SKY STRENGTHEN TIES IN ITALY

Viacom International & Murdoch owned paybox Sky Italy have strengthened their Italo ties, adding 2 new branded channels, Teen Nick & MTV Next, following a key free – to – air deal. The Viacom pay – TV content boost on Sky follows Sky Italy’s purchase from Viacom of free – to – air channel MTV Italia, officialized on 1st Aug, 2015. Unlike US and elsewhere in Europe, MTV airs on both pay & free TV in Italy. Viacom remains the owner of Comedy Central Italia, Nickelodeon Italia & Nick Jr. Italia. While Sky Italia’s core business is pay TV, they also own & operate a local generalist free – TV channel, called Cielo, a news channel, and now, MTV Italia. The strategic Viacom / Sky partnership will also aim to boost their joint on – demand offer with the expected launch in 2016 of Nickelodeon & MTV branded apps in Italy, featuring branded content, games & interactions with cast & characters of their shows. By the end of 2015 a selection of Viacom content will also be available on Sky On Demand and a number of its channels are expected to be launched on Sky Go in Italy. The idea is to maximize Viacom’s target millennial audience in Italy.

VENICE FESTIVAL REVEALS ROBUST LINE UP

The Venice Film Festival has unveiled a potentially strong line up with enough studio / specialty titles top lining A – list stars including Jake Gyllenhaal, Johnny Depp & Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne to boost its role as a classy awards season platform, plus new works by Charlie Kaufman, Alexander Sokurov, Amos Gitai, Marco Bellocchio and many other high caliber international auteurs. As previously announced, Baltasar Kormakur’s mountain climbing thriller ‘Everest’ from Universal, starring Gyllenhaal, will open Venice out of competition on 2nd Sept, 2015 a nice coup for artistic director Alberto Barbera, segueing from ‘Birdman’ as opener last year and sci – fi thriller ‘Gravity’ in 2013. With Toronto less aggressive in its push to secure more world preems, Venice is bowing several hot titles including Cary Fukunaga’s child soldier drama ‘Beasts Of No Nation’, Atom Egoyan’s ‘Remember’ & Tom McCarthy’s ‘Spotlight’, featuring Michael Keaton’s 1st post ‘Birdman’ screen appearance that are subsequently Toronto bound.

CHINA HAD A RECORD JULY 2015 AT THE BOX OFFICE

The Chinese box office sector enjoyed its biggest Jul, 2015 of all time with a record $898 million (RMB5.49 billion) take. Ticket sales hit 159 million. China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television said recently that the Jul, 2015 performance lifted the cash total so far this year to RMB25.9 billion. That compares with the $4.82 billion (RMB29.6 billion) in the full 12 months of 2014. It seems likely that the 2014 total will be overtaken in late Aug, 2015 or early Sept, 2015. Chinese authorities have been operating a blackout period or “domestic film protection month,” since 19th Jun, 2015. During this time major foreign films are not allowed new releases. And SAPPRFT reported that Chinese films accounted for more than 95% of the Jul, 2015 total. Hits ‘Monster Hunt’, ‘Pancake Man’ & ‘Monkey King: Hero Is Back’ drove the total. While the blackout periods are regarded by Hollywood studios as Government orchestrated distortions of the Chinese cinema market, the current summer hiatus follows a huge 1st half for US made movies.

1ST IMAGE OF JAMIE & CILLIAN RELEASED

The 1st image has been released from the World War II movie ‘Anthropoid’, which is headlined by ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ star Jamie Dornan & Cillian Murphy. Director Sean Ellis is shooting the film on location in the Czech Republic. New cast members to sign up to the production include Toby Jones, Harry Lloyd, Bill Milner, Alena Mihulova & Sam Keeley. They join the previously announced cast members Charlotte Le Bon & Anna Geislerova. The movie is set in 1941, when Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi forces, governed by SS General Reinhard Heydrich, nicknamed ‘The Butcher Of Prague’. His reign of terror against the Czech resistance led Allied authorities in London to hatch a mission to assassinate him. 2 soldiers from Czechoslovakia’s army – in – exile were parachuted into their homeland and set out to hunt down Heydrich. Ellis is both director & cinematographer on the project, working from a script he co – wrote with Anthony Frewin. The movie is being produced by L D Entertainment.

‘FRITZ BAUER’ SOLD TO FRANCE & SWITZERLAND

France’s ARP Selection & Switzerland’s LookNow Filmdistribution have acquired local distribution rights to Lars Kraume’s Nazi hunter drama ‘The People vs. Fritz Bauer’, which world premieres at the Locarno Film Festival in the Piazza Grande next week. Munich based sales agent Beta Cinema is handling world sales on the film, which is the true story of the man who brought high ranking Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann to justice. Further deals are in final negotiations. Alamode will release the movie in Germany on 1st Oct, 2015. The film starts in West Germany in 1957. Attorney general Fritz Bauer receives evidence about the whereabouts of Eichmann. The SS lieutenant colonel, responsible for the mass deportation of the Jews, is allegedly hiding in Buenos Aires. Bauer, himself Jewish, has been trying to take crimes from the Third Reich to court ever since his return from exile in Denmark, but without success due to the fierce German determination to repress its past. Because of his distrust in the German justice system, Bauer contacts the Israeli secret service Mossad, and, in doing so, commits treason.

IMAGINA INTERNATIONAL SALES PICKS UP ‘ISLA BONITA’

Madrid based Imagina International Sales, one of Spain’s top film & TV agencies, has picked up international distribution rights to vet Spanish filmmaker Fernando Colomo’s new comedy ‘Isla Bonita’. Colomo stars in & directs ‘Isla Bonita’, which will world preem at Sept 2 15’s San Sebastian Film Festival as part of the non -competitive Zabaltegi sidebar. In the film, Colomo plays Fer, a seasoned publicist flustered by modern times & new generations of women that travels to Menorca invited by his friend Miguel Angel, played by Spanish ad executive & writer Miguel Angel Furones. There he will meet Nuria, an anti -establishment sculptress (artist Nuria Roman) and her daughter Olivia (actress Olivia Delcan). Living with different acquaintances & new friends will bring Fer a new perspective on life and a connection with an environment that will awake his senses. Reportedly made with a firm Woody Allen feel, the characters move at an unstoppable pace as they explore the indefinable concept of perfect couple & the search for love, as per an Imagina International Sales statement.

MUNDOFOX SHUTS DOWN NEWS DIVISION

MundoFox is now MundoMax. In the wake of Fox International Channels’ mid – Jul, 2015 decision to sell its stake in the joint venture to its Colombian partner RCN TV Group, MundoFox has taken on a new name. RCN, which now owns 100% of the fledgling US Spanish language network, “is wholly committed to the success of MundoMax,” MundoMax President Ibra Morales said in a statement. The broadcast network will be officially re -branded on its 3rd anniversary, on 13 Aug, 2015, said Morales, who joined the network in Jan, 2014, replacing FIC’s Emiliano Saccone. However, MundoMax has shuttered its news division, laying off almost 40 staffers in the process. ‘Although we have cancelled ‘Noticias MundoFox,’ RCN Television Group continues its dedication to bringing quality news coverage to the vibrant & dynamic US Hispanic community,” said Morales, who expects the bulk of MundoMax’s entertainment & news programming to debut next year. “We are currently evaluating our entire portfolio of content and restructuring it with the goal of bringing maximum value to all our stakeholders, including our viewers, clients & affiliates,” he added.

GERARD BANED FROM UKRAINE

French actor Gerard Depardieu, who was granted a Russian passport from Vladimir Putin in Jan, 2013, has been banned from entering Ukraine for 5 years. The ban, ordered by the country’s culture minister Ivan Kirilenko & proclaimed by the national secret services, reportedly sanctions Depardieu for making public comments suggesting that he supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Mar, 2014. Earlier this month, Kirilenko had revealed that Depardieu was blacklisted along with 117 prominent entertainment figures “who have spoken out in support of the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity & sovereignty.” Depardieu’s decision to become a Russian citizen 2 years caused a public backlash & diplomatic incident in France where he was accused of fleeing the country to avoid paying high taxes. The actor has however demonstrated his attachment to Russia throughout the years and routinely defends Russia’s international policies in the media. At 66, the actor is still leading a dynamic career. His latest movie, Guillaume Nicloux’s ‘Valley Of Love’ world premiered in competition at Cannes and he has been cast to topline ‘Marseille’, Netflix’s 1st French language original drama series.

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS EXPANDS FOOTPRINT

In a further sign that Turkey is a hot TV market, Discovery Communications is expanding its Turkish footprint by forging a pact to buy free – to – air news & entertainment channel CNBC – e from prominent privately owned Dogus Media Group, which will also become Discovery’s exclusive ad sales representative in the country where consumer spending is steadily increasing. The strategic alliance with Dogus Media Group comes after Discovery opened a local office in 2012 and attained full distribution across all major Turkish pay – TV platforms. CNBC – e, which offers a mixture of news, international entertainment & scripted content which makes it popular with Turkish young adults, will mark Discovery’s 1st foray into Turkey’s pay – TV segment and increase its portfolio to 13 channels. The others are dedicated to documentaries, factual entertainment & sports. 4 of Discovery Networks’ pay – Tv channels currently rank within the top 10 most frequently watched pay TV channels in Turkey. Kasia Kieli, topper of Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa boasted in a statement that the move “will see us reach the next level in Turkey.”

AUSTRIA IS THE NEW HOTSPOT

This Friday’s release of ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’ will put the spotlight on Austria, one of the principal locations for the Tom Cruise movie and the country’s 25% production incentive. Later this year, the release of James Bond movie ‘Spectre’ will underscore the attractions of the Central European territory, as Austria provided key locations for that movie too. Both productions received financial support from Film Location Austria, which offers a production incentive worth up to 25% of the local spend for projects that shoot for at least 5 days on location in Austria, up to an upper limit of Euros 1.5 million ($1.65 million). “Mission: Impossible” received Euros 750,000 ($824,000) against a local spend of Euros 3 million ($3.3 million), while ‘Spectre’ received Euros 1.5 million ($1.65 million), against a local spend of Euros 6 million ($6.59 million). The funding for ‘Spectre’ came both from Film Location Austria & regional funds. “Mission: Impossible” shot a number of sequences in the Austrian capital, Vienna, last year, the most spectacular of which was on the roof of the Vienna State Opera, which was also the venue of the movie’s world premiere last week.

AXEL ENDS MERGER TALKS

German broadcasting giant ProSiebenSat.1 Media & German publishing titan Axel Springer have ended an attempt to merge, which would have created a business worth around Euros 14.4 billion ($15.9 billion). “ProSieben is not planning or contemplating a merger with Axel Springer,” Julian Geist, a ProSiebenSat.1 spokesman, said recently. Instead the companies will jointly launch a project to promote digital start – ups. The merger would have faced regulatory & anti – trust challenges. A move by Springer 10 years ago to buy ProSiebenSat.1 failed after opposition from Germany’s media watchdog KEK and the country’s anti -trust body. However, the media landscape has changed since then, with the rise of digital rivals. Last year, the Federal Administrative Court over. ruled the KEK’s objections to a merger, and the more competitive landscape would probably nullify any anti – trust concerns. Another obstacle that may have stopped the merger is that the Springer family wanted to keep control of Axel Springer even if its stake dropped under 50% from the 57% share it has now.

‘COLLIDE’ REVERSES OUT OF US RELEASE

The US rights for Eran Creevy’s action thriller ‘Collide’, which was due for release Stateside by Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity on 30th Oct, 2015 have allegedly reverted to the producers, according to a recent report. The news follows Relativity’s entry into Chapter 11 last week. The movie, which stars Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Ben Kingsley & Anthony Hopkins, is now seeking a new US distributor. Stuart Ford’s IM Global is handling US deal. ‘Collide’, which was formerly titled ‘Autobahn’, is produced by Brian Kavanaugh – Jones, Ben Pugh & Rory Aitken. The screenplay, which was written by Creevy & F. Scott Frazier, kicks off when a heist goes terribly wrong. Casey Stein (Hoult) finds himself on the run from a ruthless gang headed by mob boss Hagen (Hopkins). Casey has a precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it.

HOLLYWOOD AGENCIES WORK WITH EUROPEAN COUNTERPARTS

The popularity of foreign talent in Hollywood movies & TV series has sparked a shakeup at US agencies, incentivizing them to team up with their counterparts across the globe. Most non – American stars now have 2 or 3 agents worldwide who work together on everything from reading scripts to negotiating contracts. And most important, they are willing to split commissions. “The world of acting has gotten much smaller,” says UTA’s Theresa Peters. “When a film gets made, whatever the language, casting agents are able to cast the net wider” because of Skype & digital auditions. From UTA’s Beverly Hills base, Peters reps foreign talent such as Sweden’s Alicia Vikander, Denmark’s Pilou Asbaek, France’s Tahar Rahim (“A Prophet”) & Charlotte Le Bon, a Canadian who now lives in France. Michael Douglas recently noted that Brits & Australians are taking many of the best American roles, but new waves of French & Scandinavian thesps & directors are also getting more & more work in US or on English language pictures financed in Europe.

NIKELDEON PICKS UP 2 US RIGHTS

Nickelodeon has snatched up US rights to the 1st 2 seasons of the CG -animated reboot series ‘Alvinnn’ & ‘Chipmunks’. Delivered by Bagdasarian Productions & OuiDo Productions, the series comprising of 104 episodes of 11 minutes each is penned & directed by Janice Karman. Sales outfit PGS Entertainment handles worldwide rights outside France, where the series was acquired by M6. Karman and her husband, Ross Bagdasarian, who own the franchise, also provided the voices & produced the series as well as the previous 1980s hit TV series and the three ‘Chipmunks’ movies. Bagdasarian, Karman, Sandrine Nguyen, Boris Hertzog are executive producing. ‘Alvinnn’ & ‘Chipmunks’ has been airing on Nickelodeon’s international channels since April, 2015 and has topped ratings across 20 markets since its launch. “I’m thrilled with the shows that Janice has created and excited to share them with our fans in US.” Bagdasarian said. “Nickelodeon has been amazing to support the show launch across the world and we can’t wait to extend success with them in US.” said Guillaume Soutter, who runs PGS with Philippe Soutter.

‘DAMASCUS COVER’ NOT AMONGST RELATIVITY CASUALTIES

A spokesperson for sales company Carnaby International has confirmed that espionage thriller ‘Damascus Cover’, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers & John Hurt, is not one of the “casualties” of Relativity Media’s decision to file for Chapter 11. “As an official representative of the film, I can confirm that there are no contractual commitments in place between these 2 parties and the film is still in pre – sale negotiations with buyers worldwide,” said Carnaby’s press representative, Hayley Hamburg, director of Rave PR. Hamburg issued the statement recently in response to “inaccurate reports” in a trade publication, not Variety, and BBC. Both erroneous reports have been corrected. At the Cannes Film Festival, ‘Damascus Cover’ went to South Africa’s Crystal Brook, India’s Empire Networks, Vietnam’s Vistcom & China’s HGC. At Berlin, it had been sold to Gulf Films (Middle East), PT Prima Cinema (Indonesia), Flins y Piniculas (Spain), Discovery (former Yugoslavia) & KRU Group (Malaysia).

AMC GLOBAL ACQUIRES ‘HUMANS’

AMC Global has acquired exclusive 1st window television rights to ‘Humans’ from Endemol Shine International. The 8 x 60 mins series will debut in most AMC Global territories in Oct, 2015 with a 2nd season to premiere in 2016. The series will continue to air in UK on the Channel 4 free to air network. AMC Global said that the international broadcast of its upcoming martial arts series, ‘Into The Badlands’, will start in conjunction with AMC US’s 10 p.m. 15th Nov, 2015 launch. With the exception of UK, where it will not go to air until 2016, the show will then re – air in local time zones during primetime. The 6 x 60 mins series starring Hong Hong’s Daniel Wu was produced by AMC Studios. The channel has exclusive 1st window international TV rights to the series. Set in UK and starring William Hurt, ‘Humans’ takes place in a parallel present where the latest must have gadget for any busy family is a Synth, an artificially intelligent servant eerily similar to its living counterpart.

CHANNEL 5 ORDERS BRIT VERSION OF SPIKE’S HIT SHOW

UK’s free – to – air TV network Channel 5, which was bought by Viacom in Sept, 2014, has greenlit a British version of Spike’s US entertainment format ‘Lip Sync Battle’. The show will air in primetime. The series has been commissioned by director of programs, Ben Frow and will be produced for Channel 5 by Whizz Kid Entertainment. Steve Regan, VP, commissioning & production, MTV UK, will executive produce on behalf of Channel 5, reporting to Frow, with Whizz Kid’s chief executive, Malcolm Gerrie & Katherine Allen acting as co – executive producers. Presenting & performing talent will be announced in due course, with the series expected to premiere in UK early next year. Based on the pop -culture phenomenon of lip sync battling, the Spike original series features celebrities going head – to -head lip – syncing the song of their choice. The original US series is hosted by LL Cool J and has featured an array of A – list musical combatants. The series is the most watched original series in the network’s history, averaging nearly 3 million viewers and has been re – commissioned for 20 more episodes in 2016.

LIBERTY GLOBAL UPS ITV STAKE

John Malone’s international cable TV company Liberty Global has increased its stake in UK broadcaster ITV to 9.9%. Liberty Global bought a 6.4% stake in ITV, whose shows include ‘The X Factor’ & ‘Downton Abbey’, last year from European pay TV operator Sky. “Given ITV’s operating & stock price performance, we were able to increase our stake to 9.9% with no incremental investment by hedging our existing equity position,” Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said. “This investment remains an opportunistic one for us in our largest market. ITV is a well run company with attractive growth potential and we are pleased to increase our position as their largest shareholder.” Liberty Global stated that it does not intend to make an offer to acquire ITV, although it reserves the right to do so in the future. Liberty Global has been steadily increasing its investments in UK. It already owns UK pay TV company Virgin Media and half of All3Media, which comprises a wide range of TV production companies, mostly in UK but also in US. ITV itself has been acquiring production companies in UK & US.

ZURICH FEST TO FOCUS ON NEW IRANIAN FILMMAKER’S

In the aftermath of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, the Zurich Film Festival will make Iran the guest country of its New World View section, which will spotlight the latest generation of Iranian filmmakers. The nuclear deal was hammered out in the Swiss city of Geneva. The Swiss fest will showcase a dozen new features & docus by young Iranian filmmakers, who “despite strict state controls & censorship” have taken it upon themselvs “to tackle & question in an intelligent & entertaining manner the burning topics & taboos occupying Iranian society today,” it said in a statement. While Iranian cinema draws international attention largely due to established names like Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi & Jafar Panahi, who won this year’s Berlin fest top prize for ‘Taxi’. Zurich aims to provide a platform for emerging Iranian helmers.

3 PROJECTS ENTER LOCARNO’S OPEN DOORS

Hassan Legzouli’s ‘Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens’, Mehdi Ben Attia’s ‘L’Amour Des Hommes’ & Nejib Belkadhi’s ‘Retina’ are among 12 projects to be pitched at Locarno’s Open Doors showcase, a co – production forum focusing this year on Africa’s Maghreb countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Libya & Algeria. Taking place 8th to 11th Aug, 2015 at the Swiss fest, the event will grant an Open Doors Award, worth CHF50,000 ($51,827); a €20,000 ($22,149) 2nd cash kudo and a new plaudit granted by a new initiative of European Union’s Med Culture program ICAM (Investing in Culture & Art in the South Mediterranean). France’s CNC film – TV board & broadcaster Arte will also offer prizes. 6 out of 12 projects are debuts. The rest are mostly 2nd or 3rd features. ‘Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens’ is the 3rd feature of Hassan Legzouli whose Celluloid Dreams sold ‘The Golden Calf’, a story about a disaffected teen, shared San Sebastian’s Cinema in Motion Award in 2012.

LOCARNO FEST REVEALS TITLES

The Locarno Film Festival has revealed 6 titles that have made the cut for its 1st look on Israeli Cinema pics – in – post showcase. Formerly known as Carte Blanche, Locarno’s 1st Look will provide Israel’s vibrant film industry with a prominent platform where directors & producers will screen their unfinished goods for buyers, sellers & fest programmers during the indie centric Swiss fest’s Industry Days informal mart. The selected titles are
‘A Quiet Heart’ (‘Lev Shaket’) by Eitan Anner, produced by Gal Greenspan (GreenProductions), ‘Ewa’, by Haim Tabakman, produced by David Silber (Metro Communication) & Ronen Ben Tal (Plan B), ‘Hope’ (‘Amal’) by Miya Hatav, produced by Elad Peleg & Haggai Arad (Daroma Productions), ‘Our Father’ (‘Avinu’) by Meni Yaesh, produced by Marek Rozenbaum (Transfax Films Production), ‘Sand Storm’ (‘Sufat Chol’) by Elite Texer, produced by Haim Mecklberg & Estee Mecklberg (2Team Productions), ‘The 90 Minute War’ (‘Milhemet 90 Hadakot’) by Eyal Halfon, produced by Assaf Amir (Norma Productions) & Steve Hudson (Gringo Films GmbH). These works – in – progress will be accessible to industry badge holders only.

DEAUVILLE FEST KICKS OFF

Baltasar Kormakur’s 3D adventure thriller ‘Everest’ is all set to open the 41st edition of the Deauville American Film Festival. Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Sicario’, which world premiered in competition at Cannes, will close the the festival. A Universal Pictures movie, ‘Everest’, which will also kick off the Venice film festival, stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson & Jake Gyllenhaal. Pic is produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner along with Kormákur, Icelandic’s biggest film producer – producer, Nicky Kentish Barnes, Brian Oliver & Tyler Thompson. Deauville is expecting ‘Everest’s “film team” to attend the premiere. Penned by William Nicholson & Simon Beaufoy, ‘Everest’ is based on the tragic 1996 expeditions to Mount Everest that left several climbers dead. ‘Everest’ will be released in US by Universal on 25th Sept, 2015. ‘Sicario’, written by Taylor Sheridan, is an action packed thriller starring Emily Blunt as an FBI field agent facing off a powerful Mexican drug cartel. Pic also toplines Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber. ‘Sicario’ was produced by Black Label Media & Thunder Road Production. Lionsgate will release it Stateside on 18th Sept, 2015. Deauville will run 4th to 13th Sept, 2015.

YMAGIS ACQUIRES FRANCE’S OLDES FILM LAB

The French commercial court of Nanterre has greenly the acquisition of Gaul’s 108 year old film lab Eclair Group which was placed under bankruptcy protection in Jun, 2015. Priced at $742,000 (670,000 Euros), the acquisition by Ymagis covers Eclair Group’s businesses, assets & holdings in France, Germany & Morocco. Ymagis will split the company into two subsids: Eclair Media SAS, which will be dedicated to content distribution & localisation services & Eclair Cinéma SAS, which will handle post production & restoration. Out of the 320 people on Eclair Group’s payroll, 233 will join the pair of newly created Eclair Media SAS, Eclair Cinéma SAS as well as the subsidiaries acquired. Eclair Group’s businesses will complement Ymagis Group’s existing “content services” division, providing digital content delivery to movie theatres and opening the group up to new developments in video biz, such as services for TV channels & VOD platforms in international markets.

WILLEM JOINS THE CAST OF ‘WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY’

Willem Dafoe is all set to join Noomi Rapace & Glenn Close in Tommy Wirkola’s sci – fi action thriller ‘What Happened To Monday’. Penned by Kerry Williamson & Max Botkin, ‘What Happened To Monday’ is a dystopian thriller set in a not so distant future, where over population & famine have forced Governments to undertake a drastic one child policy. It turns on 7 identical sisters who are being tracked down by the Child Allocation Bureau which enforces a strict family planning agenda that the sisters outwit by taking turns assuming the identity of one person: Karen Settman. ‘What Happened To Monday’ is produced by Raffaella Productions’ Raffaella De Laurentiis as well as Vendôme Pictures’ Philippe Rousselet & Fabrice Gianfermi. SND handles international sales while CAA reps domestic distribution rights. “We could not have dreamt of a better team with Tommy Wirkola directing & Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe starring to make this unique & thrilling movie,” said Rousselet. Marwan Kenzari, Christian Rubeck & Pal Sverre Hagen complete the cast. Vendôme Pictures’s Guy Stodel & SND’s Thierry Desmichelle are executive producing. The key crew includes Joseph Hodges, production designer, Jose David Montero, director of photography, Oana Paunescu, costume designer, Giannetto De Rossi, make up designer & Bryan Jones, VFX supervisor. ‘What Happened To Monday’ has just started shooting in Bucharest at the Castel Film Studios with Hester Hargett – Aupetit line producing.

VENICE DAYS ADDS ‘LOLO’ TO LINE UP

Julie Delpy’s return to French film making, ‘Lolo’, a high profile comedy starring herself & Gallic superstar Dany Boon has been added as the 11th competition title at the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days section, which is modelled on the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Delpy stars as Violette, a 40 year old workaholic with a career in the fashion industry who falls for a provincial computer geek, Jean – Rene (Dany Boon), while on a spa retreat with her best friend. ‘Lolo’ is produced by Michael Gentile with Wild Bunch handling international sales. “The presence of Julie Delpy gives us with 1 title 3 key elements of our section: attention for female creativity, passion for comedies & movies that mix fun & smarts and the special grace of French cinema,” enthused Venice Days topper Giorgio Gosetti in a statement. The 11th edition of Venice Days will run from 2nd to 12th Sept, 2015.