Tom Hollander (“The Night Manager”) has been cast in an adaptation of Erri De Luca’s novel “Me, You” alongside Alessandro Gassmann (“Transporter 2”) and Daisy Jacob (“Vanity Fair”).
The film, set to be directed Bille August (“Pelle the Conqueror”), is set to go into production this Fall on the island of Ischia, near Naples in Italy.
“Me, You” is set in the 1950s, in post-war Italy, where 16-year-old London native Marco is on holiday with his father Edward (Hollander). He soon finds himself accompanying fisherman Nicola (Gassman) on his sojourns into the bay of Naples. For Marco, who has been condemned to a Scottish boarding school, the tranquil waters and Nicola’s war stories provide a blessed distraction from his usual life, especially when he meets the 20-year-old Caia (Jacob) and immediately falls for her. When Marco finds out she narrowly escaped a concentration camp after her father threw her out of a train,...
The film, set to be directed Bille August (“Pelle the Conqueror”), is set to go into production this Fall on the island of Ischia, near Naples in Italy.
“Me, You” is set in the 1950s, in post-war Italy, where 16-year-old London native Marco is on holiday with his father Edward (Hollander). He soon finds himself accompanying fisherman Nicola (Gassman) on his sojourns into the bay of Naples. For Marco, who has been condemned to a Scottish boarding school, the tranquil waters and Nicola’s war stories provide a blessed distraction from his usual life, especially when he meets the 20-year-old Caia (Jacob) and immediately falls for her. When Marco finds out she narrowly escaped a concentration camp after her father threw her out of a train,...
- 5/24/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
"Cutting and shaving." Y Not Studios has released a first look teaser trailer for an upcoming Indian comedy titled Mandela, the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Madonne Ashwin. This Tamil-language localized comedy is a commentary on politics in India, and very timely as satire about elections in the country. The film tells the story of a man who lands from overseas to vote in his tiny town, but is pulled up for suspicious identity. The name he gives to the authorities? Nelson Mandela. Ha. That explains the title! Early word is that the film, "will make you laugh, it will make you think. It will make you vote wisely..." Indian megastar Yogi Babu stars as Mr. "Mandela", along with Sangili Murugan, Sheela Rajkumar, and Kanna Ravi. I'm always happy to feature films from around the world, to get a taste of what cinema is like in different countries. To watch this teaser with English subtitles,...
- 3/15/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is designed to be difficult to dislike — but if you’re not the type to back down from a challenge, it gets easier. The purposely messy, garish and disposable comedy from Bridesmaids writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who also star as the fortysomething Midwesterners of the title, is so determinedly low-stakes that to quibble with its candy-colored craving to be liked is to be a terrible killjoy. So, fine, bring it on: In the spirit of the film’s villain, who...
- 2/12/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Rollingstone.com
Photo: 'Back to the Future', 'Toy Story', 'Dallas Buyers Club'/Universal Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Focus Features Introduction With the countless number of films made each year, it would seem like it should be a certainty for a good movie to get made. That’s not the case, though. There are plenty of examples of popular stories that didn’t make it to the finish line. For various reasons, some movies get scrapped before they are finished. They might have already been through some stages of initial production before the plug was pulled, or they could have never made it off the ground in the first place. Many films go through a lot to get made, and some classics almost didn’t happen because of the struggles they encountered. Related article: Iconic Roles: Excellent Actors Who Were Second Choice for These Famous Roles – Wolverine, Han...
- 1/22/2021
- by Drew Alexander Ross
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Above: How To with John Wilson / Barres (1984) In this neoliberal age of the city, as a gentrified, corporatized landscape, it has become a mounting struggle for the majority of people to find space that is either affordable or meaningful. John Wilson is an artist invested in this ill, as well as the city’s still living potential as a site for subversion and idiosyncrasy, as articulated in his exploration of his home of New York, both in his short films independently released on Vimeo and most recently with an HBO series called How To with John Wilson (2020).The series’ conceit is that Wilson is a New York-based independent filmmaker who compulsively documents his life and the world around him and in the process learns various life lessons. He films his routine and surroundings and records voice over contextualizing the experiences so that the audience can come to understand many of...
- 1/13/2021
- MUBI
Video Version of this Article Photo/Video: Mandela Effect in Films like 'Forrest Gump' & 'Star Wars'/Hollywood Insider YouTube Channel Introduction The Mandela Effect gets its name from the misremembering of the death of the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. A Healthline article describes the occurrence of people remembering Mandela dying in the 1980s when he actually died in 2013. The occurrence of this is broken down to collective false memories and confabulation. An event occurs and is misinterpreted by a number of people, then is cemented as fact in their minds. Examples of the Mandela Effect include the peanut butter company Jif. Many people remember the company as Jiffy. Another example is The Berenstain Bears. A number of people remember picture books from their childhood as The Berenstein Bears. There is a subreddit with just under 200k members discussing the occurrences of the Mandela Effect. Related...
- 1/3/2021
- by Drew Alexander Ross
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Black-ish star and Mixed-ish creator Tracee Ellis Ross is expanding her relationship with ABC Signature, producer of the hit ABC comedy series, with a multi-year overall deal. Under the pact, Ross’ production company, Joy Mill Entertainment, will be based at the studio and produce content across all platforms.
“I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” said Ross. “As an actor, I’ve had the joy of inhabiting nuanced and dynamic roles. As an executive producer, I am able to build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds as a way to illuminate different realities. This deal continues my journey as a storyteller and content creator. I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio, ABC Signature. Jonnie Davis, Tracy Underwood, and their team have been incredible collaborators, and I am eager to continue our shared journey.
“I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” said Ross. “As an actor, I’ve had the joy of inhabiting nuanced and dynamic roles. As an executive producer, I am able to build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds as a way to illuminate different realities. This deal continues my journey as a storyteller and content creator. I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio, ABC Signature. Jonnie Davis, Tracy Underwood, and their team have been incredible collaborators, and I am eager to continue our shared journey.
- 9/15/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
“Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross has signed a multi-year overall deal at ABC Signature, which produces the critically-acclaimed ABC sitcom.
Her production company, Joy Mill Entertainment, will be housed at the studio and will produce content across broadcast, cable, and streaming.
“I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” said Ross. “As an actor, I’ve had the joy of inhabiting nuanced and dynamic roles. As an executive producer, I am able to build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds as a way to illuminate different realities. This deal continues my journey as a storyteller and content creator. I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio, ABC Signature. Jonnie Davis, Tracy Underwood, and their team have been incredible collaborators, and I am eager to continue our shared journey.”
Adriana Ambriz is...
Her production company, Joy Mill Entertainment, will be housed at the studio and will produce content across broadcast, cable, and streaming.
“I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” said Ross. “As an actor, I’ve had the joy of inhabiting nuanced and dynamic roles. As an executive producer, I am able to build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds as a way to illuminate different realities. This deal continues my journey as a storyteller and content creator. I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio, ABC Signature. Jonnie Davis, Tracy Underwood, and their team have been incredible collaborators, and I am eager to continue our shared journey.”
Adriana Ambriz is...
- 9/15/2020
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Tribeca and Walmart Drive-In Screenings
The Tribeca Film Festival is teaming up with Walmart for a new drive-in series that will take place at 160 Walmart stores across the country. Store parking lots will be turned into outdoor theaters Aug. 14 to Oct. 21 for free screenings of family-friendly films, including classics such as “The Karate Kid,” “Back to the Future,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Ghostbusters” and “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial” as well as more contemporary fare like “Black Panther,” “Wonder Woman” and “The Lego Movie.”
Drew Barrymore will serve as virtual hosts for all the screenings. Peter Berg, Jennifer Garner, LeBron James and Chrissy Metz are expected to make virtual or in-person appearances.
Race to Erase Ms Moves
Race to Erase Ms is moving to the Rose Bowl. Nancy Davis’ annual gala, which usually takes place at a hotel ballroom, will be transformed into a socially-distanced drive-in on Sept. 4. The evening...
The Tribeca Film Festival is teaming up with Walmart for a new drive-in series that will take place at 160 Walmart stores across the country. Store parking lots will be turned into outdoor theaters Aug. 14 to Oct. 21 for free screenings of family-friendly films, including classics such as “The Karate Kid,” “Back to the Future,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Ghostbusters” and “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial” as well as more contemporary fare like “Black Panther,” “Wonder Woman” and “The Lego Movie.”
Drew Barrymore will serve as virtual hosts for all the screenings. Peter Berg, Jennifer Garner, LeBron James and Chrissy Metz are expected to make virtual or in-person appearances.
Race to Erase Ms Moves
Race to Erase Ms is moving to the Rose Bowl. Nancy Davis’ annual gala, which usually takes place at a hotel ballroom, will be transformed into a socially-distanced drive-in on Sept. 4. The evening...
- 8/5/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
This month marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic “The X-Files” episodes of all time, “Humbug.” Written by Darin Morgan and directed by the late Kim Manners, this episode about a series of murders in a circus town originally aired March 31, 1995 on Fox. It was the first hour that perfectly blended horror with comedy, a combination fans later saw in such Morgan-penned episodes as “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” “War of the Coprophages” and “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.” (See all Darin Morgan episodes below in our photo gallery.)
See‘The X-Files’: We rank the Top 10 monsters from worst to best, including Flukeman and Eugene Victor Tooms
Throughout “Humbug,” FBI agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) bicker about what’s really causing the murders in town. Mulder thinks it’s the fabled Fiji mermaid, which Scully believes is nothing but a hoax. Scully is eventually proven correct,...
See‘The X-Files’: We rank the Top 10 monsters from worst to best, including Flukeman and Eugene Victor Tooms
Throughout “Humbug,” FBI agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) bicker about what’s really causing the murders in town. Mulder thinks it’s the fabled Fiji mermaid, which Scully believes is nothing but a hoax. Scully is eventually proven correct,...
- 3/24/2020
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
This first feature of Kirsten Tan premiered in Sundance ‘17 World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Its provenance is Singapore but it takes place in Thailand. It continued onward to the Hivos Tiger Competition at Iffr (R’dam).
The thrill of interviewing here in Sundance is that you see a film; you have an impression and while it is still fresh you meet the filmmakers without having much time for any research or reflection. And then you get to see them again as “old friends” when you meet again in Rotterdam.
As Kirsten, her producer Weijie Lai and I sat down at the Sundance Co-op on Main Street here in Park City, I really had little idea of where the interview would take us, somewhat analogously to her film in which an architect, disenchanted with life in general, being put aside as “old” in his own highly successful architectural firm and in a stale relationship with his wife,...
The thrill of interviewing here in Sundance is that you see a film; you have an impression and while it is still fresh you meet the filmmakers without having much time for any research or reflection. And then you get to see them again as “old friends” when you meet again in Rotterdam.
As Kirsten, her producer Weijie Lai and I sat down at the Sundance Co-op on Main Street here in Park City, I really had little idea of where the interview would take us, somewhat analogously to her film in which an architect, disenchanted with life in general, being put aside as “old” in his own highly successful architectural firm and in a stale relationship with his wife,...
- 2/7/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
French producer Ilann Girard, boss of Arsam International and exec producer on March of the Penguins, has revealed further details of his new CineMart project Cunningham.
The 3D documentary, inspired by the life and work of legendary Us dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, has been scripted and is being directed by Alla Kovgan.
The film will follow Cunningham from his early days as a struggling dancer in New York to his eventual emergence as one of the most influential choreographers of the Twentieth Century.
“It is one of those very ambitious projects about modern artists that has a lot of technology,” Girard said of a film that, inevitably, has been compared to Wim Wenders’ 3D Pina Bausch film, Pina (2011).
The project has already secured support from the Cnc in France and from the Rockefeller Foundation. Around a third of the €3.4m budget will come from the Us but Girard is in Rotterdam looking for European partners as well...
The 3D documentary, inspired by the life and work of legendary Us dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, has been scripted and is being directed by Alla Kovgan.
The film will follow Cunningham from his early days as a struggling dancer in New York to his eventual emergence as one of the most influential choreographers of the Twentieth Century.
“It is one of those very ambitious projects about modern artists that has a lot of technology,” Girard said of a film that, inevitably, has been compared to Wim Wenders’ 3D Pina Bausch film, Pina (2011).
The project has already secured support from the Cnc in France and from the Rockefeller Foundation. Around a third of the €3.4m budget will come from the Us but Girard is in Rotterdam looking for European partners as well...
- 1/25/2015
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Entertainment lawyer and producer Kami Naghdi has joined London-based boutique law firm Clintons, where he will head the firm’s film and TV practice.
Former lawyer Naghdi took a six-year hiatus from law to produce on a number of features including Bille August’s The Color of Freedom, Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn and Ryuhei Kitamura’s No One Lives.
Prior to producing, Naghdi had provided legal services to films including Woody Allen’s Match Point and John Hillcoat’s The Proposition.
Naghdi said: “Clintons offers my clients an array of top class expertise. I have admired their work in music, theatre, digital media, brand management and advertising for many years. The opportunities for cross over and adaptations between the various media has become a key factor to exploiting intellectual property in this sector.
“Films are made into stage musicals, ballet, concerts and sports events are exhibited live in cinemas and every filmmaker wants to speak to Netflix...
Former lawyer Naghdi took a six-year hiatus from law to produce on a number of features including Bille August’s The Color of Freedom, Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn and Ryuhei Kitamura’s No One Lives.
Prior to producing, Naghdi had provided legal services to films including Woody Allen’s Match Point and John Hillcoat’s The Proposition.
Naghdi said: “Clintons offers my clients an array of top class expertise. I have admired their work in music, theatre, digital media, brand management and advertising for many years. The opportunities for cross over and adaptations between the various media has become a key factor to exploiting intellectual property in this sector.
“Films are made into stage musicals, ballet, concerts and sports events are exhibited live in cinemas and every filmmaker wants to speak to Netflix...
- 7/1/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Online Film Financing
Going to Cannes? As registrants of the market, every year we receive many booklets that are useful throughout the year. For many years we have been receiving the Funds Book which lists useful figures and statistics as compiled by the European Audiovisual Observatory, an arm of the Council of Europe ( www.obs.coe.int) . Now the information is available in an online interactive format most useful to producers. The Online Film Financing Project (Olffi Project http://www.olffi.com/) is…
A Unique web-based tool that …
§ Assesses the level of eligibility of a project for specific support programs from complex international film funding opportunities
§ Simulates the number of points in various cultural tests
§ Combines different elements of a production set-up in order to match targeted eligibility criteria
§ Compares the level of eligibility for different financing programs
Launched…
It is extremely useful and helpful to have a quick view of the world’s financing mechanisms and to know they will be updated. Not only are its country overviews, but interactive comparisons between countries is unique.
Here is an example, in this case, a comparison between the national funds of Argentina and Brazil:
Funding Body
Incaa
Audiovisual Sector Fund (Fsa)
Country
Argentina
Brazil
Level
National
National
Support Programme
Ar - Fund for Cinematographic Production
Br - Prodecine (Fsa)
Activity
Production
Production
Annual Budget
Value
45 500 000 €
99 999 999.99 €
Info
annual budget Brl 400 000 000,00
Project Types
Feature Films
Feature Films, TV series, TV single work
Nature Of Project
Fiction, Animation, Documentary
Fiction, Animation, Documentary
Maximum Amount
General
500 000 €, Majority Coproduction : 324 000 €, Minority Coproduction : 300 000 €, Maximum Amount 500 000€ / Majority Coproduction 324 000€ / On average 75% of maximum amount, depending on Argentinian quote share and considering only Argentinian film costs.
Fiction
530 000 €
1 500 000 €
Animation
530 000 €
3.300 euros/minute
Documentary
530 000 €
333 000 €
Average Amount
General Fiction
350 000 €
Animation
415 000 €
Documentary
165 000 €
250 000 €
Cap Per Project
of total production budget
33%
80%
of Coproduction share Info
From 20% to 80% depending on % of Brazilian share
Nature Of Funding
Selective
Selective
Info
Type Of Funding
Not Recoupable
Recoupable, Profit Share
Recoupement Position
Not Applicable
Recoupment in first position / Proportional to the investment in production budget/ Limited to 80% of Brazilian producer profits, until minimum return of the investment (between 10% and 30%)
Info
Who Can Apply
National Production Company, Service Company
National Production Company
Info
The Producer must be registered in the Incaa National Register of Producers
Brazilian independent companies only.
Main Eligibility Requirements
Has Cultural Test
No
No
Other Requirements
At least 80% of the financing must be confirmed / Financial coproduction only with Spain / For non official coproductions, min. of 20% of national share
Brazilian share at least 20% of the budget / For coproductions, application made by the Brazilian coproducer / Min. 2 actors per country / 2/3 of the artistic team from Brazil / If foreign director, must be Brazilian resident for at least 3 years (except for countries with coproduction treaties with Brazil).
Info
Spending Obligations
In the country
No
No
In the region
No
No
How much ? Info Others Obligations
Main Selection Criteria
Script, budget, financing plan, cast and crew, distribution
Quality of the project, financial aspects, artistic and technical team from Brazil
Payment Schedule
Beginning of Pp
No
No
During production
No
No
After Completion
No
No
End of Fiscal year
No
No
Comments
When To Apply
Number of sessions per year Application Dates
2014/02/17
All year round
Yes
Info
Certification Process
Certification Process
Inscription, evaluation, pitching and investment decision
Prior Shooting
No
No
At any time
No
No
After completion
No
No
Number Of Project Financed Per Year
National/Majority Coproductions
110
80
Minority Coproductions / Year
20
5
Founded by
Joëlle Levie served as General Director of the Bureau du Québec de Téléfilm (Canada) and later held the same position for the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (Sodec). After returning to Europe, she took over the Tax Shelter division of the Ing bank in Belgium. Today, she works as an audiovisual consultant for various organizations (Ace, Eave, ScriptEast, Fémis, Esra Focal…) and is President of the film selection committee of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in Belgium.
François Farrugia is the founder and CEO of Moviesoft, a leading European software reseller for film production that provides scriptwriting, production scheduling and film budgeting software. MovieSoft.com serves nearly 10,000 clients in Europe.
Ilann Girard , General Counsel of Pandora Cinema for 12 years, created Arsam in 2002 to advise audiovisual producers on the development and financing of their projects. He is also an active film producer, serving as executive producer on The March of the Penguins and Plastic Planet and as producer on Goodbye Bafana, Lebanon, and Ombline. He has won two Oscars, Berlinale Cinema for Peace prize, the Golden Lion in Venice and two European Film Awards.
They have this to say:
About Us
It’s hard to get funding for your film. You’ve checked out your local film commission, raised a few bucks through crowdfunding, schmoozed with your uncle’s rich friend, and promised Pepsi you’ll include their drink in every shot. But you still don’t have enough. What do you do?
Olffi.com is our answer to the ever-growing difficulty of finding public funding for film and audiovisual projects. Discover new fundsyou never knew existed. Find out which countries give you the best cash rebates. Get in touch with local producers to partner with. Verify if you’re eligible for a grant. And make a real difference to your film budget.
Our goal in creating Olffi was to make finding public funding easy for you. We bring you information that’s complete and reliable, updated every day and validated by the funds themselves before it goes on the site.
New grants, increased budgets, new coproduction treaties: we keep up to date on all the changes in the world of public film funding, so that you don’t have to.
Questions? Write to us at contact [At] olffi.com or go online for a week’s free trial! Definitely endorsed by SydneysBuzz!
Going to Cannes? As registrants of the market, every year we receive many booklets that are useful throughout the year. For many years we have been receiving the Funds Book which lists useful figures and statistics as compiled by the European Audiovisual Observatory, an arm of the Council of Europe ( www.obs.coe.int) . Now the information is available in an online interactive format most useful to producers. The Online Film Financing Project (Olffi Project http://www.olffi.com/) is…
A Unique web-based tool that …
§ Assesses the level of eligibility of a project for specific support programs from complex international film funding opportunities
§ Simulates the number of points in various cultural tests
§ Combines different elements of a production set-up in order to match targeted eligibility criteria
§ Compares the level of eligibility for different financing programs
Launched…
It is extremely useful and helpful to have a quick view of the world’s financing mechanisms and to know they will be updated. Not only are its country overviews, but interactive comparisons between countries is unique.
Here is an example, in this case, a comparison between the national funds of Argentina and Brazil:
Funding Body
Incaa
Audiovisual Sector Fund (Fsa)
Country
Argentina
Brazil
Level
National
National
Support Programme
Ar - Fund for Cinematographic Production
Br - Prodecine (Fsa)
Activity
Production
Production
Annual Budget
Value
45 500 000 €
99 999 999.99 €
Info
annual budget Brl 400 000 000,00
Project Types
Feature Films
Feature Films, TV series, TV single work
Nature Of Project
Fiction, Animation, Documentary
Fiction, Animation, Documentary
Maximum Amount
General
500 000 €, Majority Coproduction : 324 000 €, Minority Coproduction : 300 000 €, Maximum Amount 500 000€ / Majority Coproduction 324 000€ / On average 75% of maximum amount, depending on Argentinian quote share and considering only Argentinian film costs.
Fiction
530 000 €
1 500 000 €
Animation
530 000 €
3.300 euros/minute
Documentary
530 000 €
333 000 €
Average Amount
General Fiction
350 000 €
Animation
415 000 €
Documentary
165 000 €
250 000 €
Cap Per Project
of total production budget
33%
80%
of Coproduction share Info
From 20% to 80% depending on % of Brazilian share
Nature Of Funding
Selective
Selective
Info
Type Of Funding
Not Recoupable
Recoupable, Profit Share
Recoupement Position
Not Applicable
Recoupment in first position / Proportional to the investment in production budget/ Limited to 80% of Brazilian producer profits, until minimum return of the investment (between 10% and 30%)
Info
Who Can Apply
National Production Company, Service Company
National Production Company
Info
The Producer must be registered in the Incaa National Register of Producers
Brazilian independent companies only.
Main Eligibility Requirements
Has Cultural Test
No
No
Other Requirements
At least 80% of the financing must be confirmed / Financial coproduction only with Spain / For non official coproductions, min. of 20% of national share
Brazilian share at least 20% of the budget / For coproductions, application made by the Brazilian coproducer / Min. 2 actors per country / 2/3 of the artistic team from Brazil / If foreign director, must be Brazilian resident for at least 3 years (except for countries with coproduction treaties with Brazil).
Info
Spending Obligations
In the country
No
No
In the region
No
No
How much ? Info Others Obligations
Main Selection Criteria
Script, budget, financing plan, cast and crew, distribution
Quality of the project, financial aspects, artistic and technical team from Brazil
Payment Schedule
Beginning of Pp
No
No
During production
No
No
After Completion
No
No
End of Fiscal year
No
No
Comments
When To Apply
Number of sessions per year Application Dates
2014/02/17
All year round
Yes
Info
Certification Process
Certification Process
Inscription, evaluation, pitching and investment decision
Prior Shooting
No
No
At any time
No
No
After completion
No
No
Number Of Project Financed Per Year
National/Majority Coproductions
110
80
Minority Coproductions / Year
20
5
Founded by
Joëlle Levie served as General Director of the Bureau du Québec de Téléfilm (Canada) and later held the same position for the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (Sodec). After returning to Europe, she took over the Tax Shelter division of the Ing bank in Belgium. Today, she works as an audiovisual consultant for various organizations (Ace, Eave, ScriptEast, Fémis, Esra Focal…) and is President of the film selection committee of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in Belgium.
François Farrugia is the founder and CEO of Moviesoft, a leading European software reseller for film production that provides scriptwriting, production scheduling and film budgeting software. MovieSoft.com serves nearly 10,000 clients in Europe.
Ilann Girard , General Counsel of Pandora Cinema for 12 years, created Arsam in 2002 to advise audiovisual producers on the development and financing of their projects. He is also an active film producer, serving as executive producer on The March of the Penguins and Plastic Planet and as producer on Goodbye Bafana, Lebanon, and Ombline. He has won two Oscars, Berlinale Cinema for Peace prize, the Golden Lion in Venice and two European Film Awards.
They have this to say:
About Us
It’s hard to get funding for your film. You’ve checked out your local film commission, raised a few bucks through crowdfunding, schmoozed with your uncle’s rich friend, and promised Pepsi you’ll include their drink in every shot. But you still don’t have enough. What do you do?
Olffi.com is our answer to the ever-growing difficulty of finding public funding for film and audiovisual projects. Discover new fundsyou never knew existed. Find out which countries give you the best cash rebates. Get in touch with local producers to partner with. Verify if you’re eligible for a grant. And make a real difference to your film budget.
Our goal in creating Olffi was to make finding public funding easy for you. We bring you information that’s complete and reliable, updated every day and validated by the funds themselves before it goes on the site.
New grants, increased budgets, new coproduction treaties: we keep up to date on all the changes in the world of public film funding, so that you don’t have to.
Questions? Write to us at contact [At] olffi.com or go online for a week’s free trial! Definitely endorsed by SydneysBuzz!
- 5/18/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Nelson Mandela movies (photo: Idris Elba in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’) Nelson Mandela, the former South African president who spent 27 years in jail and who played a fundamental role in the demise of that country’s apartheid system, died of a lung infection yesterday, December 5, 2013. Mandela was 95. One of the best known political figures of the late 20th century, Nelson Mandela inevitably became a topic for filmmakers. Below are a few examples. Idris Elba in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ British actor Idris Elba plays Nelson Mandela in Justin Chadwick’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, based on Mandela’s autobiography, and which opened this past weekend in the United States. Written by William Nicholson, the film — much like Richard Attenborough’s Best Picture Oscar winner Gandhi — is a de facto biopic (or rather, hagiopic, according to reviews), covering Mandela’s life from his childhood years to his election...
- 12/6/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
In film, the role of the former Anc activist and president of South Africa has traditionally been approached with great reverence
The voice. The gentle, mysterious smile. The walk – generally an older man's walk, across a garden, or presidential office, or prison exercise yard. The enigmatically polite manner: intimidating, even awe-inspiring for allies and adversaries alike. The list of actors who have tried all this is long: Morgan Freeman, David Harewood, Terrence Howard, Danny Glover, Sidney Poitier, Clarke Peters, Dennis Haysbert, Idris Elba – and Lindane Nkosi, the one South African actor who has managed to make some sort of impression as this character in Anglo-Hollywood circles, for a film called Drum, about the 1950s anti-apartheid campaign, that played at festivals in London and Cannes.
Nelson Mandela has been a role to be approached reverently, a difficult part and a career hurdle in some ways, like a royal figure in a Shakespearian play,...
The voice. The gentle, mysterious smile. The walk – generally an older man's walk, across a garden, or presidential office, or prison exercise yard. The enigmatically polite manner: intimidating, even awe-inspiring for allies and adversaries alike. The list of actors who have tried all this is long: Morgan Freeman, David Harewood, Terrence Howard, Danny Glover, Sidney Poitier, Clarke Peters, Dennis Haysbert, Idris Elba – and Lindane Nkosi, the one South African actor who has managed to make some sort of impression as this character in Anglo-Hollywood circles, for a film called Drum, about the 1950s anti-apartheid campaign, that played at festivals in London and Cannes.
Nelson Mandela has been a role to be approached reverently, a difficult part and a career hurdle in some ways, like a royal figure in a Shakespearian play,...
- 12/6/2013
- by Danny Glover, Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
For such a widely revered public figure, Nelson Mandela was oddly underrepresented when it came to major motion pictures. The South African leader, who passed away yesterday at age 95, was portrayed only a handful of times, mostly in marginal fare that barely registered critically or commercially. Part of this probably has to do with the unusual contours of his long life, 27 years of which were spent in prison -- daunting subject matter from the perspective of a filmmaker, who must place those decades in context.
The latest attempt to render Mandela's life and legacy on the big screen comes from director Justin Chadwick, in the form of "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," a biopic that we got to see earlier this year at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Star Idris Elba brings a lot of conviction to the challenging role, giving Mandela great depth and shying away from the...
The latest attempt to render Mandela's life and legacy on the big screen comes from director Justin Chadwick, in the form of "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," a biopic that we got to see earlier this year at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Star Idris Elba brings a lot of conviction to the challenging role, giving Mandela great depth and shying away from the...
- 12/6/2013
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
After Nelson Mandela died on Dec. 5 at the age of 95, President Obama, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, and a bevy of celebrities are remembering the beloved former South African president’s amazing legacy.
The world is heartbroken after Nelson Mandela sadly passed away on Dec.5, 2013 at home in Houghton, South Africa. The revolutionary leader — who had been suffering from a recurring lung infection and was frequently in the hospital over the last year — will never be forgotten. Nelson has touched so many lives, including that of former professional boxer Muhammad Ali, who released a touching statement praising the late leader on Dec. 5.
Nelson Mandela’s Death — President Obama & Celebrities React
Muhammad expressed his admiration for Nelson and the impact he had on the world, saying:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Mandela. His was a life filled with purpose and hope; hope for himself, his country and the world.
The world is heartbroken after Nelson Mandela sadly passed away on Dec.5, 2013 at home in Houghton, South Africa. The revolutionary leader — who had been suffering from a recurring lung infection and was frequently in the hospital over the last year — will never be forgotten. Nelson has touched so many lives, including that of former professional boxer Muhammad Ali, who released a touching statement praising the late leader on Dec. 5.
Nelson Mandela’s Death — President Obama & Celebrities React
Muhammad expressed his admiration for Nelson and the impact he had on the world, saying:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Mandela. His was a life filled with purpose and hope; hope for himself, his country and the world.
- 12/6/2013
- by tierneyhl
- HollywoodLife
Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman and Dennis Haysbert have all paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela, having all played the South African leader on the big screen.
Elba is starring in the highly-anticipated upcoming biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which traces the leader's journey from opposing apartheid to becoming South Africa's president.
"What an honour it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world. My thoughts and prayers are with his family," Elba said in a statement.
He continued: "I am stunned at this very moment, in mourning with the rest of the world and Madiba's family. We have lost one of the greatest human beings to have walked this earth, I only feel honoured to be associated with him. He is in a better place now."
Freeman...
Elba is starring in the highly-anticipated upcoming biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which traces the leader's journey from opposing apartheid to becoming South Africa's president.
"What an honour it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world. My thoughts and prayers are with his family," Elba said in a statement.
He continued: "I am stunned at this very moment, in mourning with the rest of the world and Madiba's family. We have lost one of the greatest human beings to have walked this earth, I only feel honoured to be associated with him. He is in a better place now."
Freeman...
- 12/6/2013
- Digital Spy
Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman and Dennis Haysbert have all paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela, having all played the South African leader on the big screen.
Elba is starring in the highly-anticipated upcoming biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which traces the leader's journey from opposing apartheid to becoming South Africa's president.
"What an honour it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world. My thoughts and prayers are with his family," Elba said in a statement.
He continued: "I am stunned at this very moment, in mourning with the rest of the world and Madiba's family. We have lost one of the greatest human beings to have walked this earth, I only feel honoured to be associated with him. He is in a better place now."
Freeman...
Elba is starring in the highly-anticipated upcoming biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which traces the leader's journey from opposing apartheid to becoming South Africa's president.
"What an honour it was to step into the shoes of Nelson Mandela and portray a man who defied odds, broke down barriers, and championed human rights before the eyes of the world. My thoughts and prayers are with his family," Elba said in a statement.
He continued: "I am stunned at this very moment, in mourning with the rest of the world and Madiba's family. We have lost one of the greatest human beings to have walked this earth, I only feel honoured to be associated with him. He is in a better place now."
Freeman...
- 12/6/2013
- Digital Spy
Following the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela on Thursday, Hollywood took a moment to express their condolences.
Related: Nelson Mandela Dies
Vice President Joe Biden: "Nelson Mandela once said, 'A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.' Mandela's wisdom and compassion were formidable enough to change the world. First his courage and then his forgiveness inspired us all, and challenged us to do better. In the words of the South African poet Peter Horn, he 'dreamed the world another way.' I saw his world the way it used to be when I visited South Africa as a 34 year old Senator. When I exited the plane I was directed to one side of the tarmac, while the African American congressmen traveling with me were sent to the other side. I refused to break off, and the officials finally relented. When I tried to enter Soweto township with Congressmen...
Related: Nelson Mandela Dies
Vice President Joe Biden: "Nelson Mandela once said, 'A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.' Mandela's wisdom and compassion were formidable enough to change the world. First his courage and then his forgiveness inspired us all, and challenged us to do better. In the words of the South African poet Peter Horn, he 'dreamed the world another way.' I saw his world the way it used to be when I visited South Africa as a 34 year old Senator. When I exited the plane I was directed to one side of the tarmac, while the African American congressmen traveling with me were sent to the other side. I refused to break off, and the officials finally relented. When I tried to enter Soweto township with Congressmen...
- 12/5/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Nelson Mandela passed away Thursday at the age of 95. Imprisoned from 1962 to 1990, the former South African president (1994-1999) fought to abolish apartheid and worked to end poverty. Known as “The Father of a Nation” the celebrated leader was the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner and received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many other honors.
It’s no surprise that his inspirational story has made its way to the big screen. In addition to the current film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which is in theaters now, the South African leader has been the subject of several feature films and documentaries in recent years.
It’s no surprise that his inspirational story has made its way to the big screen. In addition to the current film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which is in theaters now, the South African leader has been the subject of several feature films and documentaries in recent years.
- 12/5/2013
- by Erin Strecker
- EW.com - PopWatch
Nelson Mandela -- the long-jailed activist whose famous struggle to replace South Africa's racial segregation system of apartheid eventually led him to become the country's first black president -- has died at the age of 95, South African President Jacob Zuma announced Thursday.
Mandela -- who was born July 18, 1918 in the South African village of Mvezo -- had been hospitalized in recent months after being treated since early June for a recurring lung infection. A message posted to Mandela's official Twitter page on Thursday read: "Death is something inevitable.When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people&his country,he can rest in peace."
Mandela became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s. He joined the African National Congress (Anc) in 1942 and for the next 20 years, directed a campaign of peaceful, non-violent defiance against his country's racist policies.
When the Anc was outlawed in 1960, Mandela was forced to go underground...
Mandela -- who was born July 18, 1918 in the South African village of Mvezo -- had been hospitalized in recent months after being treated since early June for a recurring lung infection. A message posted to Mandela's official Twitter page on Thursday read: "Death is something inevitable.When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people&his country,he can rest in peace."
Mandela became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s. He joined the African National Congress (Anc) in 1942 and for the next 20 years, directed a campaign of peaceful, non-violent defiance against his country's racist policies.
When the Anc was outlawed in 1960, Mandela was forced to go underground...
- 12/5/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Some directing news to get y'all over that midweek hump. Screen Daily has two pieces of intriguing news for us: first up, Tobias Lindholm, director of the absolutely stellar “A Hijacking," has announced his new project, “The War,” about Danish soldiers in Afghanistan. Lindholm likes simple titles, it seems, and simple set-ups: “The War” will form the third part of a thematic trilogy about “desperate men in small rooms”, following on from “A Hijacking” and the even simpler “R” from 2010. This third film will also feature "Borgen" star Pilou Asbaek, as the previous two did. (Lindholm is a writer on that show).In more Danish directing news, Bille August, of “Night Train To Lisbon” and “Goodbye Bafana” fame has announced his new project, “Beware of Pity,” based on the Stefan Zweig novel of the same name about a young lieutenant in the 1930s who falls for a paralyzed aristocrat. Greg Latter will write the script,...
- 9/18/2013
- by Ben Brock
- The Playlist
Pedro Almodóvar Set For Career Honor From European Film Academy Pedro Almodóvar will receive the European Achievement in World Cinema award at the 26th European Film Awards in December. The European Film Academy is feting the filmmaker for his body of work, including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – his 1988 breakout film – All About My Mother, Talk To Her and this year’s I’m So Excited. “I am very thankful for this award,” Almodóvar said in a statement. “From its creation, the European Film Academy has been very generous with me and my closest collaborators. I share with them the joy of this award.” He will receive the award December 7 at the the Efa Awards in Berlin. Senator Film To Finance Bille August’s ‘Beware Of Pity’ Germany’s Senator Film is backing the latest feature adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s Beware Of Pity. Danish helmer Bille August will direct.
- 9/17/2013
- by NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor
- Deadline TV
Bille August ("The House of the Spirits," "Smilla's Feeling for Snow") is attached to direct an adaptation of Stefan Zweig's 1938 novel "Beware of Pity" at Senator Films.
August and scribe Greg Latter, who previously worked together on "Goodbye Bafana" and "Night Train to Lisbon," are re-teaming on the English language project which will sport a German and international cast.
The story follows a young lieutenant invited to dine at at a Hungarian aristocrat’s castle. There he meets a parylysed young woman who falls in love with him.
Lars Sylvest and Helge Sasse will produce. Filming takes place next year in Bavaria, Austria and Hungary ahead of a 2015 release.
Source: Screen Daily...
August and scribe Greg Latter, who previously worked together on "Goodbye Bafana" and "Night Train to Lisbon," are re-teaming on the English language project which will sport a German and international cast.
The story follows a young lieutenant invited to dine at at a Hungarian aristocrat’s castle. There he meets a parylysed young woman who falls in love with him.
Lars Sylvest and Helge Sasse will produce. Filming takes place next year in Bavaria, Austria and Hungary ahead of a 2015 release.
Source: Screen Daily...
- 9/16/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Senator backing adaptation of 1938 novel.
Bille August is attached to direct an adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s novel Beware of Pity for UK producer Lars Sylvest and Senator Film’s Helge Sasse of Germany.
Hallstrom’s frequent collaborator Greg Latter will write the script. The pair previously worked together on Goodbye Bafana and Night Train to Lisbon.
The 1938 novel by the Vienna-born author is about a young lieutenant who is invited to dine at at a Hungarian aristocrat’s castle, where he meets a parylysed young woman who falls in love with him.
The film will be in the English language with a German and international cast. It will shoot in 2014 in Bavaria, Austria and Hungary. Senator will release in 2015.
Bille August is attached to direct an adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s novel Beware of Pity for UK producer Lars Sylvest and Senator Film’s Helge Sasse of Germany.
Hallstrom’s frequent collaborator Greg Latter will write the script. The pair previously worked together on Goodbye Bafana and Night Train to Lisbon.
The 1938 novel by the Vienna-born author is about a young lieutenant who is invited to dine at at a Hungarian aristocrat’s castle, where he meets a parylysed young woman who falls in love with him.
The film will be in the English language with a German and international cast. It will shoot in 2014 in Bavaria, Austria and Hungary. Senator will release in 2015.
- 9/16/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Rising from anti-apartheid revolutionary and political prisoner to President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela is a courageous man with an incredible life story. It's one that has inspired a handful of biopics over the years, including two made-for-tv features starring Danny Glover in 1987 then Sidney Poitier in 1997, and Goodbye Bafana, a 2007 release in which Dennis Haysbert played Mandela. Then of course there was Clint Eastwood's historical drama Invictus, which earned Morgan Freeman an Academy Award nod for his portrayal of the internationally respected leader. But the latest, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is one based on the man's own autobiography. And though you can't make him out in the teaser above, Mandela is played here by the one and only Idris Elba. Between winning a Golden Globe for his devastating drama series Luther and stealing scenes as the accordion-playing space captain in the polarizing sci-fi epic Prometheus, 2012 was a...
- 7/12/2013
- cinemablend.com
The Oscars are in just over for 48 hours, but man, they feel so yesterday already, amirite? So let's start looking ahead to next year, and one can't ignore the news and start speculating when someone like Harvey Weinstein snaps up a movie about Nelson Mandela. The Weinstein Company has picked up the rights to "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom," the biopic with none other than the eternally awesome Idris Elba in the lead role. Justin Chadwick ("The First Grader") directs with Naomie Harris co-starring as Winnie, with the film said by Elba last year to cover Mandela's "early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison…" It's a powerful story indeed, though previous attempts to chronicle the South African leader's life (or parts of it) haven't had quite the lasting impact. Actors ranging from Danny Glover ("Mandela"), Dennis Haysbert ("Goodbye Bafana") and Terrence Howard...
- 2/22/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Catch up with the last seven days in the world of film
The big story
Yes, we know Hulk was last week's biggie, but you just can't keep Avengers Assemble, or whatever it's called, out of the news. For a few days last month, everyone was fixated on The Hunger Games' box office – but now Avengers has exposed it for the shrimp it is by recording the largest ever opening weekend in the Us.
Bizarrely, initial reports even underestimated its pulling power: the studio estimate was for $200.3m (becoming the first film to break $200m for its bow), but when the final figures came in it totalled $207.4m, flattening Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2's previous high water mark in the process.
In all honesty, Avengers Assemble was everywhere this week. Before, as fans got ready for the big lift off. During, when Sam Jackson (Nick Fury...
The big story
Yes, we know Hulk was last week's biggie, but you just can't keep Avengers Assemble, or whatever it's called, out of the news. For a few days last month, everyone was fixated on The Hunger Games' box office – but now Avengers has exposed it for the shrimp it is by recording the largest ever opening weekend in the Us.
Bizarrely, initial reports even underestimated its pulling power: the studio estimate was for $200.3m (becoming the first film to break $200m for its bow), but when the final figures came in it totalled $207.4m, flattening Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2's previous high water mark in the process.
In all honesty, Avengers Assemble was everywhere this week. Before, as fans got ready for the big lift off. During, when Sam Jackson (Nick Fury...
- 5/10/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
This dubious tale of Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, based on his prison guard's memoirs, contradicts all other known accounts
Director: Bille August
Entertainment grade: C
History grade: Fail
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by the apartheid regime in South Africa for 27 years.
Friendship
It's 1968. Ambitious young prison officer James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes) is given a new beat at Robben Island. The highest-profile prisoner there is Nelson Mandela (Dennis Haysbert, miscast). "I'm in charge of the worst terrorist this country has ever seen," Gregory gloats. He receives a special posting at the censorship office on account of his fluency in Xhosa, the language of the prisoners. Soon, though, the intimacy this gives him with Mandela begins to break down his racist opinions. Mandela's own version of the story, from his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, gives a different view. On Robben Island, Mandela wrote, "I had not known him [Gregory] terribly well,...
Director: Bille August
Entertainment grade: C
History grade: Fail
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by the apartheid regime in South Africa for 27 years.
Friendship
It's 1968. Ambitious young prison officer James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes) is given a new beat at Robben Island. The highest-profile prisoner there is Nelson Mandela (Dennis Haysbert, miscast). "I'm in charge of the worst terrorist this country has ever seen," Gregory gloats. He receives a special posting at the censorship office on account of his fluency in Xhosa, the language of the prisoners. Soon, though, the intimacy this gives him with Mandela begins to break down his racist opinions. Mandela's own version of the story, from his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, gives a different view. On Robben Island, Mandela wrote, "I had not known him [Gregory] terribly well,...
- 5/10/2012
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Bruno Ganz, Christopher Lee, Lena Olin, August Diehll & Jack Huston Also In Cast For a man with two Palme d'Ors and a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, we don't hear much from Danish filmmaker Bille August these days. The "Pelle the Conqueror" director has only made two films in the last decade, potboiler thriller "Return to Sender," with Aidan Quinn, which we had no idea existed, and Nelson Mandela biopic "Goodbye Bafana," which similarly disappeared without a trace. But he's got a Danish picture "The Passion of Marie" coming next year, and his name still clearly holds enough sway…...
- 10/18/2011
- The Playlist
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will play a Jewish diplomat who gets into a passionate affair with a married Swiss woman, played by Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova (Clash of the Titans), on the eve of the Second World War. Marianne Faithfull also appears. First-time director Glenio Bonder starts filming October 25 on location in Geneva, Switzerland and then in Italy. James Dearden (Fatal Attraction) and Vincenzo Cerami (Life Is Beautiful) have written the script, based on Albert Cohen’s bestselling French novel. Bonder is a commercials director whose clients include Calvin Klein and British Airways. Thierry de Navacelle, Jimmy de Brabant (co-producer Girl With a Pearl Earring), with Jean Luc Van Damme (Goodbye Bafana) co-producing. Stealth Media Group, the Los Angeles and Brighton-based sales agency, is handling international distribution.
- 9/3/2010
- by TIM ADLER
- Deadline London
Clint Eastwood's tribute to Nelson Mandela and the new South Africa is as dramatic and dynamic as a Nobel prize acceptance speech
The title is that of We Henley's inspirational poem from 1875, about one's head being bloody but unbowed, and being the captain of one's soul: a kind of Victorian My Way. Nelson Mandela kept a copy of the poem on him while in prison to keep his spirits up, and in this glassy-eyed movie version of the 1995 Rugby World Cup campaign – in which President Mandela sensationally backed the Springboks, as a brilliant gesture of reconciliation with white South Africans generally – the president gives a copy to the rugby captain François Pienaar. Well, if Henley's poem is good enough for Nelson Mandela, it's good enough for the rest of us, but I can't help finding it a stiff, tightly-buttoned piece of writing, appropriate for this massively inert picture, which looks like a heritage-tourism video.
The title is that of We Henley's inspirational poem from 1875, about one's head being bloody but unbowed, and being the captain of one's soul: a kind of Victorian My Way. Nelson Mandela kept a copy of the poem on him while in prison to keep his spirits up, and in this glassy-eyed movie version of the 1995 Rugby World Cup campaign – in which President Mandela sensationally backed the Springboks, as a brilliant gesture of reconciliation with white South Africans generally – the president gives a copy to the rugby captain François Pienaar. Well, if Henley's poem is good enough for Nelson Mandela, it's good enough for the rest of us, but I can't help finding it a stiff, tightly-buttoned piece of writing, appropriate for this massively inert picture, which looks like a heritage-tourism video.
- 2/4/2010
- by Nelson Mandela, Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
(Diane Kruger in Inglourious Basterds, above.)
Diane Kruger
The Blockbuster Beauty Goes IndieBy Terry Keefe
[This article originally appeared in 2006 in Venice Magazine. I had lunch with Diane Kruger at the Chateau Marmont, and I remember most distinctly two things: 1. I've never been around anyone in Hollywood who so many guys were trying to get the attention of. Several Hollywood agent types waved to her as they were entering and leaving with greetings like "Hi, beautiful." 2. She was also very polite, much more so than your typical American hot starlet, walking me out afterwards to the valet stand and generally displaying no star attitude whatsoever. She's had a great year with Inglorious Basterds. Nice to see.)
Heads turn when she walks into the restaurant, even in blase L.A. It's a bit redundant to say that she's beautiful, yet the reality is that beautiful might be understating the case. This is a woman who, after all, first came to prominence two years ago when Wolfgang Petersen cast her as Helen of Troy, whose legendary looks were so stunning that nations went to war over her. But once you're past the surface charms of Diane Kruger, what really becomes evident is how seriously she's taking the development of her craft as an actress. After Troy and National Treasure, the easy money would have had her choosing to do another string of Hollywood blockbusters. Not that she's sworn off big budget films by any means, but she's also taken an interesting journey into...
Diane Kruger
The Blockbuster Beauty Goes IndieBy Terry Keefe
[This article originally appeared in 2006 in Venice Magazine. I had lunch with Diane Kruger at the Chateau Marmont, and I remember most distinctly two things: 1. I've never been around anyone in Hollywood who so many guys were trying to get the attention of. Several Hollywood agent types waved to her as they were entering and leaving with greetings like "Hi, beautiful." 2. She was also very polite, much more so than your typical American hot starlet, walking me out afterwards to the valet stand and generally displaying no star attitude whatsoever. She's had a great year with Inglorious Basterds. Nice to see.)
Heads turn when she walks into the restaurant, even in blase L.A. It's a bit redundant to say that she's beautiful, yet the reality is that beautiful might be understating the case. This is a woman who, after all, first came to prominence two years ago when Wolfgang Petersen cast her as Helen of Troy, whose legendary looks were so stunning that nations went to war over her. But once you're past the surface charms of Diane Kruger, what really becomes evident is how seriously she's taking the development of her craft as an actress. After Troy and National Treasure, the easy money would have had her choosing to do another string of Hollywood blockbusters. Not that she's sworn off big budget films by any means, but she's also taken an interesting journey into...
- 1/27/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Portraying Nelson Mandela has defeated many actors, but not Morgan Freeman. The star of Invictus tells Bill Keller about shadowing – and embodying – the South African leader
Morgan Freeman has been cast as God – twice – so he evidently has no trouble projecting moral authority. The challenge of portraying Nelson Mandela, then, was not the size of the halo, but knowing the performance would be measured against the real, familiar Mandela, and his myth. "If we can say any part of acting is hard, then playing someone who is living and everybody knows would be the hardest," Freeman says.
The role has defeated actors as varied as Danny Glover (in the 1987 TV film Mandela), Sidney Poitier (Mandela and de Klerk, 1997, also for TV) and Dennis Haysbert (Goodbye Bafana, 2007), in vehicles that were reverential and mostly forgettable. But as someone who studied Mandela over the course of three years while he replaced an...
Morgan Freeman has been cast as God – twice – so he evidently has no trouble projecting moral authority. The challenge of portraying Nelson Mandela, then, was not the size of the halo, but knowing the performance would be measured against the real, familiar Mandela, and his myth. "If we can say any part of acting is hard, then playing someone who is living and everybody knows would be the hardest," Freeman says.
The role has defeated actors as varied as Danny Glover (in the 1987 TV film Mandela), Sidney Poitier (Mandela and de Klerk, 1997, also for TV) and Dennis Haysbert (Goodbye Bafana, 2007), in vehicles that were reverential and mostly forgettable. But as someone who studied Mandela over the course of three years while he replaced an...
- 1/1/2010
- by John Carlin
- The Guardian - Film News
Berlin -- Andro Steinborn has resigned from Berlin-based production house X Filme Creative Pool and its co-production arm X Filme International.
As head of X Filme International since its launch in 2006, Steinborn was responsible for such international co-productions as Julie Delpy's "The Countess," Michael Haneke's English-language remake of "Funny Games" and the Nelson Mandela biopic "Goodbye Bafana" from Billie August.
He originally joined X Filme Creative Pool -- the production company run by Tom Tykwer, Dani Levy, Wolfgang Becker and producer Stefan Ardnt -- in 1998 as head of legal and business affairs.
Steinborn said he was leaving in order to devote more time to his own projects.
As head of X Filme International since its launch in 2006, Steinborn was responsible for such international co-productions as Julie Delpy's "The Countess," Michael Haneke's English-language remake of "Funny Games" and the Nelson Mandela biopic "Goodbye Bafana" from Billie August.
He originally joined X Filme Creative Pool -- the production company run by Tom Tykwer, Dani Levy, Wolfgang Becker and producer Stefan Ardnt -- in 1998 as head of legal and business affairs.
Steinborn said he was leaving in order to devote more time to his own projects.
- 7/3/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Franka Potente, who kicked major ass in Run Lola Run and starred opposite Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity, has signed on to star in Wave, a lost-at-sea tragedy being directed by Maria Ripoll (Tortilla Soup). Based on true events, Wave recounts the story of an English family of three adrift at sea without water or food for two weeks. Only the mother (Potente) survives. But she’s then alleged to have killed her husband. Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II, Hitman) is also in talks to join the film. Wave was written by Marie-Laure Bertehlin and Greg Latter, it’s based on the Louise Longo’s novel Let Me Survive. Jean Luc Van Damme (Goodbye Bafana) is producing for Banana Films in Belgium. The flick looks to be among the first films to use the new water tank at Spain’s Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante. Filming begins in February.
- 11/4/2008
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
COLOGNE, Germany -- Danish director Susanne Bier, German actress Diane Kruger and French star Sandrine Bonnaire are among the names to sign up for jury duty at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.
The jury, headed by famed political filmmaker Costa-Gavras ("Z," Missing) also includes Oscar-winning film and sound editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now), Taiwanese actress Shu-Qi (The Transporter), Russian film producer and CTC president Alexander Rodniansky (East-West) and award-winning German production designer Uli Hanisch ("Perfume -- The Story of a Murderer").
The four-man, four-woman jury will select the winners of Berlin's Gold and Silver Bears from among this year's Berlinale competition films.
Actresses Kruger, Bonnaire and Shu-Qi are no strangers to the Berlinale. Kruger, famous for her break-through role alongside Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure films, was in Berlin last year for the In Competition premiere of Bille August's Goodbye Bafana. Shu-Qi last appeared in Berlin in Stanley Kwan's in-competition entry The Island Tales in 2000 and Bonnaire starred in Patrice Leconte's Intimate Strangers, a Berlinale competition film in 2004.
Bier joins the Berlinale jury hot off the critical success of her English-language debut, Things We Lost In The Fire, starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro.
The jury, headed by famed political filmmaker Costa-Gavras ("Z," Missing) also includes Oscar-winning film and sound editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now), Taiwanese actress Shu-Qi (The Transporter), Russian film producer and CTC president Alexander Rodniansky (East-West) and award-winning German production designer Uli Hanisch ("Perfume -- The Story of a Murderer").
The four-man, four-woman jury will select the winners of Berlin's Gold and Silver Bears from among this year's Berlinale competition films.
Actresses Kruger, Bonnaire and Shu-Qi are no strangers to the Berlinale. Kruger, famous for her break-through role alongside Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure films, was in Berlin last year for the In Competition premiere of Bille August's Goodbye Bafana. Shu-Qi last appeared in Berlin in Stanley Kwan's in-competition entry The Island Tales in 2000 and Bonnaire starred in Patrice Leconte's Intimate Strangers, a Berlinale competition film in 2004.
Bier joins the Berlinale jury hot off the critical success of her English-language debut, Things We Lost In The Fire, starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro.
- 1/30/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
London- and L.A.-based financier and production banner Future Films has boosted its current development slate with a cash injection of €150,000 ($216,000) from European Union funding body the MEDIA Program.
Future Films chief Stephen Margolis said the cash injection will be used to bolster in-house development at the finance and production house.
"With our new development cash, we are now able to finance and convert more projects developed in-house with a much greater degree of direct, practical involvement from the start," Margolis said.
Six projects are in line for a development boost using the MEDIA cash from Future's slate.
"Nursery" is being developed with director Michael Radford ("Flawless") from an original screenplay by novelist Chris Wooding. The story focuses on a young couple who move into a beautiful but eerie house during the wife's pregnancy. She soon discovers her unborn child's life is at risk.
Two-time Palme d'Or winner Bille August ("Goodbye Bafana") is developing "Burden of Desire" with writer Robert MacNeil. Future is developing MacNeil's love triangle project in partnership with Capri Films, Sweden's Moviola and Nordisk of Denmark.
Future Films chief Stephen Margolis said the cash injection will be used to bolster in-house development at the finance and production house.
"With our new development cash, we are now able to finance and convert more projects developed in-house with a much greater degree of direct, practical involvement from the start," Margolis said.
Six projects are in line for a development boost using the MEDIA cash from Future's slate.
"Nursery" is being developed with director Michael Radford ("Flawless") from an original screenplay by novelist Chris Wooding. The story focuses on a young couple who move into a beautiful but eerie house during the wife's pregnancy. She soon discovers her unborn child's life is at risk.
Two-time Palme d'Or winner Bille August ("Goodbye Bafana") is developing "Burden of Desire" with writer Robert MacNeil. Future is developing MacNeil's love triangle project in partnership with Capri Films, Sweden's Moviola and Nordisk of Denmark.
- 10/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart, the story of Al Qaeda's 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, has been chosen as the year's best international literary adaptation by the Frankfurt Book Fair, organizers said Wednesday.
A Mighty Heart was based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Pearl's widow, French journalist Mariane Pearl. Angelina Jolie played Mariane in the film, with Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl.
"We chose this film because it deals with a very current and politically vital issue and, at the same time, is a plea against violence and hate," Book Fair director Jurgen Boos said.
A Mighty Heart beat out Kevin Macdonald's Oscar-winner The Last King Of Scotland, Todd Field's Little Children, Steven Soderbergh's The Good German, Richard Eyre's Notes on a Scandal, Billy August's Nelson Mandela biopic Goodbye Bafana and Pascale Ferran's Lady Chatterley for the 10,000 ($14,000) award.
Winterbottom will collect his prize in person in Frankfurt on Oct. 12.
The Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs Oct. 10-14, is the world's largest book market and has honored film adaptations since 2004.
A Mighty Heart was based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Pearl's widow, French journalist Mariane Pearl. Angelina Jolie played Mariane in the film, with Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl.
"We chose this film because it deals with a very current and politically vital issue and, at the same time, is a plea against violence and hate," Book Fair director Jurgen Boos said.
A Mighty Heart beat out Kevin Macdonald's Oscar-winner The Last King Of Scotland, Todd Field's Little Children, Steven Soderbergh's The Good German, Richard Eyre's Notes on a Scandal, Billy August's Nelson Mandela biopic Goodbye Bafana and Pascale Ferran's Lady Chatterley for the 10,000 ($14,000) award.
Winterbottom will collect his prize in person in Frankfurt on Oct. 12.
The Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs Oct. 10-14, is the world's largest book market and has honored film adaptations since 2004.
- 9/13/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- 57th Berlin Film FestivalFebruary 8 to 18, 2007Countdown: updateCountdownClock('February 8, 2007'); Berlin, Germany Festival LinkOn February 8 the curtain will rise in Berlinale Palast for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. Throughout the following ten days, the festival will show 373 films on some 50 cinema screens all over the city. At the growing European Film Market, the festival's business fair, more than 700 films will be presented to the industry. International guests, stars on the red carpet, packed theaters, hot debates, and wild parties - the Berlinale will play Berlin like no other event on the calendar does. Yet, it is a festival not only of the masses, but also of the many: of the many who in months of hard work organized the programme and provided the infrastructure, and of the many who are busy behind the scenes to keep the festival buzzing. Of course, it will again be a festival of stars,
- 2/7/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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