Category: International

MUMBAI: Singapore‘s Mega Media is all set to co-finance Vietnam Media Corp for its upcoming drama The Immense Floating Life that is set to be one of Vietnam‘s biggest productions of 2010.

Mega Media will provide 20 per cent of the financing for the film to be directed by Nguyen Phan Quang Binh. Mega media had earlier co-financed award-winning drama Song Of The Stork (2002).

The Immense Floating Life is scheduled start shooting on 26 November. The film is based on Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu‘s short story Boundless Rice Field, that won this year‘s ASEAN Literature Prize.
 

MUMBAI: Francois Macerola has been named president of Quebec‘s provincial government funding body Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC).

Macerola joins Canada‘s largest public sector investor in film and TV after quitting Telefilm Canada where he was executive producer.

His appointment follows a period of instability at SODEC after his predecessor, Jean-Guy Chaput, was engulfed in a controversy over excessive expensive, including a now infamous C$1,300 per night hotel room at Cannes.

Macerola has a long history in cultural affairs in Canada, most significantly during his five year tenure as executive director of Telefilm Canada, which is considered one of the agency‘s high points.
 

MUMBAI: Red Box Films has entered into a co-production partnership deal with John Battsek‘s Passion Pictures.

The first project to come out of the deal will be Marsh‘s next documentary that according to Red Box founder Simon Chinn, will be “classic James Marsh territory.”

The untitled project, that is currently on the floor has been fully funded by BBC Films, the UK Film Council and Icon Distribution that will also handle the film‘s international sales. The film is likely to be completed next summer in time for an autumn release.

Under the partnership, the two companies will concentrate on producing feature documentaries for theatrical release. Red Box will be based out of Passion Pictures‘ London office.
The Passion slate currently includes films like How To Live Now and Miranda Bowen‘s Nambia-set ghost story Skeleton Coast.

Said Battesk, who won an Oscar for Passion Pictures with Kevin Macdonald‘s feature documentary One Day In September in 2000, “The hope is that Simon and I, through our companies, will offer an obvious place for both international and domestic film-makers to come and get their films made in a collaborative way, as well as presenting ourselves as a team who financiers will have significant faith in.”

Chinn added: “John and I have a similar sensibility about feature documentary making and we are using James‘s project to forge a strategic partnership in which we will share projects and work together on all our documentary output.

“We are looking for stories that have the potential to work on the big screen not just aesthetically but also commercially. If we can find one or two big stories a year, that would be fantastic.”

MUMBAI: Singapore-based Media Development Authority (MDA) has announced a Singapore-China-Korea co-production, Neon Sign to be directed by Korea‘s Pil Gam-Sung. This is MDA‘s first project under its International Film Fund (IFF).

Set in China‘s Yunnan province, the film is comedic road movie about a Korean pop idol who flees to China to escape the paparazzi following scandals at home.

The film is being co-produced by Korea‘s Nabi Pictures and Singapore‘s Bang Productions with backing from Korea‘s CJ Entertainment, Beijing Polybona Film Distribution and support from the MDA.

Launched at Cannes Film Festival, the IFF aims to provide Singapore-based production and post-production companies with the opportunity to co-produce, or executive produce films aimed at global markets with international partners.

The fund plans to invest up to $3.6m (S$5m) per film in a slate of 17 to 20 projects including animation, live-action features and post-production projects.

MUMBAI: Fresh from the success of its micro-budget Paranormal Activity, IM Global unleashed its Octane genre label at AFM this week, kicking off with Brad Anderson thriller‘s The Vanishing On 7th Street.

Former Showtime executive Catherine Quantschnigg will run the division which was formerly known as IM Global Home Entertainment but has been refocused to handle sub-$10m theatrical fare.

Shooting of the film is now in progress on the Herrick Entertainment and Plum Pictures film that stars Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo.

The film is the story of an apocalyptic horror that engulfs the world following a mysterious blackout and is produced by Norton Herrick, Celine Rattray and Tove Christensen.

“We‘re finding that internationally the under $10m marketplace is being dominated even further by young male-orientated action, horror and fantasy product,” Quantschnigg said.

Quantschnigg‘s films include Bitch Slap, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, My Name Is Bruce from the Dark Horse graphic novel stable and Joel Silver‘s Dungeons & Dragons 3 and 4.

Meanwhile, IM Global will be fielding offers from buyers this week on Oren Peli‘s Paranormal Activity follow-up Area 51 that is expected to close a North American deal imminently.

MUMBAI: Fortissimo Films has entered into a strategic partnership with Korea‘s CJ Entertainment that covers co-production and library sales, and gives CJ a first-look deal for Fortissimo‘s upcoming titles.

The wide-ranging deal, announced by Fortissimo chairman Michael J. Werner and CJ Entertainment CEO Katharine Kim promises to give Fortissimo a firmer foothold in Korea.

In addition to the first-look deal for new titles, the partnership also enables CJ to exploit Fortissimo‘s library of more than 250 feature films across Korea‘s burgeoning new media platforms.

CJ owns Korea‘s biggest cinema circuit, CJ CGV, while its affiliate CJ Media operates cable TV networks and sells movie titles to video-on-demand and IPTV.

It is also said that the two companies said an agreement to co-develop, co-finance and co-produce a series of Asian-focused projects will be entered into in the near future.

“This is a multi-faceted relationship that has great potential to enable a wider range of titles from Fortissimo to be released in Korea,” said Werner. Although South Korea has some of the world‘s most advanced new media platforms, in the past few years it has become a tough market for theatrical art house releases.

However CJ CGV is attempting to expand this space by establishing a specialty films team and expanding its “Movie Collage” art house circuit.

MUMBAI: Magnolia Pictures has acquired the US distribution rights of Dagur Kari‘s The Good Heart that stars Brian Cox, Paul Dano and Isild Le Besco.

It also plans a 2010 video-on-demand (VOD) platform release under its Ultra VOD label before the film‘s theatrical rollout.

The Good Heart that screened in Toronto recently stars Cox as the curmudgeonly owner of a gritty New York dive bar who befriends a young man he believes should inherit his business.

Said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles, “We‘re delighted to be working with Dagur, who has crafted a tribute to a New York institution – the dive bar. Brian Cox is one of the best actors working today, and gives a dynamite performance that we‘re excited to share with American audiences.”

Magnolia‘s senior vice-president Tom Quinn, vice-president of acquisitions Dori Begley and head of business affairs Chris Matson negotiated the deal with Victoria Cook of Cinetic.

MUMBAI: Veteran musician Elton John, undergoing treatment after contracting bacterial infection, is hoping to be discharged from hospital soon and resume his touring commitments in nearly two weeks.

The British singer and pianist is reportedly keeping better after contracting bacterial infection E coli and a severe bout of influenza. He is hoping to resume his touring commitments in two weeks after cancelling a number of upcoming shows. 

However, while the 62-year-old star is planning to rejoin rocker Billy Joel for their joint tour on November 14, friends of the singer say that he may be out of action for a longer period.

John has been ill for two weeks but his condition worsened after which he was taken into an elite London hospital last Friday for tests.

MUMBAI: Matt Damon is in talks with Paramount Pictures to star in Ethan and Joel Coen‘s remake of the John Wayne Western True Grit. Josh Brolin, who starred in the brothers‘ No Country For Old Men, is also in talking to them for a role in the film.

Both Paramount and Oscar-winning writer-director team are moving fast on their re-adaptation of the Charles Portis novel. 

Damon would play the role that Glen Campbell essayed of a Texas Ranger tracking an outlaw with a gruff U.S. marshal, originally played by Wayne, who won an Oscar for his role in the 1969 film.

The story concerns a 14-year-old girl travelling into dangerous territory with the two lawmen in search of the man, who murdered her father, a role that Brolin would play.

Bridges and Brolin have earlier worked with the Coens before, but Damon is new to their team of actors.

MUMBAI: London-based film finance and international sales company, Intandem Films has acquired the worldwide rights of family drama Ways to Live Forever based on the best selling book of the same title by Sally Nicholls.

Ways to Live Forever, that started shooting in the North East of England earlier this month, tells the story of a boy with leukemia who wants to live out all of his dreams before he dies.

The film directed by Gustavo Ron, who also wrote the screenplay stars Robbie Kay, Greta Scacchi, Ben Chaplin and Emilia Fox is produced by Martyn Auty.

The ?2 million project is an association between Life & Soul Productions and El Capitan Pictures in Spain, with extended support from Northern Film & Media‘s North East Content Fund.

Said Intandem director, Billy Hurman, “We were immediately attracted to this beautiful, uplifting story and the emotional rollercoaster it takes the audience on. It is a pleasure to be working with such talented professionals as Martyn Auty and Gustavo Ron.”