NEWS BERLINBRIEFS


BBC stokes Swipe’s Fire Swipe Films has sold UK TV rights for Beyond The Fire to the BBC, which will broadcast the film later this year and make it available on BBC iPlayer. France has sold to Pretty Pictures and Ireland to TV3. Swipe’s Frank Mannion says other deals are close. Maeve Murphy writes and directs, and Cara Seymour and Scot Williams lead the cast. The story is about two survivors of sexual abuse.


eOne welcomes Jesus Entertainment One has taken North American rights in all media to Red Om Films’ Jesus Henry Christ, directed by Dennis Lee.CAA packaged the film, which Reliance financed, and negotiated the deal with eOne. IM Global is selling international rights.


Germany to visit Zoo Distributor Neue Visionen has acquired German rights for Indonesian director Edwin’s competition title Postcards From The Zoo. The film is sold by The Match Factory.


Vajna: give Fund a chance


BY GEOFFREY MACNAB Speaking in Berlin this week, Hungarian film commissioner and troubleshooter Andy Vajna has responded to criticism from members of the Hungarian Film- makers’ Association, led by Bela Tarr, that film artistry and culture is being stifled under the Hungar- ian National Film Fund that Vajna now heads. “They want to handle the


money themselves,” Vajna sug- gested of the association. “It is all about the money even though it has become a political platform for them.” Vajna also questioned the tim-


ing of the criticisms. “We just started. Give it a chance to work and then you can object a year


Andy Vajna


later that we haven’t done it right.” The commissioner emphasised


that developing new Hungarian film-making talent is a priority. He noted that two of the first four films the fund has supported are from first-time film-makers.


Punchline opens with short


BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW Lucas Tothe of Wide Management and Memento Film International’s Sylvain Lagrillere have joined to launch Punchline Cinema — a move into production for the pair,


whose background is in servicing and marketing. Their first project is debut


director Loic Barché’s short film Where Are You Robert Johnson (Ou Es-Tu Robert Johnson), inspired by


Vajna also insisted that his own


taste alone did not determine which films are supported by the fund. Each script, he said, is seen by at least 12 people before a deci- sion is made whether or not to support it. “I am sure there are going to be


a lot of mistakes we’re going to make because we’re growing and developing… We’re trying to be supportive,” Vajna said of the fund, which has just started investing in new projects. The fund has received more


than 130 applications since it opened for business. The commis- sioner revealed it is establishing a film office to smooth the way for international producers shooting in Hungary.


the life of the legendary blues musician. “The idea is to make this first


short with Loic and then move on to a feature together,” said Tothe. They are also in the process of


acquiring rights to a feature- length documentary on stage director Robert Carsen, The Devil


FROM THE HEART OF INDIA... A heart-rending story featuring a physically challenged child prodigy


EUROPEAN FILM MARKET PREMIERE Feb. 15 (Wed) 4:30 pm @


Martin-Gropius-Bau (MGB)-Kino featuring ARJUN SARJA,


MADHURI BHATTACHARYA &


9 year old SANKALP


Isabella Ragonese Italy (Our Life)


Which director would you like to work with? It would be too many. The more I do this job the more I realise that the perfect director is the one you get along with on set, so the name doesn’t really matter as long as there is an affinity.


Is In The Details: Robert Carsen Directs Candide. The film, by Peter Friedman, is in post-production. “We want to focus on young,


upcoming talents and follow them as they develop,” Tothe said. “Our aim is to build an eclectic slate featuring shorts, features and documentaries.”


SHOOTING STARS INPROFILE: EFP’S CLASS OF 2012


AKK ENTERTAINMENT PVT. LTD. presents


PRASAD


PRODUCED BY ASHOK KHENY


A GIFT OF THE GODS DIRECTED BY


MANOJ SATI MUSIC BY ILLYARAJA


BOMBAY BERLIN FILM PRODUCTION : Katharina Suckale www.bombayberlin.com sales@bombayberlin.com n 4 Screen International at the Berlinale February 15, 2012


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