ARRI, Constantin and Ascot secure post-EFM deals

Munich-based ARRI Worldsales has revealed deals from last month’s European Film Market with sales for both its commercial titles and independent productions, according to ARRI’s director of sales and acquisitions, Moritz Hemminger.

Aide from the previously announced deals for the Benelux, Turkey, China and Poland, Wolfgang Groos’ family entertainment title Vampire Sisters has been sold to France (Swift) and final negotiations are underway with a Russian distributor.

Christian Klandt’s drama Little Thirteen was picked up by New Select for Japan and Sonamu for South Korea, while Israel’s FilmHouse secured the rights to Joachim Masannek’s family action film V8 – Du willst der Beste sein before post-production was completed.

Hemminger also reported significant interest in upcoming titles Alain Gsponer’s Das Kleine Gespenst, Caroline Link’s Exit Marrakech and Edgar Reitz’s Die andere Heimat.

Constantin takes four

Meanwhile, one of Germany’s leading independent distributors, Constantin Film has acquired the rights to four international titles in addition to the previously announced deal for the action comedy Bula Quo!.

Constantin’s four new titles are:

• Untitled Marc Lawrence/Hugh Grant Comedy, which will also star Marisa Tomei and is set to begin shooting in April;
• tragi-comedy The Good Lie, with Reese Witherspoon, produced by Brian Grazier and Ron Howard, to be released by Constantin in early 2014;
• 3D CGI family entertainment film Justin And The Knights Of Valour;
• Chinese action film Badges of Fury, starring Jet Li.

Ascot’s half dozen

In addition, the Ascot Elite Entertainment Group picked up six titles at the EFM, including the previously announced Queen Of The Night by Atom Egoyan.

All rights for German-speaking Europe (including Switzerland) were acquired from Protagonist Pictures for John Michael McDonagh’s next feature film, black comedy Calvary with Brenda Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd and Kelly Reilly.

All German and Austrian rights were secured from Gaumont for Nicolas Vanier’s family adventure Belle & Sebastian, which is based on the eponymous children’s book and is currently shooting winter scenes in the French Alps.

Zurich-based Ascot Elite also signed deals for German-speaking Europe (including all of Switzerland) for John Huddles’ fantasy thriller The Philosophers, with James D’Arcy, Bonnie Wright, Freddie Stroma, and George Bladgen, from Bankside Films, which goes into production this spring, and for Patrick Horvath and Dallas Hallam’s sequel The Pact 2 from Content Media Corp.

Moreover, all rights for German-speaking Europe were picked up from SC Films for James Nunn’s action film Green Street Hooligans: Underground, which stars Scott Adkins, Jack Doolan and rising talent Kacey Barnfield and is currently in post-production.

Salzgeber, Koch activity

The Berlin-based distribution outfit Salzgeber & Co. Medien was also active at the EFM, adding such titles to its lineup as Sébastien Lifshitz’s documentaries Bambi and Les Invisibles; Anne Zohra Berrached’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino title Zwei Mütter; Swiss film-maker Peter Liechti’s Vaters Garten – Die Liebe meiner Eltern; and Ivan Silvestrini’s Come no detto.

In addition, Koch Media picked up Jonathan Teplitzky’s The Railway Man, based on Eric Lomax’s autobiographical novel, and Bennett Miller’s sports drama Foxcatcher, starring Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell. Both films are in post-production and will be released in German cinemas in 2014.

Other pick-ups include Philippe Le Guay’s comedy Alceste à bicyclette (Alamode Film), Noah Baumbach’s Panorama title Frances Ha (MFA+ Filmdistribution), a pre-buy of Ben Wheatley’s next feature A Field In England (MFA+), Ryan Coogler’s Sundance winner Fruitvale and Paolo Sorrentino’s La grande bellezza (both DCM).