Oscar nominees Kodi Smit-McPhee and Djimon Hounsou are set to star in claustrophobic thriller “The Zealot.”
The two-hander, being introduced to buyers in Cannes by WestEnd Films, comes from director Vadim Perelman working from a screenplay by Bennett Fisher, and touches on themes involving privilege, paranoia, and the assumptions we make about one another.
“The Zealot” follows Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver in Minneapolis, who is struggling to make ends meet. When Lloyd, a stranded twentysomething at the airport, offers to pay Hassan to take him overland to Chicago, it seems worth the risk. But as the realization grows that his passenger is not what he seems, Hassan finds he is trapped in a terrifying ride which he can’t escape from, knowing that to save himself might put countless others in danger.
Jib Polhemus (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “The Mechanic”) produces alongside Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo (“The Green Hornet and Kato,...
The two-hander, being introduced to buyers in Cannes by WestEnd Films, comes from director Vadim Perelman working from a screenplay by Bennett Fisher, and touches on themes involving privilege, paranoia, and the assumptions we make about one another.
“The Zealot” follows Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver in Minneapolis, who is struggling to make ends meet. When Lloyd, a stranded twentysomething at the airport, offers to pay Hassan to take him overland to Chicago, it seems worth the risk. But as the realization grows that his passenger is not what he seems, Hassan finds he is trapped in a terrifying ride which he can’t escape from, knowing that to save himself might put countless others in danger.
Jib Polhemus (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “The Mechanic”) produces alongside Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo (“The Green Hornet and Kato,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
There are so many questions surrounding the search for identity and one's own place under the sun that I can relate to in Nele Wohlatz' dreamy drama “Sleep With Your Open Eyes” that I don't even know where to start. As an immigrant who changed houses so many times that every move involved more costs, logistic planning and emotional investment than it was healthy, I felt an instant connection with the film's protagonists who dream big, while struggling to make ends meet pressured by the big question of where they really belong to. I also understood that Wohlatz, who herself has lived for 12 years far away from her native Germany, to study and work in Argentina, knew how to tell the story of a double-sided cultural alienation and solidarity among those ‘lost in translation', right from the film's opening scene which didn't even reveal much about what was going to happen.
- 2/21/2024
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Yasmina El-Abd has signed with David Unger’s Artist International Group (Aig) for U.S. representation.
The rising Mena actress is currently starring in Mbc Studios’ ground breaking Arabic-language musical feature Sukkar, which is due to hit streamer Shahid on December 24 following a strong box office run that began in October. She is signed up to star in a follow up, we hear.
El-Abd has also had parts in Middle Eastern Netflix original Finding Ola and HBO Max and Cbbc kids series Theodosia, and is co-starring in Adi Hasak’s upcoming James Franco series Karantina, which has Adi TV Studios, Dynamic Television, Mbc, Zdf, Asacha Media Group, Blond and Tanweer attached.
She is also reprise her role as Zeina in season 2 of the Netflix’s Egyptian comedy-drama Finding Ola. Season 1 launched in February 2022 and made it into the Top 10 worldwide and topped the charts in the Arab-speaking world for three weeks.
The rising Mena actress is currently starring in Mbc Studios’ ground breaking Arabic-language musical feature Sukkar, which is due to hit streamer Shahid on December 24 following a strong box office run that began in October. She is signed up to star in a follow up, we hear.
El-Abd has also had parts in Middle Eastern Netflix original Finding Ola and HBO Max and Cbbc kids series Theodosia, and is co-starring in Adi Hasak’s upcoming James Franco series Karantina, which has Adi TV Studios, Dynamic Television, Mbc, Zdf, Asacha Media Group, Blond and Tanweer attached.
She is also reprise her role as Zeina in season 2 of the Netflix’s Egyptian comedy-drama Finding Ola. Season 1 launched in February 2022 and made it into the Top 10 worldwide and topped the charts in the Arab-speaking world for three weeks.
- 12/18/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Award-winning House of Sand & Fog filmmaker Vadim Perelman has been attached to direct the movie Marinus, we hear, about the heroic rescue of 14K Korean evacuees by sea toward the end of the Korean War.
Adapted by J. Craig Stiles (Miranda’s Victim) off the book Ship of Miracles, Marinus follows a merchant marine captain, who along with a Korean doctor, commanded a ship that was rated to carry 65 passengers and ended up saving thousands – all while being pursued by enemy subs, fighter planes and contending with a Communist spy on board.
Despite the odds, not one soul perished. In fact, five babies were born during the journey, and they arrived safely at a South Korean harbor on Christmas Day. The captain was so touched by the experience that he later became a Benedictine monk. He has passed on, but is currently up for sainthood with the Catholic Church.
Adapted by J. Craig Stiles (Miranda’s Victim) off the book Ship of Miracles, Marinus follows a merchant marine captain, who along with a Korean doctor, commanded a ship that was rated to carry 65 passengers and ended up saving thousands – all while being pursued by enemy subs, fighter planes and contending with a Communist spy on board.
Despite the odds, not one soul perished. In fact, five babies were born during the journey, and they arrived safely at a South Korean harbor on Christmas Day. The captain was so touched by the experience that he later became a Benedictine monk. He has passed on, but is currently up for sainthood with the Catholic Church.
- 10/23/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
When Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by Nazis and put on a train to a concentration camp, he has every reason to believe that his life is over. It’s 1942 in Nazi-occupied France, and all of his Jewish traveling companions are making peace with their inevitable deaths. When a stranger on the train begs him to trade half of a sandwich for a book of Persian myths, he makes the deal out of mere charity as much as anything else.
That chance encounter that kicks off “Persian Lessons” ends up saving his life, as Gilles is the only passenger spared. As it turns out, the Nazi officer who controls his destiny has been “looking for a Persian.” Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger) is already thinking ahead to the end of WWII — the former chef plans to move to Tehran and open a German restaurant in the desert. But before he can do that,...
That chance encounter that kicks off “Persian Lessons” ends up saving his life, as Gilles is the only passenger spared. As it turns out, the Nazi officer who controls his destiny has been “looking for a Persian.” Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger) is already thinking ahead to the end of WWII — the former chef plans to move to Tehran and open a German restaurant in the desert. But before he can do that,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Two from Magnolia Pictures, the story of an iconic record album design firm back and a sighting of Brian Cox usher in a specialty weekend with smoke clearing over New York City. Acrid plumes from Canadian wildfires have smothered the key arthouse market over the past few days in an unusual air quality event that had Mayor Eric Adams urging people to home.
Friday the sky was visible and air fresher, a boon for all — including the ongoing Tribeca Festival, which opened Wednesday night and will be unspooling 100+ features and events through June 17.
New openings: From Magnolia, Dalíland by Mary Harron starring Ben Kingsley as the iconic artist in 20 markets (including Quad in NYC and Nuart in LA) and on VOD. Written by John C. Walsh. With Christopher Briney, Barbara Sukowa, Ezra Miller, Andreja Pejic. Premiered as TIFF’s closing night film, see Deadline review here. Follows the later years...
Friday the sky was visible and air fresher, a boon for all — including the ongoing Tribeca Festival, which opened Wednesday night and will be unspooling 100+ features and events through June 17.
New openings: From Magnolia, Dalíland by Mary Harron starring Ben Kingsley as the iconic artist in 20 markets (including Quad in NYC and Nuart in LA) and on VOD. Written by John C. Walsh. With Christopher Briney, Barbara Sukowa, Ezra Miller, Andreja Pejic. Premiered as TIFF’s closing night film, see Deadline review here. Follows the later years...
- 6/9/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
"You just make sure the murderers eat well." Cohen Media Group has revealed another official US trailer for the German WWII drama Persian Lessons, made by Ukrainian filmmaker Vadim Perelman. This first premiered back in 2020 just before the pandemic at the Berlin Film Festival, before getting lost in all the shutdowns. It played at various fests over the next few years, and opened in Germany in late 2020 already. The US release has finally been set - over three years later - for this June in select theaters. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by Nazis alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to the Head of Camp Koch. Through an ingenious trick, he manages to survive...
- 5/23/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In Bpm (Beats Per Minute), Robin Campillo found in Nahuel Pérez Biscayart a face and voice to communicate the by turns ecstatic and wrenching role of being an activist for Act Up Paris during the early 1990s. Now, in House of Sand and Fog director Vadim Perelman’s latest, Persian Lessons, the Argentine actor, who exudes an unwavering and mournful certainty whenever he’s on screen, has found another project worthy of his talent.
Persian Lessons concerns a young Belgian Jew named Gilles (Biscayart) who’s arrested in occupied France in 1942 by SS soldiers. On the way to a concentration camp in Germany, he avoids execution by swearing that he’s Persian. Subsequently, he’s tasked with teaching Farsi to the head of Camp Koch, Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger), who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran after the war. What results is an intense game for survival, as Gilles pretends to know Farsi,...
Persian Lessons concerns a young Belgian Jew named Gilles (Biscayart) who’s arrested in occupied France in 1942 by SS soldiers. On the way to a concentration camp in Germany, he avoids execution by swearing that he’s Persian. Subsequently, he’s tasked with teaching Farsi to the head of Camp Koch, Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger), who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran after the war. What results is an intense game for survival, as Gilles pretends to know Farsi,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Ed Gonzalez
- Slant Magazine
“House of Sand and Fog” director Vadim Perelman has signed on to direct “The House with No Walls,” a docu-series examining the mystery surrounding the 2010 death of eccentric millionaire John Bender in Costa Rica.
The four-part series hails from Former Prodigy Media, the production company headed by “Brady Bunch” alumnus Christopher Knight and producer Phil Viardo. “House with No Walls” is based on an upcoming podcast about the Bender story, “Hell in Heaven,” from Blanchard House. The project has been developed with Selectors, a London-based IP incubator run by journalist William Ralston with backing from financier Goldfinch.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that our collab with Selectors and Blanchard House on this documentary will now be masterfully led by such a talented and accomplished director as Vadim Perelman,” said Viardo.
“When we found this story, we were instantly hooked and began to explore the best possible way to tell it,...
The four-part series hails from Former Prodigy Media, the production company headed by “Brady Bunch” alumnus Christopher Knight and producer Phil Viardo. “House with No Walls” is based on an upcoming podcast about the Bender story, “Hell in Heaven,” from Blanchard House. The project has been developed with Selectors, a London-based IP incubator run by journalist William Ralston with backing from financier Goldfinch.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that our collab with Selectors and Blanchard House on this documentary will now be masterfully led by such a talented and accomplished director as Vadim Perelman,” said Viardo.
“When we found this story, we were instantly hooked and began to explore the best possible way to tell it,...
- 3/31/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Hot on the heels of longtime client Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Best Actress Oscar winner of Asian descent for Everything, Everywhere All At Once, Artist International Group is expanding. Aig has named Kimberly Hines as partner, and Ian Stack as manager. They join Aig’s international talent and producing divisions. They will be based in New York and Rome.
The two will be focused on representing international actors, directors and writers as well as producing film and television.
Hines, who most recently was at Framework Entertainment, brings decades of experience working as a producer, talent agent, and talent manager. She will bring her clients to Aig. Her list includes Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Til Schweiger (Inglorious Bastards), Oliver Masucci (The Swarm), Balthazar Getty (Megalopolis), Jacqueline Bisset and others.
Stack had also been a manager and producer at Framework. Prior to Framework, he was an Associate Producer at Weta...
The two will be focused on representing international actors, directors and writers as well as producing film and television.
Hines, who most recently was at Framework Entertainment, brings decades of experience working as a producer, talent agent, and talent manager. She will bring her clients to Aig. Her list includes Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Til Schweiger (Inglorious Bastards), Oliver Masucci (The Swarm), Balthazar Getty (Megalopolis), Jacqueline Bisset and others.
Stack had also been a manager and producer at Framework. Prior to Framework, he was an Associate Producer at Weta...
- 3/21/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Artist International Group has signed French actor Kev Adams whose work spans acting, screenwriting and producing.
Adams can most recently be seen in his original comedy Maison De Retraite (Retirement Home), where he plays a young convict forced to work in a retirement home after being sentenced to community service. Directed by Thomas Gilou and co-starring Gérard Depardieu, Adams also co-wrote and produced the comedy, which was among the top grossing French-language films of 2022 with over 2 million tickets sold. A sequel is currently underway.
Adams is also coming off his Netflix stand-up special, Kev Adams: The Real Me, and the original comedy feature Happy Nous Year (Stuck With You), also for Netflix.
Other notable credits include starring as Aladdin in both installments of his hit franchise: The New Adventures of Aladdin and Aladdin 2, which together grossed $55M.
Kev then made his English-language debut alongside Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon...
Adams can most recently be seen in his original comedy Maison De Retraite (Retirement Home), where he plays a young convict forced to work in a retirement home after being sentenced to community service. Directed by Thomas Gilou and co-starring Gérard Depardieu, Adams also co-wrote and produced the comedy, which was among the top grossing French-language films of 2022 with over 2 million tickets sold. A sequel is currently underway.
Adams is also coming off his Netflix stand-up special, Kev Adams: The Real Me, and the original comedy feature Happy Nous Year (Stuck With You), also for Netflix.
Other notable credits include starring as Aladdin in both installments of his hit franchise: The New Adventures of Aladdin and Aladdin 2, which together grossed $55M.
Kev then made his English-language debut alongside Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon...
- 3/16/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
I have been tracking producer Sol Bondy since 2016 when co-production The Happiest Day in the Life of Ölli Mäki won the Un Certain Regard Grand Prize and the European Film Award for Best Debut. He and Fred Burle have been developing The Girl from Köln (aka Köln 75) with writer-director Ido Fluk, the filmmaker behind 2016 Tribeca selection The Ticket since 2019. "This project has been very close to our hearts in the last few years and we're very excited with the way it's been shaped so far," said Bondy, a Variety Producer to Watch in 2018. "It's been such a joy working with Ido on this exciting story and we're thrilled to have put an amazing team together," added Burle, Brazilian born producer who was just made a partner in One Two Films, alongside co-founders Sol Bondy and Christoph Lange. Burle joined One Two in January 2017, having graduated from the German Film and Television Academy (dffb) the previous year. He has previously worked as a film critic, at The Match Factory, and as curator of the inaugural dffb film festival. One Two Films has produced and co-produced award-winning films such as Holy Spider (Read my blog about it here), Vadim Perelman's Persian Lessons (Read my blog about it here), Jennifer Fox's Sundance breakout The Tale, Isabel Coixet's The Bookshop and Juho Kuosmanen's The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki.Other titles in the pipeline include Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson's dark comedy Northern Comfort, which premieres in SXSW later this month, Annemarie Jacir's survival drama The Oblivion Theory, Sarah Arnold's debut feature Wild Encounters and Michiel ten Horn's romantic comedy Any Other Night. In Berlin this year it was announced that Bankside would be The Girl from Köln's international sales agent and was launching sales. Alamode Film already has German-speaking territories and is a coproducer, who have very recently secured funding through the Fff, the local fund in Bavaria. It is in early pre-production and will shoot this year in Poland and Germany. The Girl from Köln tells the little-known story of Vera Brandes, who, in 1975, at the age of 17, staged the famous Köln Concert by jazz musician Keith Jarrett, which became the top-selling jazz solo album of all time. With Polish Film Institute backing, Oscar-winning Polish producer Ewa Puszczynska (Ida, Cold War) of Extreme Emotions is co-producing along with Annegret Weitkämper-Krug of Germany's Gretchenfilm (Seneca). Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Oren Moverman (Love & Mercy, Bad Education) serves as executive producer. Moverman also produced Fluk's previous feature, The Ticket. The Tale writer-director Jennifer Fox also serves as executive producer. Stephen Kelliher and Sophie Green executive produce for Bankside. It stars Mala Emde (Skin Deep, And Tomorrow the Entire World) in the lead role, alongside John Magaro (Past Lives) as Jarrett. Magaro was also in Cannes last year with Kelly Reichardt's competition title Showing Up.Other cast attached include Alexander Scheer (Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush), Ulrich Tukur (The Life of Others), Susanne Wolff (Sisi & I, Styx), Jördis Triebel (Dark), Jan Bülow (Lindenberg) and Marie-Lou Sellem (Tar, Exit Marrakesh). The NYU-graduate Fluk was dubbed "a talent to watch" by Variety following his feature debut Never Too Late, the first crowd-sourced Israeli film ever made. His American debut, the Tribeca competition selection, The Ticket, starred Dan Stevens and Malin Akerman. Upcoming projects include 24 Hours in June, a retelling of the final day in the life of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union, to be produced by Academy Award winner James Schamus (Brokeback Mountain) and Joe Pirro (Driveways). Fluk is repped by Amotz Zakai, Amy Schiffman, and Kegan Schell at Echo Lake Entertainment. He is also created the recently-announced HBO series Empty Mansions for Fremantle with director Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour) attached to direct the pilot. "From the moment I heard Vera's story, about how as a high school teenager she organized one of the greatest concerts in history, I knew her story had to be told," said Fluk. "We were immediately exhilarated by Vera Brandes' remarkable female empowerment story. Her strength, courage and sheer belief in herself and the music of Keith Jarrett will entertain and inspire audiences around the world," added Kelliher.
- 3/5/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Artist International Group (Aig) has signed an exclusive representation deal with Selectors, a UK based incubator of IP and producer of fact-based stories across audio, non-scripted, and scripted Film & TV productions.
Founded by William Ralston, a journalist based in London, and entertainment producer and financier Goldfinch, Selectors sources and develops ambitious stories for a worldwide audience in partnership with some of the leading journalists in the industry. In the 12 months since its launch, the company has set up multiple properties with top-tier partners in London, New York, and Los Angeles.
Partnering with Vertigo Films and Palomar Pictures, Selectors is producing a documentary about Iceland’s largest bitcoin heist; and with Cineflix they’re producing a documentary about a secret CIA mission to the top of Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India, involving a lost nuclear device and mystery that burns strong today.
In collaboration with Blanchard House,...
Founded by William Ralston, a journalist based in London, and entertainment producer and financier Goldfinch, Selectors sources and develops ambitious stories for a worldwide audience in partnership with some of the leading journalists in the industry. In the 12 months since its launch, the company has set up multiple properties with top-tier partners in London, New York, and Los Angeles.
Partnering with Vertigo Films and Palomar Pictures, Selectors is producing a documentary about Iceland’s largest bitcoin heist; and with Cineflix they’re producing a documentary about a secret CIA mission to the top of Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India, involving a lost nuclear device and mystery that burns strong today.
In collaboration with Blanchard House,...
- 2/9/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Breakout talents from festival favorites Saint Omer and Tori and Lokita, new faces from Netflix hits The Playlist and Babylon Berlin, and discoveries from arthouse features from across Europe are among the top 10 talents picked to be the 2023 European Shooting Stars.
The annual list of up-and-coming actors from across Europe — which has proved a reliable talent spotter over the years — was unveiled Wednesday by European Film Promotion, which organizes the selection.
The eight women and two men picked by the Shooting Star jury will attend the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where they will be introduced to the international industry, and meet with talent agents, directors and producers.
Previous European Shooting Stars have included the likes of Michaela Coel (2018), Luca Marinelli (2013), Riz Ahmed (2012), Alica Vikander (2011), Daniel Brühl (2003), Ruth Negga (2006) and Matthias Schoenaerts (2003).
Here’s a short introduction to next year’s class:...
Breakout talents from festival favorites Saint Omer and Tori and Lokita, new faces from Netflix hits The Playlist and Babylon Berlin, and discoveries from arthouse features from across Europe are among the top 10 talents picked to be the 2023 European Shooting Stars.
The annual list of up-and-coming actors from across Europe — which has proved a reliable talent spotter over the years — was unveiled Wednesday by European Film Promotion, which organizes the selection.
The eight women and two men picked by the Shooting Star jury will attend the Berlin International Film Festival in February, where they will be introduced to the international industry, and meet with talent agents, directors and producers.
Previous European Shooting Stars have included the likes of Michaela Coel (2018), Luca Marinelli (2013), Riz Ahmed (2012), Alica Vikander (2011), Daniel Brühl (2003), Ruth Negga (2006) and Matthias Schoenaerts (2003).
Here’s a short introduction to next year’s class:...
- 12/14/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Each year we are proud to partner with the European Film Promotion to celebrate ten emerging European talents as part of their ongoing Efp Shooting Stars programme. Today we’re pleased to join the reveal of 2023’s cohort, who we’ll be getting to know better next year at the 73rd Berlinale.
Here are 2023’s European Shooting Stars:
Joely Mbundu (Belgium), Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Leonie Benesch (Germany), Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland), Benedetta Porcaroli (Italy), Yannick Jozefzoon (The Netherlands), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Norway), Judith State (Romania), Gizem Erdogan (Sweden) and Kayije Kagame (Switzerland).
We’ll be meeting with each of the Shooting Stars out in Berlin next February and speaking to them. So, remember to check back next year for those interviews.
In the meantime, here are more details about each of the intake from the Efp themselves.
Belgium / Joely Mbundu ©Tina Herbots
Joely Mbundu hails from Villeneuve-St-Georges, France and attended school in Flanders,...
Here are 2023’s European Shooting Stars:
Joely Mbundu (Belgium), Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Leonie Benesch (Germany), Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland), Benedetta Porcaroli (Italy), Yannick Jozefzoon (The Netherlands), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Norway), Judith State (Romania), Gizem Erdogan (Sweden) and Kayije Kagame (Switzerland).
We’ll be meeting with each of the Shooting Stars out in Berlin next February and speaking to them. So, remember to check back next year for those interviews.
In the meantime, here are more details about each of the intake from the Efp themselves.
Belgium / Joely Mbundu ©Tina Herbots
Joely Mbundu hails from Villeneuve-St-Georges, France and attended school in Flanders,...
- 12/14/2022
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: Veteran manager Aleksey Ageyev — who while repping a roster of top global filmmakers, has produced more than 30 scripted series and features — has joined David Unger’s global management company Artist International Group as Partner.
Ageyev brings to Aig clients including 2021 Tribeca prize-winning filmmaker Levan Koguashvili (Brighton 4th); screenwriter Elena Kiseleva, who co-wrote Andrey Konchalovskiy’s 2020 Venice Special Jury Prize winner Dear Comrades!; screenwriter Andrey Zolotarev (Sputnik); and showrunner Roman Kantor, among others.
Prior to joining Artist International Group, Ageyev headed up the global talent management company PlusSeven as well as the Los Angeles-based Storyworld Entertainment, where he specialized in adapting foreign formats for the U.S. market. Notable credits include To the Lake and Seven Seconds, both for Netflix.
“International projects are the future of our industry. David Unger has been nurturing international voices for two decades,” said Ageyev. “With our combined efforts, we...
Ageyev brings to Aig clients including 2021 Tribeca prize-winning filmmaker Levan Koguashvili (Brighton 4th); screenwriter Elena Kiseleva, who co-wrote Andrey Konchalovskiy’s 2020 Venice Special Jury Prize winner Dear Comrades!; screenwriter Andrey Zolotarev (Sputnik); and showrunner Roman Kantor, among others.
Prior to joining Artist International Group, Ageyev headed up the global talent management company PlusSeven as well as the Los Angeles-based Storyworld Entertainment, where he specialized in adapting foreign formats for the U.S. market. Notable credits include To the Lake and Seven Seconds, both for Netflix.
“International projects are the future of our industry. David Unger has been nurturing international voices for two decades,” said Ageyev. “With our combined efforts, we...
- 11/21/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Alamode to co-produce Ido Fluk’s jazz feature ’Köln 75’
Munich-based distributor Alamode Film is set to make its first foray into production as a co-producer of Köln 75 with Holy Spider’s German producer One Two Films.
The feature by New-York-based Israeli filmmaker Ido Fluk centres on Vera Brandes who staged jazz musician Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert in 1975 at the tender age of 17.
She has subsequently run her own record label and become an award-winning music producer as well as one of the world’s leading authorities on music medicine research.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Daily at Holy Spider...
Munich-based distributor Alamode Film is set to make its first foray into production as a co-producer of Köln 75 with Holy Spider’s German producer One Two Films.
The feature by New-York-based Israeli filmmaker Ido Fluk centres on Vera Brandes who staged jazz musician Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert in 1975 at the tender age of 17.
She has subsequently run her own record label and become an award-winning music producer as well as one of the world’s leading authorities on music medicine research.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Daily at Holy Spider...
- 10/10/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Alamode to co-produce Ido Fluk’s jazz feature ’Köln 75’
Munich-based distributor Alamode Film is set to make its first foray into production as a co-producer of Köln 75 with Holy Spider’s German producer One Two Films.
The feature, by New-York-based Israeli filmmaker Ido Fluk, centres on Vera Brandes who staged jazz musician Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert in 1975 at the tender age of 17.
Since then, she has subsequently run her own record label and become an award-winning music producer as well as one of the world’s leading authorities on music medicine research.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Daily at...
Munich-based distributor Alamode Film is set to make its first foray into production as a co-producer of Köln 75 with Holy Spider’s German producer One Two Films.
The feature, by New-York-based Israeli filmmaker Ido Fluk, centres on Vera Brandes who staged jazz musician Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert in 1975 at the tender age of 17.
Since then, she has subsequently run her own record label and become an award-winning music producer as well as one of the world’s leading authorities on music medicine research.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Daily at...
- 10/9/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Producer Ilya Stewart has launched an independent studio based in Europe that will operate on a global scale, working with international talent and focusing on English-language feature films and television series, Variety can exclusively reveal.
Hype Studios is the new venture from Stewart, the formerly Moscow-based producer who in recent years has been a fixture at the Cannes Film Festival, where his collaborations with Russian auteur Kirill Serebrennikov, including “Petrov’s Flu” and “Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” have premiered in competition.
Among the co-productions with American and European partners currently on Hype Studios’ slate is Zach Wigon’s “Sanctuary,” starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott, which premieres as a Special Presentation next month at the Toronto International Film Festival and was produced with Rumble Films and Mosaic Films, along with Charades. Also on the slate is Pietro Marcello’s French-language “Scarlet,” produced in partnership with CG Cinéma’s Charles Gillibert, which opened this...
Hype Studios is the new venture from Stewart, the formerly Moscow-based producer who in recent years has been a fixture at the Cannes Film Festival, where his collaborations with Russian auteur Kirill Serebrennikov, including “Petrov’s Flu” and “Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” have premiered in competition.
Among the co-productions with American and European partners currently on Hype Studios’ slate is Zach Wigon’s “Sanctuary,” starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott, which premieres as a Special Presentation next month at the Toronto International Film Festival and was produced with Rumble Films and Mosaic Films, along with Charades. Also on the slate is Pietro Marcello’s French-language “Scarlet,” produced in partnership with CG Cinéma’s Charles Gillibert, which opened this...
- 8/25/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Meridian Pictures’ Eric Paquette will produce The Last Executioner, a new project from director Vadim Perelman that he co-wrote with Andrii Khokholkin.
Khokholkin, who has been a writer on several projects in Ukraine, is currently in the Ukrainian army, having joined the armed forces following the Russian invasion.
The Last Executioner tells the story of Henri-Clément Sanson who held the position of Royal Executioner of Paris, serving King Louis-Philippe I from 1840 to 1847. Sanson was from a long time of executioners. His father was the city’s chief executioner for 47 years, and his grandfather Charles-Henri Sanson also was the executioner of royal figures and those trying to spark revolution.
“The job was passed on, grandfather to father to son, and so it was a whole family of outcasts who were feared, they were almost like supernatural creatures,” said Perelman.
He said that the project...
Khokholkin, who has been a writer on several projects in Ukraine, is currently in the Ukrainian army, having joined the armed forces following the Russian invasion.
The Last Executioner tells the story of Henri-Clément Sanson who held the position of Royal Executioner of Paris, serving King Louis-Philippe I from 1840 to 1847. Sanson was from a long time of executioners. His father was the city’s chief executioner for 47 years, and his grandfather Charles-Henri Sanson also was the executioner of royal figures and those trying to spark revolution.
“The job was passed on, grandfather to father to son, and so it was a whole family of outcasts who were feared, they were almost like supernatural creatures,” said Perelman.
He said that the project...
- 7/22/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Berlin-based One Two Films, in Cannes this week with Ali Abbasi’s competition title “Holy Spider,” is prepping a new feature from writer-director Ido Fluk, the filmmaker behind 2016 Tribeca selection “The Ticket.”
“Köln 75” tells the true story of Vera Brandes, who, in 1975 and at the age of 17, staged the famous Köln Concert by jazz musician Keith Jarrett, which became the top-selling jazz solo album of all time. It stars Mala Emde (“And Tomorrow the Entire World”) in the lead role, alongside John Magaro (“First Cow”) as Jarrett. Magaro is also in Cannes with Kelly Reichardt’s competition title “Showing Up.”
Oscar-winning Polish producer Ewa Puszczynska of Extreme Emotions will co-produce, with Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Oren Moverman serving as executive producer. Moverman also produced Fluk’s previous feature, “The Ticket.”
Other cast attached include Alexander Scheer (“Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush”), Ulrich Tukur (“The Life of Others”), Susanne Wolff...
“Köln 75” tells the true story of Vera Brandes, who, in 1975 and at the age of 17, staged the famous Köln Concert by jazz musician Keith Jarrett, which became the top-selling jazz solo album of all time. It stars Mala Emde (“And Tomorrow the Entire World”) in the lead role, alongside John Magaro (“First Cow”) as Jarrett. Magaro is also in Cannes with Kelly Reichardt’s competition title “Showing Up.”
Oscar-winning Polish producer Ewa Puszczynska of Extreme Emotions will co-produce, with Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Oren Moverman serving as executive producer. Moverman also produced Fluk’s previous feature, “The Ticket.”
Other cast attached include Alexander Scheer (“Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush”), Ulrich Tukur (“The Life of Others”), Susanne Wolff...
- 5/20/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ukrainian-Canadian-American filmmaker Vadim Perelman has inked with Artist International Group for management.
Perelman made his directorial debut in 2003 with House Of Sand And Fog, which went on to be nominated for three Oscars including Best Actor Ben Kingsley, Best Supporting Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and Best Original Score James Horner.
The pic, which also starred Jennifer Connelly, repped Perlman’s first screenplay credit. Drawn to the story, having been shaped by his own immigrant experience, Perelman adapted the screenplay alongside Shawn Otto from Andre Dubus III’s international bestseller of the same name. DreamWorks acquired domestic distribution rights and released the film to great critical acclaim.
Perelman’s second feature film, The Life Before Her Eyes, starred Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Also an adaptation, the pic followed a woman whose survivor’s guilt from a Columbine-like event twenty years ago causes her present-day idyllic life to fall apart.
Perelman made his directorial debut in 2003 with House Of Sand And Fog, which went on to be nominated for three Oscars including Best Actor Ben Kingsley, Best Supporting Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and Best Original Score James Horner.
The pic, which also starred Jennifer Connelly, repped Perlman’s first screenplay credit. Drawn to the story, having been shaped by his own immigrant experience, Perelman adapted the screenplay alongside Shawn Otto from Andre Dubus III’s international bestseller of the same name. DreamWorks acquired domestic distribution rights and released the film to great critical acclaim.
Perelman’s second feature film, The Life Before Her Eyes, starred Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Also an adaptation, the pic followed a woman whose survivor’s guilt from a Columbine-like event twenty years ago causes her present-day idyllic life to fall apart.
- 5/13/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Hype Film, the production company behind Kirill Serebrennikov’s Cannes competition title “Petrov’s Flu,” has signed a first-look deal with Ivi, the largest Russian VOD platform.
As part of the two-year deal, Hype Film will develop 10 and produce at least two Russian-language scripted shows exclusively for Ivi, which boasts more than 59 million unique visitors per month.
Vadim Sokolovsky, head of Ivi Originals, said: “Hype Film is a recognizable brand name in the Russian and international film industry. For the last 10 years the company has been producing such critically acclaimed projects as Vadim Perelman’s ‘Persian Lessons’ and Kirill Serebrennikov’s ‘Leto,’ to name a few. Ivi Originals’ strategy is to give emerging and established artists an opportunity to realize their most ambitious projects with Ivi. We are happy that Hype Film shares this vision with us.”
“Content is king right now. We hope that with Hype Film’s projects we...
As part of the two-year deal, Hype Film will develop 10 and produce at least two Russian-language scripted shows exclusively for Ivi, which boasts more than 59 million unique visitors per month.
Vadim Sokolovsky, head of Ivi Originals, said: “Hype Film is a recognizable brand name in the Russian and international film industry. For the last 10 years the company has been producing such critically acclaimed projects as Vadim Perelman’s ‘Persian Lessons’ and Kirill Serebrennikov’s ‘Leto,’ to name a few. Ivi Originals’ strategy is to give emerging and established artists an opportunity to realize their most ambitious projects with Ivi. We are happy that Hype Film shares this vision with us.”
“Content is king right now. We hope that with Hype Film’s projects we...
- 7/1/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov is banned from leaving his home country and thus cannot legally attend the Cannes Film Festival this summer, where his film “Petrov’s Flu” will debut in competition, his lawyer told Afp Monday.
The 51-year-old helmer was sentenced in June 2020 to a three-year suspended prison sentence and issued a fine over a case of embezzlement.
His supporters argue that the case against him was politically motivated, since his daring work engages with politics, sex and religion in ways frowned upon by the Russian state, which is calling for a return to more conservative “traditional” values.
“Kirill cannot leave Russian territory,” his lawyer Dmitri Kharitonov confirmed, noting that the director’s travel ban will remain in place until June 2023. His suspended sentence means that he does not have to spend time in prison.
This year will mark his second Cannes no-show. He was also absent from the festival...
The 51-year-old helmer was sentenced in June 2020 to a three-year suspended prison sentence and issued a fine over a case of embezzlement.
His supporters argue that the case against him was politically motivated, since his daring work engages with politics, sex and religion in ways frowned upon by the Russian state, which is calling for a return to more conservative “traditional” values.
“Kirill cannot leave Russian territory,” his lawyer Dmitri Kharitonov confirmed, noting that the director’s travel ban will remain in place until June 2023. His suspended sentence means that he does not have to spend time in prison.
This year will mark his second Cannes no-show. He was also absent from the festival...
- 6/7/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Seventeen Russian projects and nine international projects from eight countries have been selected to take part in Wemw Goes to Russia, a new international co-production forum organized by Russian state film promotion body Roskino and When East Meets West, the Trieste Film Festival’s co-production platform.
The projects will be presented to potential co-production partners during the Key Buyers Event, which will take place online from June 8-10, with three additional days of screenings and matchmaking.
The Key Buyers Event was conceived in 2019 as a showcase for new Russian content, primarily geared toward foreign buyers. But the addition of a co-production market—expanded this year through the collaboration with When East Meets West—highlights what Roskino topper Evgenia Markova saw as growing demand to create a platform for Russian producers and their foreign counterparts to come together.
“It was the right choice,” Markova told Variety last month. “We saw it from the [Russian] market.
The projects will be presented to potential co-production partners during the Key Buyers Event, which will take place online from June 8-10, with three additional days of screenings and matchmaking.
The Key Buyers Event was conceived in 2019 as a showcase for new Russian content, primarily geared toward foreign buyers. But the addition of a co-production market—expanded this year through the collaboration with When East Meets West—highlights what Roskino topper Evgenia Markova saw as growing demand to create a platform for Russian producers and their foreign counterparts to come together.
“It was the right choice,” Markova told Variety last month. “We saw it from the [Russian] market.
- 6/7/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Matrix and Joker co-producer Village Roadshow Pictures is teaming with Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho (The Batman) and XYZ Films (Mandy) for the English-language remake of recently-released Russian sci-fi-thriller Sputnik.
Set in the Soviet Union in the 1980s during the Cold War, the film follows a young female doctor who is recruited by the military to assess a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous organism living inside him. The English-language remake is currently in development.
Producers for the remake include Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan and Rafi Crohn for 6th & Idaho, Mikhail Vrubel and Alexander Andryushenko for Vodorod Pictures, Fedor Bondarchuk for Art Pictures and Ilya Stewart for Hype Film.
Egor Abramenko, Murad Osmann, Pavel Burya, Alina Tyazhlova and Mila Rozanova are executive producers. XYZ Films also serves as executive producers. Jillian Apfelbaum (Late Night) will oversee for Village Roadshow Pictures.
The...
Set in the Soviet Union in the 1980s during the Cold War, the film follows a young female doctor who is recruited by the military to assess a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous organism living inside him. The English-language remake is currently in development.
Producers for the remake include Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan and Rafi Crohn for 6th & Idaho, Mikhail Vrubel and Alexander Andryushenko for Vodorod Pictures, Fedor Bondarchuk for Art Pictures and Ilya Stewart for Hype Film.
Egor Abramenko, Murad Osmann, Pavel Burya, Alina Tyazhlova and Mila Rozanova are executive producers. XYZ Films also serves as executive producers. Jillian Apfelbaum (Late Night) will oversee for Village Roadshow Pictures.
The...
- 3/29/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
James Cameron’s epic has taken a further $43.8m since its re-release, for an all-time China total of $250.2m.
The re-release of James Cameron’s Avatar held the top position at the China box office in its second weekend (March 19-21), according to figures from theatrical consultancy Artisan Gateway, grossing $14.1m.
The film, which grossed $206.4m when it was released in China in 2010, has taken a further $43.8m since its re-release, for an all-time cumulative total of $250.2m. The China re-release has pushed the film past Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing movie of all time globally.
It is also...
The re-release of James Cameron’s Avatar held the top position at the China box office in its second weekend (March 19-21), according to figures from theatrical consultancy Artisan Gateway, grossing $14.1m.
The film, which grossed $206.4m when it was released in China in 2010, has taken a further $43.8m since its re-release, for an all-time cumulative total of $250.2m. The China re-release has pushed the film past Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing movie of all time globally.
It is also...
- 3/22/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Vadim Perelman’s modestly budgeted holocaust drama Persian Lessons has been set for release in China on March 19 — in the shadow of James Cameron’s surprise Avatar re-release.
The well-regarded Belarusian-Russian film will pose a test of China’s market for emotionally potent foreign indie filmmaking, which had been growing steadily before the disastrous onset of the pandemic.
Persian Lessons premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, where it was greeted warmly by critics and audiences. The film tells the story of a Jewish prisoner who pretends to be Iranian to escape being shot and is then forced to teach Farsi ...
The well-regarded Belarusian-Russian film will pose a test of China’s market for emotionally potent foreign indie filmmaking, which had been growing steadily before the disastrous onset of the pandemic.
Persian Lessons premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, where it was greeted warmly by critics and audiences. The film tells the story of a Jewish prisoner who pretends to be Iranian to escape being shot and is then forced to teach Farsi ...
- 3/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Vadim Perelman’s modestly budgeted holocaust drama Persian Lessons has been set for release in China on March 19 — in the shadow of James Cameron’s surprise Avatar re-release.
The well-regarded Belarusian-Russian film will pose a test of China’s market for emotionally potent foreign indie filmmaking, which had been growing steadily before the disastrous onset of the pandemic.
Persian Lessons premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, where it was greeted warmly by critics and audiences. The film tells the story of a Jewish prisoner who pretends to be Iranian to escape being shot and is then forced to teach Farsi ...
The well-regarded Belarusian-Russian film will pose a test of China’s market for emotionally potent foreign indie filmmaking, which had been growing steadily before the disastrous onset of the pandemic.
Persian Lessons premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, where it was greeted warmly by critics and audiences. The film tells the story of a Jewish prisoner who pretends to be Iranian to escape being shot and is then forced to teach Farsi ...
- 3/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
China is belatedly scrambling to fill in its post-Lunar New Year screening calendar, announcing Tuesday that it would round out its March offerings with foreign title “Persian Lessons” and a re-release of “Avatar.”
“Avatar” will hit in just three days’ time on March 12. The official screening green light comes so close to the film’s actual re-release date that it appears the Dcp hard drives might not even make it to some cinemas in time. Photos circulated on social media showing piles of boxes of them at an express courier awaiting deployment across the country.
While the six-day Chinese New Year holiday saw a bonanza of seven new releases and sales of a record-breaking $1.2 billion, the lineup in their wake has been relatively empty. The lack of fresh competition so far hasn’t been much of a boon to Hollywood: Both Warner Bros.’ “Tom and Jerry” and Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon...
“Avatar” will hit in just three days’ time on March 12. The official screening green light comes so close to the film’s actual re-release date that it appears the Dcp hard drives might not even make it to some cinemas in time. Photos circulated on social media showing piles of boxes of them at an express courier awaiting deployment across the country.
While the six-day Chinese New Year holiday saw a bonanza of seven new releases and sales of a record-breaking $1.2 billion, the lineup in their wake has been relatively empty. The lack of fresh competition so far hasn’t been much of a boon to Hollywood: Both Warner Bros.’ “Tom and Jerry” and Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon...
- 3/9/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Moscow-based company is looking for partners at EFM.
Moscow’s Hype Film, whose credits include Mona Fastvold’s Venice Competition contender The World To Come and Kirill Serebrennikov’s buzzy Petrov’s Flu (sold by Charades), is lining up a project exploring the lives of contemporary Russians with disabilities.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
Moscow’s Hype Film, whose credits include Mona Fastvold’s Venice Competition contender The World To Come and Kirill Serebrennikov’s buzzy Petrov’s Flu (sold by Charades), is lining up a project exploring the lives of contemporary Russians with disabilities.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
- 3/4/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Moscow’s Hype Film, whose credits include Mona Fastvold’s Venice Competition contender The World To Come and Kirill Serebrennikov’s buzzy Petrov’s Flu (sold by Charades), is lining up a project exploring the lives of contemporary Russians with disabilities.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
Smirnova co-wrote the screenplay with novelist/screenwriter Marina Stepnova.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
Smirnova co-wrote the screenplay with novelist/screenwriter Marina Stepnova.
- 3/4/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
China’s $1.2 billion Lunar New Year box office broke world records earlier this month, but Chinese film buyers and sales agents are not jumping to interpret that as a sign of lasting market recovery, particularly for arthouse productions and indie firms.
Despite astonishing ticket sales, some 80% of the six-day holiday box office went to just the top two out of seven titles — “Detective Chinatown 3″ and ‘Hi, Mom” (pictured) — causing the others to underperform.
This, coupled with the fact that the Chinese New Year release window is uniquely popular, means that the trumpeted success “is therefore no indication that after the holiday, the theatrical market will return to what it was before the pandemic,” says Cindy Lin, CEO of indie distributor Infotainment China, which imports foreign arthouse fare.
Numerous insiders observed that one of the big impacts of the pandemic on the Chinese film market has been a greater polarization. Like the wider global economy,...
Despite astonishing ticket sales, some 80% of the six-day holiday box office went to just the top two out of seven titles — “Detective Chinatown 3″ and ‘Hi, Mom” (pictured) — causing the others to underperform.
This, coupled with the fact that the Chinese New Year release window is uniquely popular, means that the trumpeted success “is therefore no indication that after the holiday, the theatrical market will return to what it was before the pandemic,” says Cindy Lin, CEO of indie distributor Infotainment China, which imports foreign arthouse fare.
Numerous insiders observed that one of the big impacts of the pandemic on the Chinese film market has been a greater polarization. Like the wider global economy,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Claiming to be inspired by true events, the story of a young Jewish man who stays alive by pretending to be half-Iranian strains credibility
Here’s a superbly acted, though worryingly polite, Holocaust survival drama by the Ukrainian film-maker Vadim Perelman. It’s the story of a Jewish man from Belgium called Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), who stays alive in a transit camp by pretending to be half-Iranian and teaching Farsi to a savage-tempered SS officer, Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger). In truth, Gilles doesn’t know a word of Farsi; the language he makes up is gibberish, and he lives in constant terror of slipping up, forgetting one of the words he’s invented – almost 600 in six months.
The film opens with the line “inspired by true events”, but given the plausibility issues here surely it is safe to prefix that claim with “very loosely”. The setting is France, 1942; Gilles,...
Here’s a superbly acted, though worryingly polite, Holocaust survival drama by the Ukrainian film-maker Vadim Perelman. It’s the story of a Jewish man from Belgium called Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), who stays alive in a transit camp by pretending to be half-Iranian and teaching Farsi to a savage-tempered SS officer, Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger). In truth, Gilles doesn’t know a word of Farsi; the language he makes up is gibberish, and he lives in constant terror of slipping up, forgetting one of the words he’s invented – almost 600 in six months.
The film opens with the line “inspired by true events”, but given the plausibility issues here surely it is safe to prefix that claim with “very loosely”. The setting is France, 1942; Gilles,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
“I think this story should be told all the time, especially now,” director Vadim Perelman says of his historical drama Persian Lessons. The film, set during the Holocaust, chronicles how a young Belgian man avoids execution in a concentration camp by pretending he can speak Persian, teaching a made-up language to a camp prison officer.
“There is a definite resurgence of hatred in this world and it’s never too late or too early to tell that story in order to educate,” Perelman says during Deadline’s Contenders International awards-season event.
The film had been this year’s Oscar entry for Belarus before it was disqualified earlier this week for not having enough creative positions originating from the country, thereby making it ineligible (it remains in the mix for the Golden Globes and other awards). As a co-production among Russia, Germany and Belarus, the project was a complex jigsaw to...
“There is a definite resurgence of hatred in this world and it’s never too late or too early to tell that story in order to educate,” Perelman says during Deadline’s Contenders International awards-season event.
The film had been this year’s Oscar entry for Belarus before it was disqualified earlier this week for not having enough creative positions originating from the country, thereby making it ineligible (it remains in the mix for the Golden Globes and other awards). As a co-production among Russia, Germany and Belarus, the project was a complex jigsaw to...
- 1/9/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline kicks off the New Year and movie awards season with our first edition of Contenders International, which gets underway this morning at 8 a.m. Pt. The event showcases 22 titles from 15 studios, streamers and distributors with presentations including clips and filmmaker/talent Q&As. In all, 19 of the films are official submissions to the Best International Film category at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Due to the pandemic Contenders International will be presented virtually, so click here to register and join the livestream. You can additionally follow along for the day on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.
While international markets have been a profit center for the studios for many years, local films have begun to take on greater importance outside festivals and indeed their home countries. That was particularly the case in 2019 with South Korea’s Parasite, which went on...
Due to the pandemic Contenders International will be presented virtually, so click here to register and join the livestream. You can additionally follow along for the day on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.
While international markets have been a profit center for the studios for many years, local films have begun to take on greater importance outside festivals and indeed their home countries. That was particularly the case in 2019 with South Korea’s Parasite, which went on...
- 1/9/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Vadim Perelman’s “Persian Lessons” has been pulled from the international feature film Oscar race, where the acclaimed WWII drama was representing Belarus.
As part of the international feature film submission process, a country’s selection committee is required to provide a list of credits in key creative positions, both above and below the line. Variety understands that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences removed the film from consideration because it didn’t meet the category’s eligibility requirements for the majority of creative control to originate from residents of the submitting country.
The WWII drama, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, is set in occupied France in 1942 and stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“Beats Per Minute”) as a Belgian Jew who narrowly avoids execution by a Nazi firing squad when he claims to be Persian. He is then enlisted to teach Farsi — which he...
As part of the international feature film submission process, a country’s selection committee is required to provide a list of credits in key creative positions, both above and below the line. Variety understands that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences removed the film from consideration because it didn’t meet the category’s eligibility requirements for the majority of creative control to originate from residents of the submitting country.
The WWII drama, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, is set in occupied France in 1942 and stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“Beats Per Minute”) as a Belgian Jew who narrowly avoids execution by a Nazi firing squad when he claims to be Persian. He is then enlisted to teach Farsi — which he...
- 1/8/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Belarus’ Oscar© 2020 Entry for Best International Feature: ‘Persian Lessons’ Directed by Vadim Perelman
The story of the journey of this film — a highly suspenseful drama full of twists and turns telling a compelling and emotional story of…
Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...
The story of the journey of this film — a highly suspenseful drama full of twists and turns telling a compelling and emotional story of…
Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...
- 12/23/2020
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
While the Academy has not yet released the full official list, these are the films Variety has learned have been submitted by various countries in the international film race. The shortlist will be announced Feb. 9 and the nominations on March 15. The Academy Awards ceremony takes place on April 25.
Albania Open Door
Director: Florenc Papas
Key Cast: Luli Bitri, Jonida Vokshi, Gulielm Radoja
Logline: Pregnant woman and her sister try to find a man to pretend to be the mom-to-be’s husband before visiting their traditional father.
Prodco: Bunker Film Plus
Algeria Héliopolis
Director: Djaâfar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi
Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: Algerians fight for independence punctuated by the 1945 massacre in the ancient city of Héliopolis.
Prodco: Centre Algérien de Développement du Cinéma
Argentina The Sleepwalkers
Director: Paula Hernández
Key Cast: Érica Rivas, Ornella D’elía, Marilu Marini, Daniel Hendler
Logline: A family drama encompasses the sexual awakening...
Albania Open Door
Director: Florenc Papas
Key Cast: Luli Bitri, Jonida Vokshi, Gulielm Radoja
Logline: Pregnant woman and her sister try to find a man to pretend to be the mom-to-be’s husband before visiting their traditional father.
Prodco: Bunker Film Plus
Algeria Héliopolis
Director: Djaâfar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi
Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: Algerians fight for independence punctuated by the 1945 massacre in the ancient city of Héliopolis.
Prodco: Centre Algérien de Développement du Cinéma
Argentina The Sleepwalkers
Director: Paula Hernández
Key Cast: Érica Rivas, Ornella D’elía, Marilu Marini, Daniel Hendler
Logline: A family drama encompasses the sexual awakening...
- 12/23/2020
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Vadim Perelman’s “Persian Lessons” will represent Belarus in the best international feature film race at the 2021 Oscars, Variety has learned.
The WWII drama, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this year, stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“Beats Per Minute”) as a Belgian Jew who narrowly avoids execution by a Nazi firing squad when he claims to be Persian. Desperate to save himself, he offers to teach Farsi — a language he does not know — to the head of the camp, played by German star Lars Eidinger (“Clouds of Sils Maria”).
Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog”) directed from a script by Ilya Zofin, based on the story “Erfindung Einer Sprache” by Wolfgang Kohlhaase. “Persian Lessons” is produced by Moscow-based Hype Film (“Leto”) and co-produced by Berlin-based Lm Media and One Two Films in association with Belarusfilm. Memento Films International is handling world sales.
“The film is especially important and relevant in our time,...
The WWII drama, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this year, stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“Beats Per Minute”) as a Belgian Jew who narrowly avoids execution by a Nazi firing squad when he claims to be Persian. Desperate to save himself, he offers to teach Farsi — a language he does not know — to the head of the camp, played by German star Lars Eidinger (“Clouds of Sils Maria”).
Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog”) directed from a script by Ilya Zofin, based on the story “Erfindung Einer Sprache” by Wolfgang Kohlhaase. “Persian Lessons” is produced by Moscow-based Hype Film (“Leto”) and co-produced by Berlin-based Lm Media and One Two Films in association with Belarusfilm. Memento Films International is handling world sales.
“The film is especially important and relevant in our time,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Bookmark this page for all the latest international feature submissions.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
- 12/1/2020
- by Ben Dalton¬Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
"You would die with that nameless horde?" "They're only nameless, because you don't know their names." Memento Films has released an official trailer for Persian Lessons (feat. English subtitles), a German-Russian WWII thriller from filmmaker Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog). This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch. Through an ingenious trick, he manages to survive by inventing words of "Farsi" every day and teaching them to Koch. A harrowing story of survival during the Holocaust. The cast features Lars Eidinger as Koch, Jonas Nay, David Schütter, Alexander Beyer, Andreas Hofer,...
- 10/13/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Cinemas are looking to bounce back from a week of bad news.
France, opening Wednesday September 23
UFO Distribution and Potemkine Films joined forces this week for a rare general release of a medium-length film to launch Gaspar Noé’s 51-minute work Lux Æterna on 47 prints. Co-starring Beatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a director and actress locked in a hellish shoot, the work debuted Out of Competition in Cannes in 2019.
Noé’s cult status at home ensured plenty of press and according to France’s Cbo Box Office the picture came in fifth out of 15 new releases on its first day in cinemas,...
France, opening Wednesday September 23
UFO Distribution and Potemkine Films joined forces this week for a rare general release of a medium-length film to launch Gaspar Noé’s 51-minute work Lux Æterna on 47 prints. Co-starring Beatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a director and actress locked in a hellish shoot, the work debuted Out of Competition in Cannes in 2019.
Noé’s cult status at home ensured plenty of press and according to France’s Cbo Box Office the picture came in fifth out of 15 new releases on its first day in cinemas,...
- 9/25/2020
- by Ben Dalton¬Martin Blaney¬Melanie Goodfellow¬Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Memento International Unveils Trailer for ‘Persian Lessons’ Ahead of Theatrical Roll-Out (Exclusive)
Memento International has unveiled the trailer for “Persian Lessons,” the anticipated WWII drama directed by Vadim Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog”), ahead of its theatrical roll-out in Germany later this month.
Alamode Films Distribution will release the film in Germany on Sept. 24 in Germany and will present it on the opening night of the Jewish Film Festival. The movie world premiered at Berlin last year, in the Panorama section, and was a festival highlight.
One of the rare arthouse movies scheduled for a theatrical release during the pandemic, “Persian Lessons” will be released in Russia in mid-October by Hype Films, and in the U.S., France and the U.K. in January by Cohen Media Group, Kmbo and Signature, respectively.
The German-Russian movie is nominated in many categories at the European Films Awards and Cohen Media Group intends to position it for the Awards season, starting with the Golden...
Alamode Films Distribution will release the film in Germany on Sept. 24 in Germany and will present it on the opening night of the Jewish Film Festival. The movie world premiered at Berlin last year, in the Panorama section, and was a festival highlight.
One of the rare arthouse movies scheduled for a theatrical release during the pandemic, “Persian Lessons” will be released in Russia in mid-October by Hype Films, and in the U.S., France and the U.K. in January by Cohen Media Group, Kmbo and Signature, respectively.
The German-Russian movie is nominated in many categories at the European Films Awards and Cohen Media Group intends to position it for the Awards season, starting with the Golden...
- 9/18/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
This year’s selection will be announced over two waves to account for pandemic conditions.
The first 32 features up for the 2020 European Films Awards has been announced with a second wave of “pandemic year” titles due to be revealed in September.
Scroll down for first selection of films
The titles include Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History Of David Copperfield and Viggo Mortensen’s Falling as well as Berlinale award-winners Undine, by Christian Petzold; Hidden Away, by Giorgio Diritti; Bad Tales, by the D’Innocenzo Brothers; Dau. Natasha, by Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and Jekaterina Oertel; and Delete History, by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern.
The first 32 features up for the 2020 European Films Awards has been announced with a second wave of “pandemic year” titles due to be revealed in September.
Scroll down for first selection of films
The titles include Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History Of David Copperfield and Viggo Mortensen’s Falling as well as Berlinale award-winners Undine, by Christian Petzold; Hidden Away, by Giorgio Diritti; Bad Tales, by the D’Innocenzo Brothers; Dau. Natasha, by Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and Jekaterina Oertel; and Delete History, by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern.
- 8/18/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Producer Ilya Stewart was in the early days of financing “Petrov’s Flu,” the latest feature from Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (“Leto”), when he chose to bypass state funding bodies. The decision was made “for a variety of reasons,” he says, but it was nonetheless a risky move in a country where government support is still the main driving force of film production.
Instead, Stewart turned to Kinoprime, the $100 million film fund launched last year by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which provides up to 50% of a film’s budget. Kinoprime boarded “Petrov’s Flu” at an early stage “and could accommodate the sometimes fluid nature of a financing plan, especially when it comes to working with multiple territories and the various funding bodies in Europe,” says Stewart. The veteran producer then turned to partners in France, Germany and Switzerland to close financing on a film now in the final stages of post-production.
Instead, Stewart turned to Kinoprime, the $100 million film fund launched last year by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which provides up to 50% of a film’s budget. Kinoprime boarded “Petrov’s Flu” at an early stage “and could accommodate the sometimes fluid nature of a financing plan, especially when it comes to working with multiple territories and the various funding bodies in Europe,” says Stewart. The veteran producer then turned to partners in France, Germany and Switzerland to close financing on a film now in the final stages of post-production.
- 6/25/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
While international audiences have gotten used to Russian auteurs on red carpets from the Croisette to the Dolby Theatre, where directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev and Kantemir Balagov (“Beanpole”) have scooped up prestigious awards and Oscar nods, more and more Russian filmmakers are focused on making a splash in the global market.
Buoyed by high-octane actioners and genre titles with slick special effects, international sales for Russian films have been rising roughly 20% per year, according to film promotion body Roskino. During the Cannes virtual market, many foreign buyers may be tempted to give the country’s commercial fare a second look. “It’s the perception that needs to change,” says Central Partnership CEO Vadim Vereshchagin. “Our productions are at the same level as the European productions right now.”
Central Partnership has a strong Cannes slate that includes “Chernobyl,” a big-budget actioner about the aftermath of the nuclear power plant meltdown,...
Buoyed by high-octane actioners and genre titles with slick special effects, international sales for Russian films have been rising roughly 20% per year, according to film promotion body Roskino. During the Cannes virtual market, many foreign buyers may be tempted to give the country’s commercial fare a second look. “It’s the perception that needs to change,” says Central Partnership CEO Vadim Vereshchagin. “Our productions are at the same level as the European productions right now.”
Central Partnership has a strong Cannes slate that includes “Chernobyl,” a big-budget actioner about the aftermath of the nuclear power plant meltdown,...
- 6/25/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Memento Films International has closed major territory sales on its prestige director-driven film slate, including “Persian Lessons,” “My Salinger Year” and “Under The Stars.”
“Persian Lessons,” a drama directed by “House of Sand and Fog” helmer Vadim Perelman, is set in Occupied France in 1942. The film centers on a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany and is enlisted to teach Farsi to the head of the camp played by German star Lars Eidinger.
The movie world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section and was sold by Memento Films International to France (Kmbo), Latin America (California), Poland (Best Films), Romania (Independenta), Baltics (Kinosoprus), UK & Eire (Signature), Turkey (Filmarti), Bulgaria (6AMedia), Hungary (Cinetel), Czech Republic & Slovakia (Film Europe), Hong-Kong & Macao (Bravos), South Korea (Jin Jin Pictures), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), Australia & New Zealand (Rialto), Airlines (Captive Entertainment...
“Persian Lessons,” a drama directed by “House of Sand and Fog” helmer Vadim Perelman, is set in Occupied France in 1942. The film centers on a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany and is enlisted to teach Farsi to the head of the camp played by German star Lars Eidinger.
The movie world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section and was sold by Memento Films International to France (Kmbo), Latin America (California), Poland (Best Films), Romania (Independenta), Baltics (Kinosoprus), UK & Eire (Signature), Turkey (Filmarti), Bulgaria (6AMedia), Hungary (Cinetel), Czech Republic & Slovakia (Film Europe), Hong-Kong & Macao (Bravos), South Korea (Jin Jin Pictures), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), Australia & New Zealand (Rialto), Airlines (Captive Entertainment...
- 6/19/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov is developing a limited series based on the life of legendary Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, Variety has learned exclusively.
The series will be written and directed by Serebrennikov, and produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann and Pavel Burya of Moscow-based Hype Film.
“Andrei Tarkovsky and his iconic masterpieces greatly influenced world cinema and continue to be a source of endless inspiration for filmmakers of all generations,” says Stewart. “It is a privilege and an honor to continue our collaboration with Kirill Serebrennikov, a writer and director with a truly unique vision, which we look forward to bringing to life together.”
It’s the first foray into dramatic series for both Serebrennikov and Hype Film, which produced the director’s previous features, “The Student” and the 2018 Cannes competition selection “Leto,” as well as his upcoming film “Petrov’s Flu,” which is currently in post-production.
“We couldn’t...
The series will be written and directed by Serebrennikov, and produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann and Pavel Burya of Moscow-based Hype Film.
“Andrei Tarkovsky and his iconic masterpieces greatly influenced world cinema and continue to be a source of endless inspiration for filmmakers of all generations,” says Stewart. “It is a privilege and an honor to continue our collaboration with Kirill Serebrennikov, a writer and director with a truly unique vision, which we look forward to bringing to life together.”
It’s the first foray into dramatic series for both Serebrennikov and Hype Film, which produced the director’s previous features, “The Student” and the 2018 Cannes competition selection “Leto,” as well as his upcoming film “Petrov’s Flu,” which is currently in post-production.
“We couldn’t...
- 6/17/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Berlinale usually offers fertile ground for the Jewish Film Festival programmers. At the informal gathering around Nicola Galliner, the founder and director of the Jewish Film Festival of Berlin Brandenburg, programmers trade information and impressions as they meet with old and new friends. This year seems rather slim in programming although the good was great.
This was very best film with Jewish content at the Berlinale 2020 !!!
Persian Lessons by Vadim Perelman was a Special Gala. Why it was not in Competition I do not know but it could have won…It can still win next year’s Academy Award for Best International Film. It brought raves from everyone. “A fantastic performance by Lars Eidinger — best Nazi ever !!!” said one fan.
Persian Lessons’ world premiere came days after the racially motivated, right-wing extremist mass shooting in the German city of Hanau which left nine dead.
This Russian-German-Belarus feature, set in...
This was very best film with Jewish content at the Berlinale 2020 !!!
Persian Lessons by Vadim Perelman was a Special Gala. Why it was not in Competition I do not know but it could have won…It can still win next year’s Academy Award for Best International Film. It brought raves from everyone. “A fantastic performance by Lars Eidinger — best Nazi ever !!!” said one fan.
Persian Lessons’ world premiere came days after the racially motivated, right-wing extremist mass shooting in the German city of Hanau which left nine dead.
This Russian-German-Belarus feature, set in...
- 4/30/2020
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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