“I’m really glad we got it made for Bill,” declares Cynthia Erivo about producing, starring in and writing an original song for the indie drama “Drift.” The late Bill Paxton was originally slated to direct, before he unexpectedly passed away in 2017. For our recent webchat she adds, “I think it’s a really wonderful thing that we were able to do something that was one of Bill’s last wishes. That’s a really special thing. I’m really proud of the fact that we put all the work we could possibly have put into this to have it be a real thing, to have it be real, to have it be realized, because it wasn’t easy. We worked really hard. I feel like it’s a really special piece.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See 2024 Oscars battle for Best Original Song
“Drift” is Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen‘s first English-language feature,...
See 2024 Oscars battle for Best Original Song
“Drift” is Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen‘s first English-language feature,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winning triple threat talent Cynthia Erivo emotionally unzips herself for moving film “Drift,” the first project she has produced to be released.
The Oscar-nominated actress leads the independent film, which debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker to Measure Drift,” the film follows a refugee who crosses paths with a lonesome tour guide in Greece.
The official synopsis reads: “Jacqueline (Erivo), a young refugee, lands alone and penniless on a Greek island, where she tries first to survive and then to cope with her past. While gathering her strength, she begins a friendship with rootless tour-guide Callie (Alia Shawkat) and together they find the resilience to forge ahead.”
Ibrahima Ba, Honor Swinton Byrne, Zainab Jah, Suzy Bemba, and Vincent Vermignon also star.
“Drift” is the English-language debut of Camera d’Or-winning director Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo”), who won the...
The Oscar-nominated actress leads the independent film, which debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker to Measure Drift,” the film follows a refugee who crosses paths with a lonesome tour guide in Greece.
The official synopsis reads: “Jacqueline (Erivo), a young refugee, lands alone and penniless on a Greek island, where she tries first to survive and then to cope with her past. While gathering her strength, she begins a friendship with rootless tour-guide Callie (Alia Shawkat) and together they find the resilience to forge ahead.”
Ibrahima Ba, Honor Swinton Byrne, Zainab Jah, Suzy Bemba, and Vincent Vermignon also star.
“Drift” is the English-language debut of Camera d’Or-winning director Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo”), who won the...
- 10/25/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Writers’ Development
The U.K.’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) has partnered with “The Crown” producer Left Bank Pictures on the Nfts Diverse Writers Development Program that kicks off in March 2024. It will select six emerging U.K. screenwriters from under-represented backgrounds to contribute their voices to the entertainment landscape and inject fresh perspectives into scripted drama.
The chosen writers will embark on a paid 10-week program, during which four full series ideas will be developed and pitched, with the aim of creating commercially viable television drama concepts. The participants will work through a curriculum designed by the Nfts. The initiative will connect writers with production executives from Left Bank Pictures and potentially other British production companies.
Applications are open now and close Oct. 31.
Promotion
Alexandre Moreau has been promoted to head of sales at Paris-based company Memento International. The executive will oversee Memento International’s slate of films and strategy,...
The U.K.’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) has partnered with “The Crown” producer Left Bank Pictures on the Nfts Diverse Writers Development Program that kicks off in March 2024. It will select six emerging U.K. screenwriters from under-represented backgrounds to contribute their voices to the entertainment landscape and inject fresh perspectives into scripted drama.
The chosen writers will embark on a paid 10-week program, during which four full series ideas will be developed and pitched, with the aim of creating commercially viable television drama concepts. The participants will work through a curriculum designed by the Nfts. The initiative will connect writers with production executives from Left Bank Pictures and potentially other British production companies.
Applications are open now and close Oct. 31.
Promotion
Alexandre Moreau has been promoted to head of sales at Paris-based company Memento International. The executive will oversee Memento International’s slate of films and strategy,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Cynthia Erivo stars, alongside Alia Shawkat, Honor Swinton Byrne.
MetFilm Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Drift, the English-language feature debut of filmmaker Anthony Chen, which stars in and is produced by Cynthia Erivo.
Adapted from Alexander Maksik’s novel A Marker To Measure Drift by Susanne Farrell and Maksik, Drift is a character study of a refugee – played by Erivo – who is struggling to eke out a living on a Greek island, while traumatised by memories of her war-torn country.
Alia Shawkat and Honor Swinton Byrne star alongside Erivo. Memento Films International handles worldwide sales on the title.
MetFilm Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Drift, the English-language feature debut of filmmaker Anthony Chen, which stars in and is produced by Cynthia Erivo.
Adapted from Alexander Maksik’s novel A Marker To Measure Drift by Susanne Farrell and Maksik, Drift is a character study of a refugee – played by Erivo – who is struggling to eke out a living on a Greek island, while traumatised by memories of her war-torn country.
Alia Shawkat and Honor Swinton Byrne star alongside Erivo. Memento Films International handles worldwide sales on the title.
- 6/12/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Cynthia Erivo stars, alongside Alia Shawkat, Honor Swinton Byrne.
MetFilm Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Drift, the English-language feature debut of filmmaker Anthony Chen.
Adapted from Alexander Maksik’s novel A Marker To Measure Drift by Susanne Farrell and Maksik, Drift is a character study of a refugee – played by Cynthia Erivo – who is struggling to eke out a living on a Greek island, while traumatised by memories of her war-torn country.
Alia Shawkat and Honor Swinton Byrne star alongside Erivo. Memento Films International handles worldwide sales on the title.
Drift debuted in the Premieres strand of Sundance Film Festival in January.
MetFilm Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Drift, the English-language feature debut of filmmaker Anthony Chen.
Adapted from Alexander Maksik’s novel A Marker To Measure Drift by Susanne Farrell and Maksik, Drift is a character study of a refugee – played by Cynthia Erivo – who is struggling to eke out a living on a Greek island, while traumatised by memories of her war-torn country.
Alia Shawkat and Honor Swinton Byrne star alongside Erivo. Memento Films International handles worldwide sales on the title.
Drift debuted in the Premieres strand of Sundance Film Festival in January.
- 6/12/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
While the lineup of Cannes Film Market’s newly launched initiative Cannes Investors Circle has remained under wraps, Variety has learned about four of the nine projects which were pitched during the invitation-only event.
The initiative was created by the film market’s new executive director Guillaume Esmiol to connect VIP private investors with select filmmakers and producers boasting a stellar track records. Curated by experts such as Medici’s Tamara Tatishvili, Arte Cinema’s Rémi Burah and financier Serge Hayat, the nine projects are budgeted between €2 million and €12 million. Among these are “Dracula: The Second Coming” directed by Radu Jude; “Rivo Alto,” directed by Clément Cogitore (“The Wakhan Front”) and produced by Jean-Christophe Reymond at Kazak Productions (“Titane”); “The Girl” directed by Marina Ziolkowski (“But You Look So Good”) and produced by Philippe Gompel (“Cherry”) at Manny Films; and “The Birthday Party” directed by Miguel Angel Jimenez (“Chaika”) and...
The initiative was created by the film market’s new executive director Guillaume Esmiol to connect VIP private investors with select filmmakers and producers boasting a stellar track records. Curated by experts such as Medici’s Tamara Tatishvili, Arte Cinema’s Rémi Burah and financier Serge Hayat, the nine projects are budgeted between €2 million and €12 million. Among these are “Dracula: The Second Coming” directed by Radu Jude; “Rivo Alto,” directed by Clément Cogitore (“The Wakhan Front”) and produced by Jean-Christophe Reymond at Kazak Productions (“Titane”); “The Girl” directed by Marina Ziolkowski (“But You Look So Good”) and produced by Philippe Gompel (“Cherry”) at Manny Films; and “The Birthday Party” directed by Miguel Angel Jimenez (“Chaika”) and...
- 5/22/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Panellists cite slowdown in streamer investment and difficulties in attracting audiences to cinemas.
The Cannes Marche’s inaugural Investors Circle saw international producers and financiers debate the future of independent theatrical film at a time when streamers are curtailing investment in production.
Club Zero and Triangle Of Sadness producer, Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos, formerly CEO of UK sales agent Protagonist Pictures, said that streamers are retrenching.
“That massive wave of money that came into the business, in the late teens [pre-2020], it’s massively slowed down… we all know the troubles they are going through on a corporate, subscription level.
The Cannes Marche’s inaugural Investors Circle saw international producers and financiers debate the future of independent theatrical film at a time when streamers are curtailing investment in production.
Club Zero and Triangle Of Sadness producer, Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos, formerly CEO of UK sales agent Protagonist Pictures, said that streamers are retrenching.
“That massive wave of money that came into the business, in the late teens [pre-2020], it’s massively slowed down… we all know the troubles they are going through on a corporate, subscription level.
- 5/22/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Market
The Cannes Film Market has launched Cannes Investors Circle, which will commence with a keynote introduction by Liesl Copland, Participant’s executive VP, content and platform strategy, who will offer her perspective on the modern media landscape. The initiative will also feature a panel discussion titled Navigating Film Finance in a Changing World that aims to offer insights on global financing and market trends in 2023 and beyond. The panelists will include Elisa Alvares, finance expert at Jacaranda Consultants; Rikke Ennis, CEO of REinvent Studios; Emilie Georges, co-founder and CEO of Paradise City; Mike Goodridge, U.K. producer at Good Chaos who is also presenting Jessica Hausner’s “Club Zero” in the festival’s official competition; with film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell moderating.
The event will also include an invitation-only session where VIP private investors will listen to pitches of nine new global film projects at the investment stage. The...
The Cannes Film Market has launched Cannes Investors Circle, which will commence with a keynote introduction by Liesl Copland, Participant’s executive VP, content and platform strategy, who will offer her perspective on the modern media landscape. The initiative will also feature a panel discussion titled Navigating Film Finance in a Changing World that aims to offer insights on global financing and market trends in 2023 and beyond. The panelists will include Elisa Alvares, finance expert at Jacaranda Consultants; Rikke Ennis, CEO of REinvent Studios; Emilie Georges, co-founder and CEO of Paradise City; Mike Goodridge, U.K. producer at Good Chaos who is also presenting Jessica Hausner’s “Club Zero” in the festival’s official competition; with film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell moderating.
The event will also include an invitation-only session where VIP private investors will listen to pitches of nine new global film projects at the investment stage. The...
- 5/9/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film has unveiled a new exclusive event, bannered the Cannes Investors Circle, aimed at connecting high-caliber, global feature film projects with private investors.
Unfolding May 21 at the market’s new Plage de Palmes beachfront venue, the afternoon event will present nine in-development projects with international potential to a select group of no-more than 50 private investors.
Details of the projects are under wraps, but the market has revealed they are budgeted at up to $13 million (12 million euros) and involve producers and directors who have previously won the Cannes Palme d’Or or Berlin’s Golden Bear.
Participant Executive Vice President, Content and Platform Strategy Liesl Copland, will kick off the meeting with a keynote fireside conversation, offering her unique perspective on the modern media landscape, which will be open to all market badge-holders.
The entertainment industry veteran took up her newly-created role at...
Unfolding May 21 at the market’s new Plage de Palmes beachfront venue, the afternoon event will present nine in-development projects with international potential to a select group of no-more than 50 private investors.
Details of the projects are under wraps, but the market has revealed they are budgeted at up to $13 million (12 million euros) and involve producers and directors who have previously won the Cannes Palme d’Or or Berlin’s Golden Bear.
Participant Executive Vice President, Content and Platform Strategy Liesl Copland, will kick off the meeting with a keynote fireside conversation, offering her unique perspective on the modern media landscape, which will be open to all market badge-holders.
The entertainment industry veteran took up her newly-created role at...
- 5/9/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Utopia has landed the North American rights to “Drift,” an emotional drama starring Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat. The sale comes a few months after its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
“Drift” is the English-language feature debut of Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo”). Based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker to Measure Drift,” the story follows a refugee (Erivo) who struggles to survive on a Greek Island as she is tormented by memories of the war-torn country she was able to flee. Through her friendship with an American tour-guide (Shawkat), she begins to find a way to move past the violence and trauma she has endured to forge a new life for herself.
“After our very emotional Sundance premiere, I’m so pleased to be working with Utopia to bring ‘Drift’ to audiences across the States,” Chen said. “I’m convinced our film’s message of hope...
“Drift” is the English-language feature debut of Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo”). Based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker to Measure Drift,” the story follows a refugee (Erivo) who struggles to survive on a Greek Island as she is tormented by memories of the war-torn country she was able to flee. Through her friendship with an American tour-guide (Shawkat), she begins to find a way to move past the violence and trauma she has endured to forge a new life for herself.
“After our very emotional Sundance premiere, I’m so pleased to be working with Utopia to bring ‘Drift’ to audiences across the States,” Chen said. “I’m convinced our film’s message of hope...
- 4/25/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Drift director Anthony Chen is gearing up to direct his first US-set project, Heartbeat: A New York Story, about the rarely-told experiences of the Asian gay community during the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York.
The English-language feature is based on a short story Tea For Two, by acclaimed Taiwanese writer Pai Hsien-yung, and is described as “an emotional and affecting story of self-discovery, grief and hope through the eyes of a Taiwanese gay man.” Singaporean playwright Joel Tan has adapted the short story for the screen.
Singapore-born Chen recently made his English-language debut on Drift, produced by Emilie Georges, Peter Spears and Naima Abed, which filmed in Greece and the UK and received its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. Heartbeat: A New York Story, which he hopes to start shooting next year, will be his first project filmed in the U.S.
Chen’s Giraffe Pictures will...
The English-language feature is based on a short story Tea For Two, by acclaimed Taiwanese writer Pai Hsien-yung, and is described as “an emotional and affecting story of self-discovery, grief and hope through the eyes of a Taiwanese gay man.” Singaporean playwright Joel Tan has adapted the short story for the screen.
Singapore-born Chen recently made his English-language debut on Drift, produced by Emilie Georges, Peter Spears and Naima Abed, which filmed in Greece and the UK and received its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. Heartbeat: A New York Story, which he hopes to start shooting next year, will be his first project filmed in the U.S.
Chen’s Giraffe Pictures will...
- 3/12/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen is on a roll – his English-language debut Drift is premiering at Sundance Film Festival, he has Chinese-language drama The Breaking Ice being readied for festival play later this year, and several other directing projects in different languages at various stages of development and pre-production.
Drift, which stars Cynthia Erivo as a Liberian refugee scratching out an existence on a Greek island, is thematically not a million miles away from Chen’s previous two features – Ilo Ilo and Wet Season – in that they’re stories about outsiders or people struggling to find their place in the world and fit in. “I seem to gravitate to telling stories about outsiders and the bonds, or the human connections, that we make between strangers,” says Chen, who has some experience with feeling dislocated, as he grew up in Singapore but spent many years living in the UK.
Chen shot the film,...
Drift, which stars Cynthia Erivo as a Liberian refugee scratching out an existence on a Greek island, is thematically not a million miles away from Chen’s previous two features – Ilo Ilo and Wet Season – in that they’re stories about outsiders or people struggling to find their place in the world and fit in. “I seem to gravitate to telling stories about outsiders and the bonds, or the human connections, that we make between strangers,” says Chen, who has some experience with feeling dislocated, as he grew up in Singapore but spent many years living in the UK.
Chen shot the film,...
- 1/19/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s English-language debut “Drift” world premieres in the Premieres section of the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22. Chen, the producers, and Cynthia Erivo, the film’s lead actor and one of producers, talk to Variety about the movie.
Starring Erivo (“Harriet”) and Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”), the film is from the producer team of “Call Me By Your Name” – Peter Spears, Emilie Georges and Naima Abed. Erivo, Solome Williams and Greece’s Heretic are also producers. Spears won the best picture Oscar for Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland.”
“Drift” is based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker to Measure Drift.” It was a New York Times Notable Book, and finalist for the William Saroyan Prize, and Le Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger. The screenplay is co-written by Maksik and Susanne Farrell.
Erivo plays migrant Jacqueline, who lives a marginal existence on the shores of a Greek island,...
Starring Erivo (“Harriet”) and Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”), the film is from the producer team of “Call Me By Your Name” – Peter Spears, Emilie Georges and Naima Abed. Erivo, Solome Williams and Greece’s Heretic are also producers. Spears won the best picture Oscar for Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland.”
“Drift” is based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel “A Marker to Measure Drift.” It was a New York Times Notable Book, and finalist for the William Saroyan Prize, and Le Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger. The screenplay is co-written by Maksik and Susanne Farrell.
Erivo plays migrant Jacqueline, who lives a marginal existence on the shores of a Greek island,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Memento International has boarded “Fremont,” the latest film by BAFTA-nominated Iranian-born director Babak Jalali, which is set to world premiere at Sundance.
Slated for the Next section, the black-and-white film tells the story of Donya, a young woman working at a Chinese fortune cookie factory in the San Francisco bay. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, she struggles to put her life back in order. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message in a cookie.
“Fremont” marks the screen debut of Anaita Wali Zada, a real-life Afghan refugee, who stars in the film opposite Jeremy Allen White, well-known for his roles in “The Bear” and “Shameless,” and Gregg Turkington (“Ant-Man”). White will next been seen in Sean Durkin’s upcoming A24 movie “The Iron Claw” with Zac Efron.
Laced with wry humor, “Fremont” delivers a warm portrait of a...
Slated for the Next section, the black-and-white film tells the story of Donya, a young woman working at a Chinese fortune cookie factory in the San Francisco bay. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, she struggles to put her life back in order. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message in a cookie.
“Fremont” marks the screen debut of Anaita Wali Zada, a real-life Afghan refugee, who stars in the film opposite Jeremy Allen White, well-known for his roles in “The Bear” and “Shameless,” and Gregg Turkington (“Ant-Man”). White will next been seen in Sean Durkin’s upcoming A24 movie “The Iron Claw” with Zac Efron.
Laced with wry humor, “Fremont” delivers a warm portrait of a...
- 12/9/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Selection includes new work from directors Nicole Holofcener, Davis Guggenheim, Sophie Bathes, Brandon Cronenberg.
Established and new filmmakers will take a bow at the hybrid 2023 Sundance Film Festival as festival organisers announced 99 features selected from a record number of submissions. There is new work from Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Cynthia Erivo, We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor, Nicole Holofcener, Davis Guggenheim, Sophie Bathes and Brandon Cronenberg.
Scroll down for line-up
Anticipated World Cinema Dramatic Competition selections include UK duo Scrapper directed by Charlotte Regan and sold by Charades, and Girl by Adura Onashile. Both were supported...
Established and new filmmakers will take a bow at the hybrid 2023 Sundance Film Festival as festival organisers announced 99 features selected from a record number of submissions. There is new work from Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Cynthia Erivo, We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor, Nicole Holofcener, Davis Guggenheim, Sophie Bathes and Brandon Cronenberg.
Scroll down for line-up
Anticipated World Cinema Dramatic Competition selections include UK duo Scrapper directed by Charlotte Regan and sold by Charades, and Girl by Adura Onashile. Both were supported...
- 12/7/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
This year’s Zurich Summit kicked off with a bang as a host of top industry execs gathered on stage to discuss one of the most challenging topics facing the independent film world today – how to finance an independent film in the streaming age?
The panel inevitably was drawn to the pros and cons of going down the streaming route.
Former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, who recently was a producer on Oscar-winning hit Coda, spoke at length about the challenges he faced when financing the project. The Pathé title was a project he helped develop at Lionsgate and took with him when he left the US studio. The film had pre-sold to a number of international territories but famously caused a stir when Apple came in and acquired the film at Sundance for 25M in a worldwide deal, causing the streamer to make buyback deals with those rights holders.
The panel inevitably was drawn to the pros and cons of going down the streaming route.
Former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, who recently was a producer on Oscar-winning hit Coda, spoke at length about the challenges he faced when financing the project. The Pathé title was a project he helped develop at Lionsgate and took with him when he left the US studio. The film had pre-sold to a number of international territories but famously caused a stir when Apple came in and acquired the film at Sundance for 25M in a worldwide deal, causing the streamer to make buyback deals with those rights holders.
- 9/24/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, Carol producer Christine Vachon, Neon CEO Tom Quinn and SPC bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard will be among industry executives taking part in the Zurich Summit on Saturday in Switzerland.
The Zurich Film Festival’s flagship industry event, an all-day confab about the state of the independent film business, will gather around 100 top film professionals. Scroll down for the lineup and schedule in full.
For a full rundown of the day’s schedule click here.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
The conference kicks off with the discussion “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers” and a panel comprising UTA agent Alex Brunner, Memento International/Paradise City CEO Emilie Georges,...
The Zurich Film Festival’s flagship industry event, an all-day confab about the state of the independent film business, will gather around 100 top film professionals. Scroll down for the lineup and schedule in full.
For a full rundown of the day’s schedule click here.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
The conference kicks off with the discussion “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers” and a panel comprising UTA agent Alex Brunner, Memento International/Paradise City CEO Emilie Georges,...
- 9/23/2022
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. who are shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re speaking with Memento Films International founder Emilie Georges and producer Naima Abed about their company Paradise City, its slate and why now is the time to move into the management and branded content spheres.
Eight years ago, Emilie Georges’ Memento Films International and its production arm La Cinéfacture quietly launched Paradise City, a specialty label for the outfit, with respected producer Naima Abed helping curate the slate. While the banner co-financed and co-produced a number of genre titles including Jim Mickle’s 2013 Sundance hit We Are What We Are, it was only when the duo worked on Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 Oscar-nominated hit Call Me By Your Name that Georges and Abed began to think about...
Eight years ago, Emilie Georges’ Memento Films International and its production arm La Cinéfacture quietly launched Paradise City, a specialty label for the outfit, with respected producer Naima Abed helping curate the slate. While the banner co-financed and co-produced a number of genre titles including Jim Mickle’s 2013 Sundance hit We Are What We Are, it was only when the duo worked on Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 Oscar-nominated hit Call Me By Your Name that Georges and Abed began to think about...
- 7/27/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the producers and the projects selected for this summer’s Producers Lab and Producers Summit. Taking place July 25-28 and July 29-31, respectively, the events are being held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Producers Lab will feature six fiction films’ and five nonfiction films’ producers and their projects while the summit will host 40 industry insiders and 26 indie filmmakers.
Advisors for the feature film program include David Hinojosa (Zola, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Amy Lo (Nancy, Sugar), Riva Marker (The Guilty, Relic), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Jason Michael Berman (Nine Days, Uncorked) while the documentary film program features Daffodil Altan (PBS’ Frontline), Violet Feng (Hidden Letters, Tigre Gente), Andrea Meditch (Ernie & Joe, Fathom), Bob Moore (Midwives, Softie) and Amanda Spain (MSNBC Films).
Industry participants in this year’s summit include Maria Altamirano...
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the producers and the projects selected for this summer’s Producers Lab and Producers Summit. Taking place July 25-28 and July 29-31, respectively, the events are being held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Producers Lab will feature six fiction films’ and five nonfiction films’ producers and their projects while the summit will host 40 industry insiders and 26 indie filmmakers.
Advisors for the feature film program include David Hinojosa (Zola, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Amy Lo (Nancy, Sugar), Riva Marker (The Guilty, Relic), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Jason Michael Berman (Nine Days, Uncorked) while the documentary film program features Daffodil Altan (PBS’ Frontline), Violet Feng (Hidden Letters, Tigre Gente), Andrea Meditch (Ernie & Joe, Fathom), Bob Moore (Midwives, Softie) and Amanda Spain (MSNBC Films).
Industry participants in this year’s summit include Maria Altamirano...
- 7/25/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance Institute, the nonprofit organization that puts on the yearly film festival in Park City, has announced the entrants for its Producers Lab and Producers Summit.
Both events, the former taking place from July 25 to 28 and the latter from July 29 to 31, will be held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Institute picked six fiction film and five non-fiction film producers and their projects. Producers Lab and Producers Summit, which counts more than 40 industry leaders and 26 independent filmmakers among its participants, supports up-and-coming producers through year-round mentorship, granting, educational resources, strategic introductions, and networking opportunities with the industry.
“It has been three years since we have been able to gather in person, and over this time, the landscape for independent storytelling has shifted dramatically. It’s never been more critical to work to create a sustainable future for independent producers, a key priority for the Lab and Summit,...
Both events, the former taking place from July 25 to 28 and the latter from July 29 to 31, will be held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Institute picked six fiction film and five non-fiction film producers and their projects. Producers Lab and Producers Summit, which counts more than 40 industry leaders and 26 independent filmmakers among its participants, supports up-and-coming producers through year-round mentorship, granting, educational resources, strategic introductions, and networking opportunities with the industry.
“It has been three years since we have been able to gather in person, and over this time, the landscape for independent storytelling has shifted dramatically. It’s never been more critical to work to create a sustainable future for independent producers, a key priority for the Lab and Summit,...
- 7/25/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Events to run this month in Utah,
Sundance Institute has unveiled participants for its Producers Lab taking place July 25–28 and Producers Summit running July 29–31. Both events take place in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort.
The six fiction film producers and their projects under the auspices of the Producers Lab are: The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper; The President’s Cake; Starfuckers; Sales Per Hour; and Huella.
The five documentary film producers and projects are: Untitled Dwarfism Project; Untitled Sura Mallouh Project; Untitled Baltimore Project; Bartolo; and Queendom.
Producers and projects participating in the Producers Summit include: Jade Jackson with...
Sundance Institute has unveiled participants for its Producers Lab taking place July 25–28 and Producers Summit running July 29–31. Both events take place in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort.
The six fiction film producers and their projects under the auspices of the Producers Lab are: The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper; The President’s Cake; Starfuckers; Sales Per Hour; and Huella.
The five documentary film producers and projects are: Untitled Dwarfism Project; Untitled Sura Mallouh Project; Untitled Baltimore Project; Bartolo; and Queendom.
Producers and projects participating in the Producers Summit include: Jade Jackson with...
- 7/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Institute has named the participants for its 2022 Producers Lab and Summit, both of which are set to take place in person this year at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort.
The Fellows and projects selected for the Lab’s Feature Film Program are Apoorva Guru Charan (The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper), Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake), Eli Raskin (Starfuckers), Chloe Sabin (Sales Per Hour), and the duo of Helena Sardinha and Doménica Castro (Huella). Those set for the Lab’s Documentary Film Program are Lindsey Dryden (Untitled Dwarfism Project), Yoni Golijov (Untitled Sura Mallouh Project), Dawne Langford (Untitled Baltimore Project), Neyda Martinez (Bartolo) and Igor Myakotin (Queendom).
Jade Jackson (Losa), Lauren Lopez de Victoria (Forward), Fox Maxy (Water Tight), Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi (Earthquake), and Séverine Tibi (Birthday) will participate in the Producers Summit on the Fiction Features side, with Nonfiction Feature participants to include Jude Chehab...
The Fellows and projects selected for the Lab’s Feature Film Program are Apoorva Guru Charan (The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper), Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake), Eli Raskin (Starfuckers), Chloe Sabin (Sales Per Hour), and the duo of Helena Sardinha and Doménica Castro (Huella). Those set for the Lab’s Documentary Film Program are Lindsey Dryden (Untitled Dwarfism Project), Yoni Golijov (Untitled Sura Mallouh Project), Dawne Langford (Untitled Baltimore Project), Neyda Martinez (Bartolo) and Igor Myakotin (Queendom).
Jade Jackson (Losa), Lauren Lopez de Victoria (Forward), Fox Maxy (Water Tight), Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi (Earthquake), and Séverine Tibi (Birthday) will participate in the Producers Summit on the Fiction Features side, with Nonfiction Feature participants to include Jude Chehab...
- 7/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) will lead cast alongside Being The Ricardos and Arrested Development star Alia Shawkat in Anthony Chen’s (Ilo Ilo) English-language debut Drift.
The film reunites Call Me By Your Name producers Emilie Georges and Peter Spears and exec producer Naima Abed. Spears won the Best Picture Oscar last year for Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland.
Drift follows a young Liberian refugee named Jacqueline (Erivo) who has barely escaped her war-torn country to a Greek island. She offers massages to tourists in exchange for one or two euros to battle her hunger, while her daily struggle for survival keeps the memories that haunt her at bay. She meets an unmoored tour guide (Shawkat) and the two become close as they each find hope in the other. Ibrahima Ba, who has a supporting role in Cannes 2022 title Father & Soldier, and Honor Swinton-Byrne (The Souvenir: Parts 1 & 2), are also among cast.
The film reunites Call Me By Your Name producers Emilie Georges and Peter Spears and exec producer Naima Abed. Spears won the Best Picture Oscar last year for Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland.
Drift follows a young Liberian refugee named Jacqueline (Erivo) who has barely escaped her war-torn country to a Greek island. She offers massages to tourists in exchange for one or two euros to battle her hunger, while her daily struggle for survival keeps the memories that haunt her at bay. She meets an unmoored tour guide (Shawkat) and the two become close as they each find hope in the other. Ibrahima Ba, who has a supporting role in Cannes 2022 title Father & Soldier, and Honor Swinton-Byrne (The Souvenir: Parts 1 & 2), are also among cast.
- 5/20/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Following festival favourite and Oscar shortlisted drama Night Of The Kings, Ivory Coast director Philippe Lacôte is developing his new feature film 7 Golden Thieves (Les 7 Voleurs D’Or) with his producing and co-writing partner Delphine Jacquet and Memento’s relaunched Paradise City banner.
The story is based on a real belief. In West Africa and in the imagination of the Malinké, gold has an ambivalent social function, conferring prestige and honor. However, whomever steals gold places a curse on his family line for seven generations. The project follows a man’s quest to break his family free from this ancient curse. Weaving together the stories of his forbearers over centuries, the film will crisscross between Western Africa and the U.S.
Anticipating a 2024 shoot, the film is currently in development and is being introduced to potential partners in Cannes.
Banshee Films and Wassakara Productions are producing, in association with Paris-based Paradise City,...
The story is based on a real belief. In West Africa and in the imagination of the Malinké, gold has an ambivalent social function, conferring prestige and honor. However, whomever steals gold places a curse on his family line for seven generations. The project follows a man’s quest to break his family free from this ancient curse. Weaving together the stories of his forbearers over centuries, the film will crisscross between Western Africa and the U.S.
Anticipating a 2024 shoot, the film is currently in development and is being introduced to potential partners in Cannes.
Banshee Films and Wassakara Productions are producing, in association with Paris-based Paradise City,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
“Call Me By Your Name” producers Emilie Georges and Naima Abed are launching Paradise City, a London- and Paris-based film, TV drama and branded content production and management company. The banner’s slate includes projects by Edward Berger (“Deutschland 83”), Lili Horvát (“White God”), Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo”) and South African author Lauren Beukes (“Slipping”).
Georges is the founder and CEO of sales banner Memento Intl., which is at Cannes this year with Tarik Saleh’s competition film “Boy from Heaven,” Dominik Moll’s “La nuit du 12” in Cannes Premieres, Charlotte Le Bon’s “Falcon Lake” in Directors’ Fortnight and Kristoffer Borgli’s “Sick of Myself” in Un Certain Regard. Abed, who is based in the U.K., produced “Call Me By Your Name” with Georges under their other production banner La Cinefacture and has been building Paradise City’s roster for over a year. So far, the outfit...
Georges is the founder and CEO of sales banner Memento Intl., which is at Cannes this year with Tarik Saleh’s competition film “Boy from Heaven,” Dominik Moll’s “La nuit du 12” in Cannes Premieres, Charlotte Le Bon’s “Falcon Lake” in Directors’ Fortnight and Kristoffer Borgli’s “Sick of Myself” in Un Certain Regard. Abed, who is based in the U.K., produced “Call Me By Your Name” with Georges under their other production banner La Cinefacture and has been building Paradise City’s roster for over a year. So far, the outfit...
- 5/18/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Film festival prize-winners with strong North American distribution often have an advantage in the Oscar race for Best International Feature Film (see our 2022 predictions here). In the heated battle over the final selection from France’s Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, which announced their submission on October 12, Julia Ducournau’s taboo-busting Palme d’Or and TIFF Midnight Madness winner “Titane” emerged as the final pick.
The film beat out rookie Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner, the ’60s drama “Happening” (IFC Films), an immersive look at a high-school achiever’s harrowing experience trying to get an abortion, as well as surprise finalist “Bac Nord,” a slum policier directed by Cédric Jimenez, a French box-office smash with a low profile stateside — which was co-written by rising star Diwan.
The French selection committee included one-year members — auteurs Florian Zeller and Julie Delpy, ex-WarnerMedia senior executive Iris Knobloch,...
The film beat out rookie Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner, the ’60s drama “Happening” (IFC Films), an immersive look at a high-school achiever’s harrowing experience trying to get an abortion, as well as surprise finalist “Bac Nord,” a slum policier directed by Cédric Jimenez, a French box-office smash with a low profile stateside — which was co-written by rising star Diwan.
The French selection committee included one-year members — auteurs Florian Zeller and Julie Delpy, ex-WarnerMedia senior executive Iris Knobloch,...
- 10/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Film festival prize-winners with strong North American distribution often have an advantage in the Oscar race for Best International Feature Film (see our 2022 predictions here). In the heated battle over the final selection from France’s Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, which announced their submission on October 12, Julia Ducournau’s taboo-busting Palme d’Or and TIFF Midnight Madness winner “Titane” emerged as the final pick.
The film beat out rookie Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner, the ’60s drama “Happening” (IFC Films), an immersive look at a high-school achiever’s harrowing experience trying to get an abortion, as well as surprise finalist “Bac Nord,” a slum policier directed by Cédric Jimenez, a French box-office smash with a low profile stateside — which was co-written by rising star Diwan.
The French selection committee included one-year members — auteurs Florian Zeller and Julie Delpy, ex-WarnerMedia senior executive Iris Knobloch,...
The film beat out rookie Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner, the ’60s drama “Happening” (IFC Films), an immersive look at a high-school achiever’s harrowing experience trying to get an abortion, as well as surprise finalist “Bac Nord,” a slum policier directed by Cédric Jimenez, a French box-office smash with a low profile stateside — which was co-written by rising star Diwan.
The French selection committee included one-year members — auteurs Florian Zeller and Julie Delpy, ex-WarnerMedia senior executive Iris Knobloch,...
- 10/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Film was among three films shortlisted to be the French submission alongside Happening and Bac Nord.
Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane will be France’s submission to the best international film category for the 2022 Oscars.
It was among three films shortlisted in the country’s two-part selection process alongside Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Cédric Jimenez’s box office hit Bac Nord (aka The Stronghold).
The genre-bending thriller is lead produced by Jean-Christophe Reymond at Kazak Productions in co-production with Belgium’s Frakas Productions, Arte Cinema France and Belgian pay-tv companies Voo and BeTV.
Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane will be France’s submission to the best international film category for the 2022 Oscars.
It was among three films shortlisted in the country’s two-part selection process alongside Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Cédric Jimenez’s box office hit Bac Nord (aka The Stronghold).
The genre-bending thriller is lead produced by Jean-Christophe Reymond at Kazak Productions in co-production with Belgium’s Frakas Productions, Arte Cinema France and Belgian pay-tv companies Voo and BeTV.
- 10/12/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
France’s Oscar selection committee has shortlisted three titles as the country’s potential submission for the International Feature Oscar race. They include Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner L’Evénement (Happening), Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or laureate Titane and Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) which ran out of competition on the Riviera in July.
The two major prizewinners, Happening and Titane, were expected to figure among the group which will now be whittled down with the official entry announced on October 12.
Titane was released locally by Diaphana Distribution in July after making history as only the second film directed by a woman to win the top Cannes honor. Neon has domestic. The story follows a series of unexplained crimes; a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for 10 years. In its logline, it is also billed as “Titane : A metal...
The two major prizewinners, Happening and Titane, were expected to figure among the group which will now be whittled down with the official entry announced on October 12.
Titane was released locally by Diaphana Distribution in July after making history as only the second film directed by a woman to win the top Cannes honor. Neon has domestic. The story follows a series of unexplained crimes; a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for 10 years. In its logline, it is also billed as “Titane : A metal...
- 10/7/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Audrey Diwan’s Venice winner and timely abortion drama “Happening,” Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning horror film “Titane,” and Cedric Jimenez’s cop thriller “Bac Nord” have been shortlisted by France’s Oscar committee. The French Oscar candidate is expected to be selected next Tuesday.
It’s a milestone year for French cinema and female directors, who won the top prizes at the biggest international film festivals, Cannes and Venice. Some other big-name directors were rumored to be in the pipeline for consideration, notably Xavier Giannoli with “Lost Illusions,” Celine Sciamma with “Petite Maman” and Jacques Audiard with “Paris, 13th District.” It turns out, however, that neither of them entered the race, letting “Happening” and “Titane” take center stage.
“Bac Nord,” which is co-written by Diwan, was pushed by Netflix and the movie’s French co-producer/distributor StudioCanal. An unlikely candidate for the international feature film race, the star-studded thriller opened at Cannes,...
It’s a milestone year for French cinema and female directors, who won the top prizes at the biggest international film festivals, Cannes and Venice. Some other big-name directors were rumored to be in the pipeline for consideration, notably Xavier Giannoli with “Lost Illusions,” Celine Sciamma with “Petite Maman” and Jacques Audiard with “Paris, 13th District.” It turns out, however, that neither of them entered the race, letting “Happening” and “Titane” take center stage.
“Bac Nord,” which is co-written by Diwan, was pushed by Netflix and the movie’s French co-producer/distributor StudioCanal. An unlikely candidate for the international feature film race, the star-studded thriller opened at Cannes,...
- 10/7/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The final decision on which film will be France’s Oscar candidate will be taken on October 12.
Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane, Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Cédric Jimenez’s box office hit Bac Nord have made it onto the shortlist to be France’s submission to the best international feature film category of the 2022 Oscars.
Under the selection two-part selection process, the producers and sales agents of the pre-selected films will present their Oscar campaign plans to France’s Oscar selection committee on October 12, ahead of the final decision.
Titane is...
Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane, Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening and Cédric Jimenez’s box office hit Bac Nord have made it onto the shortlist to be France’s submission to the best international feature film category of the 2022 Oscars.
Under the selection two-part selection process, the producers and sales agents of the pre-selected films will present their Oscar campaign plans to France’s Oscar selection committee on October 12, ahead of the final decision.
Titane is...
- 10/7/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Hany Abu-Assad, the acclaimed Dutch-Palestinian director of Oscar-nominated “Paradise Now” and “Omar,” has broken new ground with “Huda’s Salon” which world premiered Sept. 9 at Toronto in the competitive Platform section.
The female-driven tense spy thriller is headlined by Maisa Abd Elhadi (“The Angel”) who stars as Reem, a young mother who falls into a trap during a visit at a hair salon run by Huda, a seemingly friendly woman working for the Israeli secret service. While being blackmailed by the Israeli secret service, Reem has to cope with her controlling husband and a Palestinian resistance agent who suspect she is a traitor.
“Huda’s Salon” marks the helmer’s follow up to Fox’s “The Mountains Between Us” with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Abu-Assad produced the film with his wife, Amira Diab, through their recently launched banner H&a Production, alongside Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, who runs the Cairo Film Festival,...
The female-driven tense spy thriller is headlined by Maisa Abd Elhadi (“The Angel”) who stars as Reem, a young mother who falls into a trap during a visit at a hair salon run by Huda, a seemingly friendly woman working for the Israeli secret service. While being blackmailed by the Israeli secret service, Reem has to cope with her controlling husband and a Palestinian resistance agent who suspect she is a traitor.
“Huda’s Salon” marks the helmer’s follow up to Fox’s “The Mountains Between Us” with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Abu-Assad produced the film with his wife, Amira Diab, through their recently launched banner H&a Production, alongside Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, who runs the Cairo Film Festival,...
- 9/11/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker’s Paradise Now was first Palestinian film nominated for foreign language Oscar in 2006.
IFC Films has picked up North American rights from Memento International to Hany Abu-Assad’s upcoming Toronto world premiere Huda’s Salon.
The filmmaker’s latest feature follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear.
What should be an ordinary visit turns sour when Huda puts Reem in a difficult spot and blackmails her into betraying her people and working for the secret service of the occupiers. Ali Suliman,...
IFC Films has picked up North American rights from Memento International to Hany Abu-Assad’s upcoming Toronto world premiere Huda’s Salon.
The filmmaker’s latest feature follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear.
What should be an ordinary visit turns sour when Huda puts Reem in a difficult spot and blackmails her into betraying her people and working for the secret service of the occupiers. Ali Suliman,...
- 8/11/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “Huda’s Salon,” a drama written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, the award-winning filmmaker behind “Paradise Now” and “The Mountain Between Us.”
The film is described as a “feminist thriller,” one that unfolds against the backdrop of geopolitical conflict. It follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. But this visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her.
“Huda’s Salon” will have its world premiere as an official selection at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival in September. IFC Films is planning a release in 2022. The indie studio has two other films playing in Toronto, Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” and Ruth Paxton’s “A Banquet.”
“To finally have the chance to work with IFC Films...
The film is described as a “feminist thriller,” one that unfolds against the backdrop of geopolitical conflict. It follows Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, who goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem for a haircut and an attentive ear. But this visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her.
“Huda’s Salon” will have its world premiere as an official selection at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival in September. IFC Films is planning a release in 2022. The indie studio has two other films playing in Toronto, Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” and Ruth Paxton’s “A Banquet.”
“To finally have the chance to work with IFC Films...
- 8/11/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
One year ago, the Cannes Film Festival was in limbo. Organizers postponed its May date to June, and then realized that the pandemic made the world’s most glamorous and crowded film festival impossible for 2020. Instead, Cannes announced an amorphous list of films, including future Oscar winner “Another Round.”
This year is another story. On April 29, French president Emmanuel Macron announced that the country’s cultural venues that include movie theaters can reopen May 19. On May 28, Cannes plans to announce its lineup for the 74th edition that will take place July 6 -17. Up next: determining who will show up to capitalize on the epic attempt to resurrect the world’s most prestigious film brand.
With nine weeks to go before the festival, the approach is full steam ahead, and let the skeptics be damned. Leos Carax’s Adam Driver musical “Annette” has been announced as the opening-night selection, while high-profile...
This year is another story. On April 29, French president Emmanuel Macron announced that the country’s cultural venues that include movie theaters can reopen May 19. On May 28, Cannes plans to announce its lineup for the 74th edition that will take place July 6 -17. Up next: determining who will show up to capitalize on the epic attempt to resurrect the world’s most prestigious film brand.
With nine weeks to go before the festival, the approach is full steam ahead, and let the skeptics be damned. Leos Carax’s Adam Driver musical “Annette” has been announced as the opening-night selection, while high-profile...
- 4/29/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
After Sundance, which saw sustained dealmaking activity on select titles, the film industry is gearing up for the virtual European Film Market, incorporating industry and press screenings of Berlin Film Festival’s program. With little sense of when the theatrical business can restart across the world, anxiety in the independent sector is edging up, added to the growing competition from streaming giants.
The EFM, the world’s second-biggest film market, is a place where sales agents traditionally launch movies with strong theatrical appeal, and this year they will need to double up on their marketing efforts to trigger the interest of distributors who are either cash-strapped or overburdened with postponed releases.
“We’re in a ruthless world with new variants,” says Memento’s Emilie Georges. “The more we advance the thicker is the fog. The challenge is to deploy enough efforts to make films exist within the small window of...
The EFM, the world’s second-biggest film market, is a place where sales agents traditionally launch movies with strong theatrical appeal, and this year they will need to double up on their marketing efforts to trigger the interest of distributors who are either cash-strapped or overburdened with postponed releases.
“We’re in a ruthless world with new variants,” says Memento’s Emilie Georges. “The more we advance the thicker is the fog. The challenge is to deploy enough efforts to make films exist within the small window of...
- 2/24/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Changes in local financing coupled with new opportunities in global distribution have pushed the French industry towards a more international outlook, argued panelists at a Tuesday round table presented as part of UniFrance’s Rendez-vous With French Cinema.
“[For certain French producers] ‘international’ used to mean who would take care of their talent when they travelled,” said film exporter Nicolas Brigaud-Robert. “[Only] today, with the way that we finance films having changed, that concern is much more widespread.”
Throughout the export focused talk – which brought together sales agents Brigaud-Robert of Playtime, and Emilie Georges of Memento, producer Bénédicte Couvreur of Lilies Films, and Cnc exec Mathieu Fournet – the panelists detailed the ways French actors could seize international opportunities.
Coming off the global success of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Couvreur looked to bank on newfound international attention when preparing her next film with director Céline Sciamma, the recently wrapped “Petite Maman.”
“It was important...
“[For certain French producers] ‘international’ used to mean who would take care of their talent when they travelled,” said film exporter Nicolas Brigaud-Robert. “[Only] today, with the way that we finance films having changed, that concern is much more widespread.”
Throughout the export focused talk – which brought together sales agents Brigaud-Robert of Playtime, and Emilie Georges of Memento, producer Bénédicte Couvreur of Lilies Films, and Cnc exec Mathieu Fournet – the panelists detailed the ways French actors could seize international opportunities.
Coming off the global success of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Couvreur looked to bank on newfound international attention when preparing her next film with director Céline Sciamma, the recently wrapped “Petite Maman.”
“It was important...
- 1/15/2021
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Plus will soon be forced to play a more significant role in the financing of European content when the Audiovisual Media Services Directive officially kicks off on Jan. 1.
While each of the European Union’s member states is in the process of exploring ways to adapt the directive — which requires streamers to allocate at least 30% of their catalogues to local programming — France is leading the charge, powered by a task force of representatives from the producers and directors guilds, along with the National Film Board (Cnc) and the Directorate-General for Media and Culture Industries (Dgmic). A draft of the decree was submitted to the French government around 10 days ago and a final decision is expected in early December.
Defining the contours of the decree has been a balancing act for the task force and the French orgs whose goal...
While each of the European Union’s member states is in the process of exploring ways to adapt the directive — which requires streamers to allocate at least 30% of their catalogues to local programming — France is leading the charge, powered by a task force of representatives from the producers and directors guilds, along with the National Film Board (Cnc) and the Directorate-General for Media and Culture Industries (Dgmic). A draft of the decree was submitted to the French government around 10 days ago and a final decision is expected in early December.
Defining the contours of the decree has been a balancing act for the task force and the French orgs whose goal...
- 11/26/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Neon said Wednesday that it has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings, a deal that comes after the pic premiered earlier this week in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival. The drama, which has been selected as Ivory Coast’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards, is also playing later this month at the Toronto and New York film festivals. Memento Films International is handling international sales.
The distributor behind last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite has not set a release plan.
Night of the Kings centers on a young man (Koné Bakary) on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history,...
The distributor behind last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite has not set a release plan.
Night of the Kings centers on a young man (Koné Bakary) on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history,...
- 9/9/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Neon has acquired U.S. rights to Philippe Lacôte’s prison drama “Night of the Kings,” which premiered Monday in the Horizons sidebar of the Venice Film Festival.
“Night of the Kings” is set to play at both the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival later this month. The film, which has been chosen as the Ivory Coast submission for this year’s Academy Awards, stars newcomer Koné Bakary.
The film follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, prison politics threaten to boil over.
Lacôte wrote and directed the film which, in addition to Bakary, stars Steve Tientcheu,...
“Night of the Kings” is set to play at both the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival later this month. The film, which has been chosen as the Ivory Coast submission for this year’s Academy Awards, stars newcomer Koné Bakary.
The film follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, prison politics threaten to boil over.
Lacôte wrote and directed the film which, in addition to Bakary, stars Steve Tientcheu,...
- 9/9/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Memento Films International handles worldwide sales.
Neon has acquired US rights to Philippe Lacôte’s autumn festival selection and Ivory Coast international feature film Oscar submission Night Of The Kings ahead of Thursday’s (September 10) screening in Toronto.
The drama premiered on September 7 in the Horizons sidebar of Venice and plays later this month in New York.
Night Of The Kings centres on a young man on his first night in the infamous MacA prison who faces death unless he manages to captivate his audience with a story.
He recounts the tale of Zama King, a childhood friend recruited to...
Neon has acquired US rights to Philippe Lacôte’s autumn festival selection and Ivory Coast international feature film Oscar submission Night Of The Kings ahead of Thursday’s (September 10) screening in Toronto.
The drama premiered on September 7 in the Horizons sidebar of Venice and plays later this month in New York.
Night Of The Kings centres on a young man on his first night in the infamous MacA prison who faces death unless he manages to captivate his audience with a story.
He recounts the tale of Zama King, a childhood friend recruited to...
- 9/9/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Neon has acquired the rights to “Night of the Kings,” the sophomore narrative feature film by director Philippe Lacôte that is the official Oscar submission from the Ivory Coast and that has been selected as part of the lineups for Venice, Toronto and the New York Film Festival, the distributor announced Wednesday.
“Night of the Kings” made its premiere on Monday in Venice and will next screen at TIFF and NYFF later this month. Neon will announce release plans at a later date.
“Night of the Kings” follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, both prison and national politics threaten to boil over.
“Night of the Kings” made its premiere on Monday in Venice and will next screen at TIFF and NYFF later this month. Neon will announce release plans at a later date.
“Night of the Kings” follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, both prison and national politics threaten to boil over.
- 9/9/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Call Me by Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino will direct Searchlight’s untitled Scotty Bowers project with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg writing the script.
Matt Tyrnauer and Corey Reeser are producing through Altimeter Films, with Rogen and Goldberg producing through their Point Grey Pictures.
The project is based on the 2017 documentary “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood” by Tyrnauer, a portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Bowers, whose memoir chronicled his decades spent as a sexual procurer to the stars.
Fox Searchlight began developing the movie project two years ago after the documentary was released by Greenwich Entertainment. “Scotty” follows Bowers, a World War II Marine combat veteran who fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima and became a legendary bisexual male hustler and all-purpose date-arranger for Hollywood movie stars from the 1940s until the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
Bowers’ memoir “Full Service” was published...
Matt Tyrnauer and Corey Reeser are producing through Altimeter Films, with Rogen and Goldberg producing through their Point Grey Pictures.
The project is based on the 2017 documentary “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood” by Tyrnauer, a portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Bowers, whose memoir chronicled his decades spent as a sexual procurer to the stars.
Fox Searchlight began developing the movie project two years ago after the documentary was released by Greenwich Entertainment. “Scotty” follows Bowers, a World War II Marine combat veteran who fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima and became a legendary bisexual male hustler and all-purpose date-arranger for Hollywood movie stars from the 1940s until the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
Bowers’ memoir “Full Service” was published...
- 7/29/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The French sales agent’s line-up includes the new film by Kamen Kalev, endowed with the Official Selection label, and the forthcoming titles by Leah Purcell, Hany Abu-Assad and Asghar Farhadi. Four features immersed in pre-sales, four more getting virtual market screenings and five completed films: the Memento Films International team, managed by Emilie Georges and guided by head of sales Mathieu Delaunay (aided by Alexandre Moreau), will certainly have a very varied range of ammunition at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film Online (22-26 June). One particularly notable recent addition to the slate is February by Bulgaria’s Kamen Kalev, which has just been stamped with the Cannes 2020 Official Selection label. Having already turned heads on the Croisette with Eastern Plays and The Island, in the Directors’ Fortnight in 2009 and 2011, respectively, the filmmaker has himself written the screenplay for his new opus, which follows Petar during three.
President Donald Trump’s 30-day European travel ban will further paralyze and isolate a film and TV industry that is frantically drawing up contingency plans for business and production.
Trump’s ban on travel to the U.S., which goes into effect Friday, is set to impact 26 European countries including France, Italy, Germany and Spain, but excludes countries outside the Schengen Zone, such as the U.K. and Ireland, despite the fact that the U.K. is expected to accelerate its response to the outbreak in the wake of 460 positive cases, while Ireland, with 34 confirmed cases, has now closed all schools and colleges.
While the ban won’t hugely affect countries such as Italy, which is already in virtual lockdown with almost all shops and restaurants shuttered until March 25, it does symbolize an isolating of Europe and represents a decision “taken unilaterally and without consultation,” according to European Commission president...
Trump’s ban on travel to the U.S., which goes into effect Friday, is set to impact 26 European countries including France, Italy, Germany and Spain, but excludes countries outside the Schengen Zone, such as the U.K. and Ireland, despite the fact that the U.K. is expected to accelerate its response to the outbreak in the wake of 460 positive cases, while Ireland, with 34 confirmed cases, has now closed all schools and colleges.
While the ban won’t hugely affect countries such as Italy, which is already in virtual lockdown with almost all shops and restaurants shuttered until March 25, it does symbolize an isolating of Europe and represents a decision “taken unilaterally and without consultation,” according to European Commission president...
- 3/12/2020
- by Manori Ravindran, John Hopewell, Nick Vivarelli, Leo Barraclough and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
There was no stopping the recent awards juggernaut “Parasite” when Gold Derby users voted on winners our Decade Awards that hail best film achievements from 2010 to 2019. It swept up six out of its eight total nominations, including Best Picture of the Decade. In fact, it’s the only film that won more than once. And when combined with our yearly Gold Derby Awards, where it also won six times, “Parasite” now becomes our most awarded film of all time with 12 total awards. Scroll down to see our complete list of winners.
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
A total of 1,695 registered Gold Derby users gave “Parasite” Best Picture, Best Director (Bong Joon Ho), Best Original Screenplay, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Film Editing and Best Foreign Language Film. Those are the exact same categories it won at our yearly awards. The only categories it lost were Best...
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
A total of 1,695 registered Gold Derby users gave “Parasite” Best Picture, Best Director (Bong Joon Ho), Best Original Screenplay, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Film Editing and Best Foreign Language Film. Those are the exact same categories it won at our yearly awards. The only categories it lost were Best...
- 3/10/2020
- by Daniel Montgomery, Chris Beachum, Marcus James Dixon, Joyce Eng, Paul Sheehan and Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
The 2016 movie musical “La La Land” earned the most nominations at the Gold Derby Decade Awards honoring the best films from 2010 to 2019, but “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), “Parasite” (2019) and “Inception” (2010) weren’t too far behind. Scroll down to see the entire list of contenders, which were voted on by more than 2,200 registered Gold Derby users. And you can vote for the winners starting right now here in our predictions center. You can keep filling out or editing your ballot as often as you like until voting closes on Friday night, March 6.
SEEGold Derby Film Awards: Every Best Picture Winner
“La La Land” leads with 12 nominations including Best Picture of the Decade. That’s fitting when you consider that in our yearly awards it won 9 times out of 16 nominations, both of which are all-time records at the Gold Derby Awards. “Mad Max” follows with nine Decade Award nominations, then “Parasite” with eight and “Inception” with seven.
SEEGold Derby Film Awards: Every Best Picture Winner
“La La Land” leads with 12 nominations including Best Picture of the Decade. That’s fitting when you consider that in our yearly awards it won 9 times out of 16 nominations, both of which are all-time records at the Gold Derby Awards. “Mad Max” follows with nine Decade Award nominations, then “Parasite” with eight and “Inception” with seven.
- 2/25/2020
- by Daniel Montgomery, Chris Beachum, Marcus James Dixon, Joyce Eng, Zach Laws and Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Trends and shifts in the global indie film biz mark the 2020 European Film Market.
Women direct or star in some of the hottest packages being brought to Berlin: Olivia Wilde’s biopic of gymnast Kerri Strug, “Perfect,” from FilmNation; Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, “The Lost Daughter,” starring Olivia Colman, sold by Endeavor Content; Noomi Rapace-starrer “O2” a Black List survival thriller from Wild Bunch with Alexandre Aja producing; and Gaby Dellal’s shark attack thriller “Something in the Water,” from Studiocanal.
Claire Denis’ “The Stars at Noon,” with Robert Pattinson, was the subject of the Efm’s first high-profile U.S. deal on Tuesday, sold to A24.
Although there will be bigger projects, such as Gerard Butler action-thriller “Remote Control,” from STXInternational; or Solstice Studios’ deep space thriller “Ground Control to Major Tom,” with Seth Gordon directing, in today’s climate, $30 million — the reported budget of FilmNation’s...
Women direct or star in some of the hottest packages being brought to Berlin: Olivia Wilde’s biopic of gymnast Kerri Strug, “Perfect,” from FilmNation; Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, “The Lost Daughter,” starring Olivia Colman, sold by Endeavor Content; Noomi Rapace-starrer “O2” a Black List survival thriller from Wild Bunch with Alexandre Aja producing; and Gaby Dellal’s shark attack thriller “Something in the Water,” from Studiocanal.
Claire Denis’ “The Stars at Noon,” with Robert Pattinson, was the subject of the Efm’s first high-profile U.S. deal on Tuesday, sold to A24.
Although there will be bigger projects, such as Gerard Butler action-thriller “Remote Control,” from STXInternational; or Solstice Studios’ deep space thriller “Ground Control to Major Tom,” with Seth Gordon directing, in today’s climate, $30 million — the reported budget of FilmNation’s...
- 2/20/2020
- by John Hopewell and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Shining bright on the French sales agent’s Berlinale line-up are My Salinger Year as the festival’s opening film and Persian Lessons as a gala screening, as well as the upcoming Asghar Farhadi movie. Tomorrow, the Memento Films International team, headed up by Emilie Georges and now managed by Mathieu Delaunay (with help from Alexandre Moreau), will spring into action at the European Film Market at the 70th Berlinale (20 February-1 March) in a very strong bargaining position.Standing out on its line-up are two titles that will have their world premieres out of competition in the Official Selection: My Salinger Year by Quebec-born director Philippe Falardeau (nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign-language Film in 2012 with Monsieur Lazhar), which will have the honour of opening the Berlinale, with Us actresses Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley starring in the lead roles (the film was staged by Canada’s micro_scope and co-produced by.
Company restructures staff as it enters 15th anniversary year.
Mathieu Delaunay has been promoted to head of sales at Paris-based company Memento Film International (Mfi), replacing Tanja Meissner who is stepping down from the role.
Former sales executive Alexandre Moreau has been promoted to VP of sales and marketing, taking the role previously held by Delaunay. The duo will oversee Mfi’s slate of films and marketing strategy, alongside company CEO and owner Emilie Georges.
The company is also expanding its sales team with the hiring of Derek Lui to lead sales in Asia,. Lui, who was named a Screen...
Mathieu Delaunay has been promoted to head of sales at Paris-based company Memento Film International (Mfi), replacing Tanja Meissner who is stepping down from the role.
Former sales executive Alexandre Moreau has been promoted to VP of sales and marketing, taking the role previously held by Delaunay. The duo will oversee Mfi’s slate of films and marketing strategy, alongside company CEO and owner Emilie Georges.
The company is also expanding its sales team with the hiring of Derek Lui to lead sales in Asia,. Lui, who was named a Screen...
- 1/16/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
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