The Hot 50 International Films for 2011

ATTACK THE BLOCK (UK)

Dir: Joe Cornish

This anticipated directorial debut from UK TV comedian Joe Cornish follows a gang of south London teenagers protecting their tower block against alien attack. Produced by the UK’s Big Talk — producer of Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim Vs The World — it stars Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones and Simon Howard. Nick Frost also appears.

Cornish is credited as a writer on Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn alongside Edgar Wright. AttackThe Block is the first film to come out of Big Talk’s deal with Optimum Releasing and Film4. The picture is also backed by the UK Film Council.

Release date April 8, 2011 (UK)
Int’l sales StudioCanal www.studiocanal.com

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (Sp)

Dir: Pedro Almodovar

Spanish master Pedro Almodovar re-unites with his old muse Antonio Banderas for the first time since 1990’s Tie Me Up Tie Me Down in the hotly anticipated The Skin I Live In (La Piel Que Habito)

Currently in post and based loosely on Thierry Jonquet’s novel Mygale, the film tells the story of an eminent plastic surgeon who becomes obsessed with creating new skin following the death of his wife who was burnt in a car crash, but who takes his experiments to frightening levels.

Almodovar’s El Deseo is producing the project, which has already been sold to most territories through FilmNation, with Sony Pictures Classics taking US rights.

Int’l sales Tara Erer, FilmNation terer@wearefilmnation.com

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (UK-US)

Dir: Sarah Smith

A 3D CG-animated family comedy from the UK’s Aardman Animations, Arthur Christmas’ voice cast includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen.

Set in Santa’s high-tech operation beneath the North Pole, the story reveals how Santa and his huge army of ‘combat elves’ actually get around the whole world in one night. McAvoy leads the cast as Arthur, the good-natured but clumsy younger son of Santa.

Sarah Smith is directing from a screenplay she co-wrote with Peter Baynham, whose credits include Borat. Currently in production at Sony Imageworks in the US, the film is set for release by Sony in November 2011.

Release date November 23, 2011
Contact Sony Pictures

THE GRANDMASTERS (HK)

Dir: Wong Kar Wai

The Grandmastersis Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai’s eagerly awaited version of the life story of martial-arts master Ip Man, who, famously, was the original trainer of Bruce Lee. The story has been told recently in Wilson Yip’s 2008 film Ip Man and the upcoming Ip Man2, both of which star Donnie Yen as the Wing Chun master. Wong’s version stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Ip Man, with the actor undergoing extensive martial-arts training in preparation for the role. The cast also includes Zhang Ziyi (pictured) and Chen Chang.

No release date has been confirmed, though several of Wong’s films have premiered at Cannes. That said, the director is famous for his extended post schedules and perfectionism, so nothing is set in stone.

Delivery spring 2011
Int’l sales  Wild Bunch cbaraton@wildbunch.eu

THE AGES OF LOVE (It)

Dir: Giovanni Veronesi

The third instalment of Italian box-office franchise Love Manual, The Ages Of Love is built around several loosely related love stories and stars Robert De Niro and Monica Bellucci. Produced by Aurelio De Laurentiis’ Filmauro, which will handle distribution in Italy, and directed by Giovanni Veronesi, the film shot in Cinecitta, near Rome.

The Love Manual romantic comedies have been some of the most successful local films in recent years, with the first two instalments grossing a combined $44m (€33m).

Delivery Feb 2011
Int’l sales Wild Bunch    cbaraton@wildbunch.eu

THE MONK (Fr-Sp)

Dir: Dominik Moll

Vincent Cassel is the star of Dominik Moll’s fourth feature, a gothic suspense thriller which has been adapted from Matthew Gregory Lewis’ Gothic novel about a Capuchin Monk who finds himself struggling against earthly temptation.

Co-written by Moll and Anne-Louise Trividic, the film was shot in Spain on a budget of $15m (€11m) and also stars Deborah Francois, Geraldine Chaplin and Sergi Lopez.

Currently in post, the project could crop up in the 2011 Cannes line-up. The UK has pre-sold to Metrodome, while Diaphana, which co-produced The Monk with Morena Films, will release in France.

Delivery Mid 2011
Int’l sales Memento, sales@memento-films.com

ONE DAY (UK-US)

Dir: Lone Scherfig

Danish director Lone Scherfig’s follow-up to An Education sees Anne Hathaway and rising star Jim Sturgess play two British students who spend their graduation night together and then go on to meet annually for the next 20 years as their lives head in contrasting directions.

The romantic comedy — which has been adapted by David Nicholls from his own
bestselling novel — is produced by Random House Films and Focus Features, with Film4 co-financing. One Day is currently in post-
production.

Int’l sales Focus Features International
 info@focusfeatures.com

PINA (Ger-Fr)

Dir: Wim Wenders

A world premiere out of competition at this year’s Berlinale, this 3D feature is a documentary homage to the late choreographer Pina Bausch and includes excerpts from her dance productions.

A Germany-France co-production between Wenders’ Berlin-based Neue Road Movies and France’s Eurowide, the film is the director’s first foray into 3D. “The two-dimensional cinema screen is just not capable of capturing Pina Bausch’s work, either emotionally or aesthetically,” Wenders has said.

World premiere berlin
Int’l sales HanWay Films    info@hanwayfilms.com

CORIOLANUS (UK)

Dir: Ralph Fiennes

A premiere out of competition at the 2011 Berlinale, Coriolanus is the directorial debut of actor Ralph Fiennes.

A contemporary adaptation of the Shakespeare political thriller, the film stars Fiennes alongside Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain, Ashraf Barhom and James Nesbitt.

Fiennes is producing Coriolanus with Gabrielle Tana, Julia Taylor-Stanley and Colin Vaines alongside the film’s screenwriter John Logan.

Icon is handling international sales and Lionsgate is on board as the UK distributor. Other sales have included Savor for Spain.

Delivery Spring 2011
Contact Icon Entertainment Int’l  (44) 20 7927 6900

HYSTERIA (UK)

Dir: Tanya Wexler

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy star in this quirky romantic comedy about the invention of the vibrator in Victorian England, directed by Tanya Wexler from a script by husband and wife writing team Stephen and Jonah Lisa Dyer.

Crazy Heart producer Judy Cairo has teamed up with British producers Sarah Curtis and Tracey Becker on the feature, which has just wrapped in the UK and Luxembourg and features a roll call of British acting talent including Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett and Ashley Jensen.

Pre-sales have already been sewn up in France, Italy, Australia, Benelux and Poland, with US rights still available.

Release date Autumn 2011
Int’l sales Elle Driver,    adeline@elledriver.eu

SANCTUM (Aus)

Dir: Alister Grierson

This claustrophobic 3D action thriller about a caving expedition that goes badly wrong stars Richard Roxburgh and Ioan Gruffudd and is executive produced by James Cameron. Alister Grierson — who made his debut with the Second World War story Kokoda in 2006 — directs the $29.6m (a$30m) film, which is financed by Wayfare Entertainment. It is being distributed by Universal Pictures, Relativity and FilmNation. Shot on location off Australia’s Gold Coast, Sanctum is based on a real-life incident involving the driving force behind the picture, producer/co-writer Andrew Wight. He pitched the idea to Cameron after the pair worked together on underwater documentaries.

Release date February 3 (Aus), February 4 (US)
Int’l sales FilmNation Entertainment,   www.wearefilmnation.com

CHICKEN WITH PLUMS (Fr-Ger)

Dir: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud

The follow-up to Oscar-nominated animation Persepolis, Chicken With Plums is Marjane Satrapi and co-director Vincent Paronnaud’s first live-action film.

Like Persepolis, the picture is based on a graphic novel by Satrapi, inspired by her great uncle, about a famous musician who decides to die after his violin is damaged irreparably. In his last seven days, he remembers the loves, the losses, the successes and the disappointments of his life.

Chicken With Plums stars Isabella Rossellini and Mathieu Amalric and was shot this year at Studio Babelsberg. It is a France-Germany co-production between Celluloid Dreams and TheManipulators, the new alliance between Celluloid Dreams and Germany’s Studio Babelsberg and Munich-based Clou Partners.

Backed by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Arte Grand Accord, the film’s French co-producers include Studio 37, Le Pacte, Lorette Productions, Cinémages 5 and Canal Plus, as well as U Films and Cinéart from Belgium.

Int’l sales Celluloid Dreams,   info@celluloid-dreams.com

JANE EYRE (UK)

Dir: Cary Fukunaga

Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska play the leads in Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre, which is currently in post. Produced by Alison Owen and Paul Trijbits for Ruby Films, the script has been adapted by Moira Buffini, who also wrote the screenplay for Ruby’s Tamara Drewe.

The film has been co-financed by Focus Features and BBC Films and also stars acclaimed British actors Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins and Jamie Bell. Fukunaga won the best director award at Sundance for his 2009 feature Sin Nombre.

Release date March 2011 (US)
Int’l sales Focus Features     info@focusfeatures.com

MIRACLE (KISEKI) (Jap)

Dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2004 film Nobody Knows saw its 14-year-old star Yuya Yagira pick up the best actor award at Cannes. The director returns to child protagonists in Miracle, a drama about two young brothers (real-life siblings Koki and Ohshiro Maeda) separated by the divorce of their parents (Joe Odagiri and Nene Otsuka). The construction of a new bullet train connecting Hakata and Kagoshima gives them hope of reuniting as a family once again.

Now in post-production, the film is set for release in Japan soon after the actual train begins service in March 2011. Miracle is being produced by Kore-eda’s regular backer TV Man Union along with Gaga, which will also distribute locally. East Japan Railway Co (JR East) and Kyushu Railway Co (JR Kyushu) also put in funding as they wanted a film to tie in with the opening of the train line.

Release date late spring/early summer
Int’l sales Gaga Corporation,  intl@gaga.co.jp

UNTITLED (Belgium)

Dir: Dardenne brothers

Cécile de France, currently drawing international praise in Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter, stars in the next film from the Belgian brothers.

The as-yet-untitled project centres around an 11-year-old boy, abandoned by his father, who ends up with an unwitting young woman (de France) to care for him.

Produced by Les Films du Fleuve, Archipel 35 and Lucky Red, the film will be distributed by Diaphana in France. As all of the Dardennes’ films since Rosetta have played and won awards in Cannes, it seems very likely this project will land on the Croisette.

Int’l sales  Wild Bunch    cbaraton@wildbunch.eu

A DANGEROUS METHOD (Ger-Can)

Dir: David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg’s third film with Viggo Mortensen — they have previously paired on Eastern Promises and A History Of Violence — is an adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s play about Sigmund Freud, his pupil Carl Jung and the birth of psychoanalysis. Mortensen plays Freud, with a cast which features Michael Fassbender (as Jung), Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel. Knightley plays Sabina, a young woman who begins an affair with Jung after being brought by her father to see him.

Shot in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and at Studio Babelsberg, the film is in post in Canada. Jeremy Thomas produces.

Int’l sales HanWay Films     info@hanwayfilms.com

THE IMPOSSIBLE (Sp)

Dir: Juan Antonio Bayona

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona was not short of offers from Hollywood following the phenomenal success of his Spanish-language horror The Orphanage, but he chose to make The Impossible, a high-impact drama about the effects of the 2004 tsunami on an English couple, played by Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts.

Now shooting in Thailand and Spain, the film is backed by Apaches Entertainment (which is also working on Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s Intruders) and Telecinco Cinema (The Orphanage, Agora). Summit has already sold the film to most territories and will release it in North America. Warner Bros will release in Spain.

Delivery late 2011 Int’l sales Summit International  www.summit-ent.com

HANNA (US-Ger)

Dir: Joe Wright

Saoirse Ronan stars as the titular Hanna, a teenager raised by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana) in the wilds of Finland to be the perfect assassin. She goes on a mission, journeying across Europe and eluding agents sent by Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), a woman with secrets of her own.

The script had featured on the Black List, an annual directory of the best unproduced scripts, and was being developed by Danny Boyle in 2009 before he left the project. Joe Wright — who previously directed Ronan in Atonement — took on directorial duties. Hanna starts its international rollout this spring.

Release date April 8, 2011

Contact Focus Features International

WUTHERING HEIGHTS (UK)

Dir: Andrea Arnold

The Oscar-winning British director takes on the Emily Bronte classic. But with Andrea Arnold’s output consisting of such singular, gritty dramas as Red Road and Fish Tank, it seems a given that this will not be a typically stuffy, corseted version.

The Ecosse/Film4 production is based on Olivia Hetreed’s adaptation of the novel. It will be set in 19th-century Yorkshire, but is expected to have a contemporary resonance in returning to the roots of the story about a teenage boy who is taken in by a wealthy family where he develops an intense relationship with his foster sister. Newcomers Kaya Scodelario and James Howson play Cathy and Heathcliff.

If finished in time, it will be a perfect fit for Cannes; Arnold’s two previous features both screened in Competition — and both won the jury prize.

HanWay has already sold to many territories, including Artificial Eye in the UK, Prokino in Germany, Alta in Spain, Transmission in Australia and Diaphana in France.

Delivery summer 2011
Int’l sales HanWay films    info@hanwayfilms.com

THE IRON LADY (UK)

Dir: Phyllida Lloyd

Shooting begins this month on this hotly anticipated feature in which Meryl Streep stars as the formidable former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Jim Broadbent plays her husband, Denis.

Produced by Damian Jones from a screenplay by British writer Abi Morgan, this is Phyllida Lloyd’s second feature following the 2008 box-office smash Mamma Mia!.

The $20m film, which has been co-financed by Pathé and Film4, will focus on Thatcher’s later years as she battles retirement and ill health.

The film was the talk of AFM, where Pathé, which will distribute the project in the UK and France, secured a slew of pre-sales, though a US deal is still pending.

Release date late 2011

Contact Pathe international    www.pathe.co.uk

DREDD (UK-S Afr)

Dir: Pete Travis

This 3D adaptation of the cult comic strip created for 2000ad magazine stars Karl Urban as Judge Dredd, who brings justice to the violent, dystopian Mega City One where state-endorsed enforcers act as judge, jury and executioner. Olivia Thirlby stars as psychic rookie cop Cassandra Anderson in the film, directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point).

The $45m Dredd is produced by the UK’s DNA Films with backing from Reliance BIG Pictures and IM Global. The film is shooting in South Africa from a screenplay by Alex Garland.

Release January 2012
Int’l sales IM Global    info@imglobalfilm.com

A MONSTER IN PARIS (Fr)

Dir: Bibo Bergeron

Three years in the making, EuropaCorp’s ambitious animated feature A Monster In Paris is directed by Bibo Bergeron, whose last project was the 2004 animation Shark Tale.

This adventure is set in Paris in 1910 and follows a shy movie projectionist, an inventor, a cabaret star and an eccentric scientist as they embark on a hunt to find the monster who is terrorising the citizens of the French capital.

French animator Bergeron is back on home turf for this feature, which he wrote with Stéphane Kazandjian.

The voice cast includes Vanessa Paradis, Adam Goldberg, Jay Harrington and Danny Huston.

Int’l sales EuropaCorp, cfouche@europacorp.com

THE WOMAN IN BLACK (UK)

Dir: James Watkins

A grown-up Daniel Radcliffe takes his first post-Harry Potter leading-man role in this Hammer Films period thriller. Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kick-Ass) adapted the script from Susan Hill’s bestselling novel turned stage play.

Radcliffe plays a young lawyer who has to sort through a deceased client’s papers in an isolated house, where he sees a mysterious woman. Talent-to-watch James Watkins (Eden Lake) is directing.

Hammer sister company Exclusive Films International is handling sales, and Alliance’s network has UK, Spain and Canada rights.

Int’l sales Exclusive Films International    info@exclusivemedia.com

LE HAVRE (Fin-Fr-Ger)

Dir: Aki Kaurismaki

Iconic Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki is back with his first feature since the 2006 Cannes Competition entry Lights In The Dusk.

Kaurismaki’s second French-language picture is a dramatic comedy set in the titular port town about a shoe-shiner who tries to save a refugee child. Le Havre stars André Wilms — who also appeared in Kaurismaki’s previous French-language title, 1992’s La Vie De Boheme — and Kati Outinen. The cast also includes Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Elina Salo and Ilkka Koivula.

The $5.3m (€3.9m) film was scripted by Kaurismaki, who produced for his own Sputnik outfit. France’s Pyramide International and Germany’s Pandora Film co-produce. “It is a great place to work and a perfect name for the film,” says the director.

Release date March 4, 2011 (Fin)

Int’l sales The Match Factory     info@matchfactory.de

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Turk-Bos)

Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

The biggest production yet from Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Once Upon A Time In Anatolia is a story that takes place in the middle of the endless Anatolian steppes. Currently in post, the film is produced by Zeyno Film, NBC Film, Imaj Entertainment and 2006 Production Sarajevo.

Anatolialooks likely to be a Cannes contender since the director’s last three films have all premiered in Competition on the Croisette. Distant won the Grand Prix and best actor prize in 2003, Climates picked up the Fipresci prize in 2006 and Three Monkeys won Ceylan the best director prize in 2008.

Completion February-March 2011
Int’l sales www.zeynofilm.com

DON 2 (Ind)

Dir: Farhan Akhtar

Any film toplining Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan can be assured of global appeal, and this sequel picks up where the 2006 hit Don: The Chase Begins Again left off.

A story about a stylish gangster, this action-packed film was shot in Germany, Malaysia, Switzerland and India. Also starring Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani and Kunal Kapoor, it is being produced by Excel Entertainment and will be distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures.

It is slated for a December 2011 release in India. Don, which took about $17m around the world, was itself a remake of a 1978 hit.

Release date December 2011
Int’l sales Reliance   mahesh.ramanathan@relianceada.com

THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH (Fr-UK-Pol)

Dir: Pawel Pawlikowski

Poland-born, UK-based director Pawel Pawlikowski returns with his first film since the acclaimed My Summer Of Love in 2004. He adapted the script with Douglas Kennedy based on the latter’s supernatural thriller novel of the same name. Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas lead the cast, in the story of a writer who becomes embroiled with a mysterious widow after his marriage falls apart.

The Woman In The Fifth was shot in Paris from March to June 2010 and is being readied for a potential debut in Cannes. The France-UK-Poland co-production is backed by Film4, Haut Et Court and SPI International Polska.

Int’l sales Memento films International, sales@memento-films.com

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (UK)

Dir: Lasse Hallstrom

Oscar-winner Lasse Hallstrom directs Simon Beaufoy’s adaptation of Paul Torday’s bestseller about a fisheries specialist who becomes mixed up in a project to bring Scottish salmon to Yemen (Morocco stood in for Yemen on the nine-week shoot). The expert finds he must appease a government spin-doctor, a fisherman sheikh and the sheikh’s charming aide.

Ewan McGregor plays the lead character, Egyptian actor Amr Waked (Syriana) is the sheikh, Emily Blunt the sheikh’s captivating assistant and Kristin Scott Thomas a British government PR flack.

Kudos Films’ Paul Webster (Eastern Promises, Atonement) is producing alongside co-producer Nicky Kentish-Barnes. Backing came from the UK Film Council, BBC Films, Lionsgate UK and the UK tax credit.

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is currently in post.

Int’l sales Lionsgate International www.lionsgatefilms.com/intl

BLACK GOLD (Fr-Qat)

Dir: Jean-Jacques Annaud

The $55m epic adventure Black Gold is shooting in Tunisia and Qatar.

Produced by Tarak Ben Ammar’s Quinta Communications, the film is adapted from Hans Ruesch’s novel The Great Thirst and tells the story of rivalry between two Emirs in 1930s Arabia.

An attractive international cast includes Antonio Banderas, Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong, Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed and Liya Kebede.

Quinta has signed multi-territory distribution deals with Warner Bros and Universal Pictures. Warner Bros will distribute in France, the UK, Latin America and the Middle East, while Universal Pictures International will distribute in Germany and Spain. Quinta’s Eagle Pictures is handling distribution in Italy. The Doha Film Institute is also co-producing.

Release date late 2011

Contact Quinta Communications

MELANCHOLIA (Den-Swe-Fr-It-Ger)

Dir: Lars von Trier

The follow-up to Lars von Trier’s controversial Cannes 2009 prize-winner Antichrist, Melancholia stars Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan and Alexander Skarsgard, Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt. The film is a psychological disaster movie which begins with the end of the world.

“I start with the end, because what is interesting is not what happens, but how it happens,” Trier says of his $10m Melancholia. The film was written by Trier and produced by Meta Louise Foldager and Louise Vesth for Zentropa, with Swedish, Italian, French and German partners. Denmark’s TrustNordisk has pre-sold Melancholia to more than 25 territories.

Release date May 26, 2011 (Den) Int’l sales TrustNordisk     info@trustnordisk.com

THE DEEP BLUE SEA (UK)

Dir: Terence Davies

Set in post-war Britain, The Deep Blue Sea, an adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s classic play, features Rachel Weisz as Hester Collyer, the wife of a high-court judge (played by Simon Russell Beale) who shocks those around her when she walks out on her marriage to live with a young ex-RAF pilot called Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston).

Directed by Terence Davies — whose acclaimed films include Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Long Day Closes — the film is backed by Film4, the UK Film Council, Lipsync Productions, Protagonist Pictures, Fulcrum Media Finance and Artificial Eye (which will release the film in the UK).

Delivery Summer 2011

Int’l sales Protagonist Pictures, info@protagonistpictures.com

ANONYMOUS (US-Ger)

Dir: Roland Emmerich

Known for big-budget catastrophe movies such as 2012, Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, German director Roland Emmerich changes register with this historical thriller about the Earl of Oxford, one of Shakespeare’s possible collaborators, set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth.

Shot at Studio Babelsberg in Germany — where a replica of the Rose Theatre was built — the film has a strong cast, including Edward Hogg, Vanessa Redgrave, Rhys Ifans, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance. The film is written by John Orloff.

Release date September 29, 2011 (US)
Contact Sony Pictures

BURNING MAN (Aus)

Dir: Jonathan Teplitzky

Writer-director Jonathan Teplitzky tells this emotional contemporary story about the best and worst of love.

The story centres on Tom, played by Matthew Goode, a chef who is trying to make sense of life. The cast also includes Bojana Novakovic, Rachel Griffiths, Kerry Fox, Kate Beahan and Gia Carides.

The UK’s Andy Paterson is producing alongside Teplitzky. It is being released in Australia by Transmission and Filmbox is handling international sales.

Int’l sales Filmbox,  cedricjeanson@gmail.com

THE DOOR (Hun-Ger)

Dir: Istvan Szabo

Based on the 1987 semi-autobiographical novel by acclaimed Hungarian writer Magda Szabo, The Door follows the developing relationship between busy young Hungarian writer Magda and her strident and tough cleaner Emerence over a period of 20 years. No-one knows about Emerence’s private life, until an event in the writer’s life prompts her to reveal glimpses of her tragic past. Helen Mirren plays Emerence, with Martina Gedeck (who starred in Oscar winner The Lives Of Others) as Magda. Director Istvan Szabo shot the film, which is in post-production, in Hungary and Germany.

Delivery may Int’l sales Bankside Films, www.bankside-films.com

THE EAGLE (UK)

Dir: Kevin Macdonald

Kevin Macdonald’s epic Roman adventure stars Channing Tatum as young centurion Marcus Aquila who arrives from Rome to investigate the disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland in 140ad and to restore his father’s reputation by finding the legion’s lost golden-eagle emblem.

Produced by Duncan Kenworthy and backed by Film4 and Focus, the film is based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 historical novel. It was shot on location in Scotland and in Hungary and is set to open in the US in February.

release date February 11 (US)
Int’l sales Focus Features International info@focusfeatures.com

HORRID HENRY (UK)

Dir: Nick Moore

Following the international box-office success of British dance film StreetDance 3D, UK production and distribution company Vertigo Films is back with a second 3D live-action feature, this time based on Francesca Simon’s bestselling children’s literary, television and stage phenomenon Horrid Henry.

The UK’s Nick Moore is directing the film, which is being dubbed the first British children’s film to be shot in 3D. Horrid Henry stars Anjelica Huston and Richard E Grant alongside 11-year-old Theo Stevenson in the title role.

Currently in post, the script  has been written by Lucinda Whiteley, who is also co-producing for Novel Entertainment. Protagonist Pictures will be tempting buyers with a 3D promo reel in Berlin.

Delivery Summer 2011
Int’l sales Protagonist Pictures, info@protagonistpictures.com

SLEEP TIGHT (Sp)

Dir: Jaume Balaguero

Director Jaume Balaguero has formed a formidable partnership with Spanish studio Filmax to create some memorable horror films over the past 10 years, notably the [REC] franchise, co-directed with Paco Plaza, which has been a hit locally and internationally.

For Sleep Tight, currently in post, Balaguero is steering clear of brutal violence to explore the more sophisticated mechanics of fear with a thriller about a depressed apartment doorman who abuses his position to spy on the residents and, in particular, a happy-go-lucky woman named Clara.

The cast is led by Luis Tosar and Marta Etura, who worked together on Daniel Monzon’s prison drama Cell 211.

Delivery May target
Int’l sales Tara Erer, FilmNation, terer@wearefilmnation.com

THE EXCHANGE (Isr-Ger)

Dir: Eran Kolirin

Eran Kolirin’s follow-up to his hugely successful The Band’s Visit once again sets out to explore new territories. The existential drama tells the story of a man who comes home in the middle of the day, at an hour he can’t remember being home before, and sets out to discover the essence of his existence hidden in all the nooks and crannies that he has either taken for granted or never before noticed. Rotem Kenan is playing the lead in the film, which is in post.

Eilon Ratzkovsky’s July-August Productions is producing alongside Germany’s Pandora Film Produktion. The film was shot mostly in Germany.

Likely targeting a Cannes launch, the film will be distributed in Germany by Pandora and in France by Pyramide.

Delivery early Summer 2011
Int’l sales The Match Factory     info@matchfactory.de

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (UK-Fr)

Dir: Tomas Alfredson

This latest John Le Carré adaptation has the power and prestige of Working Title and StudioCanal behind it, plus hot director Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In) making his English-language debut.

The $30m 1970s spy story features a starry cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch. Oldman plays George Smiley, a ex-intelligence agent brought back into service when suspicions are raised about a Soviet spy.

StudioCanal is handling international sales, with many key territories already taken. A September theatrical launch is planned in the UK via StudioCanal partner Optimum.

Release date September 2011

Int’l sales StudioCanal    harold.vanlier@canal-plus.com

THE THREE MUSKETEERS  (Ger-UK-Fr)

Dir: Paul WS Anderson

Resident Evilwriter-producer-director Paul WS Anderson gives the oft-remade Alexandre Dumas story a 3D makeover.

Currently in post, the big-budget action adventure follows the musketeers’ efforts to prevent usurpers from seizing the French throne.

The all-star cast includes Matthew Macfadyen, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz and Milla Jovovich. Feted TV and feature screenwriter Andrew Davies has scripted the feature, which is produced by Anderson’s Impact Pictures and German parent company Constantin Film.

Release date October 14, 2011
Int’l sales Summit Entertainment www.summit-ent.com

THE TURIN HORSE (Hung-Fr-Switz-Ger-US)

Dir: Bela Tarr

Inspired by the story of Friedrich Nietzsche protecting a horse from abuse, the latest film from influential Hungarian auteur Bela Tarr tells the story of a rural man and his daughter whose working horse approaches its final days. In post, the film stars Janos Derzsi, Erika Bok and Mihaly Kormos.

Shot near Budapest, it was written by Tarr and Laszlo Krasznahorkai. The film is a co-production between Hungary’s TT Filmmühely, France’s Movie Partners in Motion, Switzerland’s Vega, Germany’s Zero Fiction and Werc Werk Works in the US.

Completion December 2010
Contact: ttfilmmuhely@t-online.hu

ALBERT NOBBS (Ireland)

Dir: Rodrigo Garcia

The story of a woman pretending to be a man in ultra-conservative 19th century Ireland, Albert Nobbs boasts a cast including Glenn Close, Aaron Johnson, Brendan Gleeson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The film was adapted by Close, John Banville and Gabriella Prekop from a story by George Moore.

Currently in production, sales agent WestEnd has closed deals in territories including Benelux (Wild Bunch), France (Chrysalis) and Portugal (Multimedia).

Int’l sales WestEnd Films info@westendfilms.com

LOVE & BRUISES (Fr)

Dir: Lou Ye

Described as “Last Tango In Paris a la Lou Ye” by its sales agent Wild Bunch, controversial Chinese director Lou Ye’s latest, set in Paris, tells the story of a violent love affair between a French worker (A Prophet star Tahar Rahim) and a Chinese teacher (Corrine Yam). Scripted by Lou, Liu Jie Falin and Catherine Paille, the film is being produced by Why Not, Dream Factory, Les Films du Lendemain and ARTE France Cinema. Lou’s last three features — Spring Fever, Summer Palace and Purple Butterfly — premiered in Cannes and Love & Bruises is likely to follow suit.

Int’l sales Wild Bunch  cbaraton@wildbunch.eu

W.E. (UK)

Dir: Madonna

After her directorial debut Filth & Wisdom played in Berlinale 2008, Madonna makes the leap into feature directing with this romantic drama, based on the true story of King Edward VIII’s abdication of the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson (and paired with a more contemporary New York love story). Producers are Kris Thykier and Colin Vaines, and Madonna wrote the script with Alek Keshishian. James D’Arcy and Andrea Riseborough play Edward and Mrs Simpson, with Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac and James Fox also in the cast.

Delivery December 2011
Int’l sales IM Global  info@imglobalfilm.com

THE SOURCE (Fr-Mor-Bel-It)

Dir: Radu Mihaileanu

Radu Mihaileanu’s fifth feature is a battle-of-the-sexes comedy drama set in a village where women threaten to deny their partners sexual favours if they refuse to fetch water from a remote well.

Produced by Elzevir Films, EuropaCorp, Indigo Films, Oi Oi Oi Productions, France 3 Cinema, La Compagnie Cinématographique Européenne and Agora Films, the cast includes Leila Bekhti, Sabrina Ouazani and Hafsia Herzi, winner of the 2008 most promising actress César and the Marcello Mastroianni award at Venice for her performance in The Secret Of The Grain.

Mihaileanu’s previous film was the Golden Globe-nominated box-office hit The Concert.

Delivery autumn 2011
Int’l sales europacorp (except Italy, Benelux and Morocco) contact@europacorp.com

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (UK)

Dir: Lynne Ramsay

This long-awaited adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s acclaimed bestselling book marks Scottish auteur Lynne Ramsay’s first feature since 2002’s Morvern Callar.

The subject matter itself should drive interest: Tilda Swinton plays the mother of a teenage boy who goes on a high-school killing spree, trying to deal with her grief by writing to her estranged husband (John C Reilly).

After several years of development at BBC Films, We Need To Talk About Kevin was shot in Connecticut in mid-2010.

Artificial Eye has UK rights and the film could land at Cannes; the director’s Morvern Callar premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in 2002.

Int’l sales Independent  mail@independentfilmcompany.com

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (It-Fr-Ire)

Dir: Paolo Sorrentino

Il Divo director Paolo Sorrentino’s big-budget English-language debut stars Sean Penn as an ageing rock star who hunts down the Nazi responsible for his father’s execution in a concentration camp.

Frances McDormand co-stars in Sorrentino’s fifth feature, which was shot this summer in Dublin, Michigan, New Mexico and New York.

The thriller is produced by Medusa Film, Lucky Red and Indigo Film and co-produced with France’s ARP Selection and Ireland’s Element Pictures. It received additional funding from Milan’s Intesa Sanpaolo bank, Eurimages and the Irish Film Board.

Penn and Sorrentino met initially when the former presided over the 2008 Cannes jury, which awarded Il Divo the Jury Prize.

Int’l sales Pathe International, sales@patheinternational.com

SHAME (UK-US)

Dir: Steve McQueen

Shame is British director Steve McQueen’s keenly awaited second feature after his searing 2008 debut film Hunger, which picked up awards at festivals including Cannes, Toronto and Venice, and which won him the Carl Foreman award for most promising newcomer at the Baftas.

The drama tells the story of Brandon (played by Michael Fassbender), a 30-something New Yorker struggling with his sex addiction who copes with the problem by reaching out to his closest allies. Carey Mulligan plays Sissy, Brandon’s troubled sister.

Written by the Turner Prize-winning artist McQueen and Abi Morgan, and produced by Iain Canning of See-Saw (The King’s Speech), Shame is due to shoot in January.

Delivery winter 2011
Int’l sales HanWay Films, info@hanwayfilms.com

THE FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE (Chi-HK)

Dir: Tsui Hark

In what is billed as the first Asian martial-arts 3D project, Tsui Hark is shooting a $35m 3D remake of his 1992 film Dragon Inn, produced by Bona International Film.

It is filming entirely in 3D on RED cameras, with the stereography team going through a special training period, and Avatar’s Chuck Comisky on board as stereography consultant. Jet Li, Chen Kun and Xun Zhou star.

Tsui’s work has previously screened at Cannes and Venice — including 2010 film Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame.

Contact Distribution Workshop,   virginia@distributionworkshop.com

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (UK-US)

Dir: Simon Curtis

This drama charts the true story of third assistant director Colin Clark, who had the unlikely privilege of escorting Marilyn Monroe around the UK during the production of Warner Bros’ comedy The Prince And The Showgirl. Michelle Williams plays Monroe opposite Eddie Redmayne in Adrian Hodges’ adaptation of Clark’s memoirs. Curtis’ feature debut showcases a strong UK cast, including Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier, and Judi Dench.

Currently in post, the film is produced by the Weinstein Company and Trademark Films, with LipSync and BBC Films on board at the development stage.

Int’l sales The Weinstein Company www.weinsteinco.com