Filmsharks subsidiary The Remake Co. has struck deals on Latin American hits led by a US deal on Argentinian box office smash A Boyfriend For My Wife.
Impossible Garden’s Andy Schefter has optioned English-language remake rights and will produce with New Rebellion Entertainment’s Tim Sullivan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cooper Tomlinson.
Juan Taratuto’s original film has inspired numerous similar deals, including in Spain with Robot Dreams producer Arcadia Motion Pictures and Universal.
It tells of a shy man who looks to break up his intense marriage by hiring a very peculiar old school ladies man to...
Impossible Garden’s Andy Schefter has optioned English-language remake rights and will produce with New Rebellion Entertainment’s Tim Sullivan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cooper Tomlinson.
Juan Taratuto’s original film has inspired numerous similar deals, including in Spain with Robot Dreams producer Arcadia Motion Pictures and Universal.
It tells of a shy man who looks to break up his intense marriage by hiring a very peculiar old school ladies man to...
- 2/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Hit Argentinian romantic comedy has been remade in more than 12 countries.
Guido Rud’s Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks’ The Remake Co. has struck a French deal for remake rights to hit Argentinian romantic comedy A Boyfriend For My Wife (Un Novio Para Mi Mujer).
Abel Nahmias’ Paris-based Echo Films is the latest company to adapt Juan Taratuto’s 2008 film. Nahmias’ credits include It Boy and Blood: The Last Vampire.
The story has been remade in more than 12 countries and centres on a frustrated husband who adopts the unusual strategy of hiring a flirtatious man in the hopes of getting rid of his wife.
Guido Rud’s Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks’ The Remake Co. has struck a French deal for remake rights to hit Argentinian romantic comedy A Boyfriend For My Wife (Un Novio Para Mi Mujer).
Abel Nahmias’ Paris-based Echo Films is the latest company to adapt Juan Taratuto’s 2008 film. Nahmias’ credits include It Boy and Blood: The Last Vampire.
The story has been remade in more than 12 countries and centres on a frustrated husband who adopts the unusual strategy of hiring a flirtatious man in the hopes of getting rid of his wife.
- 5/19/2022
- ScreenDaily
Universal Pictures Int’l Spain has snatched theatrical distribution rights to the Spanish remake of romcom “A Boyfriend for my Wife” (“Un Novio para mi Mujer”), now shooting in Barcelona.
The 2008 Argentine original by Juan Taratuto, starring Adrian Suar, lured up to 1.5 million admissions in Argentina and has been remade in a slew of territories, including Mexico, Brazil, Italy, China, France, Chile, Vietnam and, most successfully, in South Korea where it sold five million admissions.
Its story revolves around a man who finds a rather unorthodox way of getting rid of his lovely but insufferable wife: Finding her a boyfriend so that she dumps him instead. He picks a well-known Lothario to seduce her but the scheme backfires on him.
Directed by Laura Mañá from a screenplay penned with Pol Cortecans (“Bienvenidos a la familia”), the Spanish remake is produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures and Athos Pictures along with the...
The 2008 Argentine original by Juan Taratuto, starring Adrian Suar, lured up to 1.5 million admissions in Argentina and has been remade in a slew of territories, including Mexico, Brazil, Italy, China, France, Chile, Vietnam and, most successfully, in South Korea where it sold five million admissions.
Its story revolves around a man who finds a rather unorthodox way of getting rid of his lovely but insufferable wife: Finding her a boyfriend so that she dumps him instead. He picks a well-known Lothario to seduce her but the scheme backfires on him.
Directed by Laura Mañá from a screenplay penned with Pol Cortecans (“Bienvenidos a la familia”), the Spanish remake is produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures and Athos Pictures along with the...
- 7/22/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Peruvian comedy hit YouTuber Dad (Papa YouTuber), about a technophobe who must become a YouTuber, is set for French and Spanish remakes with Studiocanal and YouPlanet Films, respectively.
Argentine sales agency FilmSharks sold the remake rights via its label The Remake Company, which has previously handled remake sales for high profile pics including Santiago Segura’s Torrente franchise, Juan Taratuto’s Un Novio Para Mi Mujer and Alejandro Amenabar’s The Others.
Released by Cinecolor in Peru where it was a box office hit, Papa YouTuber by director Fernando Villarán follows a middle-aged family man who is kicked out of his decades-old job by his new millennial bosses. When he finds out how much others have made from their YouTube videos, he decides to become a YouTube influencer himself with the help of his kids.
Remake rights were previously sold to Colorado Films in Italy. A reported deal with...
Argentine sales agency FilmSharks sold the remake rights via its label The Remake Company, which has previously handled remake sales for high profile pics including Santiago Segura’s Torrente franchise, Juan Taratuto’s Un Novio Para Mi Mujer and Alejandro Amenabar’s The Others.
Released by Cinecolor in Peru where it was a box office hit, Papa YouTuber by director Fernando Villarán follows a middle-aged family man who is kicked out of his decades-old job by his new millennial bosses. When he finds out how much others have made from their YouTube videos, he decides to become a YouTube influencer himself with the help of his kids.
Remake rights were previously sold to Colorado Films in Italy. A reported deal with...
- 1/22/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Argentine sales agency FilmSharks Int’l label The Remake Company has sold remake rights at Ventana Sur to Peruvian family comedy hit “Papa YouTuber” (“YouTuber Dad”) to Mexico’s Cinepolis and Italy’s Colorado Films, with several other territories pending.
Advanced discussions are underway in Germany, with Spain, France and the U.S. also pending. “The U.S. deal will likely have a high-profile female director attached,” said FilmSharks Founder-ceo Guido Rud.
“Family comedies are the hot new wave in summer releases,” Rud observed, citing the box office successes of the Italian and Spanish remakes of Argentine family comedy “10 Days Without Mom,” which he sold. The Italian remake was the number one box office hit this year in Italy while in Spain, its remake grossed $27 million, said Rud who noted that “Papa YouTuber” is the first Peruvian title that the Remake Company has handled.
Released by Cinecolor in Peru where...
Advanced discussions are underway in Germany, with Spain, France and the U.S. also pending. “The U.S. deal will likely have a high-profile female director attached,” said FilmSharks Founder-ceo Guido Rud.
“Family comedies are the hot new wave in summer releases,” Rud observed, citing the box office successes of the Italian and Spanish remakes of Argentine family comedy “10 Days Without Mom,” which he sold. The Italian remake was the number one box office hit this year in Italy while in Spain, its remake grossed $27 million, said Rud who noted that “Papa YouTuber” is the first Peruvian title that the Remake Company has handled.
Released by Cinecolor in Peru where...
- 12/7/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Separate straight licensing deals for Some Time Later, Dalia And The Red Book 3D.
Guido Rud’s Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has reported brisk business in the run-up to Toronto, led by a Us remake rights deal through its division The Remake Co. on Argentinian hit I Married A Dumbass (Me Casé Con Un Boludo).
Btf Media, a production company with offices in the Us, Mexico and Argentina, has taken remake rights to Juan Taratuto’s romantic comedy (pictured), which has generated more than two million admissions in South American theatres through Buena Vista International. Rud struck earlier remake deals on...
Guido Rud’s Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has reported brisk business in the run-up to Toronto, led by a Us remake rights deal through its division The Remake Co. on Argentinian hit I Married A Dumbass (Me Casé Con Un Boludo).
Btf Media, a production company with offices in the Us, Mexico and Argentina, has taken remake rights to Juan Taratuto’s romantic comedy (pictured), which has generated more than two million admissions in South American theatres through Buena Vista International. Rud struck earlier remake deals on...
- 9/7/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Lucas Akoskin’s (On The Milky Road) Aliwen Entertainment and Jay Weisleder (Hands Of Stone) and Ben Silverman (The Office) of Fuego Films have optioned U.S. remake rights to hit Argentine rom-com A Boyfriend For My Wife (Un Novio Para Mi Mujer).
Juan Taratuto’s Spanish-language original, about a husband who hires a professional Cassanova to seduce his unhappy wife, was the highest-grossing Argentine film of 2008. The film has had remakes in South Korea, Mexico and Italy and was previously on the development slate at Warner Bros.
The U.S remake deal was struck with Argentine sales outfit FimSharks, whose label The Remake Company has also struck a redo pact for Spain with Arcadia Motion Pictures (Aloft).
Akoskin is executive producer on upcoming drama Bonded with Jason Patric. Fuego’s development slate also includes baseball movie Clemente.
Separately, FilmSharks has also signed remake sales rights from Enrique Cerezo...
Juan Taratuto’s Spanish-language original, about a husband who hires a professional Cassanova to seduce his unhappy wife, was the highest-grossing Argentine film of 2008. The film has had remakes in South Korea, Mexico and Italy and was previously on the development slate at Warner Bros.
The U.S remake deal was struck with Argentine sales outfit FimSharks, whose label The Remake Company has also struck a redo pact for Spain with Arcadia Motion Pictures (Aloft).
Akoskin is executive producer on upcoming drama Bonded with Jason Patric. Fuego’s development slate also includes baseball movie Clemente.
Separately, FilmSharks has also signed remake sales rights from Enrique Cerezo...
- 9/6/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Argentine sales agency FilmSharks Intl. has inked international rights to “The Adopters,” a comedy production from Tomás Lipgot’s Buenos Aires-based Duermevela, Pablo Ingercher’s Oh My Gómez Films and Patricio Rabuffetti-founded Non Stop.
A same-sex romantic comedy, “The Adopters” marks the second solo directorial effort of Argentine Daniel Gimelberg, who debuted with “Before” and co-directed “Hotel Room” alongside Catalan auteur Cesc Gay. Gimelberg also served as art director on “The Last Elvis,” from the Oscar-winning Armando Bo,and Juan Taratuto’s “It’s Not You, It’s Me,” among other titles.
Starring Diego Gentile (Damián Szifron’s “Wild Tales”), Rafel Spregelburd (Lucrecia Mertel’s “Zama”), key cast also includes Marina Bellati, Florencia Peña and Radagast. In “The Adopters,” TV conductor Martin confesses his need to be a father with his partner Leonardo. Both in their forties, one shows anxiety while the other expresses insecurity and reluctance, testing the strength of the decade-long relationship.
A same-sex romantic comedy, “The Adopters” marks the second solo directorial effort of Argentine Daniel Gimelberg, who debuted with “Before” and co-directed “Hotel Room” alongside Catalan auteur Cesc Gay. Gimelberg also served as art director on “The Last Elvis,” from the Oscar-winning Armando Bo,and Juan Taratuto’s “It’s Not You, It’s Me,” among other titles.
Starring Diego Gentile (Damián Szifron’s “Wild Tales”), Rafel Spregelburd (Lucrecia Mertel’s “Zama”), key cast also includes Marina Bellati, Florencia Peña and Radagast. In “The Adopters,” TV conductor Martin confesses his need to be a father with his partner Leonardo. Both in their forties, one shows anxiety while the other expresses insecurity and reluctance, testing the strength of the decade-long relationship.
- 12/10/2018
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Argentinian sales outfit FilmSharks, which has plied a profitable trade in the increasingly popular market of local-language remakes, has closed deals on hit Spanish-language movies to companies in France, Italy, Mexico, China, Brazil and India.
FilmSharks has closed deals with French outfit Soyouz Films and Brazilian company Glaz Entertainment for rights to local-language versions of comedy Ten Days Without Mom (Mama Se Fue De Viaje), which scored big at the Argentine box office last year for Disney. Diego Peretti stars in Ariel Winograd’s movie about how a mother’s sudden and shocking departure for holiday sends her family into tailspin as the father takes over domestic duties.
Successful Chilean export No Filter (Una Mujer Sin Filtro) is being lined up for an Italian remake with Colorado Film while a Paraguayan version has been sold to Lemon Films. The Chilean box office success, which was picked up for U.
FilmSharks has closed deals with French outfit Soyouz Films and Brazilian company Glaz Entertainment for rights to local-language versions of comedy Ten Days Without Mom (Mama Se Fue De Viaje), which scored big at the Argentine box office last year for Disney. Diego Peretti stars in Ariel Winograd’s movie about how a mother’s sudden and shocking departure for holiday sends her family into tailspin as the father takes over domestic duties.
Successful Chilean export No Filter (Una Mujer Sin Filtro) is being lined up for an Italian remake with Colorado Film while a Paraguayan version has been sold to Lemon Films. The Chilean box office success, which was picked up for U.
- 9/13/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
I caught up with Argentine producer Gema Juarez Allen at the Panama Film Festival. Since seeing (and falling in love with) the Argentine road movie “Road to La Paz”/ “Camino a La Paz in Guadalajara and interviewing its director, Francisco Varone, I was interested in meeting her as well, even more so because her other film, the Colombian drama “Oscuro Animal” which premiered in Rotterdam and won four prizes at Mexico’s Guadalajara International Film Festival in March 2016, for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography and has been sold to seven territories. “Oscuro Animal” is about three women fleeing armed conflict in Colombia. It was directed by Colombia’s Felipe Guerrero, an editor on “La Playa DC,” “Perro come perro” and “El Paramo”. It received funding from the Hubert Bals Fund and World Cinema Fund.
In Panama Gema was quite busy, not only with “Road to La Paz” but participating on the panel, Your Project in Motion: Coproduction and Financing along with Panamanian producers and directors, Delfina Vidal (“Caja 25”), Annie Canavaggio (“Breaking the Wave”) and Abner Benaim (“Invasion”) who also happens to be Gema’s partner.
As one of Latin America’s most active producers, Gema’s extensive experience international coproduction was invaluable and she shared it freely at the panel. Her participation in workshops in Europe, such as the Eave Producers Workshop and Eurodoc, has played a key role in establishing her international connections. While at Eave, she met Greek Boo Productions and Germany’s Ingmar Trost of Sutor Kolonko who came on board to coproduce “Oscuro Animal”.
“Road to La Paz” director, Francisco Varone said,
"In 2012 we submitted the project to Visions Sud Est in Switzerland. I was almost working by myself on the film at this time and then started working with a larger Argentinean production company, Concreto Films, owned by Juan Taratuto, a big film director who was directing TV commercials and said he’d help. They had a tough time finding investors so he introduced me to Gema Juarez Allen (whose recent film “Invasion” is the story of the U.S. invasion of Panama in the 1980s). She is a well-known documentary producer with experience in coproductions who knows how to find money and understands the value of going to festivals. She said she would do it as her first fiction film and went to San Sebastian Film Festival’s Foro de Coproduccion in 2013. There she had lots of one-on-one meetings and met Julius Ponten our Dutch coproducer who got funding from the Netherlands Film Fonds and Gunter Hanfgarn (“Bad Hair”) who applied to Ezef, an Evangelistic Fund for films from the south (one of the backers of “Timbuktu”). “
Read more on “Road to La Paz” here.
Gema continued this story when we spoke:
Juan liked the project but it was not in his domain so he sought me out. I read the script about two men and one car and thought, “This is easy”. But of course it was not. A road movie is the most difficult of all genres, and with animals, and covering two countries! Working with Pancho (Francisco Varone), he is the kind of director I like. I find the shooting is usually more important than the people, but with Pancho, the crew is important and he balanced the people and the shoot, so after all, it was ‘easy’.
The film is being sold internationally by FiGa. It is doing well in Argentina with 35,000 admissions, 20 copies and now in its fourth month in the cinemas. It is a ‘word of mouth’ film.
Sl: What are you working on now?
Gema Juarez Allen: I am now filming “Mapa Mudo”/ “Silent Map”.
A doc project by Felipe Guerrero, Nicolás Rincón and Jorge Caballero, based on video letters of three Colombian filmmakers who left their home country in the late 90s.
And I am developing a new project with the directors of our breakthough film from 2011, “Revenge of the Antipodes”/ “¡Vivan las antípodas!“ which screened in Venice. It’s called “Cro-goo-fant” and is a documentary for children, a funny story about animals. The director, Victor Kossokovsky, did a short doc for kids before.
I am also working with Andres di Tella, the most important documentary filmmaker and founder of Bafici in Argentina. It’s a very personal story about the avant garde art Institute lead by his father, the Instituto Di Tella.
And I am working on “Veterans” about the Falkland Islands War. Bertha Fund is backing it. Lola Arias is directing this documentary feature about the unexpected consequences of war on its protagonists, about the way memory is turned into fiction. I am looking for coproducers now. It is a different look at United Kingdom and Argentina vets that is at the same time both serious and humorous. We are creating a film around a theater play which will open in London this May. It began with the London International Theater Festival along with the Royal Court House Theater. It is not filmic; Lola Arias’ language is so refreshing; she is from the theater.
A winner of the 2015 Berlinale Co-production Market Pitch, Abner Benaim’s “Plaza catedral,” is also in the works. It is a tangled false friendship drama with thriller elements, set against the background of Panama’s social divide.
And I am currently producing Benaim’s doc, “My Name is Not Ruben Blades” with Ruben Blades.
Also in the works: the next film from Manuel Abramovich (“La Reina”), a Mar del Plata 2014 Works in Progress winner for “Solar” – a small but remarkable heart-warming doc-feature whose power struggle between director and subject adds unusually honest depths to a bio-portrait of someone who claims to come from the sun.
Sl: You are so prolific! How did you get started in this?
I studied anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Rio de Janeiro but didn’t like academia and so I studied film at the National Film School and thought I would combine the two. In England I studied Visual Anthropology and worked as a P.A. and as a researcher for the BBC for a “Discovery Channel” type of channel and then I returned to Argentina.
Between 2003 to 2008 I worked at Cine Ojo the oldest doc company in Argentina and at Habitación 1520 Producciones (“Imagen Final”, “Criada”, “Los Jóvenes Muertos”, “Dulce Espera”) before creating my own company Gema Films in 2009.
Sl: You were coordinator of DocBuenos Aires until 2003, a training initiative as well.
Gema Juarez Allen: I have produced 17 films with lots of help.
I was a Sundance Documentary Fund grantee on two films. My projects have been supported by Visions Sud Est, Tribeca Film Institute, Hubert Bals Fund, Idfa Fund, Cinereach, Fondo Nacional de las Artes, DocStation Berlin, et al. I received the Arte/Bal Award in 2008 for Upcoming Producers at Bafici.
I coproduce with Wg Film (Sweden), Majade FilmProduktion (Germany), Gebrüder Beetz (Germany), Lemming Film (Netherlands) and Producciones Aplaplac (Chile).
I have received awards at Berlinale, Bafici, Roma, Guadalajara, Silverdocs, among many others. Gema is part of EuroDoc since 2010 and is a member of the Board of Adn, the Argentinean Documentary Filmmakers Network.
Sl: What advice do you have for young filmmakers?
Gema Juarez Allen: First find a good project. It is very competitive and you must have an original perspective on the subject. There are so many ideas everywhere, it must be good.
Producers should be highly-organized. Be sure to fully develop projects before presenting them to partners and funding decision makers. The key elements to present when the project is fully conceived are an overview, a synopsis, a director’s statement, a brief treatment, a financial plan, a budget, a production timetable and bio-filmographies.
Find a producer with experience. I’m always interested in new directors and new voices.
The best opportunities to find partners are at festivals, markets and above all workshops. These are good places to find colleagues and mentors to give you great feedback. Diana Elbaum is my mentor from Eave and she is always looking at what I’m doing. And most of my coproduction partners came from the Eave and Eurodoc workshops.
Beyond Eave and Eurodoc, which are very open to Latin American projects, other good workshops are Docmontevideo, Guadalajara, Typa, Cinergia Lab, Idfa Summer Academy, Chiledoc, Berlin Talent Campus, Documentary Campus, Morelia Lab among others.
Good international funding sources are Ibermedia and also the “Plus” schemes associated to funds such as Creative Europe, World Cinema Fund, Hubert Bals Fund and the Idfa Bertha fund. Other funds are Fonds d’Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, the Sundance documentary fund, Visions Sud Est, the Tribeca Film Institute, the Doha Film Institute and Sorfond, for co-productions with Norway.
In terms of leading international markets, Cannes, Rotterdam’s Cinemart, Berlin’s European Film Market, Ventana Sur and Guadalajara – and for documentaries – starting with Idfa Forum and Hotdocs, followed by Meetmarket Sheffield and Docmontevideo.
It is also important to choose the right festival to premiere a project since it’s virtually impossible to premiere a picture in a small festival and then get a larger fest to screen the film. It’s also important to explore the work-in-progress sidebars that now exist at most Latin American festivals, including Iff Panama’s Primera Mirada competition.
State funding sources in Latin America include Dicine, in Panama, Incaa in Argentina, Proimagenes in Colombia, Brazil’s Fundo Setorial do Audiovisual, the Fondo Audiovisual in Chile, and Imcine in Mexico. The selection criteria used by these national funds varies considerably. Proimagenes in Colombia, which only finances around 14 films per year last year had three pictures at Cannes.
Over the last three or four years many national funds have created specific lines of funding for co-productions, through bilateral agreements, such as that between Brazil’s Ancine and Argentina’s Incaa, which grants $250,000 per pic supported. As a result of such bilateral agreements Brazil, for example, is now a key partner for all of Latin America.
“I’d like to make the second or third films of my directors. They’ve all been such good experience. We’ve grown together,” Juarez Allen told Variety at the Mar del Plata Festival.
In Panama Gema was quite busy, not only with “Road to La Paz” but participating on the panel, Your Project in Motion: Coproduction and Financing along with Panamanian producers and directors, Delfina Vidal (“Caja 25”), Annie Canavaggio (“Breaking the Wave”) and Abner Benaim (“Invasion”) who also happens to be Gema’s partner.
As one of Latin America’s most active producers, Gema’s extensive experience international coproduction was invaluable and she shared it freely at the panel. Her participation in workshops in Europe, such as the Eave Producers Workshop and Eurodoc, has played a key role in establishing her international connections. While at Eave, she met Greek Boo Productions and Germany’s Ingmar Trost of Sutor Kolonko who came on board to coproduce “Oscuro Animal”.
“Road to La Paz” director, Francisco Varone said,
"In 2012 we submitted the project to Visions Sud Est in Switzerland. I was almost working by myself on the film at this time and then started working with a larger Argentinean production company, Concreto Films, owned by Juan Taratuto, a big film director who was directing TV commercials and said he’d help. They had a tough time finding investors so he introduced me to Gema Juarez Allen (whose recent film “Invasion” is the story of the U.S. invasion of Panama in the 1980s). She is a well-known documentary producer with experience in coproductions who knows how to find money and understands the value of going to festivals. She said she would do it as her first fiction film and went to San Sebastian Film Festival’s Foro de Coproduccion in 2013. There she had lots of one-on-one meetings and met Julius Ponten our Dutch coproducer who got funding from the Netherlands Film Fonds and Gunter Hanfgarn (“Bad Hair”) who applied to Ezef, an Evangelistic Fund for films from the south (one of the backers of “Timbuktu”). “
Read more on “Road to La Paz” here.
Gema continued this story when we spoke:
Juan liked the project but it was not in his domain so he sought me out. I read the script about two men and one car and thought, “This is easy”. But of course it was not. A road movie is the most difficult of all genres, and with animals, and covering two countries! Working with Pancho (Francisco Varone), he is the kind of director I like. I find the shooting is usually more important than the people, but with Pancho, the crew is important and he balanced the people and the shoot, so after all, it was ‘easy’.
The film is being sold internationally by FiGa. It is doing well in Argentina with 35,000 admissions, 20 copies and now in its fourth month in the cinemas. It is a ‘word of mouth’ film.
Sl: What are you working on now?
Gema Juarez Allen: I am now filming “Mapa Mudo”/ “Silent Map”.
A doc project by Felipe Guerrero, Nicolás Rincón and Jorge Caballero, based on video letters of three Colombian filmmakers who left their home country in the late 90s.
And I am developing a new project with the directors of our breakthough film from 2011, “Revenge of the Antipodes”/ “¡Vivan las antípodas!“ which screened in Venice. It’s called “Cro-goo-fant” and is a documentary for children, a funny story about animals. The director, Victor Kossokovsky, did a short doc for kids before.
I am also working with Andres di Tella, the most important documentary filmmaker and founder of Bafici in Argentina. It’s a very personal story about the avant garde art Institute lead by his father, the Instituto Di Tella.
And I am working on “Veterans” about the Falkland Islands War. Bertha Fund is backing it. Lola Arias is directing this documentary feature about the unexpected consequences of war on its protagonists, about the way memory is turned into fiction. I am looking for coproducers now. It is a different look at United Kingdom and Argentina vets that is at the same time both serious and humorous. We are creating a film around a theater play which will open in London this May. It began with the London International Theater Festival along with the Royal Court House Theater. It is not filmic; Lola Arias’ language is so refreshing; she is from the theater.
A winner of the 2015 Berlinale Co-production Market Pitch, Abner Benaim’s “Plaza catedral,” is also in the works. It is a tangled false friendship drama with thriller elements, set against the background of Panama’s social divide.
And I am currently producing Benaim’s doc, “My Name is Not Ruben Blades” with Ruben Blades.
Also in the works: the next film from Manuel Abramovich (“La Reina”), a Mar del Plata 2014 Works in Progress winner for “Solar” – a small but remarkable heart-warming doc-feature whose power struggle between director and subject adds unusually honest depths to a bio-portrait of someone who claims to come from the sun.
Sl: You are so prolific! How did you get started in this?
I studied anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Rio de Janeiro but didn’t like academia and so I studied film at the National Film School and thought I would combine the two. In England I studied Visual Anthropology and worked as a P.A. and as a researcher for the BBC for a “Discovery Channel” type of channel and then I returned to Argentina.
Between 2003 to 2008 I worked at Cine Ojo the oldest doc company in Argentina and at Habitación 1520 Producciones (“Imagen Final”, “Criada”, “Los Jóvenes Muertos”, “Dulce Espera”) before creating my own company Gema Films in 2009.
Sl: You were coordinator of DocBuenos Aires until 2003, a training initiative as well.
Gema Juarez Allen: I have produced 17 films with lots of help.
I was a Sundance Documentary Fund grantee on two films. My projects have been supported by Visions Sud Est, Tribeca Film Institute, Hubert Bals Fund, Idfa Fund, Cinereach, Fondo Nacional de las Artes, DocStation Berlin, et al. I received the Arte/Bal Award in 2008 for Upcoming Producers at Bafici.
I coproduce with Wg Film (Sweden), Majade FilmProduktion (Germany), Gebrüder Beetz (Germany), Lemming Film (Netherlands) and Producciones Aplaplac (Chile).
I have received awards at Berlinale, Bafici, Roma, Guadalajara, Silverdocs, among many others. Gema is part of EuroDoc since 2010 and is a member of the Board of Adn, the Argentinean Documentary Filmmakers Network.
Sl: What advice do you have for young filmmakers?
Gema Juarez Allen: First find a good project. It is very competitive and you must have an original perspective on the subject. There are so many ideas everywhere, it must be good.
Producers should be highly-organized. Be sure to fully develop projects before presenting them to partners and funding decision makers. The key elements to present when the project is fully conceived are an overview, a synopsis, a director’s statement, a brief treatment, a financial plan, a budget, a production timetable and bio-filmographies.
Find a producer with experience. I’m always interested in new directors and new voices.
The best opportunities to find partners are at festivals, markets and above all workshops. These are good places to find colleagues and mentors to give you great feedback. Diana Elbaum is my mentor from Eave and she is always looking at what I’m doing. And most of my coproduction partners came from the Eave and Eurodoc workshops.
Beyond Eave and Eurodoc, which are very open to Latin American projects, other good workshops are Docmontevideo, Guadalajara, Typa, Cinergia Lab, Idfa Summer Academy, Chiledoc, Berlin Talent Campus, Documentary Campus, Morelia Lab among others.
Good international funding sources are Ibermedia and also the “Plus” schemes associated to funds such as Creative Europe, World Cinema Fund, Hubert Bals Fund and the Idfa Bertha fund. Other funds are Fonds d’Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, the Sundance documentary fund, Visions Sud Est, the Tribeca Film Institute, the Doha Film Institute and Sorfond, for co-productions with Norway.
In terms of leading international markets, Cannes, Rotterdam’s Cinemart, Berlin’s European Film Market, Ventana Sur and Guadalajara – and for documentaries – starting with Idfa Forum and Hotdocs, followed by Meetmarket Sheffield and Docmontevideo.
It is also important to choose the right festival to premiere a project since it’s virtually impossible to premiere a picture in a small festival and then get a larger fest to screen the film. It’s also important to explore the work-in-progress sidebars that now exist at most Latin American festivals, including Iff Panama’s Primera Mirada competition.
State funding sources in Latin America include Dicine, in Panama, Incaa in Argentina, Proimagenes in Colombia, Brazil’s Fundo Setorial do Audiovisual, the Fondo Audiovisual in Chile, and Imcine in Mexico. The selection criteria used by these national funds varies considerably. Proimagenes in Colombia, which only finances around 14 films per year last year had three pictures at Cannes.
Over the last three or four years many national funds have created specific lines of funding for co-productions, through bilateral agreements, such as that between Brazil’s Ancine and Argentina’s Incaa, which grants $250,000 per pic supported. As a result of such bilateral agreements Brazil, for example, is now a key partner for all of Latin America.
“I’d like to make the second or third films of my directors. They’ve all been such good experience. We’ve grown together,” Juarez Allen told Variety at the Mar del Plata Festival.
- 4/26/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
“Road to La Paz” is a quiet, understated film about brotherhood and kinship between two very different Argentinians during the 2001 economic meltdown of the country, one a young man at a loss about how to live with his new wife and one an old man, a Muslim who has lived his life with his wife in Argentina and now wants to begin his pilgrimage, first to La Paz and then onward to Mecca.
What better way to transition from Qatar where I attended Qumra, a support program for upcoming filmmakers from Mena (Middle East, North Africa) to Latin America where I saw at Ficg, the Guadalajara Film Festival. “Road to La Paz” is a coproduction of Qatar, Argentina, Netherlands and Germany.
As I write this, it is screening at Iff Panama as well. Below is my interview with first time filmmaker, Francisco Varone. This interview was actually conducted in the foyer of the multiplex in Guadalajara before he went in for its premiere screening, just after I had seen it at the press and industry screening in Ficg.
This road movie starring Rodrigo de la Serna (“Motorcycle Diaries”) and one of Argentina’s leading stage actors, Ernesto Suárez, takes us on a trip of over 1,800 miles, from Buenos Aires, Argentina to La Paz, Bolivia.
Sebastian, whose passions are the rock band Vox Dei and his old Peugeot 505 is married and short of cash. Sebas decides to start working as a limo driver with his Peugeot. Among his frequent passengers is Jalil, an old unkind Muslim who one day offers Sebas a large amount of money to drive him to La Paz, Bolivia. Sebas reluctantly accepts. Jalil and Sebas don't agree on anything, not even on what music to play, Sebas likes Vox Dei, a progressive rock band from the 1970s, and Jalil brings along his traditional Arabic music tapes.
The road and Jalil's deteriorated health, make them surmount obstacles and become good fellow travelers. Jalil confesses that in La Paz he'll meet his brother Nazim and peregrinate along to Mecca. Jalil's health worsens and Sebastian knows he has little time left. After a long and winding road, Jalil arrives very weak to La Paz. There, after forty years, he meets his brother again. Sebas heads back home, his mission accomplished, his life changed.
The financing of this film was quite straight forward according to Francisco.
Francisco Varone: In 2012 we submitted the project the film to Visions Sud Est in Switzerland. I was almost working by myself on the film at this time and then started working with a larger Argentinean production company, Concreto Films owned by Juan Taratuto, a big film director who was directing TV commercials and said he’d help. They had a tough time finding investors so he introduced me to Gema Juarez Allen (whose recent film “Invasion” is the story of the U.S. invasion of Panama in the 1980s), a well known documentary producer with experience in coproductions who knew how to find money and understood the value of going to festivals. She said she would do it as her first fiction film and went to San Sebastian Film Festival’s Foro de Coproduccion in 2013. There she had lots of one-on-one meetings and met Julius Ponten our Dutch coproducer who got funding from the Netherlands Film Fonds and Gunter Hanfgarn that applied to Ezef, an Evangelistic Fund for films from the south (one of the backers of “Timbuktu”).
We already had the support from Incaa in their “Opera Prima” (First Works) section. Out of 100 script submissions, they chose three and I got 50% of the production budget.
We shot the movie in 2014 and then after we had a first rough cut, we went to 2015 Cartagena where we won in Colombia’s first Ficci PuertoLAB (consisting of five films by first, second or third time filmmakers from Latam, Spain or Portugal). This post-production money was awarded by a three-woman jury composed of producer Christina Gallego (“The Wind Journeys”, “Embrace of the Serpent”), Gaelle Mareschi of Kinology, the international sales agent and Paz Lazaro.
Then Doha added post-production funding for $25,000.
FiGa saw the film in Ventana Sur and picked it up for international sales.
Sl:What was your festival strategy?
Francisco Varone: Francisco Varone: The first festival it played in was Busan Film Festival 2015 in So. Korea. We wanted to play some festivals before its release in January in Argentina. There were many Latin American directors in Busan and it’s really good for making Asian sales.
From Busan it went on to Chicago, Sao Paolo, Mar del Plata where Ernesto Suárez won the Sagai Prize for New Actor, at Thessaloniki Ff 2015 where it won the Bronze Alexander, Palm Springs, London Argentinean Film Festival, Ficci, Ficg and Iff Panama. We also went to Palm Springs, Glasgow, Cartagena, Guadalajara (where I saw it) and Panama (where it is now playing). FiGa sells it at these festivals.
It was released in Argentina in January with 20 prints. So far it has 35,000 admissions and it is still playing, now in its fourth month!
Sl: How did you find your sales agent?
Francisco Varone: FiGa picked it up in Ventana Sur in December 2014 where they saw the first cut.
FiGa discussed playing it in more festivals but we needed the Argentinian release now, this year. Finding a commercial release date is hard so when you have it, you take it! There are not many options.
It was finished in 2015. At its premiere in Busan, FiGa it sold to Filmarti for Turkey. FiGa has sold to Danaos for Greece, Spain, Central America, Germany, France and Brazil. U.S. rights are still available.
Sl: Now that FiGa has it, what are you doing?
Francisco Varone: Four years ago when I quit commercials I became a professional scriptwriter and I’m also a script doctor, a rarity in Argentina. I conduct short-term one week-to-ten day workshops. Now I have written two scripts for two other directors and am working on my own script. I have lots of ideas…
Sl: What was the reaction to this film?
Francisco Varone: Most people have not seen Muslim films so audiences don’t recognize Sufi as something special.
In Sao Paolo, some young Muslims saw it and one told me that it was the first time in his life he saw Muslims without guns in a movie. He was surprised also that it came from Latin America.
Sl: What was the origin of the film?
Francisco Varone: In 2001 there was a huge economic crisis in Argentina. All savings in the banks disappeared. I was just finishing film school and there were no jobs. My best friend got married and his wife worked. He was a “house-husband”. This was a strange role conversion for me, but my friend was happy. I liked this character and wrote a half page of notes.
In 2008 I started a script about him. I also met an old film school friend and found out he had converted to Islam. These elements all went into the screenplay.
I am from a Catholic family but have always been interested in Buddhism and I practice martial arts; I’ve traveled to China and I like the East. So my friend introduced me to the Islam community. Like in the movie, I was in a ceremony called Dikhr, a Sufi ritual that takes one to two hours. It is a deeply moving experience.
I discovered something here in Argentina. How such Middle Eastern religions could be so organically a part of general society. I wanted to show this.
At the same time, I was into Zen Buddhism. Regarding how they express “truth”, I find the Buddhists and the Koran use the same words. We are all talking about the same thing.
The movie is not propaganda, it is simply depicting one possibility, one road…
Sl: How did you cast the film?
Francisco Varone: It as great for the film to have a huge star in such an indie film. The young actor, Rodrigo de la Serna, is very famous and he was very generous to trust in a debutant director and producer in fiction.
We had held a casting search in theaters in Cordoba, Uruguay, and other places and could not find an actor for the role of the Sufi. We had a casting director who called other casting directors and Eugenia Levin who had cast many important movies said on the phone she had the perfect actor and hd offered him this great part, but he had said no. She put us in touch with the older actor, Ernesto Suárez. He is very famous as a stage actor in Mendoza, a province in Argentina, but this is his first film. He lives a very modest life, drives a 1980 Renault, has a small house, a few clothes. He was not sure he wanted to do it, though we wanted him because he has such a natural quality.
He was not really interested in acting in a movie and I took a plane to talk to him. His two sons told him to do it, and so he accepted the part.
We found him three weeks before we started shooting. We were thinking of cancelling the shoot because we could not find the right actor.
What better way to transition from Qatar where I attended Qumra, a support program for upcoming filmmakers from Mena (Middle East, North Africa) to Latin America where I saw at Ficg, the Guadalajara Film Festival. “Road to La Paz” is a coproduction of Qatar, Argentina, Netherlands and Germany.
As I write this, it is screening at Iff Panama as well. Below is my interview with first time filmmaker, Francisco Varone. This interview was actually conducted in the foyer of the multiplex in Guadalajara before he went in for its premiere screening, just after I had seen it at the press and industry screening in Ficg.
This road movie starring Rodrigo de la Serna (“Motorcycle Diaries”) and one of Argentina’s leading stage actors, Ernesto Suárez, takes us on a trip of over 1,800 miles, from Buenos Aires, Argentina to La Paz, Bolivia.
Sebastian, whose passions are the rock band Vox Dei and his old Peugeot 505 is married and short of cash. Sebas decides to start working as a limo driver with his Peugeot. Among his frequent passengers is Jalil, an old unkind Muslim who one day offers Sebas a large amount of money to drive him to La Paz, Bolivia. Sebas reluctantly accepts. Jalil and Sebas don't agree on anything, not even on what music to play, Sebas likes Vox Dei, a progressive rock band from the 1970s, and Jalil brings along his traditional Arabic music tapes.
The road and Jalil's deteriorated health, make them surmount obstacles and become good fellow travelers. Jalil confesses that in La Paz he'll meet his brother Nazim and peregrinate along to Mecca. Jalil's health worsens and Sebastian knows he has little time left. After a long and winding road, Jalil arrives very weak to La Paz. There, after forty years, he meets his brother again. Sebas heads back home, his mission accomplished, his life changed.
The financing of this film was quite straight forward according to Francisco.
Francisco Varone: In 2012 we submitted the project the film to Visions Sud Est in Switzerland. I was almost working by myself on the film at this time and then started working with a larger Argentinean production company, Concreto Films owned by Juan Taratuto, a big film director who was directing TV commercials and said he’d help. They had a tough time finding investors so he introduced me to Gema Juarez Allen (whose recent film “Invasion” is the story of the U.S. invasion of Panama in the 1980s), a well known documentary producer with experience in coproductions who knew how to find money and understood the value of going to festivals. She said she would do it as her first fiction film and went to San Sebastian Film Festival’s Foro de Coproduccion in 2013. There she had lots of one-on-one meetings and met Julius Ponten our Dutch coproducer who got funding from the Netherlands Film Fonds and Gunter Hanfgarn that applied to Ezef, an Evangelistic Fund for films from the south (one of the backers of “Timbuktu”).
We already had the support from Incaa in their “Opera Prima” (First Works) section. Out of 100 script submissions, they chose three and I got 50% of the production budget.
We shot the movie in 2014 and then after we had a first rough cut, we went to 2015 Cartagena where we won in Colombia’s first Ficci PuertoLAB (consisting of five films by first, second or third time filmmakers from Latam, Spain or Portugal). This post-production money was awarded by a three-woman jury composed of producer Christina Gallego (“The Wind Journeys”, “Embrace of the Serpent”), Gaelle Mareschi of Kinology, the international sales agent and Paz Lazaro.
Then Doha added post-production funding for $25,000.
FiGa saw the film in Ventana Sur and picked it up for international sales.
Sl:What was your festival strategy?
Francisco Varone: Francisco Varone: The first festival it played in was Busan Film Festival 2015 in So. Korea. We wanted to play some festivals before its release in January in Argentina. There were many Latin American directors in Busan and it’s really good for making Asian sales.
From Busan it went on to Chicago, Sao Paolo, Mar del Plata where Ernesto Suárez won the Sagai Prize for New Actor, at Thessaloniki Ff 2015 where it won the Bronze Alexander, Palm Springs, London Argentinean Film Festival, Ficci, Ficg and Iff Panama. We also went to Palm Springs, Glasgow, Cartagena, Guadalajara (where I saw it) and Panama (where it is now playing). FiGa sells it at these festivals.
It was released in Argentina in January with 20 prints. So far it has 35,000 admissions and it is still playing, now in its fourth month!
Sl: How did you find your sales agent?
Francisco Varone: FiGa picked it up in Ventana Sur in December 2014 where they saw the first cut.
FiGa discussed playing it in more festivals but we needed the Argentinian release now, this year. Finding a commercial release date is hard so when you have it, you take it! There are not many options.
It was finished in 2015. At its premiere in Busan, FiGa it sold to Filmarti for Turkey. FiGa has sold to Danaos for Greece, Spain, Central America, Germany, France and Brazil. U.S. rights are still available.
Sl: Now that FiGa has it, what are you doing?
Francisco Varone: Four years ago when I quit commercials I became a professional scriptwriter and I’m also a script doctor, a rarity in Argentina. I conduct short-term one week-to-ten day workshops. Now I have written two scripts for two other directors and am working on my own script. I have lots of ideas…
Sl: What was the reaction to this film?
Francisco Varone: Most people have not seen Muslim films so audiences don’t recognize Sufi as something special.
In Sao Paolo, some young Muslims saw it and one told me that it was the first time in his life he saw Muslims without guns in a movie. He was surprised also that it came from Latin America.
Sl: What was the origin of the film?
Francisco Varone: In 2001 there was a huge economic crisis in Argentina. All savings in the banks disappeared. I was just finishing film school and there were no jobs. My best friend got married and his wife worked. He was a “house-husband”. This was a strange role conversion for me, but my friend was happy. I liked this character and wrote a half page of notes.
In 2008 I started a script about him. I also met an old film school friend and found out he had converted to Islam. These elements all went into the screenplay.
I am from a Catholic family but have always been interested in Buddhism and I practice martial arts; I’ve traveled to China and I like the East. So my friend introduced me to the Islam community. Like in the movie, I was in a ceremony called Dikhr, a Sufi ritual that takes one to two hours. It is a deeply moving experience.
I discovered something here in Argentina. How such Middle Eastern religions could be so organically a part of general society. I wanted to show this.
At the same time, I was into Zen Buddhism. Regarding how they express “truth”, I find the Buddhists and the Koran use the same words. We are all talking about the same thing.
The movie is not propaganda, it is simply depicting one possibility, one road…
Sl: How did you cast the film?
Francisco Varone: It as great for the film to have a huge star in such an indie film. The young actor, Rodrigo de la Serna, is very famous and he was very generous to trust in a debutant director and producer in fiction.
We had held a casting search in theaters in Cordoba, Uruguay, and other places and could not find an actor for the role of the Sufi. We had a casting director who called other casting directors and Eugenia Levin who had cast many important movies said on the phone she had the perfect actor and hd offered him this great part, but he had said no. She put us in touch with the older actor, Ernesto Suárez. He is very famous as a stage actor in Mendoza, a province in Argentina, but this is his first film. He lives a very modest life, drives a 1980 Renault, has a small house, a few clothes. He was not sure he wanted to do it, though we wanted him because he has such a natural quality.
He was not really interested in acting in a movie and I took a plane to talk to him. His two sons told him to do it, and so he accepted the part.
We found him three weeks before we started shooting. We were thinking of cancelling the shoot because we could not find the right actor.
- 4/18/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Sandro Fiorin and his team has concluded key territory sales on Francisco Varone’s road movie.
Rodrigo de la Serna and Ernesto ‘Flaco’ Suarez star in the story of a journey from Buenos Aires to La Paz involving an older man out to fulfil a lifelong promise and trip and a young companion who struggles to make sense of his existence.
The Gema Films feature was a co-production with No Problem Cine and Concreto Films of Argentina, Habbekrats (Netherlands), and Hanfgam & Ufer Filmproduktion (Germany).
Road To La Paz premiered in Busan, won awards in Thessaloniki and Mar del Plata.
Deals have closed in Spain (Monesc Seven Entertainment), France (Visionfeir Distribution), Germany (Farbfilm), Greece (Danaos), Turkey (Filmarti Films), and Brazil (Lume Filmes).
Gema Juárez Allen, Varone, Omar Jadur, Dolores Llosas, Juan Taratuto, Julius Ponten, Philip Harthoorn, and Gunter Hanfgam produced.
Allen and Sebastián Perillo erved as executive producers
Fiorin told Screendaily he expects to confirm deals in North...
Rodrigo de la Serna and Ernesto ‘Flaco’ Suarez star in the story of a journey from Buenos Aires to La Paz involving an older man out to fulfil a lifelong promise and trip and a young companion who struggles to make sense of his existence.
The Gema Films feature was a co-production with No Problem Cine and Concreto Films of Argentina, Habbekrats (Netherlands), and Hanfgam & Ufer Filmproduktion (Germany).
Road To La Paz premiered in Busan, won awards in Thessaloniki and Mar del Plata.
Deals have closed in Spain (Monesc Seven Entertainment), France (Visionfeir Distribution), Germany (Farbfilm), Greece (Danaos), Turkey (Filmarti Films), and Brazil (Lume Filmes).
Gema Juárez Allen, Varone, Omar Jadur, Dolores Llosas, Juan Taratuto, Julius Ponten, Philip Harthoorn, and Gunter Hanfgam produced.
Allen and Sebastián Perillo erved as executive producers
Fiorin told Screendaily he expects to confirm deals in North...
- 4/13/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Guido Rud’s Buenos Aires-based sales agent has announced another wave of sales from its Toronto slate.
Wizard Of Oz spin-off Wicked Flying Monkeys 3D has sold to Koreascreen in South Korea and Cinecolombia for Colombia.
Rud said talks were advancing for the a studio deal in the Us and there was ongoing interest from France and Spain. Deals previously closed in the UK (eOne), Australia/New Zealand (Rialto), Cis (Top Film) and Videocine (Latam).
Torrente: Operation Eurovegas (pictured) featuring Alec Baldwin has gone in South Korea (Bridgeworks), Central America (Palmera International) and Turkey (Sinema TV).
Turner Broadcasting has acquired the complete Torrente comedy franchise for Latin American pay TV. FilmSharks is in talks on a Us offer and previously licensed South America to Disney and Spain to Sony.
Drama Papers In The Wind from Juan Taratuto has gone to Brazil (Lanca Films), Spain (Festival Films), Peru and Chile (Andes Films), Central America (Palmera International).
Spafax, Images...
Wizard Of Oz spin-off Wicked Flying Monkeys 3D has sold to Koreascreen in South Korea and Cinecolombia for Colombia.
Rud said talks were advancing for the a studio deal in the Us and there was ongoing interest from France and Spain. Deals previously closed in the UK (eOne), Australia/New Zealand (Rialto), Cis (Top Film) and Videocine (Latam).
Torrente: Operation Eurovegas (pictured) featuring Alec Baldwin has gone in South Korea (Bridgeworks), Central America (Palmera International) and Turkey (Sinema TV).
Turner Broadcasting has acquired the complete Torrente comedy franchise for Latin American pay TV. FilmSharks is in talks on a Us offer and previously licensed South America to Disney and Spain to Sony.
Drama Papers In The Wind from Juan Taratuto has gone to Brazil (Lanca Films), Spain (Festival Films), Peru and Chile (Andes Films), Central America (Palmera International).
Spafax, Images...
- 9/15/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Film Sharks International has licensed Papers In The Wind to Disney in a pan-Latin American deal.
Guido Rud plans a work-in-progress screening at next month’s Ventana Sur market in Buenos Aires.
Juan Taratuto will direct from a screenplay that The Secret In Their Eyes screenwriter Eduardo Sacheri has adapted from his own novel.
Papers In The Wind (Papeles En El Viento) is a comedy about three men who take care of their recently deceased friend’s daughter and try to turn his investment in a football player into a lucrative piece of business.
Diego Peretti, Pablo Rago, Pablo Echarri and Diego Torres star.
“We are so happy being on board on this film, which has so much international crossover potential and layers comedy, thriller, love and passion,” said Rud.
Guido Rud plans a work-in-progress screening at next month’s Ventana Sur market in Buenos Aires.
Juan Taratuto will direct from a screenplay that The Secret In Their Eyes screenwriter Eduardo Sacheri has adapted from his own novel.
Papers In The Wind (Papeles En El Viento) is a comedy about three men who take care of their recently deceased friend’s daughter and try to turn his investment in a football player into a lucrative piece of business.
Diego Peretti, Pablo Rago, Pablo Echarri and Diego Torres star.
“We are so happy being on board on this film, which has so much international crossover potential and layers comedy, thriller, love and passion,” said Rud.
- 11/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Thriller inspired by Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele’s time in Argentina competes at San Sebastian this week.
Pyramide International continues to tot up sales on Argentine writer and filmmaker Lucia Puenzo’s The German Doctor (Wakolda), some four months after the film first premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
Review: The German Doctor (Wakolda)
The Paris-based company has unveiled a batch of sales into Central and Southern America including to: Brazil (Imovision), Bolivia and Chile (Los filmes De La Arcadia), Colombia (Cine Colombia), the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (Wiesner Distribution), Peru (Pucp) and Panama and Costa Rica (Palmera International).
In Europe, Sarajevo’s Obala Art Centre has acquired the picture for multiple territories including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro.
The film has also sold to Hungary (Vertigo), Poland (Hagi), Israel (Nachshon) and South Korea (Company L) since Cannes.
As previously announced, Peccadillo acquired the film for the UK and...
Pyramide International continues to tot up sales on Argentine writer and filmmaker Lucia Puenzo’s The German Doctor (Wakolda), some four months after the film first premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
Review: The German Doctor (Wakolda)
The Paris-based company has unveiled a batch of sales into Central and Southern America including to: Brazil (Imovision), Bolivia and Chile (Los filmes De La Arcadia), Colombia (Cine Colombia), the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (Wiesner Distribution), Peru (Pucp) and Panama and Costa Rica (Palmera International).
In Europe, Sarajevo’s Obala Art Centre has acquired the picture for multiple territories including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro.
The film has also sold to Hungary (Vertigo), Poland (Hagi), Israel (Nachshon) and South Korea (Company L) since Cannes.
As previously announced, Peccadillo acquired the film for the UK and...
- 9/24/2013
- ScreenDaily
WikiLeaks founder to judge films at the 21st Raindance Film Festival; 2013 line-up unveiled.Scroll down for full line-up of films
Julian Assange has joined the jury of the 21st Raindance Film Festival (Sept 25 - Oct 6), a London-based event that celebrates independent film in the UK and around the world.
The appointment is a controversial one. The Australian editor-in-chief and founder of WikiLeaks took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about sexual assault allegations.
It is understood that he fears Sweden would extradite him to the Us, where he believes he is wanted in relation to WikiLeaks’ disclosure of a significant amount of classified Us military and diplomatic documents.
Commenting on Assange’s appointment, Raindance founder Elliot Grove said: “Every year Raindance invites interesting people to join our jury. In the past we have had musicians like Mick Jones, Marky Ramone and [link...
Julian Assange has joined the jury of the 21st Raindance Film Festival (Sept 25 - Oct 6), a London-based event that celebrates independent film in the UK and around the world.
The appointment is a controversial one. The Australian editor-in-chief and founder of WikiLeaks took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about sexual assault allegations.
It is understood that he fears Sweden would extradite him to the Us, where he believes he is wanted in relation to WikiLeaks’ disclosure of a significant amount of classified Us military and diplomatic documents.
Commenting on Assange’s appointment, Raindance founder Elliot Grove said: “Every year Raindance invites interesting people to join our jury. In the past we have had musicians like Mick Jones, Marky Ramone and [link...
- 9/3/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Moments before the Toronto Int. Film Festival makes their first wave announcement of 70 plus titles, Venice Days (which several in the industry equate to Venice’s answer to Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight) have announced their line-up of twelve competing films with a slew of special screenings. Among the familiar items we find a pair from Sundance in John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings and Cherien Dabis’ May In The Summer seemingly receiving their international premieres. The North American strong section also includes the world preems in Bruce Labruce’s Montreal-shot (see pic above) Gerontophilia, Sean Gullette’s (expanded short into feature length film) Traitors, and the India-Canadian co-production of Richie Mehta’s Siddharth (the tale of a chain-wallah who travels across India in search of his missing son) which on papers comes across as a more potent version of fantasy film Slumdog Millionaire. Also from the U.S. and part of the growing trend of festival-pairing,...
- 7/23/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Valeria Bertuccelli is wooed by Gabriel Goity in A Boyfriend for my Wife.
Olive Films will deliver the popular 2008 Argentine romantic comedy A Boyfriend for My Wife (Un Novio Para Mi Mujer in its native language) on DVD on Oct. 4, for a list price of $29.98.
The movie concerns Tenso (Adrian Suar), a stressed man who goes to unusual lengths to get out of his unhappy marriage after realizing that he lacks the courage to ask his wife Tana (Valeria Bertuccelli) for a divorce. He seizes the idea to hire a womanizer nicknamed “The Crow” (Gabriel Goity) to romance Tana and woo her away, hoping that she’ll be the one who asks for the divorce once she realizes she no longer loves him.
Juan Taratuto (It’s Not You, It’s Me) directed this Spanish-language comedy, which was Argentina’s top-grossing film of 2008.
The movie wasn’t released in theaters in the U.
Olive Films will deliver the popular 2008 Argentine romantic comedy A Boyfriend for My Wife (Un Novio Para Mi Mujer in its native language) on DVD on Oct. 4, for a list price of $29.98.
The movie concerns Tenso (Adrian Suar), a stressed man who goes to unusual lengths to get out of his unhappy marriage after realizing that he lacks the courage to ask his wife Tana (Valeria Bertuccelli) for a divorce. He seizes the idea to hire a womanizer nicknamed “The Crow” (Gabriel Goity) to romance Tana and woo her away, hoping that she’ll be the one who asks for the divorce once she realizes she no longer loves him.
Juan Taratuto (It’s Not You, It’s Me) directed this Spanish-language comedy, which was Argentina’s top-grossing film of 2008.
The movie wasn’t released in theaters in the U.
- 7/27/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Buenos Aires – Latin American sales agent FilmSharks has opened a U.S. branch in West Hollywood with the purpose of including high-profile American films in their business. The company, in a worldwide expansion move where it also acquired European art-house productions and Latin American box-office hits, is also opening new Korean and Japanese branches to get better pick ups and sales in top Asian territories.
According to company CEO Guido Rud, FilmSharks plans to release "10 to 12 films per year, out of which 4 or 5 will be American productions." The company is already involved with Us films like Jonathan Parker's "(Untitled)," starring Adam Goldberg and recently released by Samuel Goldwyn Films; Brighlight Pictures' "American Venus," released in the U.S. by IFC Films; and Venice Jury Prize Winner "The Speed of Life."
FilmSharks made news recently when it acquired the back catalogs of two big names in Latin American film production: Disney-backed Patagonik in Argentina,...
According to company CEO Guido Rud, FilmSharks plans to release "10 to 12 films per year, out of which 4 or 5 will be American productions." The company is already involved with Us films like Jonathan Parker's "(Untitled)," starring Adam Goldberg and recently released by Samuel Goldwyn Films; Brighlight Pictures' "American Venus," released in the U.S. by IFC Films; and Venice Jury Prize Winner "The Speed of Life."
FilmSharks made news recently when it acquired the back catalogs of two big names in Latin American film production: Disney-backed Patagonik in Argentina,...
- 9/16/2010
- by By Agustin Mango
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. is setting up a remake of the 2008 Argentine romantic comedy "A Boyfriend for My Wife," as a starring vehicle for Steve Carell.According to Variety, Carell will produce through his Carousel Productions along with Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters. Mark Gibson and Phil Halprin ("Snow Dogs") will write the screenplay. In the original film, "Un novio para mi mujer," a meek husband concludes that the only way out of his unsatisfying marriage is to get his wife to fall in love with another man, so he enlists the help of a well-known ladies. man.Juan Taratuto directed the original. No director has been set for the remake.Carell produced and starred in Warner's marital comedy "Crazy, Stupid Love." Directed by...
- 8/27/2010
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Steve Carell and his Carousel Productions banner are getting together with Warner Bros Pictures in order to start up the remake of the film "Un novio para mi mujer" ("A Boyfriend for My Wife". Carell will be serving as a producer and taking on the lead role in the remake of the popular 2008 Argentinean film."Un novio para mi mujer", directed by Juan Taratuto, focuses on a timid husband who believes the only way out of his stifling marriage is to get his wife to fall in love with another man, so he enlists in the help of a legendary yet unlikely Lothario. Phil Halprin and Mark Gibson are co-writing the project. The two writers previous credits include "The Wild", "The In Crow" and "Snow Dogs". They wouldn't exactly be my first choice but if that's what they want then so be it.You can still check out Carell alongside...
- 8/26/2010
- LRMonline.com
Once production on the seventh season of NBC's series "The Office" concludes, Steve Carell is going to be one busy man. Recently he was announced for a role in The Abstinence Teacher with Sandra Bullock and the DreamWorks comedy Raised by Wolfs and now he has another project on his slate. Variety reports Warner Bros. is developing A Boyfriend for My Wife, a remake of a 2008 romantic comedy from Argentina, and Carell is lined-up to lead the film. The story follows a timid husband who believes the only way of escaping marriage is to get his wife to fall in love with another man, so he enlists the help of a legendary Cassanova. Sadly, writers Mark Gibson and Phil Halprin (Snow Dogs, The In Crowd) don't inspire much hope for this. Apparently the original film, directed by Juan Taratuto was one of the biggest movies in Argentina ...
- 8/26/2010
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Steve Carell will produce and star in a remake of 2008 Argentine romantic comedy "A Boyfriend for My Wife" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.
The Juan Taratuto-directed original followed a timid husband stuck in a stifling marriage who enlists the help of a legendary yet unlikely Lothario to help get his wife to fall in love with another man.
Mark Gibson and Phil Halprin ("The Wild," "Snow Dogs") will adapt the script while Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters will also produce.
The Juan Taratuto-directed original followed a timid husband stuck in a stifling marriage who enlists the help of a legendary yet unlikely Lothario to help get his wife to fall in love with another man.
Mark Gibson and Phil Halprin ("The Wild," "Snow Dogs") will adapt the script while Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters will also produce.
- 8/26/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Warner Bros. Pictures is setting up a remake of the 2008 Argentine romantic comedy A Boyfriend for My Wife with Steve Carell's Carousel Productions as a starring vehicle for the actor, reports Variety . Carell will produce along with Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters. Grace Ledding is co-producing, and Carousel's Charlie Hartsock and Vance DeGeneres are executive producing. The studio has hired the writing team of Mark Gibson and Phil Halprin ( Snow Dogs ) to adapt. In director Juan Taratuto's original, a timid husband believes the only way out of his stifling marriage is to get his wife to fall in love with another man, so he enlists the help of a legendary yet unlikely Lothario.
- 8/26/2010
- Comingsoon.net
- Spain: Local Film Scene The month of April brings us one of the more important events for Spanish cinema. From the 17th to the 25th, the best in local cinema will be presented at the Málaga Film Festival. Although being quite a young competition (this is just the fest's 5th edition), the Málaga Festival has positioned itself as a great platform for burgeoning new filmmakers. La Vergüenza (Shyness) from David Planell and produced by Avalon, is the Festival's opening film. Planell’s debut in the full-length feature that comes with high expectations – some of the experts have already compared him to Daniel Sánchez Arévalo and his movie Azuloscurocasinegro (Darkbluealmostblack). In La Vergüenza, Pepe (Alberto San Juan) and Lucía (Natalia Mateo) explore the complexities of being a couple. One year after adopting their son Manu, both are exhausted and want to give the kid back. Nevertheless, they soon realize the
- 4/15/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Madrid -- The 12th Malaga Spanish Film Festival will stay true to its roots as the premiere showcase for the Spanish film industry, offering a bevy of directorial debuts, when it runs April 17-25, organizers said Tuesday.
But as new festival director Carmelo Romero takes the reins from Solomon Castiel for the first preview of this year’s Spanish film production stressing continuity, he also has added some ingredients to spice things up.
Native son Antonio Banderas will attend the festival for the first time to present the Malaga Award to Juan Diego, whom he directed in his Spanish-language, Malaga-based film “Summer Rain.” The festival will offer a “making of” section dedicated to Banderas’ “Rain.”
Cult director Alex de la Iglesia will preside over the official jury, comprising director Sergio Cabrera; actors Jose Manuel Cervino, Ruben Ochandiano and Emma Suarez; as well as writers Lucia Etxebarria and Juan Madrid.
But the meat of the festival,...
But as new festival director Carmelo Romero takes the reins from Solomon Castiel for the first preview of this year’s Spanish film production stressing continuity, he also has added some ingredients to spice things up.
Native son Antonio Banderas will attend the festival for the first time to present the Malaga Award to Juan Diego, whom he directed in his Spanish-language, Malaga-based film “Summer Rain.” The festival will offer a “making of” section dedicated to Banderas’ “Rain.”
Cult director Alex de la Iglesia will preside over the official jury, comprising director Sergio Cabrera; actors Jose Manuel Cervino, Ruben Ochandiano and Emma Suarez; as well as writers Lucia Etxebarria and Juan Madrid.
But the meat of the festival,...
- 4/1/2009
- by By Pamela Rolfe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joel Hopkins' "Last Chance Harvey," the romantic comedy starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, has been added to the lineup of AFI Fest 2008 as one of the festival's Centerpiece Screenings. The film, which Overture will release Dec. 26, will have its world premiere at the fest on Nov. 8 at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinerama Dome.
The festival, which runs Oct. 30-Nov. 9, also has added five other titles to its schedule: Juan Taratuto's "Boyfriend for My Wife"; Anna Chi's "Dim Sum Funeral"; Ella Lemhagen's "Patrik 1.5"; Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata"; and George Dunning's animated Beatles film "Yellow Submarine."...
The festival, which runs Oct. 30-Nov. 9, also has added five other titles to its schedule: Juan Taratuto's "Boyfriend for My Wife"; Anna Chi's "Dim Sum Funeral"; Ella Lemhagen's "Patrik 1.5"; Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata"; and George Dunning's animated Beatles film "Yellow Submarine."...
- 10/14/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Universal's "Mamma Mia!" grabbed the No. 1 spot on the overseas circuit for the first time, grossing an estimated $15 million during the weekend from 3,493 screens in 39 markets to best Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight" by about $3.2 million.
The surprise smash musical adaptation of the stage hit opened at No. 1 in Portugal with an estimated $804,000 from 65 sites for a per-screen average of $12,369. In Korea, it premiered at No. 2 (after the local-language "Divine Weapon") with an estimated $5.5 million from 370 screens. In both markets the film registered the biggest opening gross ever for a musical title.
With an international gross of $280.1 million, "Mamma Mia!" has eclipsed Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" -- which has accumulated $275.1 million overseas and $416.1 million worldwide -- to become 2008's fifth-biggest boxoffice hit overseas. It has 16 markets to play and opens this weekend in France, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and India.
Warners' latest Batman installment, which had been No.
The surprise smash musical adaptation of the stage hit opened at No. 1 in Portugal with an estimated $804,000 from 65 sites for a per-screen average of $12,369. In Korea, it premiered at No. 2 (after the local-language "Divine Weapon") with an estimated $5.5 million from 370 screens. In both markets the film registered the biggest opening gross ever for a musical title.
With an international gross of $280.1 million, "Mamma Mia!" has eclipsed Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" -- which has accumulated $275.1 million overseas and $416.1 million worldwide -- to become 2008's fifth-biggest boxoffice hit overseas. It has 16 markets to play and opens this weekend in France, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and India.
Warners' latest Batman installment, which had been No.
- 9/7/2008
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MADRID -- The 52nd San Sebastian International Film Festival on Tuesday announced its lineup of 10 films in the Horizontes Latino sidebar, the section that has become obligatory for those interested in the latest films from Latin America. While six different countries are represented, the section is a clear tribute to the burgeoning Argentine cinema industry, which has a production role in six of the 10 titles. Sergio Belloti's Your Life for Peron (Argentina) will premiere worldwide as part of the Horizontes section. The political tale will compete for the 18,000 ($21,700) Horizontes Award against Paolo Agazzi's El Atraco (Bolivia-Spain) and Pablo Jose Meza's Buenos Aires, 100 Km. (Argentina-France). Juan Taratuto's melodramatic comedy It's Not You, It's Me (Argentina-Spain) and Marcos Bernstein's The Other Side of the Street (Brazil-France), starring Raul Cortez and Fernanda Montenegro, will also vie for the prize. Other titles included in the section are: Sebastian Cordero's Cronicas (Ecuador-Mexico-Spain), Leon Errazuriz's Mala Leche (Chile), Santiago Palavecino's Another Turn (Argentina), Ana Poliak's Pin Boy (Argentina-Belgium) and Fernan Rudnik's Little Village (Argentina).
- 8/25/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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