UK sales outfit Bankside Films has unveiled a first look image of Mala Emde in the role of Vera Brandes in Ido Fluk’s The Girl From Köln, as well as a slew of key deals on the film as the company heads into the European Film Market (EFM).
The feature, currently in post-production, tells the little-known story of one of the best-selling jazz records of all time, US pianist Keith Jarrett’s 1975 Köln Concert, and how one formidable German teenager, Vera Brandes, was instrumental in its creation. Bankside will be showing a sales promo to buyers at the EFM.
Deals include for Benelux (September Film); Bulgaria (Beta); Eastern Europe (HBO); former Yugoslavia (Discovery); Germany (Alamode Films); Korea (The Coup); Middle East (Front Row); Poland (Madness); and Spain (Selecta Vision).
US actors John Magaro (Past Lives) and Michael Chernus (Orange Is The New Black) co-star as Keith Jarrett and a fictional music journalist, respectively. The supporting cast of German stars includes Alexander Scheer, Ulrich Tukur, Jördis Triebel, Susanne Wolff, Leo Meier, Shirin Eissa and Enno Trebs.
The drama, previously titled Köln 75, is produced by Sol Bondy and Fred Burle of Berlin-based One Two Films, the team behind Ali Abbasi’s Cannes premiere Holy Spider.
With backing from Polish and Belgium funds (Polish Film Institute, Lodz Film Fund, Screen Flanders and The Belgium Tax Shelter), Ewa Puszczyńska of Extreme Emotions and Dries Phlypo, Erik Glijnis and Leontine Petit of Lemming Film Belgium co-produce. German distributor Alamode is co-producer.
Further backing comes from WDR and ARTE, Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FFF Bayern and Eurimages.
New York-based Fluk is in development on HBO series Empty Mansions, with Joe Wright and Fremantle. He previously co-wrote and directed The Ticket starring Dan Stevens and Malin Akerman.
Executive producers are Lillian LaSalle of Mizzel Media and The Messenger filmmaker Oren Moverman (The Messenger), plus Annegret-Weitkämper Krug (Gretchenfilm), Paul Hudson (Two Oceans Film Fund), Rain Rannu (Tallifornia), Julianne Hausler (NY Office) and writer-director Jennifer Fox (The Tale).
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