NEWS BERLINBRIEFS


Paramount Pictures Germany hires Haas Paramount Pictures Germany has taken on Maike Haas as executive consultant for local- language acquisition and production. She previously worked for Disney and Sony.


Reel Suspects sells titles Matteo Lovadina’s new sales company Reel Suspects has sold Laurent Bouhnik’s Q to Green Narae Media for South Korea, Koen Mortier’s 22nd Of May to Italy (Movies Inspired) and Anarchy In Zirmunai to Italy (Atlantide) and Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Pro-Fun).


Scanbox snares trio Scanbox has taken on Scandinavian rights for The Caller from Bankside Films. Scanbox’s other pick-ups include 11-11-11 from Epic and David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method from HanWay.


Latido rakes in deals at EFM Spanish sales outfit Latido has announced a number of deals on its EFM slate. No Return, by Miguel Cohan, has been snapped up by Orlando Film for Israel. HBO has taken US pay-TV for thriller The Widows Of Thursdays. Free Birds has gone to Canada (Phase 4), Russia (CP Digital) and to Peru (Star Film). Teen comedy The Diary Of Carlota sold to Trade Film for France. Meanwhile, 80 Days sold to Scandinavia (AS Fidalgo) and Poland (Imago).


Cinéart snaps up Tomboy Cinéart has taken Benelux rights to another Berlin film, Panorama title Tomboy by Céline Sciamma.


Eco-terrorist doc finds buyer The Little Film Company has acquired worldwide sales rights to the documentary Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist. Peter Jay Brown’s film follows the 30-year odyssey of the radical anti-whaling activist Paul Watson.


FIAPF approves TIFF’s focus International film producers association FIAPF has approved accreditation of Romania’s Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) as a competitive festival specialising in first and second-feature films in time for TIFF’s 10th edition this June.


Origin/Film4 hook up Goldman, Stenham


BY ANDREAS WISEMAN UK producers Origin Pictures and Film4 are working together on features to be written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass) and play- wright Polly Stenham. Goldman is writing Anubis,


based on a short story by Skippy Dies author Paul Murray, a com- edy about two space travellers who are distracted from their mis- sion by beautiful women. It will be Yann Demange’s feature directo-


Doc & Film International has bought world rights except Germany and Austria for Panorama Special title The Fatherless (Die Vaterlosen). Producer Alexander Glehr (Novotny & Novotny) and Ursula Wolschlager (Witcraft) closed the deal with Doc & Film’s Daniela Elstner. Doc & Film also closed deals for Noir Océan by Marion Hänsel to Germany/Austria (Salzgeber) and France (Eurozoom).


Wide agrees US Mill deal


Wide Management has sealed a US deal for Lech Majewski’s The Mill And The Cross. Richard Lorber of Kino Lorber acquired all US rights. The film, starring Rutger


Hauer and Charlotte Rampling, also closed other territories at the EFM. Joint Entertainment took for Japan. Also, Wide House has sold


Goran Hugo Olsson’s The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 to Germany and Austria (Mouna). Geoffrey Macnab


Sex rises for Italy’s Rai Three


BY JEANNOH Japan’s Gold View has sold docu- mentary Yoyochu — In The Land Of The Rising Sex, about a 72-year-old pornographer, to Rai Three for Italy. The in-depth portrait of


Tadashi Yoyogi, aka Yoyochu, is directed by Masato Ishioka, who previously directed Tokyo Noir and the Venice title Scout Man. Producer Kiyo Joo said, “Yoyo-


chu world-premiered last year in November at the Rome film festi- val and I met Enrico Ghezzi, who programmes for Rai, while I was there. I gave him a screener and we signed the deal here at EFM.”


Yoyochu: In The Land Of The Rising Sex Gold View also sold Shinya


Tsukamoto’s Vital, starring Tadanobu Asano and Nami Tsu- kamoto, to Rai Three.


Buyers delve into Ruiz’s Lisbon mystery


BY GEOFFREYMACNAB Veteran producer and Alfama boss Paulo Branco has confirmed a handful of sales on Raul Ruiz’s Mysteries Of Lisbon. The film, made both as a TV


series and as a feature, has gone to Music Box for the US, Wanda for Spain and Swallow Wings for Taiwan. As already announced, New


Wave is aboard for the UK while Mostra De Sao Paulo will release


n 2 Screen International in Berlin February 17, 2011 Mysteries Of Lisbon


the film in Brazil. Alfama has been handling world sales, along- side Doc & Films International.


Branco reports that several other countries are in negotiation to take the film. Branco is now planning two


further films with Ruiz. One, a small untitled film, will shoot at the end of the year. The other, The Black Book Of Father Dennis, is based on a book by Camilo Castelo Branco (author of Mysteries Of Lis- bon), and will be on a far grander scale. The feature film will be shot in France and Italy in 2012.


rial debut. Origin’s chief executive David Thompson said of the project: “This is distinctive and appealing territory, with the feel of something like Sideways in space.” The two companies are also


developing a feature adaptation of Stenham’s Tusk Tusk, which she is adapting for the screen after its successful run at London’s Royal Court Theatre in March 2009. Tusk Tusk is the story of three chil- dren left to fend for themselves in


a London flat after their mother goes AWOL. Thompson said: “Polly is one


of the most startling and talented new voices in British writing and we are very excited to be working on this fantastic project with her and Film4.” Film4 has Submarine here at


the Berlinale, while Origin’s films at the EFM include The Awaken- ing (sold by StudioCanal) and The First Grader (sold by Goldcrest).


BREAKINGNEWS For the latest film business news see ScreenDaily.com


BERLINBRIEFS


Archstone eyes Biosphere LA-based Archstone Distribution has been talking to buyers here about My Own Worst Enemy Productions’ $20m sci-fi action title Biosphere, which was written by Michael Z Gordon.


Krakow festival adds prizes Off Plus Camera (April 8-17) — the Krakow, Poland-based festival which offers a $100,000 prize to a first or second-time director — is adding a Fipresci prize and a competition for best Polish feature for its fourth edition.


Berlinale boosts Africa fund Film-makers throughout Africa will receive additional support from the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (WCF) via a new programme which has been named WCF Factories.


Talent Campus alumni focus The Berlinale Talent Campus turns 10 in 2012, and will kick off the celebrations with a film programme in Berlin’s Arsenal Cinema. Some 28 films by its alumni will screen from April 1-7.


Abu Dhabi delegation has busy Berlinale


BY ANDREAS WISEMAN The Abu Dhabi Film Commission, in partnership with the European Producers Club, brought five UAE producers to the Berlinale. Producers Eva Star Sayre


(Grandma, A Thousand Times) of Veritas Films, Butheina Hamed Kazim (Letters To Palestine), Nawaf Al-Janahi (The Circle), Tim Smythe (City Of Life) and Amina Dasmal of London and UAE- based Alcove Entertainment (Cochochi) were all at the festival to discuss their market titles and upcoming projects. Al-Janahi is in post on Imagen-


ation-backed drama Sea Shadow, while Dasmal’s thriller The Caller, starring Rachelle Lefevre, has garnered good interest in the market. David Shepheard, director of


the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, said of the delegation: “They were received very well and had a full slate of meetings. “I’ve had a couple of meetings


with the sales agents they’ve been talking to and we’re quite confi- dent there will be some good news coming down the line.”


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