BVI & F0X ACQUIRES EL REY DEL ONCE – THE TENTH MAN

In an increasingly customary moves on top – flight Argentine titles, 2 studios, Disney & Fox, have moved to acquire Latin American rights of El Rey Del Once – The Tenth Man, from Daniel Burman. Buena Vista International has secured theatrical rights for Latin America, Fox Plus, one of the region’s most powerful cable / satellite operations, premium pay TV / SVOD. One of the most anticipated of titles from Argentina, where it is expected to see box office traction, “El Rey” is tipped for a major festival berth. Sold by Guido Rud’s FilmSharks International and ready for delivery in the 1st quarter of 2016, it also reps the latest movie from Burman whose 2004 Lost Embrace swept Berlin’s Grand Jury Prize and a “Best Actor” Silver Bear for Daniel Hendler.

NEW YORK’S MOMA TO FETE ITALY’S RAI CINEMA

New York’s Museum of Modern Art will celebrate Italy’s Rai Cinema with a screening series set to kick off on 4th Dec, 2015 with the US bow of Matteo Garrone’s English language fantasy / horror film Tale of Tales segued by 9 other high profile Italo titles co – produced by the powerhouse film production & distribution unit of Italian pubcaster RAI. Garrone will be making the trek to New York for the US launch of his freaky “Tales,” which is based on folk myths collected & published by the 16th century Neapolitan poet & scholar Giambattista Basile. Pic, which made a splash in Cannes, stars Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones & John C Reilly.

WOLF HALL BAGS JUDGES’ AWARD AT UK’S ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY

Company Pictures & Playground Entertainment’s Wolf Hall was honored with the Judges’ Award at the craft & design awards of the Royal Television Society, which is an organization that represents senior executives in UK television industry. The costume drama, which chronicles the life of Thomas Cromwell and is based on the books by Hilary Mantel, was praised by the judges for its overall devotion to craft skills. “Director Peter Kosminsky & director of photography Gavin Finny embraced the darkness of the times and with unerring confidence slowly unfurled this captivating political intrigue in a series of beautiful & bejewelled scenes reminiscent of Vermeer & Rembrandt,”

AMAZON CONFIRMS GREENLIGHT FOR TRIAL

Amazon has confirmed that it has greenlit David E. Kelley’s series Trial, which will star Billy Bob Thornton & William Hurt. The series will debut exclusively on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video in UK, Germany, Austria, Japan & US next year. Trial is written by Kelley & Jonathan Shapiro; executive produced by Kelley, Shapiro & Ross Fineman & directed by David Semel. The series also stars Olivia Thirlby, Maria Bello & Molly Parker. “Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt & David E. Kelley are world – class talents who have achieved longstanding success in captivating storytelling,” said Roy Price, VP, Amazon Studios.

VIRGIN ACQUIRES ASH VS EVIL DEAD

UK pay TV platform Virgin Media has licensed the Starz series Ash Vs Evil Dead’. The series is available from 1st Dec, 2014 for Virgin Media TV customers to watch through its TV on demand service. The 1st 5 episodes will be available to watch from this date, followed by a new episode released each week, bringing the series in – line with the US broadcast air dates. David Bouchier, chief digital entertainment officer at Virgin Media, said: “This long awaited & much anticipated series marks a step – change in our TV programming strategy & demonstrates the true potential for video on demand.

JAMES BOND & STAR WARS HELP PINEWOOD BOOST PROFIT

James Bond & Star Wars helped drive half year profit after tax at Pinewood Group to £4.3 million ($6.49 million), up 13.2% year – on – year. Group revenue slipped 0.7% to £38.2 million ($57.7 million) for the 6 months up to 30th Sept, 2015. Film revenues for the period were £26.8 million ($40.5 million), a 19% increase due to high – stage utilization. Stage occupancy for the period was 87%. The largest film productions based at Pinewood Studios was Spectre (Eon / MGM) & Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” (Lucasfilm) and the largest production at Shepperton Studios was Beauty And The Beast (Disney).

3 MOVIES TO BE PITCHED AT BEYOND THE WINDOW

Julian Vazquez’s REM Javier Araguz’s Savant & Eugeni Guillem’s Children of Saturn are the 3 selected projects in a mini Catalan genre pic focus at Beyond the Window, a project pitching forum at Ventana Sur, which will take place on 3rd Dec, 2015. Regional promotion board Catalan Films & TV will make a more general industry presentation of the Catalan presence at large at Ventana Sur at the Puerto Madero Cinemark multiplex on 1st Dec, 2015. Driven by the local film industry, think Filmax & Rodar y Rodar, the Sitges Film Festival & Barcelona’s ESCAC Film School, Catalan genre production flowered last decade.

WASABI FILMS PRESENTS NEW FEMME SLATE

Elena Trape’s Waiting For Time To Stand Still, Julia Solomonoff’s Nobody’s Watching & Liliana Torres’ What Have We Done Wrong? are some of the titles in the lineup of Miss Wasabi Films, the Barcelona based production shingle of Spanish helmer Isabel Coixet. While co – production of Argentine Solomonoff’s Nobody’s Watching has already been revealed, the now announced confirms a far broader support for a new generation of national & international female helmers. “We’re in a time of speeches demanding equal rights, gender quotas and so on. I feel I am at a different level – the level of action, the best way I’ve found to allow women’s voices to be listened to,” Coixet told.

SPANISH AFFAIR 2 PUNCHES BEST 2015 1ST WEEKEND IN SPAIN

Distributed by Universal Pictures International Spain, Spanish Affair 2, the sequel to the highest grossing Spanish film of all time on native soil, rang up the biggest opening weekend of 2015 in Spain over 20th Nov, 2015 – 22nd Nov, 2015, punching a massive €7.9 million ($8.4 million) at Spanish theaters. Made off 755 screens, the BO gross beat out the former 2015 best opener, 50 Shades Of Gray ($7.5 million). Spain’s best ever bow bar is still set at €9.2 million ($9.75 million), notched up by The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Only 2 Spanish movies have improved on Spanish Affair 2: Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible ($9.0 million) & Torrente 4 ($8.9 million), both released by Warner Bros. Pictures España.

POPE FRANCIS BIOPIC BOWS AT VATICAN AMID TIGHT SECURITY

It was a far cry from a Hollywood world premiere and it reflected the film’s subject. Pope Francis biopic Call Me Francesco world premiered amid tight security at the Vatican’s 7,000 seat Paul VI Audience Hall for an audience comprising Rome’s homeless, faithful from the Eternal City’s parishes ranging in age from babies to octogenarians and nuns & priests from many different Catholic orders. There was no red carpet. Screening of the film by Italian director Daniele Luchetti tracing Jorge Maria Bergoglio’s path from Jesuit priest to groundbreaking pontiff was preceded by a brief concert performed by the Swiss Guard marching band which rarely performs in public. After warm protracted applause as the end credits rolled, the needy filing out of the show had dinners packed in paper bags waiting for them just outside the venue.

ROMA LAZIO FUND TO BE UNVEILED

Italy’s Roma Lazio Film Commission will unveil its new Euros 10 million ($11.3 million) co – production fund for film & TV during the Ventana Sur mart in a move that aims to foster even closer ties between the film & TV industries in Italy & Latin America. While relatively modest, the Lazio Cinema International Fund marks the biggest single injection of regional soft money in Italy and is designed to work nicely for international producers in tandem with the country’s competitive tax breaks. It is also expected to more than quadruple its pot going forward. Roma Lazio Film Commission topper Luciano Sovena has made the trek to Buenos Aires to tub thump the fund, which was 1st announced in October during the Mia mart in Rome. It allocates Euros 5 million for feature films with the other half going for TV productions. Documentaries are included, and also animation productions, though toons must be more than 40 minutes long. Italy & Argentina already have a film & TV co – prod development fund in place as of 2012 as well as a co – prod treaty inked in 2007.

UTSIDER / TODO CINE LATINO ACQUIRES SILENCIO

Un Minuto De Silencio from Italian director director Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani has been acquired for US distribution by Outsider Pictures’ Latin label Todo Cine Latino. An inevitably polemical docu – feature, it adds to one of the richest Latino lineups among US distributors. Recent Outsider / Todocinelatino US pickups include Cesar Acevedo’s Camera d’Or winner Land And Shade & Los Cabos winner All Of Me, a Mexican docu – feature. It recently picked up Israeli Nitzan Gilady’s Wedding Doll with Strand Releasing, the 1st buy in a potentially significant US upscale acquisition alliance. Silencio highlights the last 25 years of politics in Bolivia, concentrating in particular on the 2002 political campaigns to elect Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada aka Goni, which most recently came to prominence (albeit fictionally) in the Sandra Bullock film Our Brand Is Crisis’, and the more recent government of Evo Morales. I

2 MOVIES MAKE VENTANA CARIBE CUT

Kiki Alvarez’s Sharing Stella & Maria Govan’s Play The Devil are 2 out of 4 features in post production highlighted by Ventana Caribe, a new industry event at Ventana Sur, Latin America’s largest movie market. Sharing Stella turns on a director seeking an actress for the role of Stella in a A Streetcar Named Desire’. “In Sharing Stella, youth which no longer believes in politics meets Cuba on the verge of a transcendental shift in its relationship with US.” Characters include “a YouTuber without Internet, a director who looks for desire & an actress who is a beast in the jungle of the Caribbean’s post – socialism,” Nicolas Ordonez at Bogota’s Lapopular told. The Ventana Caribe event features not only 4 pix – in – post but also one – to – one co -production meetings, a video library selection available for potential industry buyers & partners and a presentation offered by Jonathan Ali, at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival (TTFF).

THE CLAN SELLS OUT WORLDWIDE

Adding another achievement to its blockbuster Argentine box office bow, Venice Fest “Best Director” win, upbeat critical reception & selection by Argentina as its Oscar entry, Pablo Trapero’s true life crime thriller The Clan has now sold out worldwide. Doing so in just 3 months after its Venice international premiere, The Clan, a bracing indictment of Argentine state collusion in the Puccio’s family’s true life abduction & murder of multiple victims under & after Argentina’s military dictatorship, has recorded an exceptional performance for a Latin American, and indeed foreign-language movie. Closed by Vicente Canales’ Film Factory, the Barcelona based sales company that also licensed Damian Szifron’s Wild Tales, in unannounced deals.

PUENZOS & DEMENTE BACK GUILLERMO HELO’S FILM DEBUT

Chilean companies Altirosapiens & Demente Producciones are teaming with Argentina’s Historias Cinematograficas, the shingle run by the Puenzo family, to co – produce social comedy Spider Thieves’, the feature directorial debut of Chile’s Guillermo Helo. Preceded by good buzz, Spider Thieves screens 1st Dec, 2015 at Ventana Sur’s 7th Primer Corte pix – in – post competition, which took place 30th Nov, 2015 – 3rd Dec, 2015 in Buenos Aires. The humor laced “Thieves” follows 3 dirt poor adolescent girls who dream of having the material wealth they see in TV commercials. To fulfill their dreams, they decide to climb buildings & plunder expensive apartments. They become media celebs, heroines for some. The film is based on real events that happened in 2005, in Santiago.

THE CLUB’ TOPS 2ND FENIX AWARDS

Chilean Pablo Larrain’s Catholic Church abuse drama The Club swept key prizes at the 2nd edition of the Ibero – American film Fenix Awards, including “Best Picture & “Best Director” (ex – aequo with Ciro Guerra’s Embrace Of The Serpent), “Best Actor” (Alfredo Castro) & “Best Screenplay”. The Fenix awards, whose 2nd edition took place on 25th Nov, 2015 in Mexico City, is an initiative of Mexico based promotion org Cinema23 to celebrate the films & industry professionals of Latin America, Spain & Portugal. At the ceremony, Colombian Ciro Guerra’s adventure drama Embrace Of The Serpent snagged 4 kudos in all, including ‘Best Cinematography”, “Best Sound” & “Best Music’. Sold by Germany’s Films Boutique, “Embrace” already scooped the biggest prize at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and more recently the top Golden Astor at Argentina’s Mar Del Plata.

JAYRO BUSTAMANTE, PREPPING TEMBLORES

Jayro Bustamante finds inspiration at home but applies the filmmaking skills he learned in Paris & Rome. His feature debut Ixcanul (Volcano) is only the 2nd Guatemalan pic to vie for a Foreign Language Oscar and has been reaping awards across key festivals including the 2015 Berlinale Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize. Film school studies in Paris & Rome have informed Bustamante’s work, which includes his Cannes winning short Cuando Sea Grande. “I knew its ending 1st and worked my way backwards,” says Bustamente of penning Ixcanul.” Now shuttling between Paris & Guatemala, Bustamante credits his multilingual skills to his early Montessori education in Guatemala where he lived in the highlands populated by the Kaqchikel (Mayan) tribe until age 14. Between the ages 17 to 19, he was an in – house commercials director at Ogilvy & Mather where he saved to fund his European film education.

5 MOVIES Play AT 2ND CANNES FESTIVAL FILM WEEK

Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, Todd Haynes’ Carol, Stephane Brize’s The Measure Of A Man & Gaspar Noe’s Love (3D), 5 of the biggest standouts, and very often winners, at 2015’s Cannes Film Festival feature in the Thierry Fremaux presented 2nd Cannes Festival Film Week, which unspools this week in Buenos Aires. Film Week is designed to boost audiences for the films: “As the Festival works up to its 70th anniversary in 2017, we have to think about our jobs. One of our jobs is to give films to audiences,” Cannes topper Fremaux told in Argentina.

TEAMTO OPENS NEW CGI STUDIO

Leading French animation shingle TeamTO is to open a brand new production facility in Bourg – les – Valence, in France’s Rhone – Alpes region, situated between Lyon & Marseille. Covering some 11,000 sq ft, new facilities will double Paris based TeamTO’s studio capacity; by the end of the year, it will accommodate 60% of the company’s entire 380 person staff. New studio will be located at La Cartoucherie, a complex that already houses France’s Folimage animation studios, producer of the Oscar nominated A Cat In Paris, prestigious animation school La Poudriere, where co – founder TeamTO Corinne Kouper taught and offices from other filmmaking & animation sectors such as Les Films Du Nord, an animated short film house & toon lobby L’Equipee. With the new TeamTO studio, La Cartoucherie will consolidate all the more as a key animation hub in France.

‘Sanjay’s Super Team’ On Oscar Shortlist

Sanjay Patel whose much awaited short feature ‘Sanjay’s Super Team’ will be played across theaters in India with Disney-Pixar’s ‘The Good Dinosaur’ releasing on 4th Dec, 2015 has bagged a place on the coveted Oscar shortlist for short films. Sanjay’s Super Team has been shortlisted with 9 other titles out of a total 60 films to advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards. As tradition goes, there is always a short film attached to every PIXAR film upon its release, eagerly anticipated by fans, this is the 1st time an Indian animator’s film will be attached & played with a PIXAR film in theaters. Also this is the 1st time 2 PIXAR movies are releasing in 1 year, ‘Inside Out’ and now, ‘The Good Dinosaur’. Sanjay Patel has been with Pixar for almost 20 years. ‘The Good Dinosaur’ has also been shortlisted in the animation category.

Stockholm Film Festival Win For Leena Yadav’s ‘Parched’

Director Leena Yadav’s Ajay Devgn produced film ‘Parched’ has won the inaugural Impact Award at the prestigious Stockholm International Film Festival, also becoming the 1st Indian film to do so. What’s more, the very 1st Impact Awards introduced this year at the acclaimed film festival also boasts of the biggest cash prize for a film in the world. After a tremendous response at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year, ‘Parched’ wowed the jury at the Stockholm Film Festival to add yet another laurel to the film starring Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla & Adil Hussain. The prize was announced by noted Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who presided over the Impact jury comprising renowned names – Swedish theatre director Linus Tunstrom & Iranian film director Ida Panahandeh (‘Nahid’). Interestingly the film was also screened at the Camerimage Festival in Poland, which is the only festival that celebrates Cinematography. With this another honour was added to the film as only very few Indian films have played at the Camerimage ever.

Osianama’s Rare Movie Metropolis Memorabilia On Display

Believed to be one of the few in existence, not long ago, the rare German Metropolis movie poster was auctioned for $850,000 in US. The rare Fritz Lang’ silent masterpiece Metropolis designed by German graphic artist Heinz Sehulzneudamm fetched a record of $850,000. The same design minus the German writing with the clean lines & delicate shading was purchased for $690,000 by actor Leonardo Di Caprio. The French version of the Metropolis poster designed by Boris Bilinsky standing 94 inches tall & 126 inches wide is one of the sought after and the first Metropolis poster to be displayed in India. Interestingly, in 1927, Bilinsky, a prolific cinema poster artist was commissioned by the French Distribution Company L’Allaince Cinematographique Europeenne (ACE) to design posters and publicity material for the French release of Metropolis. This major commission resulted in 4 one of its kind posters for the film. The current poster is from the said collection. According to the award-winning Bilinsky’s grandson, it is impossible to know the number of posters designed by him in his career spanning two and a half decades. The artist died at a young age of 47. Bilinsky’s grandson has now discovered over 50 posters of the artist in existence and that makes the current Metropolis poster all the more an unmisseable view. Along with the coveted Metropolis poster is the collection of Robern Wiene’s 1920 silent German film Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. The design by Hermann Warm Walter Reimann & Walter Rohrig is in a fantastic graphic style. This film also marks the real origins of Peguin who has now become a cult character with Batman!

‘Pyaasa’ Was The Opening film In The “Indian Classics” Section At The 46th International Film Festival Of India

‘Pyaasa’ a 1957 cult classic of Indian cinema opened in the “ Indian Classics” section in the 46th International Film Festival of India 2015,Goa. The “Indian Classic section” in IFFI had 8 more films that were screened in this segment in the “Open Air Screening” format. The other films screened in this division were Jait re Jait, Manthan, Bhavani Bhavai, Is Raat ki Subaah Nahi, Uttarayanam, Ek Din Achanak, Ajantrik & Do Bigha Zameen. Recently Pyaasa became the 1st Indian film restored by an Indian company for a world premiere in the competition section at the 72nd Venice Film Festival. It competed with 20 other prestigious restored films from all over the world and received a spectacular response from the audiences. Pyaasa was also screened in the “restored classics” section in the recently concluded “17th Jio MAMI Mumbai” Film Festival. Ultra also will be re – releasing the film theatrically worldwide after this festival. The “Indian Classics” section is dedicated to film makers who have had a distinctive & unique style of filmmaking and whose films had an original yet a universal theme to appeal across all demographics. All the films in this section were shown in the “Open air screening” segment in the Azad Maidan venue throughout the festival tenure.

Farah Khan Honoured

Farah Khan was conferred with ‘Faten Hamama Excellence Award’ (for excellence in Indian cinema) at the on-going 37th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). As a special tribute, this year’s coveted 10-day film festival honours the works of late Egyptian icons Faten Hamama, Nourel-Sheriff and Omar Sharif – all of whom passed away in the past year. It’s going to be a double whammy for Farah who’s eagerly looking forward to attend the film festival. Besides being felicitated at the CIFF, the organizers have also planned a big premiere of one of her most successful films – Om Shanti Om (OSO) to be attended by the who’s who of the Egyptian film industry. In addition to that, there will be performances of Farah’s songs to welcome her on stage. The opening night of the festival had a huge screen playing the montage of OSO.