscription enquiries help@subscribe.screendaily.com +44 (0) 330 333 9414
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