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All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 182
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Dutch doc festival focuses on freedom of speech
AyaanHirsi Ali was a surprise guest at the opening of theInternational Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). In her speech to festivalguests, the Somalian-born Dutch MP and filmmaker hailed IDFA for dedicatingthis year's event to freedom of speech and for offering a platform "tomakers of documentaries about Muslim women and the lives ...
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Verhoeven steers new course for shipwreck tale
Paul Verhoeven and his regularscriptwriter Gerard Soeteman are pushing ahead again with Batavia's Graveyard, their blood-curdlinghistorical epic about the shipwreck of the Bataviain 1629. The film was previously set up at FilmFour."It's a story in the directionof the Bounty but it's much more about the development of a fascist regime," ...
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Allegro joint slate with F&ME reaches Fever pitch
Austrian production outfitAllegro Films is joining with London's Film and Music Entertainment on a slateof three films including a new project, Fever,to be directed by Bruce Beresford (DrivingMiss Daisy). First up is the latestproject from Swiss-born director Simon Aeby,titled MulberryCrossing. This will shoot in English,with a British cast. Currently ...
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New Serko deals for Diot's Onoma
Pascale Diot's Paris-basedOnoma has closed new deals on Serko,the 19th Century-set Russian adventure on which it is co-producer aswell as sales agent. Italy's Lucky Red and Switzerland's Monopole Pathe have joined distributors announced at AFM such as Seville Pictures for Canada and Cineartfor Benelux. Directed by JoelFarges, the film follows ...
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Flemish fund terminates managing director's contract
The Board of Governors of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) has terminated the contract of its managing director Luckas vander Taelen. Financial director Hans Everaert and Pierre Drouot (producer of Toto The Hero) will take over the running of the Fund until a new MD is appointed. The reasons for ...
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Kilmer joins Silverstone, Gallo in Luna's Moscow Zero
Val Kilmer has beenconfirmed as the third major lead in Moscow Zero, the psychological horror picture from cult directorLuna. Appearing alongside Vincent Gallo and Alicia Silverstone, he will play anunderground dweller fighting demons in the Moscow subway. Shooting begins nextmonth in Russia and Spain.The project, sold byValentia at the AFM, ...
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Content sells Mee Shee to VCL/Warner and others
Content Film has closed adeal with VCL/Warner for German rights to its new family adventure, $25 millionMee-Shee The Water Giant. Thedeal was the first major territory closed on the film, which features specialeffects from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Deals with Senafor Iceland, Lusomundo for Portugal, WEG India for India, Intersonic ...
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Von Trier plans documentary about Dreyer's Gertrud
Lars Von Trieris hatching a documentary about one of his favourite films - legendary movie auteur Carl TheodorDreyer's 1964 feature Gertrud.Von Trier'sproducer Vibeke Vindelow said here that Von Trier will write, direct andconduct all the interviews for the documentary which will feature the cast andcrew from the film who are ...
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Vindelow, Muasya team on Sunshine And A Funeral
Lars Von Trier's regularproducer Vibeke Vindelow has revealed details of an intriguing new project sheis hatching with Danish director Vibeke Muasya. Together, the two Vibekes areputting together A Bit Of Sunshine And A Funeral. Trust will be handling saleson the low-budget drama. It's inspired by the true story of an ...
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Wild Bunch continues roaring trade on Arctic doc
Paramount Pictures has addedFrance to its collection of territories acquired on National Geographic'sArctic documentary Call Of The North, while Shochiku has won a ferocious bidding war for Japanese rights,according to sales company Wild Bunch."I don't know if it'sbecause of the penguins," Wild Bunch's Vincent Maraval says of the hugeinterest the ...
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Celluloid to sell Eltringham's east Berlin 60s comedy
Celluloid Dreams' everexpanding English-language slate continues to swell. Yesterday at the AFM,Celluloid confirmed it is to handle international sales on Mrs Ratcliffe'sRevolution, the bittersweet newBritish comedy from Leslee Udwin's Assassin Films.Bille Eltringham (This IsNot A Love Song, The Long Firm) willdirect from a screenplay by Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor. ...
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Betafilm sells Genghis Khan project to Hopscotch, LNK, Lumiere
Early on in the AFM, Germansales outfit Beta is doing a roaring trade with Mongol - Part One, Sergei Bodrov's new feature about the hirsute andbloodthirsty warrior leader Genghiz Khan. The film, which has juststarted shooting with Tadanobu Asano in the central role, has now gone to Hopscotch in Australia/NewZealand, ...
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Silverstone, Gallo sign on for Luna's Moscow Zero
Alicia Silverstone andVincent Gallo have been confirmed as leads in $12 million psychological horrorpicture Moscow Zero, the new feature from Luna (Whore, Stranded). The film, due to shoot next month, is the firstproject from aggressive new Spanish production and sales outfit ValentiaPictures.On the first morning of theAFM, Valentia pre-sold several ...
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Celluloid boards Oz mockumentary Razzle Dazzle
A newmockumentary Razzle Dazzle promises to lift the lid on the spangle-clad world of children'sdance troupes. The project, just added to Celluloid Dreams' AFM slate, is beingscripted by Carolyn Wilson and longtime Ricky Gervais collaborator Robin Ince.from an original story by Daren Ashton and Carolyn Wilson.The $1.5 millionfeature will shoot ...
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Sales sizzle for Nordisk on hot Scando festival titles
In the run-up toAFM, Nordisk has closed deals on several titles that screened on the autumnfestival circuit.Finnish foreignlanguage Oscar contender (and Toronto official selection) Mother Of Mine has sold to Eurocine for Spain andPortugal and Cine Video y Television for Mexico, with France in negotiations. Market premiere Murk, a psychological ...
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Campfires Burning at Celluloid Dreams
Underlining its growing appetite for upscale English-language fare,Paris-based Celluloid Dreams is taking up sales duties on US road movie CampfiresBurning, the debut feature from Mary Sweeney. The $5 million feature, shootingnext summer for delivery in 2007, will be shot by Diego Vignatti Martinez (BattleIn Heaven) and cast by Johanna Ray ...
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Asterix conquers AFM ahead of world premiere
Inadvance of its world premiere at the AFM on Friday, M6's Euros22m animatedfeature Asterix And The Vikingshas been selling widely. Thecartoon about the doughty, magic potion-swilling Gauls has gone to Germany(RTL). Eastern Europe (SPI), Spain and Portugal (Lusomundo), Scandinavia (ABSvensk), Greece (Rosebud), Turkey, Brazil, Switzerland and Indoneisa.Adaptedfrom the 1967 Asterix ...
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New Benelux distributor BFD hoovers up Hannibal, Bobby Z
In the run-up to the AFM,voracious new Dutch and Belgian-based outfit Benelux Film Distributors (BFD),is hoovering up product. Along with titles already announced, the company hasconfirmed it will be releasing Young Hannibal: Behind The Mask, The LastMogul, Hurricane Chasers, The Life And Death Of Bobby Z, Running Scared and The ...
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Siritzky introduces Chinese Emmanuelle to AFM buyers
Veteran producer and salesagent Alain Siritzky is hatching a new $5 million Emmanuelle-style erotic drama to shoot in Beijing and Shanghai.The Mandarin-language drama,billed as "sex in the forbidden city," is based on the hugely popular blogs by26-year-old Chinese writer Mu Zimei. These blogs have now been published inbook form. "I ...
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Korine's Mr Lonely features Pallenberg, Morton, Luna
Colourful details have emerged of Mister Lonely, the latest feature from Tennessee and London-basedmaverick Harmony Korine (Gummo, Julien Donkey Boy). 60s icon Anita Pallenberg is to play the Queen OfEngland, Denis Lavant will portray Charlie Chaplin, Samantha Morton is MarilynMonroe and Diego Luna will play a Michael Jackson impersonator"I am ...