Screen AFM 2017 Day 1

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 2017

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TODAY

SCREENINGS

» Page 50

A FM RED JOAN CAST

DIRECTOR PRODUCERS STATUS

DAME JUDI DENCH & SOPHIE COOKSON SIR TREVOR NUNN

DAVID PARFITT & IVAN MACTAGGART IN PRODUCTION

RIDE LIKE A GIRL CAST

DIRECTOR PRODUCER STATUS

DIRECTOR

CAST

DIRECTOR PRODUCER STATUS

RICHARD KEDDIE

DIRECTOR

PRE-PRODUCTION

JESSICA SWALE

PRODUCER

GUY HEELEY

STATUS

PRE-PRODUCTION

STATUS

CAST

DIRECTOR PRODUCER STATUS

JASON SUDEIKIS, LEE PACE, COREY STOLL & JUDY GREER NICK HAMM

PIERS TEMPEST

I N PRODUCTION

McQUEEN

F E AT U R E D O C U M E N TA R Y DIRECTORS MUSIC BY PRODUCERS STATUS

IAN BONHÔTE & PETER ETTEDGUI MICHAEL NYMAN

ANDEE RYDER, NICK TAUSSIG & PAUL VAN CARTER POST-PRODUCTION

T YLER DAVIDSON

POST–PRODUCTION

GLENN CLOSE, JONATHAN PRYCE, CHRISTIAN SL ATER & MA X IRONS BJÖRN RUNGE

META LOUISE FOLDAGER, ROSALIE SWEDLIN, PIERS TEMPEST, CLAUDIA BLUEMHUBER & PIODOR GUSTAFSSON COMPLETED

SCREENING: ARCLIGHT 11 - THURS 2 ND NOV, 9 AM

BREATH CAST

DIRECTOR

DRIVEN

MÉL ANIE L AURENT

THE WIFE PRODUCERS

GEMMA ARTERTON

BEN FOSTER & ELLE FANNING

SCREENING PROMO: ARCLIGHT 6 - WED 1ST NOV EVERY 15 MINUTES FROM 9.30 AM - L AST PASS 11.15 AM

CAST

SUMMERL AND CAST

GALVESTON

TERESA PALMER, SAM NEILL & JACKI WEAVER R ACHEL GRIFFITHS

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STATUS

SIMON BAKER, ELIZABETH DEBICKI & RICHARD ROXBURGH

SIMON BAKER COMPLETED

SCREENINGS: ARCLIGHT 9 - WED 1ST NOV, 11AM BROADWAY CINEPLEX 2 - THURS 2 ND NOV, 1.30 PM

SUBMERGENCE CAST

DIRECTOR PRODUCER STATUS

ALICIA VIK ANDER & JAMES MCAVOY WIM WENDERS

CAMERON L AMB COMPLETED

SCREENING: AMC SANTA MONICA 6 - WED 1ST NOV, 3.30 PM

PLEASE STAND BY CAST

DAKOTA FANNING, TONI COLLET TE & ALICE EVE

DIRECTOR

BEN LEWIN

PRODUCERS

DANIEL DUBIECKI & LARA ALAMEDDINE

STATUS

COMPLETED

SCREENING: ARCLIGHT 5 - FRI 3 RD NOV, 11AM

CREDITS NOT CONTRACTUAL

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 2017

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Hedlund, Hall, Huston rev up for Road trip Netflix falls for Irreplaceable You In a multi-million dollar deal, Netflix has grasped world rights to romantic-drama Irreplaceable You, the feature directorial debut of Veep producer/director Stephanie Laing.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michiel Huisman play best friends and romantic soulmates whose lives come crashing down when one is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Kate McKinnon, Jacki Weaver and Steve Coogan.

Bess Wohl wrote the script.

Jonathan Tropper, Farah Abushwesha, Matt Kaplan, Brian Robbins and Laing are producing.

The Exchange was previously on board for sales.

Netflix snapped up Irreplaceable You earlier this year before seeing footage. The film will be branded as a Netflix Original and will debut on the service next year as part of the streaming giant’s monster 2018, which is due to include 80 Originals.

Andreas Wiseman

BY JEREMY KAY

Producer Cassian Elwes has found his next project with his Mudbound lead Garrett Hedlund, who is in talks alongside Rebecca Hall and Anjelica Huston to star in the drama Utopia Road.

Nadine de Barros and her Fortitude International team are introducing AFM buyers to the drama, which will start shooting in Louisiana on November 15. Elwes represents US rights.

Author Karolina Waclawiak, who co-wrote the screenplay for Tribeca 2016 selection AWOL, makes her feature directorial debut on Utopia Road, which centres on ageing televangelist Sissy, who aspires to become a household name. When her drifter daughter turns up, they plan to conquer the world just as Sissy’s estranged preacher son reappears on the scene, forcing her to question whether the sacrifices she made for

her career were worth the effort.

Hall stars in recent Toronto premiere Professor Marston And The Wonder Women, while Huston’s credits include The Royal Tenenbaums. Hedlund stars in Mudbound, Dee Rees’s race drama that Netflix will launch on November 17 ahead of a strong awards push.

Fortitude and Elwes are also collaborating on JT Leroy starring Kristen Stewart and Jim Sturgess, which shot over the summer.

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Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgard star in Dan Krauss’s The Kill Team, which wrapped its six-week shoot in Spain on October 20. The psychological thriller is adapted from Krauss’s 2013 documentary about a young US soldier in Afghanistan who disagrees with his sergeant’s tactics. Cornerstone Films handles international sales, and UTA and CAA jointly represent North American rights.

Bloom brightens slate with Shadow, Wedding

BY JEREMY KAY

Alex Walton and his Bloom sales team are kicking off talks here with international buyers on marquee titles Shadow from Chinese master Zhang Yimou and Destination Wedding starring Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder.

Endeavor Content, the recently rebranded entity comprising WME Global and IMG’s film and scripted series finance and sales groups, represents US rights to

both projects. In August, parent company WME|IMG — now rebranded as Endeavor — acquired a majority stake in Walton and Ken Kao’s Bloom.

Zhang is in post on the Mandarin-language martial-arts period drama Shadow, about a king who attempts to lead his displaced people out of exile, and those who play a role in his mysterious plans.

The cast includes Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai and Guan

Xiaotong. Zhang and Wei Li wrote the screenplay. Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Le Vision Pictures are co-producing; Ellen Eliasoph and Catherine Pang produce.

Victor Levin wrote and directed rom-com Destination Wedding, which stars Reeves and Ryder as wedding guests who despise the bride, groom and the event itself, yet find themselves drawn to each other over the course of three days.

Sunshine Pictures’ Gail Lyon, Elizabeth Dell and Elevated’s Cassian Elwes produce alongside The Fyzz Facility’s Robert Jones and Wayne Marc Godfrey, who fully finance the project.

The Bloom slate also includes Jake Scott’s The Burning Woman with Christina Hendricks, Sienna Miller and Aaron Paul; and Michael Damian’s High Strung: Free Dance starring Juliet Doherty, Harry Jarvis and Thomas Doherty.

TODAY

I Love You Daddy, page 4

NEWS Daddy’s home The Orchard closes a slew of deals on Louis CK’s I Love You, Daddy. » Page 4

FEATURES A super market The hottest buzz projects at AFM from sellers around the globe. » Page 14

Chinese changes The shifting relationship between the US and Chinese film industries. » Page 32

SCREENINGS

» Page 50

Golden Network tackles Jackie Chan’s demons Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia is launching sales on Jackie Chan action comedy Knight Of Shadows: Walker Between Halfworlds.

Directed by up-and-coming Chinese filmmaker Vash, the film stars Chan as a demon hunter defending humanity from an inhuman invasion. When an evil force starts kidnapping village girls, he sets out to save them assisted by his lawman protégé and a group of friendly monsters.

Produced by Kiefer Liu, executive producer on the blockbuster Monkey King series, the film is backed by iQiyi Pictures, Sparkle Roll Media and Golden Shore Films & Television.

It is in pre-production for delivery in 2019.

Golden Network is also introducing action title Golden Job, directed by action choreographer Chin Ka-lok (Cold War, Firestorm). Starring Ekin Cheng (The Storm Warriors), Jordan Chan (Ip Man: The Final Fight) and Michael Tse (Wild City), the film follows a Robin Hoodesque figure who supplies an East European refugee camp with stolen medicine.

Produced by Hong Kong actorproducer Eric Tsang, Golden Job is in production for release over Chinese New Year 2018.

Liz Shackleton

NEWS

AFM BRIEFS Mission can Imagine Mission Pictures International will handle international sales on Andrew and Jon Erwin’s I Can Only Imagine starring Dennis Quaid and Cloris Leachman.

Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions will release theatrically in the US.

Bening, Nighy mind Gap Annette Bening and Bill Nighy will star in Hope Gap, written and directed by William Nicholson.

Protagonist Pictures handles international sales and co-reps North America with CAA. The family drama is in pre-production with principal photography set for summer 2018. David M Thompson of Origin Pictures produces.

Collins joins Bundy biopic Lily Collins has landed the role of the former girlfriend of serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. Zac Efron plays Bundy. Joe Berlinger directs from Michael Werwie’s screenplay.

Voltage Pictures and COTA Entertainment are producing, alongside Michael Simkin and Jason Barrett of Efron’s Ninjas Runnin’ Wild. Voltage is fully financing with Jonathan Deckter as an executive producer.

Little Gandhi finds House House of Film has acquired worldwide sales rights to Syria’s first-ever submission in the Oscar foreign-language category, Little Gandhi. Sam Kadi’s feature doc centres on Ghiyath Matar through his life as a Syrian peace activist until his capture, torture and death.

Arclight Out Of Control for T.O.P. action thriller

Getty

BY WENDY MITCHELL

Arclight Films has boarded worldwide sales excluding China for crime thriller Out Of Control.

The company will show a teaser here of the completed film.

Axel Sand (Alarm For Cobra 11) and Richard Lin direct from a script written by Andreas Heckmann. The film is in English and Mandarin versions.

The cast features Korean pop star Choi Seung-hyun (aka T.O.P.) whose film credits include 71: Into The Fire, Cecilia Cheung (Shaolin Soccer), Michael Trevino (The Vampire Diaries) and David Cheung (Now You See Me 2).

The story follows a Chinese superstar (Cheung) as she attends Berlin International Film Festival and falls victim to a kidnapping plot. A secret agent, also her exfiancé (T.O.P.), has to save her life.

Cecilia Cheung and T.O.P. attend the Out Of Control press conference at the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival

“With the talents of pop superstar T.O.P. and the rest of the fantastic international cast bringing the film to life, this action-packed race around Germany is an edgeof-your-seat ride that is perfect for today’s marketplace,” said Arclight CEO Gary Hamilton. “Axel and Richard are a dynamic team who are exceptional in creating

big-time thrills and mind-blowing stunts. The film is out of control.”

The film is produced by China’s Wilson Qiu (Cloud Atlas) through his Dreams of Dragon Pictures and Germany’s Hermann Joha (Charlie’s Angels, Rush) through his Action Concept.

Huaxia Film Distribution holds the Chinese rights.

Louis CK’s Daddy goes global

BY JEREMY KAY

The Orchard has unveiled a raft of fresh international sales on Louis CK’s recent Toronto premiere I Love You, Daddy — led by deals in France and Scandinavia.

Meghan Wurtz negotiated sales on the eve of AFM and expects to conclude further sales in Santa Monica on the dark comedy starring CK and Chloë Grace Moretz that shot earlier this year.

Deals have closed for France (ARP Selection), Scandinavia (NonStop Entertainment), Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), the Middle East (Front Row) and Israel (Shoval Film).

CK wrote the screenplay from a story he devised with Vernon Chatman about a TV writer whose daughter attracts an ageing filmmaker with a seedy past.

The cast includes John Malko-

vich, Rose Byrne, Edie Falco, Charlie Day, Pamela Adlon, Helen Hunt and Ebonee Noel. CK produced with Chatman, John Skidmore, Dave Becky and Ryan Cunningham.

The Orchard will release I Love You, Daddy in North America on November 17. Its slate also includes Kings, BPM (Beats Per Minute), Thelma, Super Dark Times, The Work, 11/8/16 and Outside In.

Iceman sales cometh for Beta Cinema

BY GEOFFREY MACNAB

On the first day of AFM, German sales powerhouse Beta Cinema has confirmed a raft of deals for Locarno’s Piazza Grande selection Iceman. Rights have now gone to the UK (Bulldog), Spain (Festival Films), China (Lemon Tree) and Croatia (Discovery) with a US deal in final negotiations.

The film reimagines the last days of a Neolithic man who lived 5,300 years ago in the Otztal Alps.

Beta hosts its market premiere here today.

Iceman, written and directed by Felix Randau, was shot in an early version of the Rhaetic language.

Jürgen Vogel (The Wave) plays a hunter and keeper of the holy shrine who sets out for vengeance after his family is murdered and the shrine is stolen. It is produced

by Port au Prince Film & Kultur Produktion in co-production with Echo Film, Lucky Bird Pictures and Amour Fou Vienna.

The film is inspired by the reallife mummy of an iceman that was found by German tourists in 1991. Ever since, there has been widespread fascination among scientists and researchers about how he lived and died.

Iceman

SCREENINGS Thursday 2nd 11:30am – ArcLight 11 Friday 3rd 1:00pm – ArcLight 11

TRUFFLE PICTURES UK FILM - LOEWS Topanga Room, 7th Floor Caroline Couret-Delègue sales@trufflepictures.com +44 785 009 6510

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WORLD PREMIERE Nov 2Nd | 9:30 AM MoNicA FilM ceNter 2

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Global Screen GmbH Sonnenstr. 21 | 80331 Munich | Germany Ph + 49 89 2441295 500 | F + 49 89 5587619 106 info@globalscreen.de | www.globalscreen.de

MARKET PREMIERE

FRI | NOV 3 | 11:30 AM AMC SANTA MONICA 2 SUN | NOV 5 | 11 AM AMC SANTA MONICA 3

MARKET SCREENING

THU | NOV 2 | 9:30 AM ARCLIGHT 10

An action-packed, daring adventure in which clever kids turn into sharp investigators and follow the trail to an evil multinational corporation ... Surprising twists and turns keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Starring an excellent young cast, it is helmed by hit kids’ director Christian Theede (“Time Heroes”).

MARKET PREMIERE An extraordinary extraterrestrial animated feature film project from the producers of worldwide successes “Niko” and “Ooops! Noah is Gone …”, written and directed by Academy Award® winners Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein, “Luis” is a turbulent adventure for the whole family, full of hair-raising mix-ups and surprising twists.

COMING SOON A high-profile 3D animated feature film about a smart cat and her quirky friends who finds themselves in a biggerthan-life-adventure. Directed by Academy Award®-winning brothers Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein (“Balance”), MARNIE’S WORLD brims with verbal gags, action and adventure, and offers great entertainment for the whole family.

SAT | NOV 4 | 11:30 AM ARCLIGHT 10

CAPT’N SHARKY, based on a popular book series, is one of Germany’s most successful kids brands, comprising hundreds of merchandising articles. A daring adventure from family entertainment specialist Caligari Film about friendship and about what it means to be a hero.

MARKET SCREENING

SUN | NOV 5 | 3 PM AMC SANTA MONICA 3

Based on the world-famous children’s and youth classics “St Clare’s” by Enid Blyton, “Hanni and Nanni“ is family entertainment at its best, brimming with adventure, fun and music.

Laila and Rosa Meinecke give an impressive debut as the cheeky twins, and their parents are played by Jessica Schwarz (“Perfume“) and musician Sascha Vollmer (The BossHoss).

Contact at AFM Loews Hotel 6 th Floor, Suite 638 Phone +1 (0) 310 458 6700

GLOBAL SCREEN PRESENTS AT AFM 2017

SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

MARKET SCREENING

FRI | NOV 3 | 1:30 PM ARCLIGHT 4

Ken Duken (“Northmen”, “Max Manus: Man of War”) and “Game of Thrones” star Tom Wlaschiha in an action-packed, edge-of-your seat thriller, in which the two characters match wits and charisma, hurtling down the autobahn at breakneck speed towards a knock-out finaleo.

MARKET SCREENING

WED | NOV 1 | 3:30 PM AMC SANTA MONICA 2

This uplifting adventure, celebrating multiculturalism in modern day Ireland, stars Nikesh Patel (“London has fallen”), Sarah Bolger (“In America”), Colm Meany (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), Art Malik (“James Bond – The Living Daylights”) and David Kross (“The Reader”).

CURRENT SLATE The gripping and touching drama about love, forgiveness and the long shadows of the past sends its protagonists Jürgen Prochnow (“The Boat”, “The English Patient”, “The Da Vinci Code”) as the old man and Petra Schmidt-Schaller (“Stereo”, “My Life in Orange”), as his granddaughter, on an exciting road trip through a land in turmoil. Helmed by prize-winning director Nick Baker-Monteys (“The Man Who Jumped Cars”).

CURRENT SLATE Based on the novel by the world-famous French writer Marie-Aude Murail, this touching and entertaining buddy road movie stars two of Germany’s most talented young actors: David Kross (“The Reader”, “Tough Enough”) and Frederick Lau (“Victoria”, “The Wave”).

MARKET SCREENING

THU | NOV 2 | 1PM AMC SANTA MONICA 3

Inspired by a true story of a Russian agent couple living undercover for more than 20 years in Germany, LUNA’S REVENGE is both gripping drama and espionage thriller. Lisa Vicari (“Hell”) delivers an outstanding performance in the directorial debut

by Khaled Kaissar, the producer of “Stereo”.

CURRENT SLATE WHATEVER HAPPENS begins where other love stories end – with a couple’s last night together. Dutch Shooting Star Sylvia Hoeks (“Blade Runner 2049”, “The Best Officer”) and Fahri Yardim (“Nick: Off Duty”, “The Physician”) show outstanding on-screen chemistry. Niels Laupert („Seven Days Sunday”) directs this couple’s very last night as a rollercoaster ride through all the stages of a modern relationship.

NEWS

Finecut steps up for Shoes Korean sales company Finecut has announced a raft of presales on 3D animation Red Shoes & The 7 Dwarfs as well as additional voice casting of Sam Claflin and Patrick Warburton.

Sales deals for the fairytale parody include to Italy (Lucky Red), the Baltic states (Acme Film), ex-Yugoslavia and Albania (Blitz Film & Video Distribution), India (MVP), the Middle East (Gulf Film), Poland (Kino Swiat), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo) and Turkey (Fabula Medya).

Directed by Hong Sungho (Egg-Cola, Wonderful Days) who also wrote the original storyline, the film’s head of animation is Jin Kim (Big Hero 6, Frozen).

The $20m animation is produced and presented by Seoul-based Locus Corporation and it will be delivered in the first half of 2018.

Jean Noh

AMP pitches franchise potential of Tombiruo

BY ANDREAS WISEMAN

Ideate Media is teaming with international sales outfit AMP International to sell rights to Malaysian box-office hit Tombiruo.

The two companies will also look to sell sequel, TV and remake rights to the action-adventure film, which is tracking to become one of the highest-grossing Malaysian films ever.

Currently in wide release in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, Tombiruo is based on the novels

by Malaysian author Ramlee Awang Murshid. It tells the story of the titular character who, after being cast out at birth due to a facial deformity, is raised deep in the jungles of Borneo where he assumes supernatural powers.

The film is the feature directorial debut of Australian special-

Tombiruo

effects veteran Seth Larney (X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

“With Tombiruo, Seth and Ideate have crafted a uniquely Asian superhero. Its jaw-dropping action scenes are exactly what genre fans love to watch,” said James Norrie, director of global sales and acquisitions at AMP.

Ideate Media has acquired the rights to the back catalogue of author Murshid and plans to use his creations and characters to build an “Asian cinematic universe”. Tombiruo is a co-production by Ideate Media, Astro Shaw, Grup Buku Karangkraf and Layar Sunan.

Buyers move on Lodgers

BY JEREMY KAY

Epic Pictures has announced further sales on Brian O’Malley’s ghost story and recent Toronto and Sitges selection The Lodgers.

Deals closed in Italy (M2 Pictures), Russia (MVK), Brazil (Paris Filmes), Benelux (Premiere TV), Japan (New Select), Philippines (Captive) and Colombia (Cine Colombia).

Ongoing appetite for the film complements sales earlier in the year to Mexico (Sky Media), the Middle East (Eagle Film), Poland (Best Film), Taiwan (MovieCloud), Malaysia (Suraya), Indonesia (CGV), Vietnam (Skyline), South Korea (Unicon) and Peru (BF Distribution).

David Bradley and Eugene Simon star in the story about a sister and brother who reside in a cursed family estate. Epic Pictures produced with Tailored Films and the Irish Film Board.

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NEWS

Carnaby scales Redwood

BY ANDREAS WISEMAN

disturb a nest of hungry vampires.

The film, whose trailer has racked up more than 300,000 online views, will screen here tomorrow. The cast includes Mike Beckingham, Tatjana Nardone and Nicholas Brendon.

Paton said: “Redwood has received such a huge wave of attention from the genre scene that it really needed the right partner to

bring it to market. I couldn’t think of a better home than Carnaby.”

Andrew Loveday, CEO of Carnaby International, added: “We are enormously proud to be working alongside such a talented team on this picture. Following its world premiere at FrightFest, there’s been a real buzz about this feature and we’re excited to bring it to market.”

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Carnaby International has acquired worldwide sales rights to UK vampire horror Redwood, which premiered at FrightFest.

Directed and written by Screen International’s Genre Rising Star nominee Tom Paton (Pandorica) and produced by Brussels-based Stern Pictures, the film is about two backpackers in a secluded national park who

Here is an exclusive first look at Half Magic, Heather Graham’s debut as a writer/director. She also stars with Angela Kinsey (centre) and Stephanie Beatriz (right) in the satirical comedy about three women who fight against sexism, bad relationships and low self-esteem. Arclight Films handles sales and will screen the film today and Sunday. Momentum Pictures will release in North America.

Hishow finds the Money with STX

BY WENDY MITCHELL

STX International has struck a deal with China’s Hishow Entertainment to co-present Ridley Scott’s All The Money In The World.

Hishow will be the exclusive rightsholder and distributor in China.

C h a r l i e P l u m m e r, Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Spacey

star in the story of the kidnap of John Paul Getty III. Beijing-based Hishow was founded in 2014 as a film and TV producer, investor and distributor. Its slate also includes Hunter Killer starring Gerard Butler; Escobar with Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz; and Pierre-Francois MartinLaval’s $21m Gaston.

Premiere spreads Message

BY JEREMY KAY

Los Angeles-based Premiere Entertainment Group (PEG) is at AFM touting worldwide rights excluding select Asian territories to revenge action film Message Man starring Paul O’Brien.

The film by Australia’s

10 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Rhythmic Films and Indonesia’s HJ Productions centres on a former hitman whose violent past catches up with him.

Corey Pearson makes his feature directorial debut from his own screenplay, and served as producer.

AFM BRIEFS Soldier wows Finland Second World War drama The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas) has broken the opening weekend record for a locallanguage film at the Finnish box office. Aku Louhimies’ historical epic, the most expensive Finnish film ever made at an estimated $8m, drew 170,213 viewers across previews and weekend screenings for distributor SF. Beta Film handles sales and screens here today and Saturday.

Mars fires up T-34 Mars Media’s new international sales division, led by Mila Rozanova, is launching a teaser here for Alexey Sidorov’s $10m Second World War action epic T-34. The film is in post and producers include Mars and Amedia’s Len Blavatnik.

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Office: UK Film Centre, Zuma Room, 7th Floor, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel For sales inquiries, please contact :

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28/10/17 11:50

CHINA-HONG KONG BUZZ, PAGE 36

As the 2017 American Film Market kicks off, Screen highlights some of the most intriguing projects being offered by international sales companies

NORTH AMERICA

By Jeremy Kay Lionsgate International will kick off talks

on Anna from Luc Besson under its coproduction pact with the French filmmaker and EuropaCorp chief, who is looking to bounce back after Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets. Besson wrote and will direct the thriller about a mysterious Russian salesgirl who becomes an international fashion icon.

Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy will star and production is set for November. EuropaCorp’s Marc Shmuger produces and Summit Entertainment will distribute in the US. FilmNation will launch pre-sales on The Lodge, a supernatural horror film to star Riley Keough (The Girlfriend Experience, American Honey). The story follows two siblings and their young stepmother holed up in a remote cabin. Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, whose Goodnight Mommy was Austria’s 2016 Oscar submission, direct. FilmNation finances and is producing with Hammer Films’ Simon Oakes and Marc Schipper. FilmNation and Endeavor Content represent US rights.

STXinternational will launch sales on spy thriller The Red Sea Diving Resort, a true-life tale starring Chris Evans as a Mossad agent who extracts thousands of persecuted Ethiopian Jews to safety.

Bron Studios and EMJAG produce, and

Endeavor Content and CAA represent US rights.

Sierra/Affinity arrives with Donnybrook, a “backwoods Fight Club-meetsTrue Romance” story to star Jamie Bell, Frank Grillo and Margaret Qualley.

David Lancaster (Whiplash) and Stephanie Wilcox (Small Crimes) produce the film, about a military veteran who competes in a bare-knuckle contest to provide for his family. Tim Sutton will direct and BackUp Media is financing the project. UTA Independent Film Group handles US rights.

Bloom will be talking up The Burning Woman, a drama starring Sienna Miller, Jacki Weaver, Aaron Paul and Christina Hendricks. Jake Scott directs from a screenplay by Brad Ingelsby about a woman who must raise her grandson alone when her teenage daughter vanishes. Ridley Scott, Brad Feinstein, Michael Pruss and Kevin J Walsh produce and UTA Independent Film Group handles US rights.

Voltage Pictures arrives with Little Italy, starring Hayden Christensen, Emma Roberts, Alyssa Milano, Danny Aiello, Jane Seymour and Andrea Martin. Donald Petrie directs the rom- com about a young couple who fall in love despite a war between their families’ competing pizza restaurants. Vinay Virmani,

14 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

BUZZ Ajay Virmani and Pauline Dhillon are producing, and Cassian Elwes represents US rights.

AMBI Distribution holds worldwide rights to the father-son drama Trading Paint, starring John Travolta. Shooting just wrapped in Alabama. Shania Twain, Toby Sebastian, Michael Madsen and Kevin Dunn also star in the story of a dirt-track racing legend who is drawn back into the game when his son joins a competitor’s team. Karzan Kader directs, while AMBI produces and finances.

Kew Media (formerly Content) arrives with UK production Bees Make Honey, a flamboyant whodunnit starring Alice Eve that takes place at a Halloween costume party in England in 1934. Hermione Corfield and Wilf Scolding are among the cast. Jack Eve wrote and directed the film, and produced alongside AJ Riach through his Xploseve outfit in association with Flexibon Films.

Covert Media is financing and will be talking up The Secret, an adaptation of Rhonda Byrne’s self-help bestseller to star Katie Holmes as a young widow with three children who hires a philosophical handyman with a (Left) Bees Make Honey

(Pictured above from left) Visit Films’ Anchor And Hope (US), Raven Banner’s Trench 11 (US), Wild Bunch’s Where Is Anne Frank? (France)

hidden connection to her. Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama) directs from the screenplay by Byrne and Bekah Brunstetter. Producers are Robert Cort and Covert chief Paul Hanson.

Visit Films holds worldwide sales rights excluding Spain and Andorra to the recent BFI London Film Festival selection Anchor And Hope. Carlos Marques-Marcet directed the comedydrama about a carefree couple in their mid-30s in London who face a test when one of them wants to start a family. Oona Chaplin, Natalia Tena and David Verdaguer star.

Arclight Films’ slate includes Second World War thriller Triple Threat. The film is in post and stars Celina Jade from Chinese smash Wolf Warrior 2, along with martial arts masters Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais (The Raid). Jesse V Johnson directs the story about assassins called in to kill a billionaire’s daughter before she takes down a crime syndicate. Well Go USA has US, UK and Australian rights.

The Exchange has worldwide rights to Mary McGuckian’s A Girl From Mogadishu, a true story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, who fled war-torn Somalia to become one of the world’s foremost international activists against genderbased violence and female genital mutilation. Aja Naomi King (The Birth Of A Nation) and Barkhad Abdi star. »

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I M G LO B A L & O P E N R O A D F I L M S H AV E B E C O M E

REACHING AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD

SCREEN INTERNATIONAL - FP

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Toronto’s Raven Banner arrives with Trench 11 from director Leo Scherman and producers Tyler Levine, Isaac Clements and Martin Katz. Rossif Sutherland plays a First World War tunneller who leads a group of Allied soldiers on a mission to stop a German plot that could turn the tide of the war. Rounding out the cast are Ted Atherton, Adam Hurtig, Karine Vanasse, Charlie Carrick and Robert Stadlober.

Epic Pictures arrives with worldwide rights to crowd-funded clown horror Terrifier. Jenna Kanell and Catherine Corcoran star in the story about a maniacal clown who stalks three young women on Halloween. Damien Leone wrote and directed, and the producers are Phil Falcone and George Steuber.

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks will be talking up Paraguay’s foreign-language Oscar submission The Seekers (Los Buscadores) from Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori, the directors of Paraguayan hit 7 Boxes. The action centres on a 21-year-old newspaper deliveryman who happens upon a map that may hold the clue to buried treasure located beneath an embassy.

Double Dutch International begins talks on thriller A Violent Separation, about two brothers who struggle with a terrible truth that could tear apart their family. Brenton Thwaites stars, while Kevin Goetz and Michael Goetz direct.

Dan Clifton of Cliffbrook Films and Christopher Watkins of Catapult Entertainment Group produce.

Bleiberg Entertainment will launch worldwide sales on recent Venice Film Festival Horizons selection The Cousin from Tzahi Grad. Ehud Bleiberg produced the comedy about a well-intentioned Arab-Muslim handyman in a small Israeli village who finds himself the target of an accusation. Grad stars alongside Ala Dakka.

Hyde Park International will present promo footage from Alex Pettyfer’s directorial debut Back Roads. The screenplay,

by Adrian Lyne and Tawni O’Dell, is based on the latter’s novel about a young man from a secretive family who is in a relationship with a married woman.

Hyde Park will also screen The Seagull for the first time. Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan and Elisabeth Moss star.

Faith-based content purveyor Pure Flix/Quality Flix will handle Samson from director Bruce Macdonald. The origins story of one of the Biblical strongman stars Taylor James, Billy Zane, Jackson Rathbone, Rutger Hauer, Lindsay Wagner and Caitlin Leahy.

Boogie Man

Back Roads

St Agatha

The Little Film Company gives a market premiere screening to the completed rom-com Boogie Man from director Andy Morahan. Kush Khanna, Amy Jackson, Aston Merrygold, Jerry-Jane Pears, Roshan Seth and Nick Moran star in the contemporary story about a British-Indian teenager who becomes obsessed with an actress and all things from the 1970s.

(Right) The Cousin

16 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Shoreline Entertainment will be talking up the completed rom-com Another Time. Justin Hartley and Arielle Kebbel star in the tale of an unexpected journey that leads to a surprise outcome. Thomas Hennessy directed the film and Alan Pietruszewski produced.

MPI Media Group brings Downrange from director-producer Ryuhei Kitamura, about a group of friends stranded by the roadside who become targets for a sniper. Genco and Eleven Arts financed the production, which screens for the first time here at AFM. Octane Entertainment has worldwide rights to St Agatha, a horror feature in post from Saw franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman.

The 1950s-set story follows a

pregnant con-artist who seeks refuge in a sinister convent. Sara Sometti Michaels, Tara Ansley and Seth Michaels are producing.

Premiere Entertainment will be talking up Beneath Us to worldwide buyers.

The film, which screens at the market, follows a group of undocumented workers hired by an affluent woman and her husband to work on their house, only to realise too late they have become trapped. Lynn Collins, James Tupper and Nicholas Gonzalez star.

Film Mode launches talks on SparkeFilms’ sci-fi Occupation, which screens in the market and centres on a band of plucky survivors who strike back at invading aliens. Visual effects are by Sharp FX, one of the companies that worked on The Hobbit and The Matrix series. Dan Ewing, Temuera Morrison, Rhiannon Fish and Bruce Spence star. Pinnacle Films will release theatrically in Australia and New Zealand.

Spotlight Pictures will commence talks with buyers on Look Away, about a woman who enlists the help of an eccentric psychiatrist because she cannot see her mother due to a psychological affliction called selective blindness. Monty Whitebloom and Andy Delaney direct, and Lucy Barzun Donnelly and Alexandra Kerry of Locomotive Media produce.

Arclight Films’ slate includes Phillip Noyce’s Second World War action adventure Killer 10 from Thunder Road Pictures. The story is based on an idea by Arclight chief Gary Hamilton about convicts sent on a suicide mission to sabotage a chemical weapon.

Red Sea Media arrives with Heartlock, a completed thriller from director Jon Kauffman about a convict who tries to survive in a prison by any means necessary. Alexander Dreymon and LesleyAnn Brandt star and Veronica Nickel produces.

Arsenal Pictures will be touting Memoirs Of A Virgin Whore, a $5m erotic thriller from Blueshore Films about a young writer who develops an edgy relationship with a publisher twice her age.

John Singleton protégé Irwin Miller will shoot in Savannah, Georgia in March.

Magnolia Pictures International led

by Lorna Lee Sagebiel-Torres will be talking up The Gospel According To André, the recent Toronto documentary premiere about the former Vogue editorat-large André Leon Talley.

Saboteur Media arrives with The Wind & The Reckoning, based on the writings of Jack London. The adventure film will star Jim Caviezel and Jason Scott Lee and is the story of Ko’olau, the Hawaiian native who defied the US occupation. Shooting is set for April in Hawaii. »

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Duck Duck Goose

Zoo

The Climb

UNITED KINGDOM

By Andreas Wiseman Rocket Science will be talking to buyers

about Los Angeles-set crime-thriller Destroyer. Nicole Kidman is set to star as an LAPD detective who as a young cop was placed undercover into a gang in the California desert with tragic results.

30WEST will fully finance. Fred Berger of Automatik is producing. US sales are handled by ICM Partners and CAA. Cornerstone Films will introduce buyers to Chiwetel Ejiofor’s untitled directorial debut, based on the William Kamkwamba book The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. Ejiofor stars alongside newcomer Maxwell Simba in the Participant and BBC Films-backed story about a boy in Malawi who helps his village by building a windmill. Andrea Calderwood and Gail Egan produce.

For HanWay Films, Bill Nighy and Jack Lowden are attached to James D’Arcy’s feature screenplay and directorial debut Made In Italy. The comedy, set in Tuscany, is about a bohemian London artist (Nighy) who returns to Italy with his estranged son (Lowden) to make a quick sale of the house they inherited from his late wife.

Protagonist Pictures will continue to cook up deals on Benedict Cumberbatch drama Gypsy Boy, based on Mikey

My Days Of Mercy

Walsh’s memoir. Set among the Romany Gypsy community, the story follows the Walsh family, who were known for their prowess in the boxing ring. Backers include BBC Films and producers include Kevin Loader.

Bankside Films will hit AFM with Peter Strickland’s ghost story In Fabric, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Currently shooting in the UK, the film is set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period in a department store, and follows the life of a cursed dress as it passes from person to person.

Embankment Films will be in Santa Monica with Ride Like A Girl, starring Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill and Jacki Weaver in the feature debut of actress Rachel Griffiths. The film is based on the true story of Australian jockey Michelle Payne, who was the first female rider to win the coveted Melbourne Cup race.

18 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment will be talking to buyers about Sunny, set to star Sharon Stone. CAA and Endeavour Content handle the US sale on this story of a single mother hiding a dark career as a drugs kingpin and mob mistress.

Altitude Film Sales will be at AFM with documentary The Mystery Of DB Cooper, directed by John Dower and executive produced by Morgan Matthews through Minnow Films. The documentary will follow the story of a man who attempted a plane hijacking then jumped out of the aircraft, never to be seen again.

Independent Film Company will continue to tout Carol Morley’s crime drama Out Of Blue. Patricia Clarkson, Jacki Weaver, James Caan and Toby Jones star in the neo-noir drama about a homicide detective who is called in to investigate

the shooting of a leading astrophysicist.

Production is underway in New Orleans.

For WestEnd Films, Noomi Rapace, Sophie Nélisse, Eoin Macken and Game Of Thrones’ Indira Varma star in action thriller Close. Now in post-production, the film is loosely based on the experiences of one of the world’s leading female bodyguards, who is hired to protect a rebellious heiress to a billion-dollar company.

Metro International will be discussing the completed family-adventure Zoo. The film is based on the true story of a 12-yearold boy and his misfit friends who enlist an older woman in the fight to save Buster the baby elephant during the air raids on Belfast in 1941. Art Parkinson, Toby Jones and Penelope Wilton star.

Goldcrest Films will be talking to buyers about Being Dead, written and directed by John Meyers. It is an adaptation of Jim Crace’s novel about lovers who are brutally murdered when revisiting the site of their first passionate encounter.

GFM Films will have a market premiere screening of animated title Duck Duck Goose, featuring the voices of Jim Gaffigan, Zendaya, Stephen Fry and Carl Reiner. The family animation follows two young ducklings as they endeavour to find their way home.

The Works International will be in Los Angeles with BFI London Film Festival premiere The Climb, a documen- »

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MARKET PREMIERE SCREENING TODAY 1:30 PM - AMC Santa Monica 2

Screening also Tomorrow 3:30 PM – ArcLight 10

sales@minervapictures.com AFM – Suite 617-619 Loews Hotel

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Intimissimi On Ice: A Legend Of Beauty

tary about six female activists who take on an illegal ascent of the tallest building in Europe. Michael Woodward directs. Producers are Kelly Broad, Mike Morrison and Paul Harry Thomas.

Great Point Media’s busy slate will include Toronto title My Days Of Mercy, starring Ellen Page and Kate Mara in the story of a love affair between two women on opposite sides of the death-penalty debate.

Film Constellation will screen first footage of Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger in 1950s-set female relationship drama Tell It To The Bees, about a single mother who is dealing with the breakdown of her marriage when she falls in love with a doctor. The film is adapted from Fiona Shaw’s novel of the same name and is directed by Annabel Jankel.

SC Films International will introduce family animation Marmaduke 3D. The animated feature is a new adaptation of the eponymous Marmaduke comic strip and is set in the world of elite dog shows.

Fox’s live-action film Marmaduke, featuring the voice of Owen Wilson, grossed more than $80m worldwide in 2010.

AMP International is in production on post-apocalyptic thriller Riot Girls.

Set in an alternative 1995, two gangs are pitted against each other after a mysterious disease has wiped out all of the adults. Directed by Jovanka Vuckovic and written by Katherine Collins, the film will star Madison Iseman and Paloma Kwiatkowski.

Kaleidoscope Film Distribution will launch family animation Spacedog And

Steven Cantor’s untitled ballet documentary

Spacedog And TurboCat

TurboCat,, about the travails of loyal canine Buddy and feline vigilante Felix. The voice cast is led by Their Finest co-stars Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy.

Moviehouse Entertainment will be talking to buyers

about completed road-trip drama Rose,, starring Cybill Shepherd as a widowed excop who discovers she may have a life-threatening illness and decides to go on a solo road trip. James Brolin and Pam Grier co-star.

Carnaby International will have promo footage of iceskating film Intimissimi On Ice: A Legend Of Beauty. The film, which was shot at the Arena Di Verona in Italy and is part of the Opera on Ice

22 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

series of events, is narrated by Andrea Bocelli and combines opera and figure skating.

Timeless Films will be screening a new promo of family adventure Jim Driver Button And Luke The Engine Driver, about Jim and his friend Luke, who discover mysterious lands while on the quest of a lifetime.

Truffle Pictures will be debutPearl a ing Quest For The Silver Pearl, family action-adventure set to begin filming in Scotland in spring 2018. In the movie, from the team behind King a wild The Gaelic King, adopted boy leads his family on a hunt for a magical pearl, unaware (Left) Marmaduke 3D

that it is guarded by dangerous mythological beings.

Jinga Films will be touting horror thriller Ruin Me, about a woman who reluctantly takes part in an extreme event that is part camping trip, part haunted house and part ‘escape room’. The film has won awards at Nightmares Film Festival in Ohio and at Feratum in Mexico.

Dogwoof is handling a new untitled documentary project from director Steven Cantor, which follows prima ballerina Tiler Peck as she puts on a new dance series called Ballet Now. Elisabeth Moss is producer.

Parkland Pictures recently acquired worldwide sales rights to Montreal World Film Festival official selection Susu, a psychological thriller from director Yixi Sun, which follows a student who works as a film translator in a secluded English mansion.

Evolutionary Pictures has completed documentary Looking For Lennon, about the early life and career trajectory of the Beatle. Premiere Capital produces.

Genre specialist Devilworks will introduce The Hollow Child, starring Jessica McLeod and Hannah Cheramy in the story of a teen who fights to save her sister after she is captured by highly intelligent supernatural creatures.

Reason8 heads to Santa Monica with US thriller Women from Icelandic writerdirector Anton Sigurdsson, whose latest film, Cruelty, performed well in his home country. Women is now in pre-production, with a shoot scheduled for the end of November. »

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2017AFM_Screen_day1_EntertainingPower.pdf 1 23/10/2017 下午5:37

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AFM BUZZ THE LOWDOWN

FRANCE

By Melanie Goodfellow Wild Bunch will launch sales on two ani-

mated features: Ari Folman’s Where Is Anne Frank?, an adaptation of his own graphic novel, and Foxy Trotter, about the psychedelic adventures of a female rock photographer in 1970s Los Angeles, which Natalie Portman is producing. The actress-producer will hit the market for a special presentation. New live-action titles include Pablo Trapero’s La Quietud and Régis Roinsard’s The Translators.

Returning to AFM for the first time in years, Daniela Elstner’s Doc & Film will launch two US-focused feature documentaries. Alina Skrzeszewska’s Game Girls is about women living in extreme poverty on Skid Row in Los Angeles, while The Penalty is an exploration of the human cost of the US’s death penalty by filmmakers Will Francome and Mark Pizzey.

Playtime (formerly known as Films Distribution) will show first images for Fred Grivois’ action drama 15 Minutes Of War, based on a true story about the rescue by elite French forces of 31 schoolchildren taken hostage by Somalian rebels in Djibouti in 1976. The company will also be selling Spanish-language drama Gun City, which follows a police inspector’s efforts to track down a stockpile of stolen weapons in a politically charged 1920s Barcelona.

TF1 Studio is launching Daniel Roby’s adventure film Just A Breath Away, which stars Romain Duris and Olga Kurylenko as parents battling to get their sick daughter out of a disaster-stricken Paris.

Other new titles on the slate include In Your Hands, about a young troublemaker with a rare talent for the piano.

The French outfit will also show first images for Remi, Nobody’s Boy and The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir.

Elle Driver will kick off sales on Road Of The Dead, directed by Matt Birman, a longtime collaborator of the late George A Romero, from a screenplay they wrote together. It will also show first images of Eva Husson’s Girls Of The Sun. Golshifteh Farahani stars in the tale of female Kurdish fighters.

Gaumont will hold a market premiere of Alain Chabat’s seasonal comedy Christmas & Co, featuring the actor-director as Father Christmas in a race against time to save the day after his trusty elves keel over with a mysterious bug. It will also launch sales on Jean-Francois Richet’s The Emperor Of Paris, starring Vincent Cassel as Vidocq, the real-life 19th-century criminal-turned-criminalist who inspired Victor Hugo and Edgar Allan Poe.

Gun City

School’s Out

Just A Breath Away

Celluloid Dreams will show first images from Sébastien Marnier’s highschool thriller School’s Out, starring Laurent Lafitte as a teacher who gets on the wrong side of a group of nihilistic students. Hengameh Panahi’s outfit will also consolidate sales on Venice titles Custody, Lean On Pete, The Sower and Nico, 1988.

New titles on WTFilms’ slate include real-life drama Through The Fire, starring Pierre Niney as a former fireman left horribly disfigured while saving his colleagues, and cult director Quentin Dupieux’s retro comedy Keep An Eye Out with Benoit Poelvoorde.

At its first AFM, Charades will launch sales on Sarajevo-set drama Sympathy For The Devil, starring Niels Schneider as the late French war correspondent Paul Marchand; Chilly Gonzales documen-

24 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

tary Shut Up And Play The Piano; and feature-length animation The Queen’s Corgi by Ben Stassen.

Indie Sales brings to market Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s Belgium-set drug-dealing thriller Gangsta.

Hot titles on the mk2 films slate include Stéphane Brizé’s social drama At War; Christophe Honoré’s bittersweet semi-autobiographical love story Sorry Angel; and Eric Khoo’s culinary comingof-age tale Ramen Shop.

Other Angle will launch sales on Daniel Auteuil’s comedy-drama The Other Woman, about a man who starts fantasising about leaving his wife to make a fresh start with a hypothetical new love. The company will also show first images from Xavier Gens’ stag-party comedy Budapest.

Kinology will have market premieres

for Pascal Laugier’s horror film Incident In A Ghost Land, starring Crystal Reed and Anastasia Phillips as two girls whose personas are changed forever by a traumatic childhood event, and Xavier Gens’ sci-fi adventure Cold Skin. The company will also show first images from Terry Gilliam’s long-awaited The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

Recent additions on the Pathé International slate include Mario Martone’s Capri-Batterie, about a group of northern Europeans who set up an artists’ commune on the island of Capri just as Italy is about to enter the First World War. EuropaCorp will screen Olivier Marchal’s Carbon, starring Benoit Magimel, which recently world-premiered in Busan, and Fabrice Eboué’s comedy Coexist. It may also have first images for Taxi 5, submarine drama Kursk and Benoit Jacquot’s Eva, starring Gaspard Ulliel as a young writer who becomes obsessed with the mysterious Eva, played by Isabelle Huppert. All three films are in post-production.

Highlights of BAC Films’ slate include Babak Jalali’s US-set Land, about a Native American family dealing with the alcoholism and death of one of its sons while on military service in Afghanistan.

The Bureau Sales is launching Harry Wootliff ’s debut feature Only You, starring Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor as a couple who meet and quickly decide to conceive a child together. But their relationship is thrown into question when a baby does not arrive. The slate also features San Sebastian titles Sollers Point and So Help Me God. Versatile unveils South African director Sibs Shongwe-La Mer’s Sao Paulo-set thriller The Sound Of Animals Fighting about two brothers who flee South Africa for Brazil after a close friend is killed on a decadent night out. It stars Emile Hirsch and Alice Braga.

SND introduces the market to Christian Duguay’s adaptation of Jack London’s The Call Of The Wild, which is due to start shooting in Alberta early next year. It is based on a screenplay by Juliette Sales and Fabien Suarez.

Le Pacte continues sales on Dario Albertini’s Venice title Manuel, about a young man who, after spending most of his childhood in care, finds himself responsible for his mother when she is released from prison.

Titles on the Studiocanal slate include Laurent Tirard’s 1809-set comedydrama Le Retour Du Héros, starring Jean Dujardin as a sea captain opposite Mélanie Laurent as the sister of his fiancée.

She writes heroic letters to her sister from the captain to save her from depression after he is believed to be lost at sea.

But then he returns. »

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REST OF EUROPE

By Geoffrey Macnab, Gabriele Niola, Wendy Mitchell and Elisabet Cabeza GERMANY

Beta Cinema is giving its first big market

push to Trautmann, about German soldier Bert Trautmann, who was captured during the Second World War and became a sporting hero after playing in the FA Cup final for Manchester City with a broken neck. Beta has a promo for the film, which stars David Kross and Freya Mavor. Other new market titles include Eran Riklis’s thriller Shelter, Aku Louhimies’s Unknown Soldier and Iram Haq’s acclaimed What Will People Say. ARRI Media is coming to Santa Monica with a new focus on genre fare underlined by titles such as conspiracy thriller Lockdown and Oliver Kienle’s psychological drama Four Hands. The latter is about a young woman trying to get over both the recent death of her sister and the trauma of witnessing the killing of her parents when she was a child. Other films on ARRI’s slate include Tim Trageser’s family-oriented comedy-drama Help, I Shrunk My Parents and Manuel Flurin Hendry’s Mr Moll & The Chocolate Factory. The company will also screen 30 minutes of animated feature Ploey — You Never Fly Alone, which should be ready for the European Film Market in February.

Global Screen is giving market premieres to two animated features. One is Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein’s Luis And The Aliens, the story of a 12-year-old boy who befriends three awkward aliens. The German outfit’s second animated feature is Capt’n Sharky,, a big-screen version of the children’s books. Global’s liveaction features include Whatever Happens starring Sylvia Hoeks. The company will also hope to entice buyers with action movie Berlin Falling,, starring To m W l a s c h i h a Game Of Thrones).

(Game The Match Factory is focusing on its selection of six titles contending for the foreign-language Oscar, among them Fatih Akin’s In The Fade (Germany’s selection), Samuel Maoz’s Israeli drama Foxtrot and Argentinian filmmaker Lucrecia Martel’s Zama.. Other titles presented at AFM fresh from their Tokyo International Film Festival screenings are Mar-

Lockdown

garethe Von Trotta’s Forget About Nick and Semih Kaplanoglu’s drama Grain, starring Jean-Marc Barr.

Sola Media has been adding to its slate. On the eve of AFM, the company struck a deal to represent computer-animated feature Hodja And The Magic Carpet in multiple territories (excluding Scandinavia and the Baltics). Directed by animation veteran Karsten Kiilerich (The Little Vampire), the film is produced by M&M and A Film Production. Sola Media has also come on board to handle sales on Space Chicken in all territories excluding Latin America and the US. Based on the comic strip Condorito, the film is directed by animation veterans Alex Orelle and Eduardo Schuldt. Its Latin American release is being overseen by 20th Century Fox. Media Luna has new pick-up Virginia Casta, a Colombia-made romantic drama about a young woman so upset by a break-up that she tries to commit suicide, but ends up as an infamous social-media personality instead.

Picture Tree International will be holding private screenings of action comedy Dog starring Til Schweiger, in Hot Dog, advance of its German release through Warner Bros. The company will also hold the international market preRex the teen miere of Teenosaurus Rex, movie that has already proved a hit in Germany. Picture Tree will continue pre-sales on Clara van Gool’s Henry James adaptation The Beast In The Jungle.

Other titles on the slate include Alen Drljevic’s Men Don’t Cry and Swedish family film Monky.

(Right) In The Fade

26 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Becoming Astrid NORDICS

TrustNordisk has just boarded sales for Erik Poppe’s U, a drama told mostly in real time about Anders Breivik’s murderous assault on Utoya Island, Norway in 2011.

The company also comes to market with five films in production or post. Anne Sewitsky’s Queen Of Ice is an $8.4m biopic about famed Norwegian figure skaterturned-actress Sonja Henie; Marius Holst’s Congo is inspired by the true story of two Norwegians (played by Aksel Hennie and Tobias Santelmann) accused of murder in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009; Twin is Kristoffer Metcalfe and Erika Calmeyer’s drama-thriller about what happens when a twin steals his more successful brother’s identity; Pernille Fischer Christensen’s Becoming Astrid is the story of the formative younger years of Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren; and Swoon, from The Bridge creators Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, is a love story set against the backdrop of two rival amusement parks. TrustNordisk’s promo reel includes footage of the first four titles and mood images for Swoon.

LevelK has three completed films: family animation The Incredible Story Of The Giant Pear, which opened to strong numbers in Denmark on October 12; Christian Tafdrup’s modern relationship story A Horrible Woman, which had its premiere at Warsaw Film Festival; and Haunted, a Norwegian horror film that will be released locally on November 14 on 230 screens.

SF Studios has added Sunny Side, a film based on the Swedish hit TV comedy of the same name, to its slate. The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out On The Bill And Disappeared director Felix Herngren co-directs with Mans Herngren. The line-up also includes children’s films Casper And Emma At The Theatre and Casper And Emma Go Treasure Hunting, and action thriller Kings Bay. With 2018 marking the centenary of Ingmar Bergman’s birth, SF Studios represents more than 40 of the Swedish filmmaker’s works.

The Yellow Affair has three titles currently in post-production: Tony Simpson’s family comedy Kiwi Christmas, about what happens when Santa Claus visits New Zealand; Kerstin Polte’s German drama Cloud Whispers, about a 60-year-old woman who wants to break free from her old life; and Simo Halinen’s Finnish suspense drama East Of Sweden, starring The Ones Below’s Laura Birn. The sales outfit is also hosting a market screening of Maya Dardel, a drama starring Lena Olin and Rosanna Arquette.

ITALY

True Colours ’ AFM slate is fronted by new acquisition The Place. The Paolo Genovese-directed drama tells the story of a mysterious man who grants people wishes in exchange for favours. The company is also showing a first promo of Francesca Archibugi’s Couch Potatoes Potatoes, a comedy about family relationships, as well as first images from Jacopo Rondinelli’s

The Incredible Story Of The Giant Pear

»

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THE GRIPPING TRUE STORY OF THE LARGEST EBOLA OUTBREAK IN HISTORY.

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FURTHER TERRITORIES

The Warning

motocross thriller Ride, written and produced by Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro (Mine) with Lucky Red. Intramovies is kickstarting sales on feelgood drama Radiogram, about a father searching for a radio in 1971 communist Bulgaria so his son can listen to rock ’n’ roll. The Rome-based outfit is also selling spoof comedy Wacky Heroes, about two brothers with no special powers who become superheroes for hire in Naples. A pair of Italian films that premiered at Venice Film Festival round out its slate: The Ark Of Disperata, a comedy by Edoardo Winspeare; and Equilibrium, a drama about a smalltown priest fighting the local mafia.

Fandango is starting sales on Where The Shadows Fall. Directed by Valentina Pedicini (It Was Yesterday), the film is a dark story inspired by true events around the life of poet Mariella Mehr and the disappearance of 700 children of the nomadic Yenish people.

Minerva Pictures will be in Santa Monica with Killer Mosquitos, which Sky Television is producing. The B-movie horror centres on a group of youngsters trapped in a cabin by the titular insects.

FilmExport is launching two Argentinian titles: The Godmother, a black comedy about a housewife who becomes a killer for hire; and Soldiers Only Known

By God, about three boys whose lives are changed by the 1982 Falklands War. SPAIN

With a strong Latin American slate, Latido Films is showcasing Laura Mora’s Killing Jesus, a Colombia-Argentina co-production that premiered in Toronto and won prizes in San Sebastian. Set in Medellin, the film is a tale of revenge about a woman seeking her father’s assassin. The Madrid-based company is also selling (Right) Sarah’s Notebook

The Last Suit, a Spain-Argentina co-production directed by Pablo Solarz and starring Angela Molina and Miguel Angel Sola. The film tells the story of a Holocaust survivor living in Buenos Aires who decides to travel to Poland in search of the man who saved his life.

Film Factory Entertainment’s AFM line-up includes Sarah’s Notebook and The Warning, both in post-production.

Sarah’s Notebook stars Belen Rueda (The Orphanage) as a woman who travels through a Congolese jungle controlled by warlords in search of her missing sister. Norberto Lopez Amado is directing from a script by Jorge Guerricaechevarria (Cell 211). The latter also co-wrote the screenplay for supernatural thriller The Warning with Chris Sparling (Buried).

The Spanish sales outfit is also introducing Gold, a period film about the conquistadors’ obsession with El Dorado.

Agustin Diaz Yanes (Alatriste) is directing and the cast includes Barbara Lennie, Jose Coronado and Raul Arevalo.

The film premieres at this month’s Seville European Film Festival.

Filmax International’s slate again demonstrates its expertise in the horror genre, with the company screening market premieres of Muse, directed by [Rec]’s Jaume Balaguero, and Errementari — The Blacksmith And The Devil, the feature debut of Paul Urkijo Alijo that was co-produced by Alex de la Iglesia. Finished films on the Filmax slate include Cannibal director Manuel Martin Cuenca’s black comedy T h e Mo ti v e , which won the Fipresci prize in Toronto before playing in San Sebastian and Busan.

28 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

The Russians will be out in force in Santa Monica. Mars Media is launching its international sales division with footage from T-34, an epic Second World War adventure written and directed by Aleksey Sidorov and co-produced by Len Blavatnik.

Animation studio Licensing Brands is also launching an international sales division at AFM, with Juraj Barabas on board as president of international distribution. The company, established in 2014 in Moscow by veteran producers and distributors Roman Borisevich, Vasily Rovensky and Maxim Rogalsky, has five feature animations in the pipeline. The company will be screening footage from The Big Trip 3D, the tale of a baby panda delivered to the wrong address. It is written by Billy Frolick, whose credits include Madagascar. Other forthcoming projects include Two Tails and Princess In Wonderland.

Central Partnership is offering animated feature The Fixies: Top Secret as well as sports drama Three Seconds, about the Soviet basketball team beating their supposedly invincible US opponents at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

Russian World Vision will present dark family drama Strange, directed by Svetlana Sazonova, and fiery romantic comedy-drama About Love 2, the cast of which includes John Malkovich and Fyodor Bondarchuk.

Pim Van Collem’s Dutch Features Global Entertainment will introduce comedy Bella Donna.

Directed by Jon Karthaus, the film follows three women who try to complete their friend’s bucket list after she dies. Dutch Fea-

tures will also host a market premiere screening of rowdy comedy Ron Goossens: Low-Budget Stuntman, and continue sales on cyber thriller Silk Road, directed by Mark de Cloe and starring Olivia Lonsdale as a 20-year-old who becomes a successful drug dealer. The company also has two new titles available in AFM’s Screenings On Demand platform: Flemish drama Speechless and Marc Conen’s English-language feature debut Sunset Contract, in which the devil tempts a businessman into signing a contract.

Austrian outfit EastWest Film Distribution is presenting black comedy Killing God, about a gatecrasher at a New Year’s Eve party who claims to be the Almighty.

HNFF World Sales, the sales arm of the Hungarian National Film Fund, has action drama The Whiskey Bandit from Nimrod Antal, and Ferenc Torok’s historical drama 1945.

Serbia’s Soul Food is presenting Requiem For Mrs J, the black comedy from Bojan Vuletic, which is representing the country in the foreignlanguage Oscars race.

Warsaw-based Sonovision is bringing crime thriller White Titanium to AFM. Just before the market, Australian outfit Odin’s Eye took worldwide sales rights to US project Deadtectives, a comedy-horror from Daniel Posada (producer of TV’s El Chapo) along with Bad Idea’s Jason Tamasco and Jerry Careccio. Martha Higareda and Chris Geere star in the feature debut of writer and director Tony West.

The Fixies: Top Secret

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IN FOCUS US-CHINA RELATIONSHIP

Wolf Warrior 2

Going with the f low While China looks unlikely to lift restrictions on overseas investment following the Communist Party’s National Congress, there may be other ways for Hollywood to work with the world’s second biggest film market. Liz Shackleton examines the changing relationship

I

t would be an understatement to say the relationship between the US and Chinese film industries has been recalibrated since the beginning of 2017. The apparently bottomless well of Chinese finance that was flowing into companies, slates and individual films has slowed to a trickle. At the same time, previously high-flying Chinese tycoons with ambitions of conquering Hollywood, including Dalian Wanda Group founder and chairman Wang Jianlin, have had their wings clipped as the government puts pressure on big corporations to reduce debt.

Fortunately for the US studios, Chinese audiences are continuing to watch their tentpole releases — hits in China this year include The Fate Of The Furious ($393m), Transformers: The Last Knight ($229m) and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ($172m). But as Paramount discovered earlier this year, when its $1bn financing deal with Huahua Media and Shanghai Film Group

failed to materialise, the studios can no longer rely on China to finance costly slates.

In recent months, the pullback, which has left Hollywood scrambling for alternative sources of finance, has been blamed on China’s need to reduce capital outflows and rebalance the economy in the run-up to October’s National Congress — a once-every-five-years event that determines the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. After months of dwindling deal flow, the Chinese government finally made that official policy in August, when it prohibited what was described as “irrational” overseas investments in sectors including film, entertainment, hotels and sports.

Meanwhile, the government stated that investments aligned with China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative — a (Right) The Fate Of The Furious

32 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

development and infrastructure project aimed at repaving the ancient Silk Road trade routes — are to be encouraged.

Xi consolidates power But now the dust has settled on the Congress, which ran October 18-24 in Beijing, it looks unlikely there will be any positive changes for Hollywood in the short term. As expected, the gathering confirmed that Xi Jinping will remain in power as China’s president and general secretary of the Communist Party for the next five years. Indeed, the Congress elevated Xi to the lofty heights of former lead-

Now the dust has settled on China’s National Congress, it looks unlikely there will be any positive changes for Hollywood in the short term ers Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, as his philosophy — “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” — has been enshrined in the Chinese constitution.

While no one ever doubted Xi would remain in charge, it was his comments on economic policy during the Congress that should give Hollywood pause for thought. During his lengthy opening speech, his emphasis was on “quality” rather than breakneck growth that has often been based on overspending; addressing the country’s staggering income inequality; and helping wealth »

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IN FOCUS US-CHINA RELATIONSHIP

President Xi pledged to enhance internet censorship to “clearly oppose and resist the whole range of erroneous viewpoints” trickle down to the regions. Xi is well aware that China is grappling with a perfect storm of slowing economic growth, ballooning debt and an ageing population. This was not the talk of a man who would be happy to see billions of dollars flow overseas into foreign movies.

Also of interest to Western content and tech companies were Xi’s comments on cyber-security. In recent months, China has clamped down on live streaming, news services that don’t rely on government sources, and virtual private networks (VPNs) used to circumvent China’s ‘Great Firewall’. During his speech, Xi pledged to enhance internet censorship to “clearly oppose and resist the whole range of erroneous viewpoints”. So there’s no reason to believe the doors will be opened to Western tech companies such as Facebook, Netflix and Google any time soon.

Tech giants on alert Indeed, now that the Congress is out of the way, it will be interesting to see how a newly empowered Xi regards China’s own trio of tech giants: Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent. Unlike Wang Jianlin, who irked the Party with boasts of acquiring Hollywood studios, all three companies have downplayed their overseas investments into film and games companies, taxi-hailing apps, ecommerce platforms and artificial intelligence. But at home they are becoming increasingly powerful, especially with super apps such as Tencent’s WeChat with its 900 million users.

Chinese authorities have already reprimanded Baidu for publishing misleading medical information and Tencent for its addictive videogame Honour Of Kings.

Going forward, the question will be whether the government regards these companies as a potential nuisance or an essential component of a burgeoning digital economy.

But while Chinese investment is unlikely to ever return to its previous levels, there are some positive developments in the relationship between the US and Chinese film industries. China’s Perfect World Pictures recently closed a $250m credit facility with East West Bank and JP Morgan to cover the second phase of a $500m five-year slate financing agreement with Universal Pictures. In addition, STX Entertainment, which is backed by China’s Huayi Brothers and Tencent,

Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

The Foreigner, starring Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan, has scored $120m worldwide

Xi Jinping at the National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, where he was confirmed as China’s president and general secretary of the Communist Party for the next five years

recently scored a global hit with The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. Produced on a budget of around $35m, the film has already grossed $120m worldwide, including a respectable take in both the US and China. STX is now gearing up for an IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange that should value the company at around $3.5bn.

And then there’s the fact that Chinese productions are again enjoying box office success with Wolf Warrior 2 grossing $860m over the summer and body-swap comedy Never Say Die taking more than $300m over the National Day holidays. Partly due to the success of these films, China’s box office is expected to grow by 20% to hit $8.3bn in 2017, compared to just 3.7% growth the previous year. That (Right) Never Say Die

34 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

should make it easier for the US Trade Representative to argue during ongoing negotiations over China’s import quotas that local films are holding their own against Hollywood releases.

Indeed, films such as Wolf Warrior 2 could paint a new blueprint for the working relationship between the US and Chinese film industries. Although it was fully financed by Beijing Culture Media and other Chinese companies, the $30m film relied fairly heavily on Western filmmaking experience. Captain America director-producers Joe and Anthony Russo served as consultants on the film, and in turn brought in stunt director Sam Hargrave (Captain America: Civil War War) and composer Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Uprising Uprising).

Although it is an entertaining film, Wolf

Warrior 2 is not likely to travel widely, except for its curiosity value, as its patriotic viewpoint is too closely aligned to a mainland Chinese mindset. But as USChina co-productions such as The Great Wall have proved over and again, it’s difficult to make films that work in both the US and Chinese markets. Perhaps the way forward is to focus on co-financing and producing local-language content solely for the China market — if you can achieve a gross close to $1bn, you don’t really need to worry about anywhere else. Not that this is necessarily an easy option. The US studios have been trying to make Chinese-language films for several years with mixed results, so perhaps there’s a gap for fleet-footed independents, whose business sense may find more common ground with China’s young, fast-moving and aggressively entrepreneurial film industry.

We may also see more partnerships between Chinese and Western companies that focus on developing infrastructure in the China market. At least two such partnerships have emerged so far this year: Perfect World’s joint venture with Village Roadshow and WME IMG, and China Media Capital’s investment into the Chinese branch of CAA. With the exception of those deals that were primarily aimed at moving money offshore, Chinese studios’ interest in Hollywood has always been twofold — turning a profit and learning how to produce international films — and very few of the slate-financing deals signed over the past few years have delivered on either count. Indeed, for the foreseeable future, the best way to work with China may be to look at what can be contributed to the country’s relatively young film industry rather than s pondering over what can be taken out. ■

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BUZZ TITLES HONG KONG & CHINA

Action stations

Action films from major talents once gain dominate the top titles on offer from China and Hong Kong at this year’s AFM. Liz Shackleton surveys these and other hot projects

J

ust as the Chinese film industry was starting to panic about the sluggish performance of local films, Wolf Warrior 2 leapt from the sidelines to become the highest-grossing Chinese film ever, with a staggering $860m gross. Directed by and starring Wu Jing, the patriotic, Africa-set action title restored Chinese audiences’ faith in local productions and is likely to inspire a rash of similarly themed films.

The recent National Day holidays (October 1-8) provided further high points, with body-swap comedy Never Say Die grossing more than $300m, while Wong Jing’s gangster biopic Chasing The Dragon pulled in $85m and Da Peng’s City Of Rock took $65m.

On the festival circuit, Chinese cinema could lift its head high again with Wang Bing’s challenging documentary Mrs Fang winning the Golden Leopard at Locarno and John Woo’s Manhunt premiering in Venice.

Now that local productions are roaring back to life, expectations are high for features released during the peak box-office season at the end of the year. Films scheduled for December include Chen Kaige’s Japan-China co-production Legend Of The Demon Cat, which is based on a Japanese novel and set in Tang Dynasty China; Yuen Woo-ping’s The Thousand Faces Of Dunjia, which pits martial-arts warriors against aliens; and Dante Lam’s Operation Red Sea, about a Chinese Navy rescue mission in Africa.

77 Days

SELECTED PROJECTS IN THE MARKET

77 Days Dir Zhao Hantang Based on a popular internet novel that has racked up more than 30 million hits, Zhao Hantang’s directorial debut tells the true story of a Shanghai youth as he travels on foot across one of the world’s last uninhabited wildernesses, Qiangtang on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Zhao also produces and stars with actress Jiang Yiyan (City Of Life And Death), while award-winning cinematographer Lee Ping Bin (The Assassin) shot the film’s high-altitude setting. Production companies on the film include Zhejiang Red Coral Pictures, Dafeng F i l m s , We i c h u a n g Dongfang Universal Film & Television and Hantang Quang Ying Film Company.

Contact Michael Rothstein, IM Global sales@ imglobalfilm.com

36 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Assassins And The Missing Gold (working title) Dir Jeffrey Lau Veteran filmmaker Jeffrey Lau, best known for the iconic A Chinese Odyssey series, is directing this martial-arts adventure about a group of assassins attempting to track down a stash of hidden gold. Max Zhang heads the cast, which also includes Andy On and Ada Choi, while behind-the-scenes talent includes art director Lau Man Hung (Call Of Heroes) and visual-effects director Cecil Cheng (Cold War). Currently in production, the film is produced by Entertaining Power Co. Contact Grace Chan, Entertaining Power Co gracechan@entertainingpower.com

A Better Tomorrow 4 Dir Ding Sheng Jackie Chan’s long-time collaborator Ding Sheng is rebooting John Woo’s classic A Better Tomorrow series with this ‘heroic bloodshed’ action (Left) Assassins And The Missing Gold (working title)

title, which is currently in post-production. Starring Wang Kai (Railroad Tigers), Ray Ma (Ice Fantasy) and Talu Wang (Railroad Tigers, Our Times), the film follows the conflict between two brothers — one heading a smuggling operation and the other an up-and-coming star in the police department’s narcotics division.

Contact Andree Sham, Sparkle Roll Media andree.sham@sparklerollmedia.com

Big Brother Dir Kam Ka Wai Following their successful collaboration on Chasing The Dragon, action star Donnie Yen reteams with producer Wong Jing on this contemporary action drama, also starring Joe Chen and Yu Kang.

Yen plays a high-school teacher who uses some unconventional methods to tame the behaviour of his unruly students, until his ugly past returns to haunt him. Directed by Kam Ka Wai, who recently helmed the Wong Jingproduced action title Colour Of The Game, the film is produced by Super Bullet and Mega-Vision Project Production, and is currently in production for release in 2018.

Contact Angela Wong, Mega-Vision Project Workshop angelaolwong@mvphk.biz

»

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HOT PROJECTS HONG KONG & CHINA

The Big Call

pre-production, starring Donnie Yen as the legendary kung-fu master. Again scripted by Edmond Wong with Yuen Woo-ping as action director, the film follows Ip Man as he travels to the US, where his protégé Bruce Lee has opened a Wing Chung school, much to the displeasure of the local kung-fu masters.

Pegasus is also in post-production on a spin-off to the franchise, Ip Man Legacy: Master Z, which is directed by Yuen and stars Max Zhang, Dave Bautista, Michelle Yeoh and Tony Jaa.

Dir Oxide Pang Currently in post-production, the latest action-suspense thriller from Oxide Pang (Bangkok Dangerous) follows Chinese police as they attempt to hunt down a telephone-fraud gang hiding out in Thailand. Filmed in China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan, the film stars Cheney Chen (Tiny Times series), Joseph Chang (Wild City), Gwei Lun Mei (Black Coal, Thin Ice) and Jiang Mengjie (Sword Master). Previously known as Fraud Squad, the $12m project is in post-production for tentative release in China on December 8.

Contact Alvina Wong, Pegasus Motion Pictures alvina.wong@pegasusmovie. com

Knight Of Shadows: Walker Between Halfworlds

Contact Mia Sin, Universe Films Distribution mia_sin@uih.com.hk

The Brink

Dir Vash

Dir Jonathan Li

Invincible Dragon

Currently in pre-production, this period action-comedy stars Jackie Chan as a demon hunter defending humanity from an inhuman invasion. When an evil force starts kidnapping village girls to feast on their souls, the demon hunter sets out to save them, assisted by his lawman sidekick and a group of friendly monsters. Produced by Kiefer Liu, executive producer on the blockbuster Monkey King series, the film is backed by iQiyi Pictures, Sparkle Roll Media and Golden Shore Films & Television. Delivery is expected in 2019.

Max Zhang (Ip Man 3), Shawn Yue, Wu Yue and Janice Man star in this $15m action thriller about a cop who is caught in the crossfire between rival factions in a gold-smuggling ring. Currently in post-production, the film marks the feature debut of Jonathan Li, associate director on Overheard 2, Overheard 3 and Blind Detective. Soi Cheang and Paco Wong are producing for Hong Kong-based Sun Entertainment and YL Pictures, China’s iQiyi Motion Pictures and Sil-Metropole Organisation.

The film is scheduled for Hong Kong release on November 23.

Contact Clarence Tang, Golden Network Asia clarence@goldnetasia.com

Contact Queenie Li, Bravos Pictures queenie.li@bravospictures.com

Detective Chinatown II

The Big Call

Dir Chen Sicheng The sequel to Wanda Pictures’ 2015 hit action comedy Detective Chinatown again stars Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, but this time US actor Michael Pitt (Ghost In The Shell) and Japan’s Satoshi Tsumabuki (The Assassin) are also joining the cast. Chen Sicheng, who helmed the first instalment, returns to direct.

The story revolves around a wedding in New York that turns into a competition to find the missing godfather of the city’s Chinatown. Currently in production, the film is scheduled for release over Chinese New Year in February 2018.

Contact Dian Song, Wanda Pictures diansong@ wanda.com.cn

Detective Dee And The Four Heavenly Kings Dir Tsui Hark The third film in Huayi Brothers’ blockbuster Detective Dee franchise reunites the cast of the second instalment: Mark Chao, Feng Shaofeng, Lin Gengxin and Carina Lau. The story follows the titular crime-fighter as he battles a supernatural crimewave while defending himself against accusations of wrongdoing from his most formidable opponent, Empress Wu. Currently in production, the film is being lined up for release in July 2018.

(Right) The Brink

38 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Contact Michael Rothstein, IM Global sales@ imglobalfilm.com

Invincible Dragon Dir Fruit Chan Max Zhang and mixed martial artist Anderson Silva star in Fruit Chan’s $12m action film about a detective on the trail of a serial killer who may have abducted his fiancée. Produced by Pegasus Motion Pictures, the film is currently in post-production after shooting in Hong Kong and Macau. Key crew also includes DoP Cheng Siu Keung (Election) and action director Stephen Tung Wei (Operation Mekong).

Contact Alvina Wong, Pegasus Motion Pictures alvina.wong@pegasusmovie. com

Ip Man 4 Dir Wilson Yip The team behind the blockbuster Ip Man series is reteaming for a fourth instalment in the franchise, currently in

Monster Hunt 2

Monster Hunt 2 Dir Raman Hui The sequel to the 2015 blockbuster fantasy adventure, which grossed more than $400m worldwide, Monster Hunt 2 reunites the stars of the first instalment, Jing Boran and Bai Baihe, while Tony Leung Chiu-wai (The Grandmaster) has also joined the cast. The story follows the baby monster king Wuba as he faces another threat from the dark lord who plots to overthrow the empire. The film is being readied for release over Chinese New Year in February 2018.

Contact Julian Chiu, Edko Films chiujulian@edkofilms.com.hk

»

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HOT PROJECTS HONG KONG & CHINA

Namiya

Lee, Zhou Dongyu, Dong Chengpeng (aka Da Peng) and Ni Ni. Set during the Northern Song Dynasty, the story follows a band of martial-arts warriors who secretly protect the human race from evil outer-space creatures. The film is in post-production for release in midDecember.

Dir Han Jie An adaptation of Japanese author Keigo Higashino’s bestselling novel Miracles Of The Namiya General Store, this fantasy-drama stars Karry Wang (The Great Wall), Dilraba Dilmurat (Mr Pride Vs Miss Prejudice), Dong Zijian (Duckweed) and Lee Hong-chi (City Of Rock), with Jackie Chan making a special appearance. Directed by Han Jie (Mr Tree), the film revolves around three orphans who hide in a derelict store.

Contact Virginia Leung, Distribution Workshop virginia@ distributionworkshop.com

The Trough Dir Nick Cheung

Contact Raymond Liu, Emperor Motion Pictures raymondliu@emperorgroup. com

Old Beast

Old Beast

Dir Zhou Ziyang Produced by Wang Xiaoshuai and Liu Xuan, this award-winning drama follows a man in his 60s who is kidnapped by his own children when he loses the money intended for his wife’s surgery.

Zhou Ziyang made his narrative feature debut on the film, which premiered at this year’s First International Film Festival, Xining. The film recently played in competition at Tokyo International Film Festival. Wang and Liu previously worked together as director and producer on Red Amnesia.

Contact Christy Choi, One Cool Pictures christy@onecoolfilm.com

When Robbers Meet The Monster Dir Andrew Lau Operation Red Sea

Contact Julian Chiu, Edko Films chiujulian@edkofilms.com.hk

Once Upon A Time In The Northeast Dir Kong Ergou Currently in post-production, this drama revolves around a nightclub manager whose entanglement with a beautiful girl in the north west of China leads to exile, murder, imprisonment and eventually redemption. The cast is headed by Xia Yu (Mojin — The Lost Legend), Hu Jun (Firestorm) and Zhang Jingchu (The Adventurers). Director Kong Ergou was previously an associate producer on John Woo’s The Crossing and executive producer on Dayyan Eng’s Wished.

Contact Fred Tsui, Media Asia frederick_tsui@mediaasia.com

Operation Red Sea Dir Dante Lam Following 2016 military-themed hit Operation Mekong, Dante Lam is tackling a story about the Chinese Navy’s attempt to rescue a group of Chinese hostages caught up in a coup in a North African republic. Zhang Yi, Huang Jingyu, Hai Qing and Du Jiang head the cast of the $72m action drama, which also features Zhang Hanyu in a special

Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung’s third film as director following Ghost Rituals and Keeper Of Darkness, The Trough follows an undercover cop who unveils collusion between the highest level of government and the triads. Cheung also stars in the $22m action title, along with Chinese actresses Xu Jinglei and Yu Nan. Currently in post-production, the film is being lined up for release in the first half of 2018.

appearance. Currently in post-production, the film is being scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Theory Of Ambitions

Contact Raymond Liu, Emperor Motion Pictures raymondliu@emperorgroup. com

Following their collaboration on awardwinning drama Port Of Call, Hong Kong director Philip Yung is reteaming with star Aaron Kwok on this $38m crimeaction drama, which also stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Jennifer Du. Currently in production, the film is based on the true story of a group of corrupt cops in Hong Kong in the 1960s when the city was still under British colonial rule.

Out Of Control Dirs Axel Sand, Richard Lin Produced by Germany’s Hermann Joha (Fast Track: No Limits) and China’s Wilson Qiu (Cloud Atlas), this action thriller stars Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung as a Chinese superstar who falls victim to a kidnapping plot while attending Berlin International Film Festival. Korean star Choi Seunghyun (aka T.O.P.) plays the secret agent attempting to save her, while the cast also includes Michael Trevino and David Cheung. Arclight Films is handling sales and will be screening the film here at AFM. Contact Elliot Tong, Arclight Films elliot@ arclightfilms. com

40 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Dir Philip Yung

Contact Sara Law, Mei Ah Entertainment sara@meiah.com

The Thousand Faces Of Dunjia Dir Yuen Woo-ping Tsui Hark and Nansun Shi are producing this martial-arts action fantasy directed by Yuen Woo -ping and starring Aarif (Left) Yao Yao Ling (Working Title)

Louis Koo, Cheney Chen, Bao Bei Er and Zhou Dongyu star in this fantasy-action title, directed by Andrew Lau, whose credits include Revenge Of The Green Dragons and the Infernal Affairs series.

Currently in post-production, the film revolves around a gang of bandits who plan to break into an official’s residence to take back what he has stolen from the people, only to be spied on by a mysterious monster.

Contact Fred Tsui, Media Asia frederick_tsui@mediaasia.com

Yao Yao Ling (working title) Dir Sandra Ng Actress-comedian Sandra Ng makes her directorial debut with this $20m comedy, in which she also stars with a large ensemble cast, including Francis Ng, Alex Fong, Zhang Yi and Yue Yunpeng.

Produced by Peter Ho-sun Chan, the film revolves around the tenants of a dilapidated multi-storey residence who haven’t stepped outside the building for years due to fears they will be locked out of their homes by ruthless property developers. When the building becomes haunted, they hire a ghostbuster to perform an exorcism. Currently in post-production, the film is scheduled for release on December 29.

Contact Alice Lin, We Distribution s alice@wedistribution.com ■

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23.10.17 15:13

HOT PROJECTS TAIWAN

Golden riders

The opening and closing night films from this month’s Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival are among the buzz titles from Taiwan at this year’s American Film Market. Silvia Wong reports maker Sylvia Chang and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s regular producer-editor Liao Ching-sung as producers. The crime mystery revolves around the investigation of a fisherman’s selfimmolation during a protest against a petrochemical plant. Scripted by Wang Li-wen (Forever Love), the project won three awards at the 2013 Golden Horse Film Project Promotion. The cast features 2016 Golden Bell Awards best actor Wu Kang-ren, 2011 Golden Horse best supporting actor Bokeh Kosang and rising actress Yao Yi-ti.

Alifu, The Prince/ss

Alifu, The Prince/ss Dir Wang Yu-lin High Flash

Title character Alifu lives with the pressure of being the only son of an aboriginal chief, but Alifu’s overwhelming desire is to become a woman. This LGBT-themed film had its world premiere in Tokyo International Film Festival’s Asian Future section and has received two nominations at this month’s Golden Horse Awards (best supporting actor for Chen Zhu-sheng and best original screenplay). Wang’s 2010 debut feature Seven Days In Heaven earned prizes at Taipei Film Festival and the Golden Horse Awards.

Contact Enga Chang, Activator Marketing Licensing enga.chang@gmail.com

On Happiness Road Dir Sung Hsin-yin

Contact Swallow Wings pacificoceansy@gmail.com A Family Tour

The Bold, The Corrupt And The Beautiful Dir Yang Ya-che In a departure from his previous coming-of-age dramas, the latest film from Gf*Bf director Yang is a crime mystery revolving around three generations of women who run an antiques business as a front for a money-laundering operation. In addition to being the opening film at this month’s Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, it has earned seven nominations at the upcoming Golden Horse Awards, including best film, best director and best original screenplay for Yang, best actress for veteran Hong Kong actress Kara Wai and best supporting actress for 14-year-old newcomer Vicky Chen.

Contact Desmond Yang, MandarinVision desmond@mandarinvision.com

A Family Tour Dir Ying Liang A Family Tour reunites Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-based director Ying with his

leading lady Nai An from When Night Falls, which won them best director and best actress prizes at Locarno Film Festival in 2012. The semi-autobiographical A Family Tour is about a Chinese director in exile in Hong Kong who meets her long-separated mother from China when they both travel to Taiwan on a tour. Filmed mainly in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan with the support of Kaohsiung Film Fund, the film features Gong Zhe (You And Me) and Malaysian composer-actor Pete Teo alongside Nai, who is also a frequent producer for Chinese auteur Lou Ye. Contact Felix Tsang, Golden Scene felix@goldenscene.com

Father To Son Dir Hsiao Ya-chuan Produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Hsiao’s third film is a family drama about an ail(Right) On Happiness Road

44 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

ing 60-year-old man who, accompanied by his son, travels to Japan to look for the father who abandoned him 50 years earlier. The cast includes veteran actor Michael JQ Huang and rising talents Chuang Kai-hsun and Fu Meng-po.

Hsiao’s debut feature Mirror Image premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2001 and won prizes at festivals including Thessaloniki and Torino. His recent credits are 2010’s Taipei Exchanges and a segment of 2011 Taiwanese omnibus film 10+10.

Contact June Wu, Ablaze Image info@ablazeimage.com

High Flash Dir Chuang Ching-shen Chuang’s feature debut boasts a strong production team, with Ma Tien-tsung ( Ju m p A s h i n ! ), renowned Taiwanese film-

Sung’s first animation feature follows a young woman who returns to Taiwan for her grandmother’s funeral after living in the US for years. She embarks on a trip down memory lane, contemplating the meaning of home and happiness. The project won the top prize at the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion in 2013 and will be the closing film at Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival later this month. The voice cast includes renowned actress Gwei Lun-mei and Cape No. 7 director Wei Te-sheng.

Contact June Wu, Ablaze Image info@ablazeimage.com

Ten Years Taiwan Dirs Rina B Tsou, Lau Kek Huat, Lekal Sumi, Hsieh Pei-ju, Lu Po-shun Produced by James Liu’s Joint Entertainment, Ten Years Taiwan is the first of the Ten Years International projects to have completed filming and is currently in post-production. Like the original Ten Years (2015) from Hong Kong, the Taiwan version is an omnibus film by five new directors who envision crucial issues facing society in the next decade.

These include environmental disaster for Taiwan’s indigenous population, the systematic exploitation of immigrant workers, and the loss of culture and declining birth rate leading to an explosion in virtual-reality escapism.

Contact Lorraine Ma, Ten Years Studio s lorraine@tenyearsstudio.com ■

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IN FOCUS AMERICAN FILM MARKET

Market moves

While Harvey Weinstein and the fate of TWC looks set to dominate AFM conversations, the rapidly evolving landscape and increasing role of agencies are sure to be hot topics, as industry executives tell Jeremy Kay

This year’s AFM takes place against a backdrop of high-profile scandal and an industry landscape in flux

N

o prizes for guessing who will be the talk of AFM. In the past Harvey Weinstein would have welcomed the attention but now, buckling under the weight of multiple sex-abuse allegations and under investigation from police in London, Los Angeles and New York, he faces scrutiny of a far graver nature. As the disgraced former Hollywood mogul — who “unequivocally” denies all claims of non-consensual sex — sues The Weinstein Company (TWC) for access to his personnel files and emails, of more urgent significance for market attendees is the fate of TWC itself.

The venture that Weinstein launched in 2005 with his brother and Miramax co-founder Bob — who himself has rebutted an accusation of sexual harassment — is a tainted brand. Colony Capital has withdrawn from the hunt and will not buy TWC, while Fortress Investment Group is understood to have offered a $35m bridge loan against the library.

Despite a subdued profile at the last few markets, TWC has been a trusted supplier of commercial and prestige fare to the international sales arena for the better part of a decade. Such is the demand for quality titles that, even after the Weinstein allegations surfaced, international acquisitions executives who had heard rumours of Weinstein’s bad behaviour

for years declined to go on the record despite privately expressing alarm and disgust.

Now it falls on TWC COO and president David Glasser, who recently dismissed an article in the trade press that referred to a history of legal issues in his past, to assure buyers the soon-to-berebranded company will live to fight another day in some form or other.

Glasser and his head of sales Ennis Hensley will no doubt be ensconced in difficult conversations with buyers.

However on the eve of AFM, there was no evidence of a TWC office in the Loews or elsewhere in Santa Monica.

As one buyer told Screen: “There is no new product there right now. They have been slow for a while. Let’s see who will take over the reins. Harvey was the company, and a company without him is a whole other ball game. This ‘new TWC’ will have to establish and prove itself. Companies are about the people; they are nothing but an empty name after the principal leaves. So it all depends who will take over the ship and if they will be able to deliver quality films.”

(Right) TWC president David Glasser

46 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Producers and financiers on films that TWC is scheduled to distribute in the US are scrambling to find new homes for their content. Paddington 2 producer David Heyman told Screen “all options are being investigated, and our fingers are crossed” on the film, which Studiocanal fully financed. With regard to the international sales slate, Glasser insists the films are staying in the TWC International stable, but buyers will be asking themselves how they feel being associated with the brand. Period drama The Current War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon, was almost sold out prior to the world premiere in Toronto, where it elicited a tepid response. The film’s release has been pushed back to 2018.

Agents of change While Glasser scrambles to appease his partners, both buyers and sellers at AFM will continue to grapple with the realities of a rapidly evolving landscape that continues to present challenges and opportunities. The recent restructure at WME and the agency’s acquisition of a majority stake in Bloom has brought into focus the growing role of agencies and

‘Agencies increasingly are feeling unrestricted from their historical mandates’ John Sloss, Cinetic Media

their packaging divisions in the independent arena. “Agencies increasingly are feeling unrestricted from their historical mandates,” Cinetic Media founder John Sloss says. “Whether that’s because licensing issues or issues with the guilds [determining] what they can do have gone away, agencies are seeing themselves as media conglomerates.”

One industry source who wished to remain anonymous noted how the establishment of Endeavor Content — a combination of the WME Global filmpackaging division and the corresponding TV unit — has turned the agency into an investor and augurs an internal conflict. A content investor has the mandate to find opportunities at below market pricing, while the finance agents are tasked with securing the highest possible pricing with the best possible partner. “This will underserve someone, »

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IN FOCUS AMERICAN FILM MARKET

Select territories remain available on TWC’s The Upside

‘The arms race for premium feature content has intensified’ Stuart Ford

most likely the talent, by paying low for a project in order to benefit the investor,” the source remarks, adding that the industry would get a better sense of how this plays out in one or two years’ time.

Graham Taylor, who serves as co-president of Endeavor Content, the new entity that combines the film and scripted TV finance and sales groups of WME and IMG, denies there is any conflict of interest. He says the same concern could be levelled at every agency that matches financier clients with talent. “That’s why content finance has its own counsel and talent has its own counsel... We’re trying to see how we can find more ways to get content made and sold efficiently. Traditional studios have operated within an opaque system and we’re trying to bring clarity for our clients.”

The Bloom transaction has raised the issue of whether Endeavor will funnel its best material and clients into packages for Bloom founder Alex Walton to sell, possibly at the expense of other bluechip sales companies of a similar pedigree that also do business with Endeavor.

However most people canvassed for this article believe that while it makes sense to push for a strong return on its investment in Bloom — a company Endeavor’s team played an integral role in setting up when it introduced its client Ken Kao to Walton — there will be plenty of packages to go round.

Only a few sales companies occupy the upper echelons of the space and can

afford the retainers that assure a steady flow of material from the top agents, or have the funds to pay big MGs that can secure packages. “The big and strong get bigger and stronger,” says one sales agent at a more modest company. “Everyone else has to deal with it and possibly suffer, and potentially go out of business.”

“The big star-driven films that appeal to everyone are very hard to get unless you’re well financed and in the old-boys’ school, and are able to put up a big MG,” another seller says, adding that it remained as crucial as ever to source unique and original material in order to stand out and compete.

“I’m not someone who believes the idea of an agency buying or merging with a foreign sales company is an indicator of [too much agency power],” Unified Pictures founder Keith Kjarval notes. “The question comes down to each film and the manner in which that film comes together. If WME packaged their talent and IMG financed and Bloom sold a movie, what power did we see displayed there? The filmmaker gets their film made and [everybody has a film to work on].” Kjarval said people did not make a fuss when in the recent past sales companies secured sizeable funds to produce and deploy capital into their own projects.

“It’s a competitive space,” adds Rocket Science founder Thorsten Schumacher, who will be selling the thriller Destroyer starring Emmy winner Nicole Kidman.

“There’s definitely polarisation of the market [in terms of which sales agents get what type of projects to sell] and we aim to stay in the top layer. There is enough great material and talent to go around and an ever-evolving market for it.”

In the eyes of IM Global founder Stuart Ford, who was ousted from the company in the summer by owner Tang Media Partners, the market is starting to experience “really significant disruption” of the traditional product pipelines.

“The arms race for premium feature

48 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

content between the principal streamers and the major studios has intensified, making it increasingly a seller’s market for those who control content and can self-finance,” says Ford. “With more streaming buyers coming into the game, the trend is likely to accelerate.

“The agencies of course recognise that enhanced value,” he adds, “thus the move towards keeping control of hot property packages and looking to own production and distribution.”

For her part, Covert Media’s vice-president of production and development Elissa Friedman was not concerned by the growing role of agencies in the independent space. “The agencies in general are taking on a much bigger role in helping to get films financed,” she notes. “For us, that has been helpful.”

Strength of stories Sales companies and producers who do not find themselves operating in the rarified circles of A-list talent and projects need to get creative. “If we weren’t one of those companies, that’s where we would want to be making sure we have close filmmaker relationships and getting in early, rather than waiting for packages and relying on the agencies,” HanWay Films managing director Gabrielle Stewart says. “You would need to rely on your creative relationships and filmmakers you believe in and help build them at an early stage.”

Cornerstone Films’ Mark Gooder agrees: “What is clearly happening for all of us is we have to function in a production sense — grow and find material.

We have to work very closely in the origins space of the material with the producer and maybe the writers, so we can have some control of what we bring to the market. The ultimate value in the market is determined by cast and [that’s where agency relationships come in].

“It’s always been a struggle getting those top 10 names, so I don’t think the power of the agencies has changed in that regard. The biggest change is the sheer volume of storytelling that’s coming through multiple platforms. [Cornerstone co-founder] Alison [Thompson] and I always go back to the material itself and ask, ‘Is the idea of the story strong, is there some-

‘You need to rely on your creative relationships and filmmakers you believe in’ Gabrielle Stewart, HanWay Films (right)

‘There’s definitely polarisation of the market and we aim to stay in the top layer’ Thorsten Schumacher, Rocket Science

thing unique, original and compelling, can we make it an event? Can we get the best actors?’ Sometimes the strongest actors don’t equate to the market value.”

“We’re at the early stages of a changing business model, shifting away from script-based sales towards sales at the promo stage,” Thompson adds. “It means for financiers and distributors alike, it’s about storytelling and ‘eventising’ but, above all, confidence in a combined package that we all believe will result in the best possible version of the film.”

Such measures are critical if the deeppocketed might of studios and streaming platforms is to be countered. “The biggest losers right now are independent theatrical distributors in the US and internationally,” Ford says. “They’re being beaten to the punch by the streaming companies on acquisitions and at the other end of the process are finding it harder and harder to compete with the tentpoles at the box office.” By way of illustration, Ford cut deals in the early summer with Apple on Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives and with Paramount on The Rhythm Section. “If there’s an optimistic note for international buyers, it’s that there’s a nucleus of well-capitalised, sophisticated and hungry independent companies out there that will survive and ultimately prosper, probably by investing in projects at an earlier stage and by selling their theatrical releasing know-how to digital rights holders.”

“The business is changing in so many different ways that it’s beside the point to label things as fair or unfair,” Sloss notes, with particular reference to the subject of agency power. “It’s more important just to stay alert and take advantage of trends and opportunities as they present themselves. You have to pick your spots. There are lots of opportunities that are created from the massive scale of these enterprises. To the extent we have been successful it’s by seeing undere x p l o i te d a re a s a n d opportunities. The larger the agencies get, the less agile s they become.” ■

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is indeed a death-trap. Yet what the would-be killers do to Roy is not the same as what he does to them…

ArcLight 6

MY DAYS OF MERCY

MARKET 09:00 THE BOOKSHOP

Drama. 113mins.

Dir: Isabel Coixet.

Scr: Isabel Coixet.

Cast: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson. Celsius Entertainment.

England 1959: Florence, a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop – the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough.

Fighting damp, cold and considerable local apathy, she struggles to establish herself but soon her fortunes change. By exposing the narrowminded townsfolk to the best literature of the day, she causes a cultural awakening.

AMC SM 5

THE CAPTAIN

Drama. 118mins.

Dir: Robert Schwentke.

Scr: Robert Schwentke.

Cast: Max Hubacher, Milan Peschel, Alexander Fehling, Frederick Lau. Alfama Films.

The Allies force the Nazi army to withdraw. What would happen if a war deserter stole a captain’s identity and started to convince soldiers to join him for a special mission?

AMC SM 6

FLOWER

Comedy, drama.

90mins. Dir: Max Winkler. Scr: Alex McAulay, Matt Spicer, Max Winkler. Cast: Zoey Deutch, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Joey Morgan.

The Exchange.

A sexually curious teen forms an unorthodox kinship with her mentally unstable stepbrother.

ArcLight 3

09:00 UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Drama. 135mins.

Dir: Aku Louhimies.

Scr: Aku Louhimies, Jari Olavi Rantala.

Cast: Eero Aho, Aku Hirviniemi, Jussi

90mins. Gaumont.

AMC SM 1

PLAYTIME PROMO REEL

115min. Playtime.

Laemmle 3

SHINE

Drama. 98mins.

Dir: Anthony Nardolillo.

Scr: Anthony Nardolillo.

Cast: David Zayas, Gilbert Saldivar, Alysia Reiner, Jorge Burgos, Musetta Vander.

The Exchange.

Two brothers, once East Harlem’s best Salsa dancers, are separated after the death of their father only to be reunited years later on opposing ends of gentrification.

Ocean

TF1 PROMO REEL

Comedy. 60mins.

50 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Broadway 2

ArcLight 8

TF1 Studio.

Broadway 3

UNKNOWN SOLDIER See box, above

GAUMONT PROMO REELS AFM 2017

Vatanen, Joonas Saartamo. Beta Cinema.

An explosive war drama about a platoon of Finnish soldiers fighting the Soviets in the Second World War.

Drama, romance.

106mins. Dir: Tali Shalom-Ezer. Scr: Joe Barton. Cast: Kate Mara, Ellen Page, Amy Seimetz, Elias Koteas.

Great Point Media.

The daughter of a man on Death Row falls in love with a woman on the opposing side of her family’s political cause.

ZOO

Action/adventure, family. 96mins.

Dir: Colin McIvor.

Scr: Colin McIvor.

Cast: Penelope Wilton, Art Parkinson, Toby Jones, Amy Huberman, Ian McElhinney.

Metro International Entertainment.

Based on a true story, 12-year-old Tom and his misfit friends fight to save Buster the baby elephant during the air raids on Belfast in 1941.

ArcLight 1

09:30 BRAVEN

Action/adventure.

94mins. Dir: Lin Oeding.

Scr: Thomas Paa Sibbett.

Cast: Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Garret Dillahunt, Jill Wagner.

Highland Film Group.

» Screening times and venues are correct at time of press but subject to alteration. For late changes visit thefilmcatalogue.com

Scr: Pablo Berger. Cast: Maribel Verdu, Antonio de la Torre. Playtime.

A housewife struggles with her husband after he is possessed by a ghost.

Laemmle 3

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Action/adventure, family.

115mins. Dir: Clovis Cornillac. Scr: Juliette Sales, Fabien Suarez.

Cast: Felix Bossuet, Tcheky Karyo, Clovis Cornillac. Gaumont.

This new adventure starts right where the last one ended. Belle is now a mother of three and Sebastian is 12 years old.

Sebastian will do all it takes to protect his best friend and her little ones.

When Joe Braven, a humble logger residing along the US/Canada border, is confronted by a group of deadly drug runners who have stashed heroin in his secluded cabin in the mountains, he must do everything in his power to protect his family. Little do the elite drug runners know the unassuming man they’ve encountered has an impressive bite colliding two dynamic forces – one fighting for the lives of his family, the other for the love of the kill.

POINT DEFIANCE

AMC SM 2

Laemmle 6

GALVESTON PROMO

TRUE COLOURS PROMO REEL

ArcLight 9

Action/adventure, comedy, drama, horror. 60mins.

True Colours Glorious Films.

Promos of True Colours’ upcoming titles.

THE COP BABY

Road movie, thriller.

8mins. Dir: Melanie Laurent. Scr: Nic Pizzolatto. Cast: Ben Foster, Elle Fanning, Lili Reinhart.

Embankment Films.

Debt collector and sometime-killer Roy senses that his boss, a dangerous, violent and pitiless loanshark, wants him dead, and his next routine assignment

Psycho-drama, thriller.

100mins. Dir: Justin Foia.

Scr: Justin Foia, Timothy Foia. Cast: Derek Phillips, Josh Crotty, Lauren Elaine, Sarah Butler, Steven Swadling.

Lexicon Entertainment.

While under house arrest, stockbroker Peter Allen’s world is turned upside down after his troubled brother returns from military duty in Afghanistan, forcing Peter to face a forgotten past harbouring a dark secret.

AMC SM 4

11:00 ABRACADABRA

Comedy. 96mins.

Dir: Pablo Berger.

ArcLight 5

BREATH

Drama. 115mins.

Dir: Simon Baker.

Scr: Gerard Lee. Cast: Simon Baker, Elizabeth Debicki.

Embankment Films.

The epic and exhilarating coming-of-age story of Bruce Pike, a young man trying to find excitement and escape from his small town in 1970s coastal Australia.

Action/adventure, comedy. 90mins. Dir: Alexander Andrushenko.

Scr: Andrey Zolotarev.

Cast: Sergey Garmash.

Planeta Inform Film Distribution.

Having failed a large covert operation and being cursed by a vengeful fortune teller, Major Chromov is » www.screendaily.com

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SCREENINGS

that’s when the real trouble begins.

AMC SM 4

LOVE AFTER LOVE

Drama. 93mins.

Dir: Russell Harbaugh.

Scr: Russell Harbaugh, Eric Mendelsohn. Cast: Andie MacDowell, Chris O’Dowd, Dree Hemingway, Juliet Rylance.

Great Point Media.

A glimpse into one family’s romantic, boisterous, messy, emotionally treacherous life over the course of several years.

Catalogues the reunions and departures of a mother and her two grown sons as they attempt to move forward in the wake of shared tragedy.

MARKET 11:30 200 HOURS

Horror. 91mins.

Dir: Phillip Guzman.

Scr: Jason Murphy. Cast: Keli Price. Raven Banner Entertainment.

A group of graduate students conduct a sleep

ArcLight 2

deprivation study in the 1980s but something goes terribly wrong with a test subject. After their department is shut down, the team moves forward in secret – only this time on themselves.

Laemmle 4

Andrea Bocelli. Cast: Antonio Banderas, Jordi Molla, Toby Sebastian, Andrea Bocelli.

AMBI Distribution.

Based on the extraordinary true story of Andrea Bocelli, a blind boy who against all odds becomes one of the world’s most world renowned opera singers.

ArcLight 3

trapped inside a baby’s body. The only way for Major Chromov to return to his body is to finish the operation and hunt down the most dangerous crime boss of the local mafia AMC SM 1

giants for a living, why wouldn’t she be? The sweeping, bittersweet story of a young girl struggling to conquer monsters, both real and imagined, as her world crumbles at the feet of giants bigger than any one child can handle.

DOGWOOF PROMO REEL

ArcLight 7

Documentary. 90mins.

Dogwoof.

IDEAL HOME

Laemmle 5 By Invitation only

FILM CONSTELLATION PROMO REEL

25mins.

Film Constellation.

Broadway 3

I KILL GIANTS

Action/adventure, fantasy. 104mins. Dir: Anders Walter. Scr: Joe Kelly. Cast: Zoe Saldana, Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade, Jennifer Ehle.

XYZ Films.

Barbara Thorson is is quick-witted, sharptongued middle-schooler who isn’t afraid of anything. As the only girl in school carrying an ancient Norse warhammer in her purse and killing

Comedy, drama. 100mins.

Dir: Andrew Fleming.

Scr: Andrew Fleming.

Cast: Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Jake McDorman.

Fortitude International.

A long-term gay couple bicker constantly but their successful cooking show prevents them from breaking up. However, when their derelict son lands in jail yet again, the grandson shows up at their door with nowhere left to go and the two take him in.

A heartfelt, modern family comedy about family, love and cooking.

Laemmle 1

MUSIC OF SILENCE

Biography. 114mins.

Dir: Michael Radford.

Scr: Michael Radford,

52 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

SCHOOL OF LIFE

Drama, family. 115mins.

Dir: Nicolas Vanier.

Scr: Jerome Tonnerre, Nicolas Vanier.

Cast: Francois Cluzet, Jean Scandel, Eric Elmosnino, Francois Berleand. Studiocanal.

A moving and heartwarming story of friendship and selfdiscovery, set in stunning French countryside in the 1930s.

him everything. His story was the inspiration for a cinematic legend, namely Rocky Balboa.

Broadway 2

AMERICAN FOLK See box, below

IN AND OUT

Comedy, romantic comedy.

85mins. Dir: Bruno Chiche. Scr: Bruno Chiche.

Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Stephane De Groodt.

Other Angle Pictures.

Two couples – Pierre and Aimee, and Eric and Penelope – have been friends for years. Only problem: Penelope and Pierre have fallen in love.

They decide to call it quits when things start getting too out of control. But the universe decides to play a trick on them: after a final night of passion, Pierre and Penelope wake up to find they’ve switched bodies. To keep their secret, they have to live as each other. And

SPACE CHICKEN

Animation, comedy, family. 88mins. Dir: Alex Orrelle, Eduardo Schuldt.

Scr: Ishai Ravid, Alfonso Santistevan. Sola Media.

When the alien Molosco appears in Condorito’s living room and offers him a deal, he is convinced it’s a prank. Condorito jokingly agrees to find an amulet of unlimited power but only in return for abducting his future mother-in-

AMC SM 3

11:30 200 HOURS See box, above

AMERICAN BRAWLER

Action/adventure, biography. 90mins.

Dir: Ken Kushner.

Scr: Ken Kushner.

Cast: Zach McGowan, Amy Smart, Taryn Manning. Conquistador Entertainment.

The incredible true story of a boxer who gets a one-in-a-million shot at immortality, only to nearly destroy himself when the fame he desired nearly costs

MARKET 11:30 AMERICAN FOLK

Drama, musical. 99mins. Dir: David Heinz. Scr: David Heinz. Cast: Joe Purdy, Amber Rubarth, Krisha Fairchild. Angel Grace Worldwide.

When their plane from Los Angeles to New York is grounded on the morning of September 11, 2001 due to the terrorist attacks, strangers Elliott and Joni are unexpectedly thrust together amid the

chaos of that historic day. With little in common but both needing to get to New York City urgently, they accept help from Joni’s family friend Scottie, who lends them a rusty old 1972 Chevy van. The shock and stress of 9/11 quickly threatens to derail their cross-country journey until the pair discover what they do have in common: a love for folk songs.

Laemmle 6

»

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SCREENINGS

Francesco Cinquemani, Mikhail Zubko. Cast: Antonio Banderas.

AMBI Distribution.

A talented gambler gathers a team of con artists with supernatural powers to win big at a casino. But their plan unravels when they encounter a stronger mystical rival.

Laemmle 6

HAGAZUSSA: A HEATHEN’S CURSE

The Secret SIS hire an extraordinary team of 10 female mercenaries to rescue the daughter of the US ambassador who is being held hostage on a tropical island in Indonesia.

Fantasy, horror, supernatural thriller.

90mins. Dir: Lukas Feigelfeld. Scr: Lukas Feigelfeld. Cast: Aleksandra Cwen. Raven Banner Entertainment.

A young goatherd in the Alps of the 15th century: after the traumatising death of her mother, she slowly begins to discover an old presence deep in the dark woods. While in her delusion the borders of reality and nightmare begin to melt into each other and she is confronted with the wicked evil that lies within.

Laemmle 5

Laemmle 4

MARKET 13:00 JOURNEY’S END

Drama. 107mins. Dir: Saul Dibb. Scr: Simon Reade. Cast: Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield, Paul Bettany, Tom Sturridge, Toby Jones.

Metro International Entertainment.

Set over four days in March 1918 in the trenches on the front line, a small group of soldiers wait to be

law, Tremebunda, who despises him. When the alien actually abducts Tremebunda, and Condorito discovers the aliens plan to destroy Earth using the amulet, Condorito and his nephew Chicky embark on an adventure through space to rescue Tremebunda, recover the amulet, save the world and – hardest of all – win back the heart of his true love, Yayita.

AMC SM 2

13:00 AN ACTOR PREPARES

Comedy. 96mins.

Dir: Steve Clark.

Scr: Thomas Moffett.

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston, Ben Schwartz, Mamie Gummer, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Matthew Modine. Kew Media Group.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ meets ‘Four Weddings and A

LIFE GUIDANCE

bombarded by enemy artillery, anticipating certain death. The story charts the tension and claustrophobia of the officers’ dug-out as new recruit, 18-year-old Lieutenant Raleigh, joins the company commanded by 20-year-old Captain Stanhope, his former childhood friend and hero, who has changed almost beyond recognition.

AMC SM 1

Funeral’ in the hilarious and poignant father-andson buddy movie.

Laemmle 1

See box, below

SEE YOU UP THERE

Drama, historical. 118mins.

Dir: Albert Dupontel.

Scr: Albert Dupontel, Pierre Lemaitre. Cast: Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Albert Dupontel, Laurent Lafitte, Emilie Dequenne, Melanie Thierry. Gaumont.

November 1919: two survivors of the trenches set up a scam based on war memorials. One is a brilliant illustrator, the other an unassuming accountant. In the France of the Roaring Twenties, their operation becomes as dangerous as spectacular.

Leila’s apartment – he will have to wear a niqab. The next day, a new woman in niqab walks through Paris… Her name is Sheherazade…

Laemmle 3

TEN: THE SECRET MISSION

Action/adventure, martial arts, thriller. 90mins. Dir: Helfi Kardit. Scr: Helfi Kardit. Cast: Karenina Maria, Roy Marten, Jeremy Thomas, Gibran Marten. Jinga Films.

13:30

ICEMAN

BEYOND THE EDGE

Action/adventure, fantasy.

110mins. Dir: Aleksandr Boguslavskiy, Francesco Cinquemani. Scr:

Drama. 97mins.

Dir: Felix Randau.

Scr: Felix Randau. Cast: Jurgen Vogel, Andre M Hennicke, Sabin Tambrea,

ArcLight 9

IN DARKNESS

Psycho-drama, thriller.

110mins. Dir: Anthony Byrne. Scr: Anthony Byrne. Cast: Natalie Dormer, Ed Skrein, Emily Ratajkowski, Joely Richardson, James Cosmo.

XYZ Films.

A psychological revenge thriller about Sofia, a blind musician who gets pulled into London’s dark underbelly after she hears a murder committed in the apartment above her own.

As she gets embroiled in the violent and murky world, it appears she is out of her depth but Sofia is following her own path of revenge.

AMC SM 5

JOURNEY’S END See box, above

54 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

SOME LIKE IT VEILED

Comedy. 87mins.

Dir: Sou Abadi. Scr: Sou Abadi. Cast: Felix Moati, Camelia Jordana, William Lebghil. Playtime.

Armand and Leila are in love. Together they plan to go to New York for an internship. But a few days before their departure, Mahmoud, Leila’s big brother, comes back from his long-term stay in Yemen, during which he has changed drastically.

Wanting to reframe Leila’s life, which he judges indecent, Mahmoud decides to confine his sister. How can Armand free Leila?

For his friends, Armand has no other choice – if he wants to sneak into

MARKET 13:00 LIFE GUIDANCE

Thriller. 101mins. Dir: Ruth Mader.

Scr: Ruth Mader, Martin Leidenfrost.

Cast: Fritz Karl, Katharina Lorenz, Florian Teichtmeister. Picture Tree International.

Set in the near future, Alexander is a member of the middle class and works in the financial sector. Like the others,

he has internalised the system. But one wrong word to his child is enough to trigger ‘Life Guidance’. An agent from Life Guidance counsels him about attaining his optimal potential and increasingly encroaches on Alexander’s life. Alexander starts to rebel and soon encounters the horror of the system in all its brightness and affability.

Broadway 1

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SCREENINGS

Yuki Matsuzaki, Tom Fujita, Shigeru Izumiya, Yasufumi Terawaki, Hisashi Yoshizawa. Blast.

Pits two families (one with an armored bionic superhero, and the other a red giant robot) against evil aliens to save Earth and prevent the extinction of mankind.

ArcLight 4

CHARISMATA

Horror. 100mins.

Dirs: Andy Collier, Toor Mian. Scr: Andy Collier. Cast: Sarah Beck Mather. Raven Banner Entertainment.

Psychological horror about a police detective whose sanity begins to unravel as she investigates a series of brutal ritualistic murders.

Laemmle 6

CINDERELLA AND THE SECRET PRINCE

MARKET 15:00 BENEATH US

Horror, thriller. 86mins.

Dir: Max Pachman.

Scr: Max Pachman.

Cast: Lynn Collins, James Tupper. Premiere Entertainment Group.

Franco Nero.

Beta Cinema.

The Otztal Alps, more than 5,300 years ago: a Neolithic clan has settled nearby a creek.

It is their leader Kelab’s responsibility to be the keeper of the group’s holy shrine Tineka. While Kelab is hunting, the settlement is attacked. The members of the tribe are brutally murdered, among them Kelab’s wife and son.

Blinded by pain and fury, Kelab is out for one thing alone – vengeance.

Undocumented workers are lured into a wealthy woman’s home with the promise of work, only to discover the terrifying fate she has in store for them.

Laemmle 5

15:00 ALDABRA: ONCE UPON AN ISLAND

ArcLight 5

Family. 73mins. Dir: Steve Lichtag. Scr: Michael Havas. Cast: Pierce Brosnan. Vision Films.

Take a journey to this mysterious coral island to witness nature as it was 5,000 years ago, and meet the wondrous creatures that inhabit this atoll, create communities, give birth to young, and struggle for their survival.

MUSE

Broadway 1

ArcLight 4

BENEATH US KILLER MOSQUITOS

Comedy, horror. 90mins.

Dir: Riccardo Paoletti.

Scr: Andrea Garello.

Cast: Giulio Greco.

Minerva Pictures.

A group of friends decide to spend a weekend in an isolated country house away from stress and phones.

But when a swarm of killer horseflies comes by, not only their holiday but their lives are put in danger.

AMC SM 2

Explores themes of female empowerment through sex, work and friendship.

These women are able to come together through their frustration over male dominance and in fact use their newly formed sisterhood to lean on each other and understand that they must first learn to love themselves before doing anything else.

See box, above

GAUMONT PROMO REELS AFM 2017

90mins. Gaumont.

AMC SM 1

HALF MAGIC

Romantic comedy.

94mins. Dir: Heather Graham. Scr: Heather Graham. Cast: Heather Graham, Stephanie Beatriz, Jason Lewis.

Arclight Films.

56 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

Supernatural thriller.

105mins. Dir: Jaume Balaguero. Scr: Jaume Balaguero, Fernando Navarro. Cast: Elliot Cowan, Franka Potente, Ana Ularu, Joanne Whalley, Christopher Lloyd. Filmax International.

Samuel Salomon, a literature professor, has been off work for almost a year after the tragic death of his girlfriend. Samuel has been suffering from a recurring nightmare in which a woman is brutally murdered by a strange ritual. Suddenly, the same woman who appears every night in his dreams is found dead in exactly the same circumstances.

Samuel sneaks into the crime scene and there he meets Rachel, who has also dreamed about the murder. Together, they will do whatever they can to discover the identity of the

mystery woman, entering a terrifying world controlled by the figures who have inspired artists throughout time: The Muses.

Laemmle 1

OUT OF INNOCENCE

Duke, Cory GruterAndrew, Aiden CummingTeicher.

AMBI Distribution.

A modern-day tale of hope, faith and courage based on stories from the Bible.

AMC SM 7

See box, below

15:30 BEYOND THE SUN

Family. 90mins. Dir: Graciela Rodriguez Gilio, Charlie Mainardi. Scr: Graciela Rodriguez. Cast: Kyle Breitkopf, Emma

BRAVE STORM

Sci-fi. 81mins. Dir: Junya Okabe. Scr: Junya Okabe. Cast: Shunsuke Daito, Shu Watanabe, Chihiro Yamamoto, Soran Tamoto, Kouichi Kasuga, Danmitsu,

Action/adventure, animation, comedy, family, western. 85mins.

Dir: Lynne Southerland.

Scr: Francis Glebas.

Cast: Stephanie Bursill.

Gold Valley Films.

With the help of fairy Crystal, Cinderella and her three fellow mice are able to get away from the attic they live in and make it to the Royal Ball at the palace. But they soon discover a terrible secret: the real Prince has been turned into a mouse by the

MARKET 15:00 OUT OF INNOCENCE

Drama, thriller. 108mins. Dir: Danny Hiller. Scr: Danny Hiller. Cast: Fiona Shaw, Alun Armstrong, Fionnuala Flaherty. Angel Grace Worldwide.

Based on real events: after an intimidating police investigation, a young mother, confused and scared, confesses to a crime she did not commit and is charged with murder.

Laemmle 3

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SCREENINGS

News editor Wendy Mitchell,

Jinga Films.

Six strangers sign up for a slasher movie re-enactment game in which they are dropped into the woods and pursued by knife-wielding maniacs. But when the body count becomes real, Alexandra, the only participant who has never seen a horror film, must unravel the mystery of who is responsible if she wants to survive the ordeal.

indiewendy@gmail.com

Broadway 2

THE DAILY AT AFM Suite 316, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California, 90401 Tel +1 310 458 6700 (ext 316) Editorial Editor Matt Mueller, matt.mueller@screendaily.com, +44 7880 526 547

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MARKET 15:30 EXPEDITION HAPPINESS

Documentary, road movie. 95mins. Dir: Felix Starck. Scr: Felix Starck.

Cast: Felix Starck.

Moonrise Pictures.

A filmmaker, a singer, a dog and an old school bus that has been transformed into a “loft on wheels”, these are the ingredients for the journey

of a lifetime. Across the American continent, their trip takes them from Alaska to Mexico, from glaciers to deserts, from dry steppes to jungles. The landscape is symbolic for the rollercoaster ride of emotions they experience, while the audience is part of this pursuit of happiness.

ArcLight 10

+1 213 447 5120 International account manager Raphael Bechakjian, raphael. bechakjian@screendaily.com, +44 20 8102 0814 US sales and business development executive Nikki Tilmouth, nikki.screeninternational@gmail. com, +1 323 868 7633 Production manager Jonathon Cooke,

Wicked Witch, and the Prince standing in front of everyone at the Royal Ball is a fake!

Cinderella and her loyal friends embark on a perilous adventure to restore the real Prince to his true self, and help him defeat the evil forces.

ArcLight 2

jonathon.cooke@mb-insight.com, +44 7584 335 148 Sales co-ordinator Rebecca Moran, rebecca.moran@ screendaily.com, + 44 7834 902 528 Chief executive, MBI Conor Dignam Printer Sinclair Printing, Los Angeles Screen International, London MBI, Zetland House, 5-25 Scrutton Street, London EC2A 4HJ, United Kingdom Subscription enquiries help@subscribe.screendaily.com +44 (0) 330 333 9414

EXPEDITION HAPPINESS See box, above

HALAL FOR BEGINNERS See box, right

I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT – AD HONOREM

Comedy. 100mins.

Dir: Sydney Sibilia.

Scr: Sydney Sibilia. Cast: Edoardo Leo. Fandango.

Pietro Zinni is in jail once again, and this time he has the whole gang in there with him, forcing them to plan the ultimate escape in order to complete the toughest job yet. The objective is no longer a hunt for smart-drugs in this

58 Screen International at AFM November 1, 2017

third and final chapter of the “I Can quit Whenever I Want” saga: now the enemy is Walter Mercurio, another former university researcher who executed a massacre by releasing nerve gas during an important award ceremony at the university.

Now the gang has no one to count on but themselves: these researchers will have to go against everything and everyone if they want to complete this last mission, which is bound to be the greatest one of all After all, every saga has an ending!

OPERATION WOLF: THE DOCUMENTARY

Documentary. 90mins.

Dir: Michael Helsley.

Scr: Michael Helsley.

Cast: Q’orianka Kilcher. Steel Shavings Productions.

A secret look into the controversial world of wildlife conservation.

Follow actress and activist, Q’orianka Kilcher as she unveils the myth and legend surrounding the Gray Wolf. Watch as this apex predator struggles

to survive in an evershrinking habitat as humans systematically use propaganda and a campaign of fear to turn the tides of public opinion in the name of power, greed and profit.

Broadway 4

RUIN ME

Horror. 87mins.

Dir: Preston Defrancis.

Scr: Preston Defrancis, Trysta Bissett. Cast: Marcienne Dwyer, Matt Dellapina, Chris Hill.

Drama, romance, thriller.

100mins. Dir: Wim Wenders. Scr: Erin Dignam. Cast: James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander.

Embankment Films.

Immerse yourself in the defining love story of our times. Clinging to life in a sweltering cell on Africa’s war-torn coast, James is brutally interrogated by jihadis as a suspected spy.

Worlds away, on subzero Arctic seas, Danielle prepares to descend into the abyss, to explore the ocean’s deepest trench. Facing life-or-death ordeals, each must rely on their deep emotional connection; a fiercely intense, sensual and instinctive love ignited by their passionate encounter months before.

AMC SM 6

Laemmle 4

LET THE SUNSHINE IN

Comedy. 94mins.

Dir: Claire Denis.

Scr: Claire Denis, Christine Angot. Cast: Juliette Binoche, Xavier Beauvois. Playtime.

Isabelle, Parisian artist, divorced mother, is looking for love, true love at last.

MARKET 15:30 HALAL FOR BEGINNERS

Comedy. 100mins. Dir: Conor McDermottroe. Scr: Conor McDermottroe. Cast: Nikesh Patel.

Global Screen.

While managing a run-down abattoir, young Muslim Raghdan Aziz stumbles through cultural chaos dealing with enraged fathers, stoned buddies and an alleged ex-lover of his girlfriend.

AMC SM 2

Laemmle 2

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