All Middle East articles – Page 159

  • Reviews

    Jerusalema

    2008-02-15T11:11:00Z

    Dir/scr: Ralph Ziman. South Africa. 2008. 118mins.The third feature of Ralph Ziman, the new South African action movie Jerusalema is reportedly drawn from actual events. More accurately it is inspired from the watching of a lot of movies, combining and cannily poaching parts of the original Scarface, Superfly, GoodFellas, New ...

  • News

    Chellomedia takes 25% stake in UK-based Shorts International

    2008-02-15T11:01:00Z

    Liberty Global's European content division Chellomedia has acquired a 25% stake in London-based Shorts International.The deal is done by subsidiary LGI Ventures BV, which specialized in minority investments. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Chellomedia will have a non-executive director on the board of Shorts International.Shorts International's projects include channel ...

  • Reviews

    Heart Of Fire (Feuerherz)

    2008-02-15T10:53:00Z

    Dir: Luigi Falorni. Germany/Austria. 2008. 94 mins.Inspired by the memoir of the same name by Senait G Mehari, Luigi Falorni's Heart Of Fire is valuable as a document illustrating the absurdity of using child soldiers in any conflict as well as a glimpse into the specific struggle for liberation in ...

  • News

    Berlin's Teddys go to Queen Raquela, Football Under Cover

    2008-02-15T10:41:00Z

    The Teddy Awards have been handed out to the best films with a queer context across all programmes of the Berlinale.The best feature award went to Olaf de Fleur's The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela (an Icelandic production). That film was the story of a transsexual from the Philippines who ...

  • Reviews

    Restless

    2008-02-14T21:30:00Z

    Dir: Amos Kollek. Israel/ Canada/ Germany/ France/ Belgium, 2007. 100 mins.Back home in Israel after many years of self-imposed exile in Manhattan, Amos Kollek presents Restless as his most personal film to date. With a reputation as an American independent specializing in portraits of anti-social dropouts, he has apparently decided ...

  • News

    Patrice Leconte prepares for La Guerre

    2008-02-14T18:42:00Z

    Patrice Leconte is preparing to shoot his latest comedy, La Guerre Des Miss , which begins production on March 25, Gaumont announced today.Starring Benoit Poelvoorde, Olivia Bonamy, Christian Charmetant, Laurent Gamelon and Jacques Mathou, the film is to be produced by Franck Chorot.The story of a decades-old rivalry between two ...

  • News

    Asterix tops Screen international chart

    2008-02-14T06:48:00Z

    Asterix At The Olympic Games won the gold medal again this weekend, generating a dynamite $24.5m after expanding in six territories. The top-40 films generated $192.4m across 43,382 screens from the period of February 8-10.For the full international chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.Pathe's latest instalment of the Asterix ...

  • News

    Nordisk/Trust rack up sales on Lordi horror, Von Trier, Moodysson

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    As the EFM draws to a close, Nordisk and Trust are continuing to rack up sales on their Berlin slate. One heavy seller is their English-language horror film Dark Floors, starring Finnish rock band and Eurovision Song Contest winners, Lordi. Deals announced yesterday (Wednesday) included Turkey (Umut Sanat/Ozen FilmTAS), Benelux ...

  • News

    Heart of Fire producers stack up new projects

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    Producers Sven Burgemeister of TV-60Film and Goldkind Film and Andreas Bareiss of BurkertBareiss Development have unveiled their slate of new projects ahead of the world premiere of Luigi Falorni's Heart Of Fire in competition at Berlin today.Bareiss and partner Gloria Burkert are producing newcomer Su Turhan's feature debut Ayla about ...

  • News

    Falcon swoops on Elephant Eye's Turkey for Middle East

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    New York-based Elephant Eye Films has closed its first pre-sale on Craig Zobel's Turkey In The Straw. All rights for the Middle East have been taken by Falcon Films.The project is Zobel's follow-up to 2007 Sundance hit Great World Of Sound, which has been also screening at the EFM market ...

  • News

    New Wave takes Ceylan's Cannes-bound Daydreams for UK

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    New Wave Films, the new UK distribution company set up by former Artificial Eye bosses Robert Beeson and Pam Engel, has made its second acquisition of the Berlin market, taking Daydreams, the latest feature from Turkish maestro Nuri Bilge Ceylan from Pyramide International.Like New Wave's first pick-up - the Dardennes' ...

  • News

    Big titles at EFM overshadow festival selection in Berlin

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    The Berlinale kicked off in fine style with Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine A Light but after several days the general consensus was that - at least for buyers - the festival line-up was in danger of being upstaged by the market.Focus inevitably turned to the EFM following a ...

  • News

    French Film Festival UK to welcome Lola Doillon, Jean Becker

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    The French Film Festival UK (7 - 20 March 2008) has revealed details of itsprogramme and guests. The event, likely to have added prominence as a showcase for French cinema in the UK this year following the cancellation of the Unifrance London 'Rendez-Vous,' takes place in Edinburgh, Glasgow,Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, ...

  • News

    Shorts Golden Bear splashed out for A Good Day For a Swim

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    The Berlinale's shorts jury has given its Golden Bear to A Good Day For a Swim (O zi buna de plaja) by Romania's Bogdan Mustata, about three juvenile delinquents who break out of prison and go to the beach.Of the winner, the jury said: 'The film raises questions about its ...

  • News

    Bavaria closes further deals on Cherry Blossoms and Black Ice

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    BavariaFilm International (BFI) has reported a raft of sales on two of itstitles in Berlinale Competition. DorisDoerrie's Cherry Blossoms - Hanami has now been sold to South Korea(JinJin Pictures), Taiwan (Swallow Wings), Colombia (Cine Colombia),Mexico (Cine Video y TV) and Greece (PCV) in addition to the deal ...

  • News

    As Berlin winds down, attention turns to potential Cannes selections

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    A clearer picture is emerging of what films will be ready for this year's Cannes Film Festival in May and the lineup looks like it will be filled with its usual blend of veteran auteur films, new discoveries and US studio fare.Official selection berths already seem set for Ari Folman's ...

  • News

    Niels Arden Oplev preps Scandinavian detective opus

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    Danish director Niels Arden Oplev, whose Worlds Apart screened in official selection in Berlin, has revealed further details of his big budget new project Men Who Hate Women, an adaptation of the first part of Stieg Larsson's 'detective trilogy.' Oplev is directing the first part as both a feature film ...

  • News

    Andrzej Wajda lines up Tatarak with Krystyna Janda

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    Further details have emerged this week about Tatarak, the next project from revered octogenarian Polish auteur Andrzej Wajda whose Oscar-nominated Katyn screens out of competition in Berlin on Friday.Production will begin later this year on the film which is an adaptation of the book by Polish novelist and poet Jaroslaw ...

  • News

    Middle East festival to add four more days to Abu Dhabi event

    2008-02-14T06:00:00Z

    The Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), now planning its second festival in Abu Dhabi. The festival, running October 10-19, has grown by four days to accommodate a larger programme of films.The inaugural run in 2007 screened more than 80 films, a number set to increase this year. Also new ...

  • Reviews

    What No One Knows (Det Som Ingen Wed)

    2008-02-13T16:14:00Z

    Dir. Soren Kragh-Jacobsen. Denmark/Sweden, 2008. 95minsNow 61, Danish director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen has only made a handful of films in the last thirty years, and while they have done well in Denmark , they haven't left much of a mark elsewhere. The well-known exception was Mifune (1999) which enjoyed the distinction ...