Sci-fi blockbuster Dune: Part Two opens in 721 venues this weekend, carrying the hopes of many UK-Ireland cinemas after a slow start to 2024.
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is Warner Bros’ fourth-widest opening of all time in the territory, after last year’s Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (749) and Barbie (724), and 2022’s Elvis (746).
It is opening on 62 sites more than Dune, which started in 659 venues in October 2021. That film began with a £4.8m weekend at a £7,210 average, dethroning James Bond title No Time To Die. It went on to a £22.1m total – a decent result in a market still feeling the effects of the pandemic.
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is Warner Bros’ fourth-widest opening of all time in the territory, after last year’s Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (749) and Barbie (724), and 2022’s Elvis (746).
It is opening on 62 sites more than Dune, which started in 659 venues in October 2021. That film began with a £4.8m weekend at a £7,210 average, dethroning James Bond title No Time To Die. It went on to a £22.1m total – a decent result in a market still feeling the effects of the pandemic.
- 3/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
This quirky story of a lonely farmer and his deceased mother celebrates the Nordic country’s breathtaking landscape
This film hits just about every sweet spot possible: it is Icelandic and shot on black and white stock; it is a quirky road movie set in an unlikely place (Iceland); and it has a cute dog and features characters who knit. What is not love? If there had been cats and Ian McShane in a supporting role, it might have got five stars.
However, writer-director Hilmar Oddsson doesn’t need to pander to specific tastes because it’s clear he knows exactly what he’s doing with this happy-sad comedy-drama, a film that hovers on the emotional cusp between tones with consummate skill. The story unfolds in long, languid, static takes, signalling both a kind of arthouse melancholy that at the same time reads as faintly comical, setting up a frame...
This film hits just about every sweet spot possible: it is Icelandic and shot on black and white stock; it is a quirky road movie set in an unlikely place (Iceland); and it has a cute dog and features characters who knit. What is not love? If there had been cats and Ian McShane in a supporting role, it might have got five stars.
However, writer-director Hilmar Oddsson doesn’t need to pander to specific tastes because it’s clear he knows exactly what he’s doing with this happy-sad comedy-drama, a film that hovers on the emotional cusp between tones with consummate skill. The story unfolds in long, languid, static takes, signalling both a kind of arthouse melancholy that at the same time reads as faintly comical, setting up a frame...
- 2/27/2024
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: UK-French sales company Alief has acquired world sales rights to Megan Seely’s dark comedy Puddysticks in which she co-stars alongside Mamoudou Athie and Dan Bakkedahl.
Seely plays Liz, a burned-out videogame designer who discovers a mysterious society of adults who heal their darkest secrets through childlike play.
Led by the alluring figure of Sylvester Cromwell (Bakkedahl), the group compels each member to reveal their most shameful memory as part of the process but when Liz finally musters the courage to share her darkest trauma, her world turns upside down.
Puddysticks is actress, writer and filmmaker Seely’s first feature length film after well-travelled short film My Loyal Audience, TV show Every Year On My Half Birthday and taking co-writing credits on 2017 feature The Mad Whale.
Her acting credits include the Filipino and American musical The Girl Who Left Home and Twist.
Seely plays Liz, a burned-out videogame designer who discovers a mysterious society of adults who heal their darkest secrets through childlike play.
Led by the alluring figure of Sylvester Cromwell (Bakkedahl), the group compels each member to reveal their most shameful memory as part of the process but when Liz finally musters the courage to share her darkest trauma, her world turns upside down.
Puddysticks is actress, writer and filmmaker Seely’s first feature length film after well-travelled short film My Loyal Audience, TV show Every Year On My Half Birthday and taking co-writing credits on 2017 feature The Mad Whale.
Her acting credits include the Filipino and American musical The Girl Who Left Home and Twist.
- 2/6/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Empire, an absurdist period drama about Denmark’s colonial history from filmmaker Frederikke Aspöck and writer Anna Neye, has won the 2023 Nordic Council Film Prize.
The award was announced Tuesday evening during the Nordic Council Prize ceremony at the Opera house in Oslo. The gong was handed to Aspöck and Neye alongside producers Pernille Munk Skydsgaard, Nina Leidersdorff, and Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen.
Speaking of Empire, the council jury said: “It is a rare thing to come across a film that is so confidently and thoroughly thought through in every single detail, and where such an extraordinarily clear vision from the filmmakers behind it shines from every frame. They serve a beautiful, sweet, and colorful treat laced with bitter poison and low-intensity rage. The film is complex and thought-provoking, and the filmmakers do not stumble once while telling their tale about an ugly part of history.”
Conceived and written by Neye,...
The award was announced Tuesday evening during the Nordic Council Prize ceremony at the Opera house in Oslo. The gong was handed to Aspöck and Neye alongside producers Pernille Munk Skydsgaard, Nina Leidersdorff, and Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen.
Speaking of Empire, the council jury said: “It is a rare thing to come across a film that is so confidently and thoroughly thought through in every single detail, and where such an extraordinarily clear vision from the filmmakers behind it shines from every frame. They serve a beautiful, sweet, and colorful treat laced with bitter poison and low-intensity rage. The film is complex and thought-provoking, and the filmmakers do not stumble once while telling their tale about an ugly part of history.”
Conceived and written by Neye,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The award was handed out tonight during a ceremony at Oslo’s Opera House.
Danish drama Empire (Viften) has won the lucrative Nordic Council Film Prize for 2023.
The prize, worth $45,000, is split between director Frederikke Aspöck, screenwriter Anna Neye and producers Pernille Munk Skydsgaard, Nina Leidersdorff and Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen.
The award was handed out tonight during a ceremony at Oslo’s Opera House.
Empire celebrated its world premiere in Göteborg and opened in Danish cinemas in April via Sf Studios. REinvent handles international sales.
The film was selected among six Nordic candidates by a jury consisting...
Danish drama Empire (Viften) has won the lucrative Nordic Council Film Prize for 2023.
The prize, worth $45,000, is split between director Frederikke Aspöck, screenwriter Anna Neye and producers Pernille Munk Skydsgaard, Nina Leidersdorff and Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen.
The award was handed out tonight during a ceremony at Oslo’s Opera House.
Empire celebrated its world premiere in Göteborg and opened in Danish cinemas in April via Sf Studios. REinvent handles international sales.
The film was selected among six Nordic candidates by a jury consisting...
- 10/31/2023
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Six nominees vying for the lucrative annual award.
The Nordic Council Film Prize is including a Greenlandic nominee for the first time, with six titles in the running for the prize, worth $45,000.
The full list of nominees this year are:
The Edge Of The Shadow (Greenland) Directed and written by Malik Kleist and produced by Nina Paninnguaq for PaniNoir and Imalik Film. Empire (Den) Directed by Frederikke Aspöck, written by Anna Neye and Frederikke Aspöck and produced by Pernille Munk Skydsgaard, Nina Leidersdorff and Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen for Meta Film Bubble (Fin) Directed by Aleksi Salmenperä , written by Reeta Ruotsalainen and Aleksi Salmenperä,...
The Nordic Council Film Prize is including a Greenlandic nominee for the first time, with six titles in the running for the prize, worth $45,000.
The full list of nominees this year are:
The Edge Of The Shadow (Greenland) Directed and written by Malik Kleist and produced by Nina Paninnguaq for PaniNoir and Imalik Film. Empire (Den) Directed by Frederikke Aspöck, written by Anna Neye and Frederikke Aspöck and produced by Pernille Munk Skydsgaard, Nina Leidersdorff and Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen for Meta Film Bubble (Fin) Directed by Aleksi Salmenperä , written by Reeta Ruotsalainen and Aleksi Salmenperä,...
- 8/22/2023
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
France-u.K. sales-production-distribution house Alief (“Matadero”) has closed U.K. and Irish theatrical sales for on Tallinn Black Nights Grand Prix winner “Driving Mum, with Newcastle upon Tyne-based exhibition and distribution outfit Tull Stories (“A Clever Woman”) ahead of its bow in at the Glasgow Festival on Monday.
Warsaw-based Aurora Films (“I Love My Dad”) has simultaneously snapped up Polish theatrical rights.
“We could not be happier to have found the perfect match for ‘Driving Mum’ in the U.K and Ireland, key markets in our company’s DNA. What a joyful day, I’ll finally be able to take my mother to one of our movies in London,” Brett Walker, president of Alief, told Variety.
Directed by Reykjavík helmer Hilmar Oddsson (“December”), the film, which recently secured a German-language and Swiss rights deal with Prokino, is a resounding ode to isolation and discovery that embarks on a journey lending...
Warsaw-based Aurora Films (“I Love My Dad”) has simultaneously snapped up Polish theatrical rights.
“We could not be happier to have found the perfect match for ‘Driving Mum’ in the U.K and Ireland, key markets in our company’s DNA. What a joyful day, I’ll finally be able to take my mother to one of our movies in London,” Brett Walker, president of Alief, told Variety.
Directed by Reykjavík helmer Hilmar Oddsson (“December”), the film, which recently secured a German-language and Swiss rights deal with Prokino, is a resounding ode to isolation and discovery that embarks on a journey lending...
- 3/6/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Munich-based arthouse distribution company Prokino Filmverleih has locked German-language and Swiss rights for the unconventional Icelandic road trip film “Driving Mum” from production-distribution outfit Alief (“Matadero”).
The project won the Grand Prix Prize for best film at the Tallinn Black Night Film Festival, earning additional accolades for its affecting score. It was also chosen as an Industry Select title at 2022’s Toronto Festival.
The deal, brokered between Miguel Angel Govea, a partner at Alief, and Ira Von Gienanth, managing director of production, acquisitions & sales at Prokino, comes ahead of the feature’s European Film Market screenings in Berlin.
“We’re thrilled to close German rights with Prokino. Ira and the team are a perfect match for Hilmar’s sentimental yet quirky tribute to motherhood,“ Govea remarked in a statement.
Directed by Reykjavík native Hilmar Oddsson (“December”), “Driving Mum” takes a wryly solemn look at isolation, despair and self-discovery as Jon...
The project won the Grand Prix Prize for best film at the Tallinn Black Night Film Festival, earning additional accolades for its affecting score. It was also chosen as an Industry Select title at 2022’s Toronto Festival.
The deal, brokered between Miguel Angel Govea, a partner at Alief, and Ira Von Gienanth, managing director of production, acquisitions & sales at Prokino, comes ahead of the feature’s European Film Market screenings in Berlin.
“We’re thrilled to close German rights with Prokino. Ira and the team are a perfect match for Hilmar’s sentimental yet quirky tribute to motherhood,“ Govea remarked in a statement.
Directed by Reykjavík native Hilmar Oddsson (“December”), “Driving Mum” takes a wryly solemn look at isolation, despair and self-discovery as Jon...
- 2/14/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Winnie Cheung’s “Residency,” which has its world premiere in the Bright Future section of Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam, has debuted its trailer (below). Alief is selling the film, which is a “haunting metafictional tale about female artists pushed beyond their limits at a cursed artist residency.”
The film, set at New York artists’ studio The Locker Room, is described by Alief’s Miguel Angel Govea as “an adventurous take on the final girl horror trope.” It is a “hybrid feature dancing between fiction and non-fiction norms that plays like a punk rock cover of Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax.'”
Cheung commented: “Rather than representing women as sexualized victims through the traditional lens of male fantasies, I’m exploring the real horror behind the anxiety of being a female artist, which is often mixed in with pleasure, delirium and joy.”
Cheung was the editor and one of the producers of “Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched,...
The film, set at New York artists’ studio The Locker Room, is described by Alief’s Miguel Angel Govea as “an adventurous take on the final girl horror trope.” It is a “hybrid feature dancing between fiction and non-fiction norms that plays like a punk rock cover of Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax.'”
Cheung commented: “Rather than representing women as sexualized victims through the traditional lens of male fantasies, I’m exploring the real horror behind the anxiety of being a female artist, which is often mixed in with pleasure, delirium and joy.”
Cheung was the editor and one of the producers of “Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Hilmar Oddsson on the theatre troupe in Driving Mum: 'The first rule in improvisation is, you always have to open doors' When we sat down to chat with Hillmar Oddsson about Driving Mum - which sees a man, Jón (Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson) take a very unusual road trip with his mother (Kristbjörg Kjeld) - we talked about the cast, aesthetic and setting, which you can read about here. Our conversation also included a discussion of other elements of the film that add to its absurdist atmosphere, chiefly the score by Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits and the use of a theatre troupe as a chorus that help to connect Jón to a memory from his past.
If you were listening to the music without watching the film, you might expect it to be accompanying American landscapes. The bluesy feel of parts of the scoring carries with it the suggestion of riding...
If you were listening to the music without watching the film, you might expect it to be accompanying American landscapes. The bluesy feel of parts of the scoring carries with it the suggestion of riding...
- 12/4/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Kristbjörg Kjeld and Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson in Driving Mum. Hilmar Oddsson: 'It came to me in black and white. There was no choice for me. I was always joking, I was waiting for somebody to stop me, because producers don't like black and white - but nobody did' Driving Mum is already riding high after steering its way to the Grand Prix at Tallinn's Black Nights Film Festival this month. Shot in crisp black and white that emphasise the dramatic landscapes of Iceland, Hilmar Oddsson’s film tells the story of Jón, a man at the higher end of middle age, who goes on an absurdist road trip across his mum in order to honour her last wish… and with her dead body, complete with make-up, sitting in the back of the car, while he sits up front with their dog Bresneff. Death doesn’t stop mum chipping in,...
- 11/30/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Swiss-Kosovar feature ‘The Land Within’ takes best first feature film.
Hilmar Oddsson’s Icelandic dark comedy Driving Mum won the Grand Prix for best film in Competition at the award ceremony of the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), held on Saturday, November 26.
The Official Selection jury, headed by Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi, said Driving Mum “charmed us all with its transparent, simple but bold film language, with its graceful sense of humour, with its unpretentious way of speaking about burning questions of personal life. A film which tells us that it is never too late.”
Scroll down for...
Hilmar Oddsson’s Icelandic dark comedy Driving Mum won the Grand Prix for best film in Competition at the award ceremony of the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), held on Saturday, November 26.
The Official Selection jury, headed by Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi, said Driving Mum “charmed us all with its transparent, simple but bold film language, with its graceful sense of humour, with its unpretentious way of speaking about burning questions of personal life. A film which tells us that it is never too late.”
Scroll down for...
- 11/27/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Driving Mum
Melancholic comedy drama Driving Mum sped off with the top prize in Tallinn this evening.
The black-and-white film, directed by Hilmar Oddsson, which sees a man go on an often surreal road trip with his dead mother in the backseat, also saw its Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits win a prize for Best Original Score.
The festival's Best First Feature prize went to The Land Within, a drama concerning the exhumation of a Balkan mass grave, directed by Fisnik Maxwell. Lithuanian historical drama The Poet, directed by Giedrius Tamosevicius and Vytautas V Landsbergis, won the Baltic Competition, while the Rebels With A Cause award went to José Luis Rugeles' Rebelion, about salsa star Joe Arroyo, while the Best Critics' Picks film was named as Jun Robles Lara's About Us But Not About Us.
The acting awards went to Antonia Zegers for The Punishment and Gurban Ismailov for Cold As Marble.
Melancholic comedy drama Driving Mum sped off with the top prize in Tallinn this evening.
The black-and-white film, directed by Hilmar Oddsson, which sees a man go on an often surreal road trip with his dead mother in the backseat, also saw its Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits win a prize for Best Original Score.
The festival's Best First Feature prize went to The Land Within, a drama concerning the exhumation of a Balkan mass grave, directed by Fisnik Maxwell. Lithuanian historical drama The Poet, directed by Giedrius Tamosevicius and Vytautas V Landsbergis, won the Baltic Competition, while the Rebels With A Cause award went to José Luis Rugeles' Rebelion, about salsa star Joe Arroyo, while the Best Critics' Picks film was named as Jun Robles Lara's About Us But Not About Us.
The acting awards went to Antonia Zegers for The Punishment and Gurban Ismailov for Cold As Marble.
- 11/26/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Icelandic production company Ursus Parvus has released a new trailer for upcoming black comedy road trip movie, “Driving Mum.”
The film is in official competition and will celebrate its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on Nov. 19. The film was also chosen as one of the 2022 Industry Selects at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Driving Mum,” an Icelandic/Estonian co-production, is directed by Hilmar Oddsson and stars Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson (“Noi the Albino”), Kristbjörg Kjeld (“Alma”), Hera Hilmar (“Mortal Engines”) and Tómas Lemarquis (“Blade Runner 2049”).
In the film, when Jon’s mother, the single most dominant person in his life, dies, his anchor is gone. Compelled to honor her last wish, he takes on a journey to bring the body across Iceland to her home village for the final rest. As they travel on, Jon’s whole existence obtains a new meaning.
Ursus Parvus producer, Hlin Johannesdottir,...
The film is in official competition and will celebrate its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on Nov. 19. The film was also chosen as one of the 2022 Industry Selects at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Driving Mum,” an Icelandic/Estonian co-production, is directed by Hilmar Oddsson and stars Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson (“Noi the Albino”), Kristbjörg Kjeld (“Alma”), Hera Hilmar (“Mortal Engines”) and Tómas Lemarquis (“Blade Runner 2049”).
In the film, when Jon’s mother, the single most dominant person in his life, dies, his anchor is gone. Compelled to honor her last wish, he takes on a journey to bring the body across Iceland to her home village for the final rest. As they travel on, Jon’s whole existence obtains a new meaning.
Ursus Parvus producer, Hlin Johannesdottir,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The line-up features 19 world premieres, including J.-P. Valkeapää’s ‘Hit Big’ and three Ukranian productions.
Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its official selection, featuring 19 world premieres, with the festival set to run from November 11-27.
World premieres include Finnish director J.-P. Valkeapää’s Hit Big, a Finland-Estonia-Spain co-production. Valkeapää’s credits include Dogs Wear Pants and They Have Escaped. The new film is about a Finnish former beauty pageant star, who left Finland for Spain’s Costa del Sol, finds her family’s murky criminal past starts to unravel. Charades is handling sales.
Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its official selection, featuring 19 world premieres, with the festival set to run from November 11-27.
World premieres include Finnish director J.-P. Valkeapää’s Hit Big, a Finland-Estonia-Spain co-production. Valkeapää’s credits include Dogs Wear Pants and They Have Escaped. The new film is about a Finnish former beauty pageant star, who left Finland for Spain’s Costa del Sol, finds her family’s murky criminal past starts to unravel. Charades is handling sales.
- 10/20/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Clockwise from top left: Ginji The Speculator, The Punishment, The Wastetown, 578 Magnum, A Cup Of Coffee And New Shoes On, Driving Mum Photo: Courtesy of Tallinn Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has announced the first seven titles in its Official Competition for this year's festival, which will run from November 11 to 27.
The selection includes new works from Iceland, Albania, Iran, Vietnam, Brazil and Japan, coming from both renowned, multi-award-winning auteurs and returning Black Nights favourites. It includes five world and two international premieres.
Ahmad Bahrani, who won Venice's Orizzonti prize with his previous film The Wasteland, brings The Wastetown, described as "a companion piece of sorts", which a woman who has been convicted of murder searching for her son. Ryuichi Mino, whose Make The Devil Laugh screened at last year's Black Nights, returns with comedy Ginji The Speculator, while Lương Đình Dũng, who previously brought Father & Son...
The selection includes new works from Iceland, Albania, Iran, Vietnam, Brazil and Japan, coming from both renowned, multi-award-winning auteurs and returning Black Nights favourites. It includes five world and two international premieres.
Ahmad Bahrani, who won Venice's Orizzonti prize with his previous film The Wasteland, brings The Wastetown, described as "a companion piece of sorts", which a woman who has been convicted of murder searching for her son. Ryuichi Mino, whose Make The Devil Laugh screened at last year's Black Nights, returns with comedy Ginji The Speculator, while Lương Đình Dũng, who previously brought Father & Son...
- 9/14/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Features include Albania’s entry to the Oscars.
Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (November 11-27) has announced the first seven films in its main competition strand, including Albania’s entry for the Oscars.
Gentian Koçi’s A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On was announced as Albania’s submission for the best international feature Oscar last week and will receive its world premiere at the festival.
Inspired by a true story, it follows identical deaf-mute twin brothers in their 40s who must contend with progressively losing their sense of sight. It marks Koçi’s second feature after Daybreak,...
Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (November 11-27) has announced the first seven films in its main competition strand, including Albania’s entry for the Oscars.
Gentian Koçi’s A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On was announced as Albania’s submission for the best international feature Oscar last week and will receive its world premiere at the festival.
Inspired by a true story, it follows identical deaf-mute twin brothers in their 40s who must contend with progressively losing their sense of sight. It marks Koçi’s second feature after Daybreak,...
- 9/14/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Th 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has selected its Industry Selects, a section of ten audience friendly films up for global acquisition. In addition it was announced that Jason Reitman’s Live Read is returning to the Festival for an all-star event featuring a surprise cast; the filmmaker presenting a surprise screenplay in honor of his late father, Ivan Reitman.
“We’ve worked to build a selection that will appeal to buyers as well as audiences,’’ said Norm Wilner, Programmer, Digital Releasing and Industry Selects. “We aim to celebrate new voices and showcase international talent, in line with the Festival’s global spirit.”
“We’re delighted to present these director-driven and audience-engaging sales titles from around the world to international buyers who rely on our festival to strengthen their upcoming film slate,” added Geoff Macnaughton, Senior Director, Industry and Theatrical. “Fostering sales at the Festival is a key part of our mandate,...
“We’ve worked to build a selection that will appeal to buyers as well as audiences,’’ said Norm Wilner, Programmer, Digital Releasing and Industry Selects. “We aim to celebrate new voices and showcase international talent, in line with the Festival’s global spirit.”
“We’re delighted to present these director-driven and audience-engaging sales titles from around the world to international buyers who rely on our festival to strengthen their upcoming film slate,” added Geoff Macnaughton, Senior Director, Industry and Theatrical. “Fostering sales at the Festival is a key part of our mandate,...
- 8/23/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The 10 “audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals
Neil Maskell’s comedy Klokkenluider and Bill Pohlad’s musical biopic Dreamin’ Wild are among the line-up for the Toronto International Film Festival Industry Selects programme.
The 10 ”audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals during the festival and are available for worldwide acquisition.
Klokkenluider is the feature directing debut of UK filmmaker and actor Neil Maskell, best known for roles in Kill List and TV series Utopia. Tom Burke and Jenna Coleman star as a whistleblower and his wife who...
Neil Maskell’s comedy Klokkenluider and Bill Pohlad’s musical biopic Dreamin’ Wild are among the line-up for the Toronto International Film Festival Industry Selects programme.
The 10 ”audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals during the festival and are available for worldwide acquisition.
Klokkenluider is the feature directing debut of UK filmmaker and actor Neil Maskell, best known for roles in Kill List and TV series Utopia. Tom Burke and Jenna Coleman star as a whistleblower and his wife who...
- 8/23/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to test whether the indie cinema business has rebounded amid the pandemic by screening 10 movies, including Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild, for buyers outside of its official selection.
International buyers will get an exclusive look via the new TIFF Industry Selects program at Buscemi’s latest film that stars Tessa Thompson as a young helpline volunteer amid the Covid-19 crisis, supporting people during their darkest hours.
Toronto is also teeing up Focus Features’ Dreamin’ Wild, which stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a musical biopic about the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild.
Other acquisition titles for industry eyes only at TIFF include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, which stars Rosy McEwen...
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to test whether the indie cinema business has rebounded amid the pandemic by screening 10 movies, including Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild, for buyers outside of its official selection.
International buyers will get an exclusive look via the new TIFF Industry Selects program at Buscemi’s latest film that stars Tessa Thompson as a young helpline volunteer amid the Covid-19 crisis, supporting people during their darkest hours.
Toronto is also teeing up Focus Features’ Dreamin’ Wild, which stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a musical biopic about the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild.
Other acquisition titles for industry eyes only at TIFF include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, which stars Rosy McEwen...
- 8/23/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One Un Certain Regard selected film (Lotfy Nathan‘s Harka), four films headed to Venice, one San Sebastián comp title in Laura Mora‘s highly anticipated Kings of the World, and four market premieres in Hilmar Oddsson‘s Driving Mum, Avan Jogia‘s Door Mouse, Neil Maskell‘s Klokkenluider and Kasia Rosłaniec‘s Salt Lake are the ten films selected for TIFF 2022 Industry Selects – a pandemic solution that will indeed carry over into “normal” times.…...
- 8/23/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
10 European actors to be celebrated by Efp in Berlin.
The UK’s Maisie Williams and Denmark’s Joachim Fjelstrup are among ten European acting talents to watch who have been selected for the line-up of European Film Promotion’s (Efp) Shooting Stars showcase at the 65th Berlinale (Feb 5-15).
An international jury of film professionals comprising Slovenian producer Danijel Hocevar, Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska, Swedish actress Eva Röse, UK film journalist Damon Wise, and French casting director Nathalie Cheron made its selection of six actresses and four actors from 23 nominations submitted by Efp member organisations.
The line-up for the 18th edition of Shooting Stars - with their nominated films - is as follows:
- Denmark: Joachim Fjelstrup (Itsi Bitsi)
- Finland: Emmi Parviainen (The Princess Of Egypt)
- Germany: Jannis Niewöhner (Sapphire Blue)
- Iceland: Hera Hilmer (Life In A Fishbowl)
- Ireland: Moe Dunford (Patrick’s Day)
- Lithuania: Aistė Diržiūtė (The Summer Of Sangaile)
- Spain:...
The UK’s Maisie Williams and Denmark’s Joachim Fjelstrup are among ten European acting talents to watch who have been selected for the line-up of European Film Promotion’s (Efp) Shooting Stars showcase at the 65th Berlinale (Feb 5-15).
An international jury of film professionals comprising Slovenian producer Danijel Hocevar, Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska, Swedish actress Eva Röse, UK film journalist Damon Wise, and French casting director Nathalie Cheron made its selection of six actresses and four actors from 23 nominations submitted by Efp member organisations.
The line-up for the 18th edition of Shooting Stars - with their nominated films - is as follows:
- Denmark: Joachim Fjelstrup (Itsi Bitsi)
- Finland: Emmi Parviainen (The Princess Of Egypt)
- Germany: Jannis Niewöhner (Sapphire Blue)
- Iceland: Hera Hilmer (Life In A Fishbowl)
- Ireland: Moe Dunford (Patrick’s Day)
- Lithuania: Aistė Diržiūtė (The Summer Of Sangaile)
- Spain:...
- 12/11/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Hubert Sauper's Darwin's Nightmare Head-on, Javier Bardem, Imelda Staunton: European Film Awards 2004 European Film Academy Documentary – Prix Arte Aileen: Life And Death Of A Serial Killer by Nick Broomfield & Joan Churchill / UK * Darwin's Nightmare by Hubert Sauper / Austria / France / Belgium Die SPIELWÜTIGEN (Addicted to Acting) by Andres Veiel / Germany La Pelota Vasca, La Piel Contra La Piedra (Basque Ball, Skin Against Stone) by Julio Medem / Spain Le Monde Selon Bush (The World According to Bush) by William Karel / France Mahssomim (Checkpoint) by Yoav Shamir / Israel The Last Victory by John Appel / The Netherlands Touch The Sound by Thomas Riedelsheimer / Germany / UK / Finland European Film Academy Short Film – Prix Uip * Prix Uip Ghent: J'attendrai le suivant… by Philippe Orreindy / France Prix Uip Valladolid: Les Baisers des Autres by Carine Tardieu / France Prix Uip Angers: Poveste La Scara "C" by Cristian Nemescu / Romania Prix Uip Berlin: Un Cartus De Kent Si Un Pachet De Cafea...
- 11/26/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
PALM SPRINGS -- Suffused with the crystalline light of its Nordic setting, Iceland's foreign-language Oscar submission is a film of stark physical beauty. But the story of "Cold Light" never takes hold in a way that will matter to viewers, and its split time frame gradually feels less essential than distracting. The drama of a man haunted by a childhood trauma screened recently at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
"Cold Light" centers on 40-ish Grimur (Ingvar E. Sigurdsson), whose solitary life begins to change when he enters art school. Working (and existing) on an intuitive plane, at first he doesn't understand the concept of sketching from life -- instead channeling his own visions about the model. But that failure to follow instructions doesn't stop his English-speaking teacher, Linda (Ruth Olafsdottir), from pursuing him. Soon they're involved in a (mostly off-camera) relationship, but when she tells him she's pregnant, he retreats.
As the audience knows from the flashbacks that dominate the film, a devastating long-ago event makes Grimur reluctant to take emotional chances. Writer-director Hilmar Oddsson, adapting the novel by Vigdis Grimsdottir, builds slowly toward the revelation of that disaster. When the incident unfolds onscreen, young actor Aslakur Ingvarsson, as the young Grimur, brings an impressive emotional power to the scene. He clearly has inherited talent from his father, the film's lead -- and the resemblance is a definite asset as well. Another plus is that the actress playing his sister, Snaefridur Ingvarsdottir, is his real-life sibling.
With their deft psychological observations and supernatural elements, the childhood scenes of rural family life are far more compelling and believable than those set in the present. The modern-day sections suffer from a chilly, mannered reserve and seem to exist only to make a point about emotional scars. But we don't see enough of the relationship between Grimur and Linda to care whether those scars heal.
Cinematographer Sigurdur Sverrir Palsson captures the wind-lashed Icelandic terrain with striking camerawork, lending this fractured memory piece a visual clarity that doesn't extend to the narrative itself.
"Cold Light" centers on 40-ish Grimur (Ingvar E. Sigurdsson), whose solitary life begins to change when he enters art school. Working (and existing) on an intuitive plane, at first he doesn't understand the concept of sketching from life -- instead channeling his own visions about the model. But that failure to follow instructions doesn't stop his English-speaking teacher, Linda (Ruth Olafsdottir), from pursuing him. Soon they're involved in a (mostly off-camera) relationship, but when she tells him she's pregnant, he retreats.
As the audience knows from the flashbacks that dominate the film, a devastating long-ago event makes Grimur reluctant to take emotional chances. Writer-director Hilmar Oddsson, adapting the novel by Vigdis Grimsdottir, builds slowly toward the revelation of that disaster. When the incident unfolds onscreen, young actor Aslakur Ingvarsson, as the young Grimur, brings an impressive emotional power to the scene. He clearly has inherited talent from his father, the film's lead -- and the resemblance is a definite asset as well. Another plus is that the actress playing his sister, Snaefridur Ingvarsdottir, is his real-life sibling.
With their deft psychological observations and supernatural elements, the childhood scenes of rural family life are far more compelling and believable than those set in the present. The modern-day sections suffer from a chilly, mannered reserve and seem to exist only to make a point about emotional scars. But we don't see enough of the relationship between Grimur and Linda to care whether those scars heal.
Cinematographer Sigurdur Sverrir Palsson captures the wind-lashed Icelandic terrain with striking camerawork, lending this fractured memory piece a visual clarity that doesn't extend to the narrative itself.
- 3/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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