Exclusive: Mike Goodridge has been on a rare journey. Not many in the industry can boast a CV that includes running a trade publication, an international sales company, a film festival and being the producer of multiple Cannes Film Festival movies.
Goodridge, the former editor of Screen International, CEO of Protagonist, and artistic director of the Macao Film Festival, is on the Croisette this year with Un Certain Regard thriller Santosh. In the UK-Germany-France co-production by filmmaker Sandhya Suri, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh (Shahana Goswami) inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Filming begins this summer in Asia on Good Chaos/Nine Hours production for Netflix The Ballad Of A Small Player, Ed Berger’s...
Goodridge, the former editor of Screen International, CEO of Protagonist, and artistic director of the Macao Film Festival, is on the Croisette this year with Un Certain Regard thriller Santosh. In the UK-Germany-France co-production by filmmaker Sandhya Suri, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh (Shahana Goswami) inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Filming begins this summer in Asia on Good Chaos/Nine Hours production for Netflix The Ballad Of A Small Player, Ed Berger’s...
- 5/16/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Mike Goodridge’s growing UK production company Good Chaos, which is in Cannes with Un Certain Regard title Santosh, has had a minority equity investment from Cameron Lamb’s Paris-based audio platform Alexander.
The investment will give Alexander an opportunity to develop its growing non-fiction IP library, across film and TV formats, while Good Chaos has been able to grow its headcount, operations and production reach.
The companies’ first joint film project is Wife, Witch, Poisoner, Whore, a period thriller based on the Alexander audiobook by Katherine Rundell, and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.
The official synopsis reads: “Beautiful, rich, clever, and determined English noblewoman Frances Howard was a dazzling celebrity at the court of James I. But when the unhappy teenage bride rebelled against the patriarchy of her day, she was put on trial for witchcraft, infidelity and murder – very nearly at the expense of her life.”
Good Chaos is on a roll.
The investment will give Alexander an opportunity to develop its growing non-fiction IP library, across film and TV formats, while Good Chaos has been able to grow its headcount, operations and production reach.
The companies’ first joint film project is Wife, Witch, Poisoner, Whore, a period thriller based on the Alexander audiobook by Katherine Rundell, and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.
The official synopsis reads: “Beautiful, rich, clever, and determined English noblewoman Frances Howard was a dazzling celebrity at the court of James I. But when the unhappy teenage bride rebelled against the patriarchy of her day, she was put on trial for witchcraft, infidelity and murder – very nearly at the expense of her life.”
Good Chaos is on a roll.
- 5/14/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Jason Statham is heading to Scotland for an untitled action thriller from director Baltasar Kormakur. More on the project here.
Jason Statham’s already scored a delightfully fun hit movie this year with The Beekeeper, which has turned in a good profit after its cinema run back in January. He made that with director David Ayer, and the pair are now working on a new film, Levon’s Trade, based on a script written by Sylvester Stallone. It’s currently set for release at the start of 2025.
By the time that particular film arrives with us though, Jason Statham will be on a remote Scottish island, filming his next movie after that. It’s a film without a title at the moment, but we know that it’s going to be directed by Baltasar Kormakur, who previously brought Everest to the big screen.
Ward Parry has written the script for Untitled...
Jason Statham’s already scored a delightfully fun hit movie this year with The Beekeeper, which has turned in a good profit after its cinema run back in January. He made that with director David Ayer, and the pair are now working on a new film, Levon’s Trade, based on a script written by Sylvester Stallone. It’s currently set for release at the start of 2025.
By the time that particular film arrives with us though, Jason Statham will be on a remote Scottish island, filming his next movie after that. It’s a film without a title at the moment, but we know that it’s going to be directed by Baltasar Kormakur, who previously brought Everest to the big screen.
Ward Parry has written the script for Untitled...
- 5/14/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Did anyone expect “The Beekeeper” to do as well at the box office as it’s doing? The mid-budget action film has earned more than $152 million worldwide. You have to assume a lot of that success rests on the shoulders of star Jason Statham, who has been solid at the box office for years now. And fresh off the success of “The Beekeeper,” Statham continues to add to his schedule of future films.
Continue reading Jason Statham To Star in Baltasar Kormákur’s New Action Film at The Playlist.
Continue reading Jason Statham To Star in Baltasar Kormákur’s New Action Film at The Playlist.
- 5/13/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
A new Guy Ritchie project is launching at the Cannes market with Black Bear.
Plot details are being kept under wraps and casting is in process but Wife And Dog will deal with class in a similar vein to recent Netflix TV series The Gentlemen.
Ritchie is coming off the starry action-comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare as well as The Gentlemen. Apple pic Fountain Of Youth is in production and Black Bear project In The Grey is in post.
Warfare is the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced war movie starring Henry Cavill (Superman), Eiza González (Baby Driver), Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Henrique Zaga (Beyond The Universe), Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After franchise), Babs Olusanmokun and Til Schweiger. Black Bear was also in on that one.
Plot details are being kept under wraps and casting is in process but Wife And Dog will deal with class in a similar vein to recent Netflix TV series The Gentlemen.
Ritchie is coming off the starry action-comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare as well as The Gentlemen. Apple pic Fountain Of Youth is in production and Black Bear project In The Grey is in post.
Warfare is the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced war movie starring Henry Cavill (Superman), Eiza González (Baby Driver), Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Henrique Zaga (Beyond The Universe), Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After franchise), Babs Olusanmokun and Til Schweiger. Black Bear was also in on that one.
- 5/13/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Guy Ritchie has another film in the works that doubles down on the British upper class.
The prolific director — already behind this year’s Netflix hit “The Gentlemen” and WWII action thriller “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” — has unveiled his 18th feature film, “Wife and Dog,” with Black Bear launching sales in Cannes.
Plot details and cast are currently being kept under wraps, but Variety hears that with the film, Ritchie will return to the colorful, back-stabbing world of British aristocracy that he explored in both “The Gentlemen” Netflix series and 2019 feature. “Wife and Dog” will shoot in October, with an A-list cast reportedly in negotiations to star.
Ritchie wrote the screenplay and produces alongside long-time producing partner Ivan Atkinson and Black Bear’s John Friedberg. Executive producers include Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler for Black Bear.
Ritchie is on a filmmaking streak at the moment, with four feature released in the last three years,...
The prolific director — already behind this year’s Netflix hit “The Gentlemen” and WWII action thriller “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” — has unveiled his 18th feature film, “Wife and Dog,” with Black Bear launching sales in Cannes.
Plot details and cast are currently being kept under wraps, but Variety hears that with the film, Ritchie will return to the colorful, back-stabbing world of British aristocracy that he explored in both “The Gentlemen” Netflix series and 2019 feature. “Wife and Dog” will shoot in October, with an A-list cast reportedly in negotiations to star.
Ritchie wrote the screenplay and produces alongside long-time producing partner Ivan Atkinson and Black Bear’s John Friedberg. Executive producers include Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler for Black Bear.
Ritchie is on a filmmaking streak at the moment, with four feature released in the last three years,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Jason Statham is someone who is admirably unpretentious and genuinely grateful for his success, and within that, he has a definite preference of films that can predominantly define his career. Earlier this year, Statham was seen in The Beekeeper, a seemingly usual action B-movie fare with the star, but the movie from Suicide Squad director David Ayer would throw in some bold conceptual curve balls to the normal vengeance tale. Deadline has now reported that Statham will be working with director Baltasar Kormákur for his next action film.
Kormákur’s resume features such credits as Contraband, 2 Guns, Everest and the recent Idris Elba lion attack film, Beast. According to Deadline, “In the currently untitled pic, Statham will play Mason who lives in isolation in a remote Scottish island. When he rescues a young girl from the ocean in a terrible storm, he sets a chain of events in motion...
Kormákur’s resume features such credits as Contraband, 2 Guns, Everest and the recent Idris Elba lion attack film, Beast. According to Deadline, “In the currently untitled pic, Statham will play Mason who lives in isolation in a remote Scottish island. When he rescues a young girl from the ocean in a terrible storm, he sets a chain of events in motion...
- 5/13/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) has been set to lead a new action-thriller from director Baltasar Kormákur (Everest), which Black Bear is launching this week for the Cannes market.
In the currently untitled pic, Statham will play Mason who lives in isolation in a remote Scottish island. When he rescues a young girl from the ocean in a terrible storm, he sets a chain of events in motion that brings a violent attack to his hideaway, forcing him back into the world to confront the ghosts of his past.
Principal photography is scheduled to commence in November in the UK and Iceland with production services and filming to take place at Kormákur’s Rvk Studios facility in Reykjavik. Script comes from Ward Parry.
Producers include Statham (Levon’s Trade) for Punch Palace Productions, Kormákur for Rvk Studios, John Friedberg (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare) for Black Bear, and Jon Berg...
In the currently untitled pic, Statham will play Mason who lives in isolation in a remote Scottish island. When he rescues a young girl from the ocean in a terrible storm, he sets a chain of events in motion that brings a violent attack to his hideaway, forcing him back into the world to confront the ghosts of his past.
Principal photography is scheduled to commence in November in the UK and Iceland with production services and filming to take place at Kormákur’s Rvk Studios facility in Reykjavik. Script comes from Ward Parry.
Producers include Statham (Levon’s Trade) for Punch Palace Productions, Kormákur for Rvk Studios, John Friedberg (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare) for Black Bear, and Jon Berg...
- 5/13/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Mark Damon, the former spaghetti western leading man who turned to a pioneering career in independent sales and financing and was a fixture at the film markets, has died on the eve of Cannes. He was 91.
Damon’s representatives confirmed he died in Los Angeles on Sunday (May 12).
Damon produced, packaged and sold numerous films and led Producer Sales Organization (Pso), Vision International, Mdp Worldwide, Media 8, and most recently Foresight Unlimited.
He attended Cannes dozens of times and produced or served as executive producer on more than 70 films.
One of his most illustrious producer credits came at Media 8 with Patty Jenkins’ Monster.
Damon’s representatives confirmed he died in Los Angeles on Sunday (May 12).
Damon produced, packaged and sold numerous films and led Producer Sales Organization (Pso), Vision International, Mdp Worldwide, Media 8, and most recently Foresight Unlimited.
He attended Cannes dozens of times and produced or served as executive producer on more than 70 films.
One of his most illustrious producer credits came at Media 8 with Patty Jenkins’ Monster.
- 5/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
In recent years, Scandinavian series have firmly established themselves as leaders in the detective and thriller genres. At the same time, the harsh northern nature perfectly complements the plots and adds depth to the perception of what is happening on screen.
If you've already seen all the crime shows made in the UK and the US, then it's time to go to Iceland. And your guide will be the series Trapped – a record budget for Icelandic television, an atmosphere of isolation in an icy trap, and stunning snow-covered landscapes beneath which lie sinister secrets created by human vices.
What is Trapped About?
The action takes place in the outback of northern Iceland, where a series of mysterious crimes take place. Everything is complicated by the blizzard that literally paralyzes life in the town.
After a Danish ship enters the fjord, a mutilated body appears on the shore and Police Chief...
If you've already seen all the crime shows made in the UK and the US, then it's time to go to Iceland. And your guide will be the series Trapped – a record budget for Icelandic television, an atmosphere of isolation in an icy trap, and stunning snow-covered landscapes beneath which lie sinister secrets created by human vices.
What is Trapped About?
The action takes place in the outback of northern Iceland, where a series of mysterious crimes take place. Everything is complicated by the blizzard that literally paralyzes life in the town.
After a Danish ship enters the fjord, a mutilated body appears on the shore and Police Chief...
- 5/2/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
This is a look into the full spoilers for Olaf Olafsson's Touch book ahead of the theatrical film's release.
Touch, directed by Baltasar Kormákur is adapted from Olafsson's 2022 novel and features a cast including Egill Olafsson, Kōki, and Palmi Kormakur.
Produced by Focus Features, the official trailer for Touch was recently released ahead of its July 12 opening in theaters.
Read full article on The Direct.
Touch, directed by Baltasar Kormákur is adapted from Olafsson's 2022 novel and features a cast including Egill Olafsson, Kōki, and Palmi Kormakur.
Produced by Focus Features, the official trailer for Touch was recently released ahead of its July 12 opening in theaters.
Read full article on The Direct.
- 4/25/2024
- by David Thompson
- The Direct
Baltasar Kormákur is back directing — but this time it’s not a survival drama, it’s a romance.
The “Adrift” and “Everest” filmmaker directs Focus Features’ “Touch,” based on the bestselling novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson. The film tells a romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents, with one widower trying to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago.
Director Kormákur co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Ólafsson. The original Icelandic novel was published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S. in August 2022. The film was shot in Iceland and Japan.
The ensemble cast is led by Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, and Tatsuya Tagawa, with Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen, and Masatoshi Nakamura also starring.
Writer/director Kormákur produces along with Agnes Johansen and Mike Goodridge. Kormákur most recently directed 2022’s “Beast...
The “Adrift” and “Everest” filmmaker directs Focus Features’ “Touch,” based on the bestselling novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson. The film tells a romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents, with one widower trying to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago.
Director Kormákur co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Ólafsson. The original Icelandic novel was published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S. in August 2022. The film was shot in Iceland and Japan.
The ensemble cast is led by Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, and Tatsuya Tagawa, with Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen, and Masatoshi Nakamura also starring.
Writer/director Kormákur produces along with Agnes Johansen and Mike Goodridge. Kormákur most recently directed 2022’s “Beast...
- 4/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s kind of been a minute since we’ve heard from Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur. Starting his career with acclaimed Icelandic films and thrillers like “101 Reykjavík,” “The Sea,” and “A Little Trip to Heaven,” he then graduated to Hollywood filmmaking, taking on commercial action and thriller efforts like “Contraband,” “2 Guns,” and the mountain climbing film “Everest” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and an ensemble American cast.
Continue reading ‘Touch’ Trailer: Filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur’s Romantic Thriller Opens July 12 at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Touch’ Trailer: Filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur’s Romantic Thriller Opens July 12 at The Playlist.
- 4/24/2024
- by The Playlist
- The Playlist
"I'm not going back." Focus Features has revealed the first trailer for a movie titled Touch, the latest from Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur. After making action movies like Contraband, The Deep, 2 Guns, and Everest, Kormákur has returned to his homeland of Iceland to make more intimate movies again. This one is a passionate love story "years & miles in the making." Adapted from the best-selling novel by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson, Touch is a romantic and thrilling story that spans several decades and continents. Touch follows one widower's emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago, before his time runs out. Starring Egill Ólafsson as old Kristófer, with Palmi Kormakur as young Kristófer, plus Kōki, Masahiro Motoki, Sigurdur Ingvarsson, and Yoko Narahashi. His first love is a Japanese woman he met while in London, but her father takes her away and he loses contact with her for 50 years.
- 4/24/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski teased exclusive first-looks on Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Edward Berger’s Conclave at the studio’s CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday.
The audience at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace also saw trailers for Sam-Taylor Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black, and footage from Jeff Nichols’ crime drama The Bikeriders, which premiered in Telluride last year.
“At the core of what we do is the belief that bringing people together makes their lives better by sharing an experience,” Kujawski said by way of introduction.
Below are the titles featured in the session:
Back To Black...
The audience at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace also saw trailers for Sam-Taylor Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black, and footage from Jeff Nichols’ crime drama The Bikeriders, which premiered in Telluride last year.
“At the core of what we do is the belief that bringing people together makes their lives better by sharing an experience,” Kujawski said by way of introduction.
Below are the titles featured in the session:
Back To Black...
- 4/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
CBS Studios and the BBC’s period drama series “King & Conqueror” has revealed additional cast members, including “The Crown’s” Luther Ford and “Game of Thrones” actor Joseph Mawle, as it begins production in Iceland.
According to its official plot description, “King & Conqueror” is “the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”
Additional cast members include Eddie Marsan, Juliet Stevenson, Jean-Marc Barr, Geoff Bell, Elliot Cowan,...
According to its official plot description, “King & Conqueror” is “the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”
Additional cast members include Eddie Marsan, Juliet Stevenson, Jean-Marc Barr, Geoff Bell, Elliot Cowan,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Focus Features has firmed up release plans for Conclave, the papal thriller marking filmmaker Edward Berger’s follow-up to his 2022 Oscar winner All Quiet on the Western Front. An adaptation of Robert Harris’ same-name bestseller, penned by Peter Straughan, the film releases in theaters in New York and L.A. on November 1st, before expanding on the 8th.
Currently, the 1st is only occupied by an unknown title from Universal Pictures. Titles set to open on the 8th include Sony’s Venom 3 and 20th’s action thriller The Amateur starring Rami Malek.
Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events — selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds...
Currently, the 1st is only occupied by an unknown title from Universal Pictures. Titles set to open on the 8th include Sony’s Venom 3 and 20th’s action thriller The Amateur starring Rami Malek.
Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events — selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds...
- 3/8/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Clémence Poésy and Emily Beecham have boarded King & Conqueror, CBS Studios’ big-budget period drama that stars James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Harry Potter star Poésy will play Matilda, the wife of William of Normandy. Raised in the cutthroat world of the royal court, she has realized that in order to succeed she has to be more devious, more ruthless and more bloody than her male opponents. Beecham (1899), meanwhile, is Edith Swan-neck, the wife of Harold Godwinson who has never quite found her place in Harold’s family.
The duo join Norton and Coster-Waldau, who are leading as Harold, Earl of Wessex and William, Duke of Normandy respectively.
The show, which has already sold to the BBC in the UK, tells the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through...
Harry Potter star Poésy will play Matilda, the wife of William of Normandy. Raised in the cutthroat world of the royal court, she has realized that in order to succeed she has to be more devious, more ruthless and more bloody than her male opponents. Beecham (1899), meanwhile, is Edith Swan-neck, the wife of Harold Godwinson who has never quite found her place in Harold’s family.
The duo join Norton and Coster-Waldau, who are leading as Harold, Earl of Wessex and William, Duke of Normandy respectively.
The show, which has already sold to the BBC in the UK, tells the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through...
- 3/5/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Emily Beecham and Clémence Poésy have joined James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the cast of the period drama series King and Conqueror, about the Battle of Hastings, from CBS Studios.
The show is based on the 11th-century figures Harold of Wessex, played by Norton (Happy Valley, Bob Marley: One Love) and William of Normandy, or William the Conqueror, portrayed by Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones).
Beecham (1899, Little Joe) will play Edith Swanneck, “the wife of Harold Godwinson who has never quite found her place in Harold’s family,” according to a plot description. “She married Harold for love and protection, but never expected her husband to end up fighting for the English crown.” Poésy (In Bruges, The Tunnel) will play Matilda, the wife of William of Normandy. “Raised in the cutthroat world of the royal court, she has realized that in order to succeed she has to be more devious,...
The show is based on the 11th-century figures Harold of Wessex, played by Norton (Happy Valley, Bob Marley: One Love) and William of Normandy, or William the Conqueror, portrayed by Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones).
Beecham (1899, Little Joe) will play Edith Swanneck, “the wife of Harold Godwinson who has never quite found her place in Harold’s family,” according to a plot description. “She married Harold for love and protection, but never expected her husband to end up fighting for the English crown.” Poésy (In Bruges, The Tunnel) will play Matilda, the wife of William of Normandy. “Raised in the cutthroat world of the royal court, she has realized that in order to succeed she has to be more devious,...
- 3/5/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Clémence Poésy and Emily Beecham have joined the cast of eleventh century period drama “King & Conqueror.”
Based on Middle Ages figures Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy, the upcoming BBC/CBS Studios series stars “Happy Valley’s” James Norton as Harold and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”) as William.
Beecham (“1899”) joins as Harold’s wife Edith Swan-neck while Poésy (“In Bruges”) will play William’s wife Matilda.
Edith, who married Harold for love as well as protection, has never fitted into his family but their lives are upended further when he ends up fighting for the English crown. Meanwhile Matilda is devious, ruthless and bloodier than even her male opponents after being raised in the Flemish royal court.
“’King & Conqueror’ is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades...
Based on Middle Ages figures Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy, the upcoming BBC/CBS Studios series stars “Happy Valley’s” James Norton as Harold and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”) as William.
Beecham (“1899”) joins as Harold’s wife Edith Swan-neck while Poésy (“In Bruges”) will play William’s wife Matilda.
Edith, who married Harold for love as well as protection, has never fitted into his family but their lives are upended further when he ends up fighting for the English crown. Meanwhile Matilda is devious, ruthless and bloodier than even her male opponents after being raised in the Flemish royal court.
“’King & Conqueror’ is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades...
- 3/5/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Roll up, roll up: It’s Cannes prognostication time.
With the 77th edition of the great cinema showcase less than three months away, the blurred outline of a lineup is beginning to emerge. At this stage, the process of elimination is as telling as the process of inclusion: hardly any films have been guaranteed a slot by the festival, but we’re starting to get some clarity on which projects are likely to be ready and which are leaning towards a different launch strategy.
There has been a longstanding expectation that George Miller will be back at the festival with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux himself has said he “hopes” it’ll be there and while it isn’t locked yet, nothing we’re hearing so far indicates it won’t be at the festival. The film’s May 22 France release date and Miller’s long...
With the 77th edition of the great cinema showcase less than three months away, the blurred outline of a lineup is beginning to emerge. At this stage, the process of elimination is as telling as the process of inclusion: hardly any films have been guaranteed a slot by the festival, but we’re starting to get some clarity on which projects are likely to be ready and which are leaning towards a different launch strategy.
There has been a longstanding expectation that George Miller will be back at the festival with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux himself has said he “hopes” it’ll be there and while it isn’t locked yet, nothing we’re hearing so far indicates it won’t be at the festival. The film’s May 22 France release date and Miller’s long...
- 2/29/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
If you were to design a global sales agent in a lab, they would come out looking a lot like Tamara Birkemoe.
Born in Italy to Chilean parents and raised between Sweden and Rome before moving to the U.S. for film school, the multilingual exec has been a force on the indie film scene since her first job, straight out of UCLA, for Mark Damon’s Mdp Worldwide. For the next 16 years, Birkemoe put in time at Mdp (later Media 8 Entertainment) and then at Foresight Unlimited, the production and sales group Damon set up in 2005. The slate she oversaw ranged from studio-released big-budget action fare, such as Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor and Baltasar Kormákur’s 2 Guns, both Universal Pictures films, which grossed $155 million and $132 million worldwide, respectively; to Kevin Costner starrer The Upside of Anger, a New Line release that earned $28 million worldwide; and Patty Jenkins’ low-budget true-crime drama Monster,...
Born in Italy to Chilean parents and raised between Sweden and Rome before moving to the U.S. for film school, the multilingual exec has been a force on the indie film scene since her first job, straight out of UCLA, for Mark Damon’s Mdp Worldwide. For the next 16 years, Birkemoe put in time at Mdp (later Media 8 Entertainment) and then at Foresight Unlimited, the production and sales group Damon set up in 2005. The slate she oversaw ranged from studio-released big-budget action fare, such as Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor and Baltasar Kormákur’s 2 Guns, both Universal Pictures films, which grossed $155 million and $132 million worldwide, respectively; to Kevin Costner starrer The Upside of Anger, a New Line release that earned $28 million worldwide; and Patty Jenkins’ low-budget true-crime drama Monster,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UK actor Tim Roth has joined John Maclean’s survival thriller Tornado as principal photography gets underway in Scotland, with HanWay Films on board for sales.
Roth, whose credits include Pulp Fiction and TV series Tin Star, joins the previously announced cast of Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden, Giri/Haji’s Takehiro Hira and Koki, who will also appear in Baltasar Kormakur’s upcoming feature Touch.
Tornado has pre-sold in a raft of territories, including Lionsgate UK which has picked up UK and Ireland rights, The Jokers in France, September Films in Benelux, M2 in Central Europe, McF in former Yugoslavia,...
Roth, whose credits include Pulp Fiction and TV series Tin Star, joins the previously announced cast of Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden, Giri/Haji’s Takehiro Hira and Koki, who will also appear in Baltasar Kormakur’s upcoming feature Touch.
Tornado has pre-sold in a raft of territories, including Lionsgate UK which has picked up UK and Ireland rights, The Jokers in France, September Films in Benelux, M2 in Central Europe, McF in former Yugoslavia,...
- 1/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
Screen shines a light on 30 European titles that look set to grab the attention of festival directors in 2023, including new features by Tom Tykwer, Paz Vega, Paolo Sorrentino, Cecilia Verheyden and Baltasar Kormakur.
For our separate list of French festival hopefuls for 2024, click here.
Ariel (Sp-Por)
Dir. Lois Patiño
Patiño won the Encounters special jury prize at Berlin last year for Samsara and picked up the emerging director prize at Locarno in 2013 with Coast Of Death. His latest is a free adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, shot in Galicia and The Azores islands. Ariel stars Goya winner Irene Escolar...
For our separate list of French festival hopefuls for 2024, click here.
Ariel (Sp-Por)
Dir. Lois Patiño
Patiño won the Encounters special jury prize at Berlin last year for Samsara and picked up the emerging director prize at Locarno in 2013 with Coast Of Death. His latest is a free adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, shot in Galicia and The Azores islands. Ariel stars Goya winner Irene Escolar...
- 1/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Focus Features we hear has set a July 12, 2024 limited theatrical release date for Baltasar Kormákur’s romantic-drama Touch.
Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution sans Iceland.
The movie is based on Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s bestselling Icelandic novel published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S in August 2022. The movie follows one widower’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago before his time runs out. The story spans several decades and continents. Ólafsson and Kormákur co-wrote the movie.
Rvk Studios’ Kormákur and Agnes Johansen produced Touch alongside Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge.
Touch stars Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, Tatsuya Tagawa, Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Starkaður Pétursson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen and Masatoshi Nakamura.
Focus Features’ 2024 lineup includes Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s Drive-Away Dolls, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black,...
Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution sans Iceland.
The movie is based on Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson’s bestselling Icelandic novel published by Ecco/Harper Collins in the U.S in August 2022. The movie follows one widower’s emotional journey to find his first love who disappeared 50 years ago before his time runs out. The story spans several decades and continents. Ólafsson and Kormákur co-wrote the movie.
Rvk Studios’ Kormákur and Agnes Johansen produced Touch alongside Good Chaos’ Mike Goodridge.
Touch stars Egill Ólafsson, Kōki, Pálmi Kormákur, Masahiro Motoki, Yoko Narahashi, Meg Kubota, Tatsuya Tagawa, Charles Nishikawa, Sigurður Ingvarsson, Starkaður Pétursson, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kieran Buckeridge, Ruth Sheen, María Ellingsen and Masatoshi Nakamura.
Focus Features’ 2024 lineup includes Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s Drive-Away Dolls, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Emma Corrin among cast.
Focus Features will release Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu reimagining in the US on December 25, 2024.
Universal Pictures International handles distribution outside the US on the gothic horror starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney. and Willem Dafoe.
Eggers also serves as a producer alongside Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus (Maiden Voyage), Jeff Robinov, and John Graham.
The story of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her reunites Focus with Eggers following 2022 release The Northman. It also brings the...
Focus Features will release Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu reimagining in the US on December 25, 2024.
Universal Pictures International handles distribution outside the US on the gothic horror starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney. and Willem Dafoe.
Eggers also serves as a producer alongside Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus (Maiden Voyage), Jeff Robinov, and John Graham.
The story of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her reunites Focus with Eggers following 2022 release The Northman. It also brings the...
- 11/28/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Focus Features’ second movie with filmmaker Robert Eggers, Nosferatu, will be hitting cinemas on Wednesday, December 25, 2024.
That’s good news for the year-end holiday period, which is still scant of product. The only other wide entries on Dec. 20, 2024 are Disney’s live-action sequel Mufasa and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
“The audacious filmmaking of Robert Eggers is always a gift for fans, and we can promise that his Nosferatu is planning quite the Christmas feast,” Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said.
Written and directed by Eggers, Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. Pic stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney and Willem Dafoe.
Eggers produced alongside Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus (Maiden Voyage), Jeff Robinov, and John Graham. Columbus was the EP...
That’s good news for the year-end holiday period, which is still scant of product. The only other wide entries on Dec. 20, 2024 are Disney’s live-action sequel Mufasa and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
“The audacious filmmaking of Robert Eggers is always a gift for fans, and we can promise that his Nosferatu is planning quite the Christmas feast,” Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said.
Written and directed by Eggers, Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. Pic stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney and Willem Dafoe.
Eggers produced alongside Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus (Maiden Voyage), Jeff Robinov, and John Graham. Columbus was the EP...
- 11/28/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is getting a sword back in hand.
The Game of Thrones star is partnering with James Norton (Happy Valley) to co-lead an 11th century historical drama series based on William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings.
The BBC and CBS Studios project is titled King and Conqueror and is from writer Michael Robert Johnson (Sherlock Holmes) and with a premiere directed by Baltasar Kormákur (Everest).
King and Conqueror “is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country — and a continent — for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced...
The Game of Thrones star is partnering with James Norton (Happy Valley) to co-lead an 11th century historical drama series based on William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings.
The BBC and CBS Studios project is titled King and Conqueror and is from writer Michael Robert Johnson (Sherlock Holmes) and with a premiere directed by Baltasar Kormákur (Everest).
King and Conqueror “is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country — and a continent — for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced...
- 11/28/2023
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The actor formerly known as Jaime Lannister once again unsheathing his sword in a quest for power? It’s safe to say that King and Conqueror already has our full attention.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and James Norton (Happy Valley) are set to executive-produce and star in the new period drama, playing 11th century figures William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, respectively.
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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and James Norton (Happy Valley) are set to executive-produce and star in the new period drama, playing 11th century figures William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, respectively.
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- 11/28/2023
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”) and James Norton (“Happy Valley”) will lead the cast of CBS Studios’ period drama series “King and Conqueror.”
Norton will play Harold, Earl of Wessex and Coster-Waldau William, Duke of Normandy, the two 11th century men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 – two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.
The eight-episode series is created, written and executive produced by Michael Robert Johnson (“Sherlock Holmes). Baltasar Kormákur (“Everest”) will direct the premiere episode and, as executive producer, will steer the creative across the series. Also serving as executive producers are Norton and Kitty Kaletsky for Rabbit Track Pictures, Kormákur for Rvk Studios, Robert Taylor for The Development Partnership, Dave Clarke and Richard Halliwell for Shepherd Content, Ed Clarke, Robert Jones, Coster-Waldau and CBS Studios’ Lindsey Martin.
Norton will play Harold, Earl of Wessex and Coster-Waldau William, Duke of Normandy, the two 11th century men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 – two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.
The eight-episode series is created, written and executive produced by Michael Robert Johnson (“Sherlock Holmes). Baltasar Kormákur (“Everest”) will direct the premiere episode and, as executive producer, will steer the creative across the series. Also serving as executive producers are Norton and Kitty Kaletsky for Rabbit Track Pictures, Kormákur for Rvk Studios, Robert Taylor for The Development Partnership, Dave Clarke and Richard Halliwell for Shepherd Content, Ed Clarke, Robert Jones, Coster-Waldau and CBS Studios’ Lindsey Martin.
- 11/28/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
James Norton (Happy Valley) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) are set to star in the new CBS Studios period drama series King and Conqueror from creator Michael Robert Johnson (Sherlock Holmes). The series is based on the 11th-century figures Harold of Wessex (Norton) and William of Normandy (Coster-Waldau) and is set to begin production in 2024.
King and Conqueror is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.
King and Conqueror is the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.
- 11/28/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Hardy, Austin Butler & Jodie Comer New Regency Pic ‘The Bikeriders’ Zooms Over To Focus Features
Exclusive: New Regency’s Jeff Nichols directed crime drama The Bikeriders, which was at 20th Century Studios, is getting acquired by Focus Features. Focus is taking global rights to the pic, reteaming them with New Regency who they partnered with on 2022’s The Northman. A 2024 theatrical release is planned. Universal will distribute the movie overseas.
The movie was previously dated on Dec. 1 via 20th Century Studios/Disney. However, New Regency made the choice to pull the movie back, I hear, due to the ongoing actors strike and the cast unable to promote. The Bikeriders is currently 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics.
The Bikeriders, from left: Austin Butler, Tom Hardy,
Focus Features Chairman Peter Kujawski tells Deadline, “We are delighted to add such a riveting project to next year’s strong slate of films. We look forward to once again working alongside New Regency and reuniting with the multi-talented Jeff...
The movie was previously dated on Dec. 1 via 20th Century Studios/Disney. However, New Regency made the choice to pull the movie back, I hear, due to the ongoing actors strike and the cast unable to promote. The Bikeriders is currently 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics.
The Bikeriders, from left: Austin Butler, Tom Hardy,
Focus Features Chairman Peter Kujawski tells Deadline, “We are delighted to add such a riveting project to next year’s strong slate of films. We look forward to once again working alongside New Regency and reuniting with the multi-talented Jeff...
- 11/22/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Kobi Libii makes feature directorial debut.
Focus Features will release Kobi Libii’s feature directorial debut The American Society Of Magical Negroes on March 22 2024.
Libii is an alumnus of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Directors Lab, where he first developed the project. Universal Pictures International handles international distribution.
Focus describes The American Society Of Magical Negroes as a ”fresh, satirical comedy about a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier”.
The film stars Justice Smith, David Alan Grier,...
Focus Features will release Kobi Libii’s feature directorial debut The American Society Of Magical Negroes on March 22 2024.
Libii is an alumnus of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Directors Lab, where he first developed the project. Universal Pictures International handles international distribution.
Focus describes The American Society Of Magical Negroes as a ”fresh, satirical comedy about a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier”.
The film stars Justice Smith, David Alan Grier,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Actor Denzel Washington has had his fair share of love scenes in his long career. For many female actors, shooting love scenes can be uncomfortable when they have to remove clothing. But one actor insisted to undress for Washington in this action thriller.
Denzel Washington’s co-star felt she needed to be topless for their love scene even though she didn’t have to be Denzel Washington | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Washington collaborated with Mark Wahlberg first time in his 2013 feature 2 Guns. He signed on for the project because he needed to star in something light after doing the heavy drama Flight. A lighthearted romp with Wahlberg was exactly what he needed. But the actor also found himself teaming up with a familiar face in actor Paula Patton.
Patton originally collaborated with Washington several years ago in Deja Vu. 2 Guns would see the two reunite as love interests, and...
Denzel Washington’s co-star felt she needed to be topless for their love scene even though she didn’t have to be Denzel Washington | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Washington collaborated with Mark Wahlberg first time in his 2013 feature 2 Guns. He signed on for the project because he needed to star in something light after doing the heavy drama Flight. A lighthearted romp with Wahlberg was exactly what he needed. But the actor also found himself teaming up with a familiar face in actor Paula Patton.
Patton originally collaborated with Washington several years ago in Deja Vu. 2 Guns would see the two reunite as love interests, and...
- 11/4/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Lisa Frankenstein, the Focus Features horror comedy from Oscar-winning scribe Diablo Cody, is set to hit theaters on Feb. 9, 2024, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The film about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush is directed by Zelda Williams in her feature directorial debut. In a first look released by Focus, Lisa Frankenstein, which stars Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest and Carla Gugino, sees a corpse seemingly wakened from a tanning bed by a young woman.
The horror romancer portrays an unpopular high school student falling for a young man, who just happens to be a handsome Victorian corpse. After horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two lovers embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness and a few missing body parts along the way, according to the producer’s synopsis.
Lisa Frankenstein is produced by Mason Novick and Diablo Cody,...
The film about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush is directed by Zelda Williams in her feature directorial debut. In a first look released by Focus, Lisa Frankenstein, which stars Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest and Carla Gugino, sees a corpse seemingly wakened from a tanning bed by a young woman.
The horror romancer portrays an unpopular high school student falling for a young man, who just happens to be a handsome Victorian corpse. After horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two lovers embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness and a few missing body parts along the way, according to the producer’s synopsis.
Lisa Frankenstein is produced by Mason Novick and Diablo Cody,...
- 10/13/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Blue Whales: Return Of The Giants 3D takes viewers on a journey of a lifetime to explore the world of the magnificent blue whale, a species rebounding from its near extinction. Following two scientific expeditions—one to find a missing population of blues off the exotic Seychelles Islands, the other to chronicle whale families in Mexico’s stunning Gulf of California—the film transforms our understanding of the largest animal ever to have lived. From its almost incomprehensible size to its spectacular feeding habits; from the surprising role it plays in the health of our oceans to its awesome long-distance communications, the film provides an unforgettable window into the lives these animals live—and the extremes scientists must endure to study them. Joined by a cast of supporting characters—from dolphins and sperm whales to sea lions and orcas—the blue whale finally gets its star turn … in life size,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Kōki star.
UK sales agent HanWay Films has taken on John Maclean’s sophomore feature, survival thriller Tornado, starring Benediction’s Jack Lowden and Giri/Haji’s Takehiro Hira.
Japanese star Kōki, who stars in Baltasar Kormákur’s upcoming drama Touch, also joins the cast.
Maclean’s debut Slow West premiered at Sundance in 2015, winning the world cinema jury prize.
The producers are Leonora Darby, James Harris and Mark Lane from leading UK genre outfit Tea Shop Productions. Maclean has also written the script.
It is set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain. A...
UK sales agent HanWay Films has taken on John Maclean’s sophomore feature, survival thriller Tornado, starring Benediction’s Jack Lowden and Giri/Haji’s Takehiro Hira.
Japanese star Kōki, who stars in Baltasar Kormákur’s upcoming drama Touch, also joins the cast.
Maclean’s debut Slow West premiered at Sundance in 2015, winning the world cinema jury prize.
The producers are Leonora Darby, James Harris and Mark Lane from leading UK genre outfit Tea Shop Productions. Maclean has also written the script.
It is set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain. A...
- 5/10/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Netflix Top 10 (Week of February 13): ‘You’ and ‘Your Place or Mine’ remain atop charts for 2nd week
Netflix has released the Top 10 viewing numbers for the week of February 13, and without any new high-profile releases last week, the charts mostly remained the same as last time. Penn Badgley’s series “You” and the Reese Withspoon-Ashton Kutcher rom-com “Your Place or Mine” did well again, the latter presumably helped by Valentine’s Day last Tuesday.
The fourth season of “You” ended up in the Top 10 in 88 countries with 64.1 million hours viewed, down from 92 million views its launch week with the first five episodes having 38 million views. The first and third seasons also continue to be watched with 22.4 million and 15.6 million hours, respectively.
By comparison, “Your Place or Mine” increased its views to 52.8 million hours vs. the previous week’s 51.2 million views. Again, the romantic comedy from “The Devil Wears Prada” scribe Aline Brosh McKenna probably got a nice bump from V-Day. Other movies returning to the...
The fourth season of “You” ended up in the Top 10 in 88 countries with 64.1 million hours viewed, down from 92 million views its launch week with the first five episodes having 38 million views. The first and third seasons also continue to be watched with 22.4 million and 15.6 million hours, respectively.
By comparison, “Your Place or Mine” increased its views to 52.8 million hours vs. the previous week’s 51.2 million views. Again, the romantic comedy from “The Devil Wears Prada” scribe Aline Brosh McKenna probably got a nice bump from V-Day. Other movies returning to the...
- 2/22/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
Looking for something new to watch on Amazon Prime Video? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve thumbed through the list of every new movie added to Prime Video in February and put together a curated list of some of the best the streaming service has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a rom-com, family film, horror flick or just plain great movie, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our list of the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in February 2023 below.
“Almost Famous”
Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece “Almost Famous” feels like a letter from an old friend, and in that way it serves as a pretty terrific comfort movie. Inspired by Crowe’s experiences as a young reporter for Rolling Stone, the film follows a teenager who somewhat cons his way into going on the road with a breakout band called Stillwater for a profile in Rolling Stone magazine.
Check out our list of the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in February 2023 below.
“Almost Famous”
Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece “Almost Famous” feels like a letter from an old friend, and in that way it serves as a pretty terrific comfort movie. Inspired by Crowe’s experiences as a young reporter for Rolling Stone, the film follows a teenager who somewhat cons his way into going on the road with a breakout band called Stillwater for a profile in Rolling Stone magazine.
- 2/19/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
New and boosted tax breaks, plus state-of-the-art facilities and a lean, skilled crew base are drawing a growing number of productions to Scandinavia, a region whose content continues to be in high demand both locally and globally.
Denmark remains the exception and does not offer tax incentives or rebates for film and TV production. In addition, its production studios have been hard hit by a war over rights between talent and streamers that brought TV production to a virtual standstill in 2022.
Iceland, on the other hand, which upped its tax incentive from 25 to 35 last year, has seen its film industry grow by a whopping 85 over five years. An added benefit for productions is a 25 incentive for music recording, which includes studio costs, travel and lodging.
The first recipient of the enhanced tax break, “True Detective: Night Country,” Season 4 of HBO’s series, was entirely shot on location. It is the...
Denmark remains the exception and does not offer tax incentives or rebates for film and TV production. In addition, its production studios have been hard hit by a war over rights between talent and streamers that brought TV production to a virtual standstill in 2022.
Iceland, on the other hand, which upped its tax incentive from 25 to 35 last year, has seen its film industry grow by a whopping 85 over five years. An added benefit for productions is a 25 incentive for music recording, which includes studio costs, travel and lodging.
The first recipient of the enhanced tax break, “True Detective: Night Country,” Season 4 of HBO’s series, was entirely shot on location. It is the...
- 2/19/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
September has snapped up films from Sundance and Berlin and some Cannes contenders.
Leading Benelux indie distributor September Films has acquired multiple Sundance and Berlin titles as well as some films likely to feature in Cannes in a buying spree of international festival favourites.
From Berlin it has picked up Christian Petzold’s Golden Bear contender Afire (sold by The Match Factory); And The King Said, What A Fantastic Machine (sold by Heretic and having its European premiere in Berlin’s Generation 14plus and Xavier Legrand’s thriller The Successor (being sold by mK2’s in the European Film Market...
Leading Benelux indie distributor September Films has acquired multiple Sundance and Berlin titles as well as some films likely to feature in Cannes in a buying spree of international festival favourites.
From Berlin it has picked up Christian Petzold’s Golden Bear contender Afire (sold by The Match Factory); And The King Said, What A Fantastic Machine (sold by Heretic and having its European premiere in Berlin’s Generation 14plus and Xavier Legrand’s thriller The Successor (being sold by mK2’s in the European Film Market...
- 2/17/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen)
Move over, Sandra Bullock—there’s a new Bird Box in town. The only film to have collected prizes at both Sundance and Cannes, Shaunak Sen’s taut, tender documentary has a healing power that’s sourced straight from its subjects: two brothers in Delhi who have devoted their lives to saving the Black Kite—a majestic, medium-sized, hypercarnivorous raptor of the air—from going extinct in Delhi’s fatally-polluted skies. Set to the backdrop of India’s rising social turmoil and Islamophobia, the threatened and neglected state of this bird reflects the brothers’ reality in a place that doesn’t fully recognize their humanity. But that doesn’t stop them from operating. It seems nothing can.
All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen)
Move over, Sandra Bullock—there’s a new Bird Box in town. The only film to have collected prizes at both Sundance and Cannes, Shaunak Sen’s taut, tender documentary has a healing power that’s sourced straight from its subjects: two brothers in Delhi who have devoted their lives to saving the Black Kite—a majestic, medium-sized, hypercarnivorous raptor of the air—from going extinct in Delhi’s fatally-polluted skies. Set to the backdrop of India’s rising social turmoil and Islamophobia, the threatened and neglected state of this bird reflects the brothers’ reality in a place that doesn’t fully recognize their humanity. But that doesn’t stop them from operating. It seems nothing can.
- 2/9/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
After pitting a knife-wielding Jennifer Lopez and a submachine gun-armed Jennifer Coolidge against a pack of wedding-crashing pirates in the rom-com/action mashup "Shotgun Wedding" (you can read our review of the film here), Prime Video is slowing things down a little in February. That month will see the release of the second and final season of the streamer's fantasy neo-noir series "Carnival Row," which is dropping nearly three and a half years after the first season launched in August 2019, in case you find yourself wondering (much like /Film's Valerie Ettenhofer), "Wait, so I didn't imagine the show where Orlando Bloom solves crimes and hooks up with pixie Cara Delevingne?" No, no you did not, but hey, at least now it has a proper ending!
In the absence of too many major new releases beyond that, Prime Video and Freevee viewers might want to spend February catching one of the...
In the absence of too many major new releases beyond that, Prime Video and Freevee viewers might want to spend February catching one of the...
- 1/25/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
L.A.-based Dynamic Television has acquired worldwide rights to its first ever Norwegian drama series, “Dates in Real Life,” produced by “State of Happiness” Maipo Film for Norwegian pubcaster Nrk.
The upcoming seven-part half-hour dramedy, set to start filming next month, is the long-form scripted debut of writer-director Jakob Rørvik, a graduate from the U.K.’s National Film & Television School whose critically-acclaimed pic “Thomas vs. Tomas” received funding from the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
“We’ve had a very good collaboration with Jakob Rørvik as a writer and director for many years, and we are so happy to now produce his first drama series,” said seasoned producer and Maipo Film CEO, Synnøve Hørsdal. “We’ve experienced a lot of interest in ‘Dates in Real Life,’ but to us, Dynamic Television is the perfect partner for this project. They are very hands on, have an impressive network internationally and most importantly,...
The upcoming seven-part half-hour dramedy, set to start filming next month, is the long-form scripted debut of writer-director Jakob Rørvik, a graduate from the U.K.’s National Film & Television School whose critically-acclaimed pic “Thomas vs. Tomas” received funding from the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
“We’ve had a very good collaboration with Jakob Rørvik as a writer and director for many years, and we are so happy to now produce his first drama series,” said seasoned producer and Maipo Film CEO, Synnøve Hørsdal. “We’ve experienced a lot of interest in ‘Dates in Real Life,’ but to us, Dynamic Television is the perfect partner for this project. They are very hands on, have an impressive network internationally and most importantly,...
- 1/23/2023
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Roll up, roll up, it’s our annual list of U.S. and international movies that could have festivals (and audiences) salivating in 2023. As ever, two of our main criteria are that the project is already in production and hasn’t yet been declared for a festival. This isn’t an exhaustive list but a healthy snapshot of some highlights from around the world. Enjoy!
Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve’s anticipated Dune sequel recently wrapped filming. The sci-fi follow-up is currently set for a November 2023 debut and expectations are that it will launch on the Lido like the first film in the series. Pic sees Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem returning with new cast members Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Lea Seydoux and Christopher Walken. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s official synopsis reads: “This follow-up film will explore the mythic...
Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve’s anticipated Dune sequel recently wrapped filming. The sci-fi follow-up is currently set for a November 2023 debut and expectations are that it will launch on the Lido like the first film in the series. Pic sees Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem returning with new cast members Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Lea Seydoux and Christopher Walken. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s official synopsis reads: “This follow-up film will explore the mythic...
- 1/2/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman, Melanie Goodfellow, Zac Ntim, Diana Lodderhose and Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Everyone loves the Hollywood holiday classics — from It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story to Home Alone and Die Hard (yes, it is a classic, too – don’t get us started).
But after the 100th rerun, one’s holiday spirit can start to sag, and nostalgia for those festive evergreens can turn toxic.
So The Hollywood Reporter‘s international team has come up with this alternative list of holiday favorites from outside the U.S.
Our eclectic dirty dozen, including a French murder mystery, a Canadian horror classic and an anime retelling of the Christmas story, are the perfect counterprogramming for anyone looking for new ideas this festive season.
Merry Christmas
2005
‘Merry Christmas’
Christian Carion’s World War I drama, about the real-life Christmas truce that broke out on the Western Front in 1914 — amid the horrors of the war, a true holiday miracle — features Diane Kruger,...
Everyone loves the Hollywood holiday classics — from It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story to Home Alone and Die Hard (yes, it is a classic, too – don’t get us started).
But after the 100th rerun, one’s holiday spirit can start to sag, and nostalgia for those festive evergreens can turn toxic.
So The Hollywood Reporter‘s international team has come up with this alternative list of holiday favorites from outside the U.S.
Our eclectic dirty dozen, including a French murder mystery, a Canadian horror classic and an anime retelling of the Christmas story, are the perfect counterprogramming for anyone looking for new ideas this festive season.
Merry Christmas
2005
‘Merry Christmas’
Christian Carion’s World War I drama, about the real-life Christmas truce that broke out on the Western Front in 1914 — amid the horrors of the war, a true holiday miracle — features Diane Kruger,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Scott Roxborough, Alex Ritman and Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iceland’s Oscar© 2023 Submission for Best International Feature: ‘Beautiful Beings’ by Guðmundur Arnar GuðmundssonA teenage boy adopts a bullied misfit into his gang of outsiders. Left to their own devices, the boys explore aggression and violence but also learn about loyalty and love. As their behavior escalates towards life-threatening situations, one, Addi, raised by a clairvoyant mother, begins to experience a series of dreamlike visions which tentatively pull him back from the edge as the film takes us on a path filled with danger.
Watching this film, I was inevitably drawn back in time to 1991 when my friend and contemporary, the Icelandic director Fridrick Thor Fridrickson was nominated for the Academy Award for Children of Nature, the only Icelandic film ever nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. It was the first of six of his films submitted to the Academy, more than any other Icelandic director.
(Ágúst Guðmundsson, Baltasar Kormákur and Hrafn Gunnlaugsson have each represented Iceland four times. In 1990, Guðný Halldórsdóttir became the first Icelandic woman to represent the country.)
Perhaps those were simpler days. Fridrickson’s growing up in the 60s and making making movies in the 90s gave him a different outlook. Fridriksson’s films have a strong rooting in Icelandic culture and often depict characters at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Guðmundsson‘s characters are at crossroads as well, but more of dismal modernity and the chaos we feel today as possible future scenario for us all. As for Icelandic culture: if this is a sample of Icelandic culture then to compare the two films is like trying to bridge an abyss one never dreamed existed in Iceland. Guðmundsson says that he and his childhood friends come from normal working-class families. But the culture is less that of Iceland than of worldwide working class alienation from the bourgeois culture shown in Fridricksonn’s films.
Fridriksson’s films combine a wry sense of humor and genuine solidarity with the characters. Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson also has a genuine solidarity with the characters and there is a sarcastic humor, less subtle and less kind. Both Guðmundsson’s and Fridriksson’s films are deeply personal.
The four boys in Beautiful Beings form a tight unit of themselves against the world. There’s a real camaraderie and their ensemble acting is a winning combination. Friendship and confused emotions, raw notions of manhood and tender acts of kindness mix enough to keep you watching as you fear for these young men. Spoiler Alert: At the end, only two end up happier and wiser for all they have gone through, and the process of the four coming to grips with the grim lives they and their parents live is sometimes excruciating to watch.
The prevalent emotion is horror, not as in a horror movie, but as in seeing real life at such a low denominator. One must ask, does this show what has happened in Iceland over the past 50 years since Children of Nature?
That said, perhaps audiences have also become more inured than I to such raw scenarios as testified by the fact that the film has won top honors and has earned positive reviews.
In the Berlin Film Festival 2022 it won Europa Cinemas Label prize as best European film in the Panorama section. It also screened in Karlovy Vary International Film Festival — Horizons, Transilvania International Film Festival — Competition, Guadalajara International Film Festival — Premio Maguey Competition, Istanbul Film Festival and in
Biografilm Festival 2022 where it won the Italian Critics Sncci Award. In
Off Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema it won Fipresci Jury Award and in the Taipei Film Festival it won the International New Talent Competition Special Jury Prize.
Watch the official trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFIhZsQhy_4
The film is very well-done. The many shots of hands — wringing, trembling, bloody, acting as signs of the emotional states of its inarticulate characters is a smart device. The boys themselves at the transitional age between boyhood and manhood were well chosen. I would be happier with less visually dark scenes where I could barely make out the outlines of people or shapes.
Let’s hear what Gudmunson has to say about the place of this film in his own development and in cinematic traditions today and this second feature shows promise of a shining career. The film is in a direct line of descendency with those coming of age films of directors such as Rob Reiner, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Larry Clark, Alfonso Cuaron and Gus Van Sant.
As I was exploring stories to write for my second feature film, certain dreams haunted me and did not stop until I started writing this story. On top of that, in my family, the belief in meaningful dreams and supernatural senses.
Beings brings up the questions: What is true friendship? Can boys who seem like bad influences still be good friends? And finally, how do you find your own path? What is the importance of listening to one’s intuition?
As a filmmaker my hope is to give the audience an authentic sensation of being a teenager. We should experience the boys’ world like we are there with them. I love the visual and poetic aspects of film and I am a strong believer in the importance of the stories we tell. I went into filmmaking because I aspired to move people and enrich their senses, like many great films have done for me. I hope that Beautiful Beings also does that for some, with a story about friendship, the importance of role models, self-acceptance and intuition.
How did you find your actors?
We have no professional actors within this age range, in Iceland, therefore we start by inviting kids over the whole country to an open casting. Then slowly we narrow our selection down to the final group. This is done approximately a year before the principal shooting. After we have our group of kids we invite them for an acting workshop where we teach them the basics of acting before introducing them to their characters and the script. We set it up in small steps alongside their school as it is important that it become an enjoyable experience and they can grow as actors before having too much responsibility placed on them. When it comes to the principle shooting they are all very well prepared.
You have dealt with boys and the passage to adulthood in all four of your films, will you continue to explore this or are you looking at other themes?
Childhood and adolescence is a very interesting period as they can be almost in another world than adults. I remember thinking as a kid that grown ups around me had little idea what was really going on in my and — friends’ lives. I know I want to tell more stories related to young people but that doesn’t exclude stories with adults. Right now I want to explore the supernatural element further that I touch on in Beautiful Beings. I have a certain dream project, fairytale and hope to have the opportunity soon to bring it to an audience.
What happens to you in the process of writing and producing?
I work very intuitively when I write and direct. It is always a balance between structure and exploration. Filmmaking has so many layers of storytelling, emotion, visuals, sound and telling a good story with all the elements is very important to me. Then it is the whole collaborative part where you have amazing talents supporting the process. I enjoy the shooting process the most, the bubble that you enter and the creative collaborations.
What happens to you between films?
I have a production company called Join Motion Picture that I co-founded and own with my long time associate. So when I am not working on my own projects I’m developing or producing the projects of others.
What do you consider your strongest attribute as a director?
The ability to turn obstacles into opportunities. I truly believe problems are just another side of opportunities and if I keep going with that mentality I always find myself in a good place at the end.
Where do you feel least assured?
I find it a bit limiting not being able to communicate as clearly with my composer as I can with other creative partners. I never studied instruments as a kid so technically I am limited. Still on the other side it is also a bit exciting as that forces me to let go more and become more open to different outcomes that can be very pleasant.
Title — Beautiful Beings
Country — Iceland
Director — Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Screenwriter — Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Cinematography — Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
Editor — Andri Steinn Gudjónsson, Anders Skov
Original Music — Kristian Eidnes Andersen
Producer — Join Motion Pictures
Starring — Birgir Dagur Bjarkason, Áskell Einar Pálmason, Viktor Benóný Benediktsson, Snorri Rafn Frímannsson, Aníta Briem, Ísgerður Gunnarsdóttir, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
International Sales — New Europe Film Sales
US Distributor — Altered Innocence
Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson graduated in Fine Art and studied screenwriting. His short films and feature debut have been showcased and awarded in numerous festivals. Among these accolades are Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and a nomination for the European Film Awards. His debut feature “Heartstone” premiered in the Venice Days Competition in 2016 and ended up collecting over 50 awards worldwide.
Filmography
2022 Beautiful Beings (123min)
2016 Heartstone (129min)
2014 Artun (20min)
2013 Whale Valley (15 Min)
Produced
2019 A White,White Day (109 min, Executive Producer, Join Motion Pictures) 2019 Sealskin (13 min, Executive Producer, Join Motion Pictures)
2016 Heartstone (129 min, Sf studio & Join Motion Pictures)
Selected Review Excerpts
“An Icelandic Coming-of-Age Tale Radiant with Violence and Tenderness.”
“Boasts an outstanding juvenile ensemble cast.”
“Ravishing.”
“Subtle, underplayed edge of magic realism.”
“There is a freshness and an inhabited vibrancy that makes this painful coming of age story feel exactly its own.”
“A story told poetically, impressionistically, through sun-flare and cigarette smoke and the somehow heartbreaking details.”
“Tenderness that breaks through the veneer of toughness.”
“Captivating, even when… brutal.”
Jessica Kiang — Variety
“Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s sophomore Icelandic feature finds tenderness in a cruel adolescent world”
“The impressive second feature from Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson confronts the feral cruelty and violence of children on the cusp of adulthood, but finds also a tenderness amid the sharp edges and posturing”
“Gudmundsson clearly has strong instincts for casting and a knack for coaxing nuanced performances from young actors”
Wendy Ide — Screendaily
A story about growing up, friendship and survival, but also a portrait of overwhelming moral decay and neglect, Beautiful Beings confirms 40-year-old Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s talent as a sharp and sensitive director with a knack for conveying strong emotions through tiny brushstrokes, much like the great affection hiding behind these four bullish protagonists’ small gestures, without ever sliding into superfluous cruelty.
Vittoria Scarpa — Cineuropa
“A sensitively told tale of healing and growth.”
“Gently dissects various performances of masculinity.”
“Plenty of surprises in store for the audience.”
“Admirably sensitive and affirming.”
“A moving tale of friendship and recovery, despite all the sadness and trauma that run through it.”
“Guðmundsson portrays this co-existence of masculine aggression and soothing tenderness with vivid, richly textured images. The camera frequently gets very close to the characters, catches their most minute glances or gestures, and emphasizes the luminous nature that surrounds them.”
Eren Odabaşı — ICSFilm.org
“Beautiful Beings is the latest triumph from (…) Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, whose distinctive lyrical style makes him one of the most impressive talents on the international indie film scene.”
“The director avoids simplistic solutions in a subtle narrative that uses its ample running time to explore every single chink of the boys’ developing personalities and how they react with each other.”
“Silver Bear awarded DoP Starla Brandth Grovlen (Victoria) works wonders with his camera”
Filmuforia
“A compelling mix of warmth and darkness that will shake you up before it will melt your heart”
“Beautiful Beings takes on the glamour and the anxieties that define teenagehood”
“As humanistic as it is unsettling.”
“Much of the film’s raw effectiveness is due to the young cast’s wisdom and effortless on-screen chemistry.”
“There is honesty to the central performances that endears the boys to the viewers”
“(Beautiful Beings) focuses on delivering a unique presentation — impressionistic imagery and gentle nods at magical realism complement a more grounded, down-to-earth aesthetic; neither style dominates, rather, they converse and flirt with one another.”
Eye For Film
“an affecting coming-of-age melodrama that gently dissects various performances of masculinity”
“Beautiful Beings gradually evolves into an unexpectedly sensual and dreamlike (and often nightmarish) experience with plenty of surprises in store for the audience”
“At its core, this is a moving tale of friendship and recovery”
“Guðmundsson portrays this co-existence of masculine aggression and soothing tenderness with vivid, richly textured images”
“this lovely Icelandic drama turns into a sensitively-told tale of healing and growth in Guðmundsson’s capable hands”
Ics Films, USA
“Its premise seems to lean heavily on familiar tropes, but the magic is in the execution.”
“Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson has delivered a film with a distinctive freshness, and a grimly compelling plausibility”
“There’s a real camaraderie amongst the young cast, with the strength of the writing combining with the actors’ characterisations to ensure that the roles all seem like fully realised people”
“intelligent and confident, and more than a bit unsettling in places”
The Upcoming...
Watching this film, I was inevitably drawn back in time to 1991 when my friend and contemporary, the Icelandic director Fridrick Thor Fridrickson was nominated for the Academy Award for Children of Nature, the only Icelandic film ever nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. It was the first of six of his films submitted to the Academy, more than any other Icelandic director.
(Ágúst Guðmundsson, Baltasar Kormákur and Hrafn Gunnlaugsson have each represented Iceland four times. In 1990, Guðný Halldórsdóttir became the first Icelandic woman to represent the country.)
Perhaps those were simpler days. Fridrickson’s growing up in the 60s and making making movies in the 90s gave him a different outlook. Fridriksson’s films have a strong rooting in Icelandic culture and often depict characters at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Guðmundsson‘s characters are at crossroads as well, but more of dismal modernity and the chaos we feel today as possible future scenario for us all. As for Icelandic culture: if this is a sample of Icelandic culture then to compare the two films is like trying to bridge an abyss one never dreamed existed in Iceland. Guðmundsson says that he and his childhood friends come from normal working-class families. But the culture is less that of Iceland than of worldwide working class alienation from the bourgeois culture shown in Fridricksonn’s films.
Fridriksson’s films combine a wry sense of humor and genuine solidarity with the characters. Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson also has a genuine solidarity with the characters and there is a sarcastic humor, less subtle and less kind. Both Guðmundsson’s and Fridriksson’s films are deeply personal.
The four boys in Beautiful Beings form a tight unit of themselves against the world. There’s a real camaraderie and their ensemble acting is a winning combination. Friendship and confused emotions, raw notions of manhood and tender acts of kindness mix enough to keep you watching as you fear for these young men. Spoiler Alert: At the end, only two end up happier and wiser for all they have gone through, and the process of the four coming to grips with the grim lives they and their parents live is sometimes excruciating to watch.
The prevalent emotion is horror, not as in a horror movie, but as in seeing real life at such a low denominator. One must ask, does this show what has happened in Iceland over the past 50 years since Children of Nature?
That said, perhaps audiences have also become more inured than I to such raw scenarios as testified by the fact that the film has won top honors and has earned positive reviews.
In the Berlin Film Festival 2022 it won Europa Cinemas Label prize as best European film in the Panorama section. It also screened in Karlovy Vary International Film Festival — Horizons, Transilvania International Film Festival — Competition, Guadalajara International Film Festival — Premio Maguey Competition, Istanbul Film Festival and in
Biografilm Festival 2022 where it won the Italian Critics Sncci Award. In
Off Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema it won Fipresci Jury Award and in the Taipei Film Festival it won the International New Talent Competition Special Jury Prize.
Watch the official trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFIhZsQhy_4
The film is very well-done. The many shots of hands — wringing, trembling, bloody, acting as signs of the emotional states of its inarticulate characters is a smart device. The boys themselves at the transitional age between boyhood and manhood were well chosen. I would be happier with less visually dark scenes where I could barely make out the outlines of people or shapes.
Let’s hear what Gudmunson has to say about the place of this film in his own development and in cinematic traditions today and this second feature shows promise of a shining career. The film is in a direct line of descendency with those coming of age films of directors such as Rob Reiner, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Larry Clark, Alfonso Cuaron and Gus Van Sant.
As I was exploring stories to write for my second feature film, certain dreams haunted me and did not stop until I started writing this story. On top of that, in my family, the belief in meaningful dreams and supernatural senses.
Beings brings up the questions: What is true friendship? Can boys who seem like bad influences still be good friends? And finally, how do you find your own path? What is the importance of listening to one’s intuition?
As a filmmaker my hope is to give the audience an authentic sensation of being a teenager. We should experience the boys’ world like we are there with them. I love the visual and poetic aspects of film and I am a strong believer in the importance of the stories we tell. I went into filmmaking because I aspired to move people and enrich their senses, like many great films have done for me. I hope that Beautiful Beings also does that for some, with a story about friendship, the importance of role models, self-acceptance and intuition.
How did you find your actors?
We have no professional actors within this age range, in Iceland, therefore we start by inviting kids over the whole country to an open casting. Then slowly we narrow our selection down to the final group. This is done approximately a year before the principal shooting. After we have our group of kids we invite them for an acting workshop where we teach them the basics of acting before introducing them to their characters and the script. We set it up in small steps alongside their school as it is important that it become an enjoyable experience and they can grow as actors before having too much responsibility placed on them. When it comes to the principle shooting they are all very well prepared.
You have dealt with boys and the passage to adulthood in all four of your films, will you continue to explore this or are you looking at other themes?
Childhood and adolescence is a very interesting period as they can be almost in another world than adults. I remember thinking as a kid that grown ups around me had little idea what was really going on in my and — friends’ lives. I know I want to tell more stories related to young people but that doesn’t exclude stories with adults. Right now I want to explore the supernatural element further that I touch on in Beautiful Beings. I have a certain dream project, fairytale and hope to have the opportunity soon to bring it to an audience.
What happens to you in the process of writing and producing?
I work very intuitively when I write and direct. It is always a balance between structure and exploration. Filmmaking has so many layers of storytelling, emotion, visuals, sound and telling a good story with all the elements is very important to me. Then it is the whole collaborative part where you have amazing talents supporting the process. I enjoy the shooting process the most, the bubble that you enter and the creative collaborations.
What happens to you between films?
I have a production company called Join Motion Picture that I co-founded and own with my long time associate. So when I am not working on my own projects I’m developing or producing the projects of others.
What do you consider your strongest attribute as a director?
The ability to turn obstacles into opportunities. I truly believe problems are just another side of opportunities and if I keep going with that mentality I always find myself in a good place at the end.
Where do you feel least assured?
I find it a bit limiting not being able to communicate as clearly with my composer as I can with other creative partners. I never studied instruments as a kid so technically I am limited. Still on the other side it is also a bit exciting as that forces me to let go more and become more open to different outcomes that can be very pleasant.
Title — Beautiful Beings
Country — Iceland
Director — Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Screenwriter — Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Cinematography — Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
Editor — Andri Steinn Gudjónsson, Anders Skov
Original Music — Kristian Eidnes Andersen
Producer — Join Motion Pictures
Starring — Birgir Dagur Bjarkason, Áskell Einar Pálmason, Viktor Benóný Benediktsson, Snorri Rafn Frímannsson, Aníta Briem, Ísgerður Gunnarsdóttir, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
International Sales — New Europe Film Sales
US Distributor — Altered Innocence
Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson graduated in Fine Art and studied screenwriting. His short films and feature debut have been showcased and awarded in numerous festivals. Among these accolades are Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and a nomination for the European Film Awards. His debut feature “Heartstone” premiered in the Venice Days Competition in 2016 and ended up collecting over 50 awards worldwide.
Filmography
2022 Beautiful Beings (123min)
2016 Heartstone (129min)
2014 Artun (20min)
2013 Whale Valley (15 Min)
Produced
2019 A White,White Day (109 min, Executive Producer, Join Motion Pictures) 2019 Sealskin (13 min, Executive Producer, Join Motion Pictures)
2016 Heartstone (129 min, Sf studio & Join Motion Pictures)
Selected Review Excerpts
“An Icelandic Coming-of-Age Tale Radiant with Violence and Tenderness.”
“Boasts an outstanding juvenile ensemble cast.”
“Ravishing.”
“Subtle, underplayed edge of magic realism.”
“There is a freshness and an inhabited vibrancy that makes this painful coming of age story feel exactly its own.”
“A story told poetically, impressionistically, through sun-flare and cigarette smoke and the somehow heartbreaking details.”
“Tenderness that breaks through the veneer of toughness.”
“Captivating, even when… brutal.”
Jessica Kiang — Variety
“Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson’s sophomore Icelandic feature finds tenderness in a cruel adolescent world”
“The impressive second feature from Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson confronts the feral cruelty and violence of children on the cusp of adulthood, but finds also a tenderness amid the sharp edges and posturing”
“Gudmundsson clearly has strong instincts for casting and a knack for coaxing nuanced performances from young actors”
Wendy Ide — Screendaily
A story about growing up, friendship and survival, but also a portrait of overwhelming moral decay and neglect, Beautiful Beings confirms 40-year-old Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s talent as a sharp and sensitive director with a knack for conveying strong emotions through tiny brushstrokes, much like the great affection hiding behind these four bullish protagonists’ small gestures, without ever sliding into superfluous cruelty.
Vittoria Scarpa — Cineuropa
“A sensitively told tale of healing and growth.”
“Gently dissects various performances of masculinity.”
“Plenty of surprises in store for the audience.”
“Admirably sensitive and affirming.”
“A moving tale of friendship and recovery, despite all the sadness and trauma that run through it.”
“Guðmundsson portrays this co-existence of masculine aggression and soothing tenderness with vivid, richly textured images. The camera frequently gets very close to the characters, catches their most minute glances or gestures, and emphasizes the luminous nature that surrounds them.”
Eren Odabaşı — ICSFilm.org
“Beautiful Beings is the latest triumph from (…) Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, whose distinctive lyrical style makes him one of the most impressive talents on the international indie film scene.”
“The director avoids simplistic solutions in a subtle narrative that uses its ample running time to explore every single chink of the boys’ developing personalities and how they react with each other.”
“Silver Bear awarded DoP Starla Brandth Grovlen (Victoria) works wonders with his camera”
Filmuforia
“A compelling mix of warmth and darkness that will shake you up before it will melt your heart”
“Beautiful Beings takes on the glamour and the anxieties that define teenagehood”
“As humanistic as it is unsettling.”
“Much of the film’s raw effectiveness is due to the young cast’s wisdom and effortless on-screen chemistry.”
“There is honesty to the central performances that endears the boys to the viewers”
“(Beautiful Beings) focuses on delivering a unique presentation — impressionistic imagery and gentle nods at magical realism complement a more grounded, down-to-earth aesthetic; neither style dominates, rather, they converse and flirt with one another.”
Eye For Film
“an affecting coming-of-age melodrama that gently dissects various performances of masculinity”
“Beautiful Beings gradually evolves into an unexpectedly sensual and dreamlike (and often nightmarish) experience with plenty of surprises in store for the audience”
“At its core, this is a moving tale of friendship and recovery”
“Guðmundsson portrays this co-existence of masculine aggression and soothing tenderness with vivid, richly textured images”
“this lovely Icelandic drama turns into a sensitively-told tale of healing and growth in Guðmundsson’s capable hands”
Ics Films, USA
“Its premise seems to lean heavily on familiar tropes, but the magic is in the execution.”
“Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson has delivered a film with a distinctive freshness, and a grimly compelling plausibility”
“There’s a real camaraderie amongst the young cast, with the strength of the writing combining with the actors’ characterisations to ensure that the roles all seem like fully realised people”
“intelligent and confident, and more than a bit unsettling in places”
The Upcoming...
- 12/18/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
The series is party shooting at Baltasar Kormakur’s Rvk Studios and is doubling Iceland for Alaska.
True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of the HBO series, is the first project to qualify for Iceland’s newly boosted 35 filming incentive. The show is spending an estimated 65m on the fourth season, all shot in Iceland to double for Alaska.
The production is now shooting with a cast headed by Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Finn Bennett and Fiona Shaw.
Approximately 80 of the crew is Icelandic, with some international heads of department. The production has been based...
True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of the HBO series, is the first project to qualify for Iceland’s newly boosted 35 filming incentive. The show is spending an estimated 65m on the fourth season, all shot in Iceland to double for Alaska.
The production is now shooting with a cast headed by Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Finn Bennett and Fiona Shaw.
Approximately 80 of the crew is Icelandic, with some international heads of department. The production has been based...
- 12/15/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Tributes to Ukraine draw standing ovations at the ceremony held in Reykjavik.
Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness was the big winner at the 2022 European Film Awards (EFAs), winning all four of its nominated categories – European film, director, actor and screenwriter.
When Östlund picked up his first prize of the night, for best director, he thanked his collaborators including his producer and partner in Sweden’s Plattform Produktion, Erik Hemmendorff, and Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office. He also thanked the ensemble of actors in the film and dedicated the prize to the late actress Charlbi Dean, who died...
Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness was the big winner at the 2022 European Film Awards (EFAs), winning all four of its nominated categories – European film, director, actor and screenwriter.
When Östlund picked up his first prize of the night, for best director, he thanked his collaborators including his producer and partner in Sweden’s Plattform Produktion, Erik Hemmendorff, and Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office. He also thanked the ensemble of actors in the film and dedicated the prize to the late actress Charlbi Dean, who died...
- 12/10/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Östlund’s biting takedown of the one percent, was the big winner at the 35th European Film Awards, landing four trophies including the top prize of Best European Film at the gala award ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Saturday.
Östlund also won best screenplay and best director, dedicating his award to Triangle of Sadness star Charlbi Dean, who died following a sudden illness this summer, just months after the film premiered in Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or. Croatian actor Zlatko Burić, who plays Dimitry, a Russian fertilizer magnate in Triangle of Sadness, was the surprise best actor winner, beating out contenders including Paul Mescal for Aftersun and Close breakout Eden Dambrine.
Vicky Krieps took actress honors for Corsage, a feminist period drama from director Marie Kreutzer, in which she stars as an Austrian empress who fights...
Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Östlund’s biting takedown of the one percent, was the big winner at the 35th European Film Awards, landing four trophies including the top prize of Best European Film at the gala award ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Saturday.
Östlund also won best screenplay and best director, dedicating his award to Triangle of Sadness star Charlbi Dean, who died following a sudden illness this summer, just months after the film premiered in Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or. Croatian actor Zlatko Burić, who plays Dimitry, a Russian fertilizer magnate in Triangle of Sadness, was the surprise best actor winner, beating out contenders including Paul Mescal for Aftersun and Close breakout Eden Dambrine.
Vicky Krieps took actress honors for Corsage, a feminist period drama from director Marie Kreutzer, in which she stars as an Austrian empress who fights...
- 12/10/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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