Danish production company Scanbox Production has bolstered its production team with two producer hires, Lina Flint and Birgitte Skov.
Flint joins from Nordisk Film, where she had worked since 2015. She is one of the emerging producers selected for European Film Promotion’s Producers On The Move initiative at Cannes this week. Flint produced Gustav Moller’s 2018 hit The Guilty and was executive producer on the 2021 Netflix US adaptation.
She recently produced Moller’s follow-up feature Sons, which stars Sidse Babett Knudsen and debuted in Competition at Berlinale this year.
Skov has 25 years of production experience with Nimbus Film and Sf Studios.
Flint joins from Nordisk Film, where she had worked since 2015. She is one of the emerging producers selected for European Film Promotion’s Producers On The Move initiative at Cannes this week. Flint produced Gustav Moller’s 2018 hit The Guilty and was executive producer on the 2021 Netflix US adaptation.
She recently produced Moller’s follow-up feature Sons, which stars Sidse Babett Knudsen and debuted in Competition at Berlinale this year.
Skov has 25 years of production experience with Nimbus Film and Sf Studios.
- 5/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Scandinavian production and distribution house Scanbox Entertainment has acquired a majority stake in Norwegian distributor Ymer Media.
Ymer Media’s management team will continue to lead the company with no operational changes, with Jarle Namtvedt and Cecilia Aas remaining shareholders and company owners.
Scanbox’s chief commercial officer Torben Thorup Jorgensen will become chairman of the board for Ymer Media.
Ymer Media will maintain its upcoming slate, which includes Alex Garland’s Civil War, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man; plus local titles Adil, Cinderella’s Stepsister and animation Kaja The Great.
Ymer Media’s management team will continue to lead the company with no operational changes, with Jarle Namtvedt and Cecilia Aas remaining shareholders and company owners.
Scanbox’s chief commercial officer Torben Thorup Jorgensen will become chairman of the board for Ymer Media.
Ymer Media will maintain its upcoming slate, which includes Alex Garland’s Civil War, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man; plus local titles Adil, Cinderella’s Stepsister and animation Kaja The Great.
- 2/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Scanbox Entertainment Sets Restructured Senior Management Team With Multiple Promotions And New Hire
Scanbox Entertainment has finalized a restructuring of its senior management team with a series of internal promotions alongside a new hire.
Merete Martensen Christensen has taken over from Kim William Beich as acting Chief Operations Officer (COO). Beich will continue at the company as Head of Acquisitions and Special Projects. Christensen will also retain her role as Head of Theatrical in Scandinavia and as local Head of Theatrical in Denmark. Christensen has been part of the management group since 2014 and originally joined Scanbox back in 2011.
Elsewhere, Per Bergholdt Knudsen has joined Scanbox in the newly created Director of Sales & Acquisition Manager. He will work closely with Torben Thorup Jørgensen, Chief Commercial Officer (Cco), taking over sales duties and joining the acquisitions team at Scanbox Entertainment. Knudsen is a senior sales and acquisitions executive who started as a film buyer in TV2’s acquisition department and worked there for five years,...
Merete Martensen Christensen has taken over from Kim William Beich as acting Chief Operations Officer (COO). Beich will continue at the company as Head of Acquisitions and Special Projects. Christensen will also retain her role as Head of Theatrical in Scandinavia and as local Head of Theatrical in Denmark. Christensen has been part of the management group since 2014 and originally joined Scanbox back in 2011.
Elsewhere, Per Bergholdt Knudsen has joined Scanbox in the newly created Director of Sales & Acquisition Manager. He will work closely with Torben Thorup Jørgensen, Chief Commercial Officer (Cco), taking over sales duties and joining the acquisitions team at Scanbox Entertainment. Knudsen is a senior sales and acquisitions executive who started as a film buyer in TV2’s acquisition department and worked there for five years,...
- 2/13/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Vuelta Group is a joint venture from Scanbox, SquareOne and Playtime.
Recently launched European studio Vuelta has added Italy’s Indiana Production and France’s Pan to its ever-expanding footprint on the continent.
The groups join the all-new private equity-funded joint venture’s current team encompassing Nordic film company Scanbox, German distributor SquareOne and French powerhouse sales force Playtime.
Film and TV production house Indiana, founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, is behind Giorgio Diritti’s Venice competitor Lubo and Netflix series The Leopard and Unwanted. They also produced Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital and The First Beautiful Thing,...
Recently launched European studio Vuelta has added Italy’s Indiana Production and France’s Pan to its ever-expanding footprint on the continent.
The groups join the all-new private equity-funded joint venture’s current team encompassing Nordic film company Scanbox, German distributor SquareOne and French powerhouse sales force Playtime.
Film and TV production house Indiana, founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, is behind Giorgio Diritti’s Venice competitor Lubo and Netflix series The Leopard and Unwanted. They also produced Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital and The First Beautiful Thing,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Vuelta Group, the rising European film studio which recently launched with the high profile acquisitions of France’s Playtime, Germany’s SquareOne and Scandinavia’s Scanbox, is expanding its footprint in Italy and France.
Spearheaded by media finance veterans (and childhood friends) Jerome Levy and David Atlan-Jackson, Vuelta has bought Indiana Production, a leading Italian company founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, which had Giorgio Diritti’s “Lubo” playing in competition at Venice and just teased its big-budget Netflix series project “The Leopard” and Sky’s “Unwanted.”
Vuelta has also taken a stake in France’s Pan (formerly called Pan-Europeenne), the well-established production and distribution banner headed by Nathalie Gastaldo, Philippe Godeau and Camille Gentet, whose credits include the hit franchises “Largo Winch” and “Legendaries.”
Vuelta bowed last year with more $100 million provided by a U.S. private equity firm and has now diversified its backing through its European partners.
Spearheaded by media finance veterans (and childhood friends) Jerome Levy and David Atlan-Jackson, Vuelta has bought Indiana Production, a leading Italian company founded by Fabrizio Donvito and Marco Cohen, which had Giorgio Diritti’s “Lubo” playing in competition at Venice and just teased its big-budget Netflix series project “The Leopard” and Sky’s “Unwanted.”
Vuelta has also taken a stake in France’s Pan (formerly called Pan-Europeenne), the well-established production and distribution banner headed by Nathalie Gastaldo, Philippe Godeau and Camille Gentet, whose credits include the hit franchises “Largo Winch” and “Legendaries.”
Vuelta bowed last year with more $100 million provided by a U.S. private equity firm and has now diversified its backing through its European partners.
- 9/20/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Come one, come all, Insiders. Jesse Whittock back again this week to take you through the past week in international film and TV. Let’s get started. If you’re not already subscribed, click here and make that right.
Euro Studio Vuelta Emerges
Indie shake-up: There’s a new kid in town. Yesterday, Andreas broke the news of Europe’s latest consolidation player: Vuelta Group. Led by French media vet Jerome Levy, the company has launched through the acquisitions of France’s Playtime Group, Germany’s SquareOne and Nordic producer-distributor Scanbox. More companies are expected to join the club, as the indie film sector welcomes a new heavyweight to rival the likes of Leonine, Mediawan and Asacha Media, who have all emerged as major presences in recent years. Also in the European indie sector are the established TV players such as Banijay and Fremantle. Each of Vuelta’s acquisitions are...
Euro Studio Vuelta Emerges
Indie shake-up: There’s a new kid in town. Yesterday, Andreas broke the news of Europe’s latest consolidation player: Vuelta Group. Led by French media vet Jerome Levy, the company has launched through the acquisitions of France’s Playtime Group, Germany’s SquareOne and Nordic producer-distributor Scanbox. More companies are expected to join the club, as the indie film sector welcomes a new heavyweight to rival the likes of Leonine, Mediawan and Asacha Media, who have all emerged as major presences in recent years. Also in the European indie sector are the established TV players such as Banijay and Fremantle. Each of Vuelta’s acquisitions are...
- 7/7/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Europe has a brand-new media giant.
Vuelta Group, a private-equity fueled company headed by former Canal+ and Goldman Sachs executive Jerome Levy, made a very big launch on the European scene on Thursday, announcing its acquisition of Scandinavian independent film company Scanbox, German distributor/producer SquareOne Entertainment and French international sales company Playtime.
Vuelta (Latin for “to go around”) is planning future acquisitions in France, Italy, Spain and the Benelux region as it looks to build a pan-European television and film studio focusing on the production and distribution of European content across the continent.
The Vuelta launch is a further sign of consolidation in the European indie market, which has already seen several independent producers and distributors subsumed into Pe-backed studios such as Leonine and Mediawan or snatched up by global indie giants like Fremantle and Banijay.
The Veulta setup will see each of its subsidiary companies continue to operate...
Vuelta Group, a private-equity fueled company headed by former Canal+ and Goldman Sachs executive Jerome Levy, made a very big launch on the European scene on Thursday, announcing its acquisition of Scandinavian independent film company Scanbox, German distributor/producer SquareOne Entertainment and French international sales company Playtime.
Vuelta (Latin for “to go around”) is planning future acquisitions in France, Italy, Spain and the Benelux region as it looks to build a pan-European television and film studio focusing on the production and distribution of European content across the continent.
The Vuelta launch is a further sign of consolidation in the European indie market, which has already seen several independent producers and distributors subsumed into Pe-backed studios such as Leonine and Mediawan or snatched up by global indie giants like Fremantle and Banijay.
The Veulta setup will see each of its subsidiary companies continue to operate...
- 7/6/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Deadline spoke to Nordic distributor Scanbox about why it made sense to join new European film and TV studio Vuelta Group, which we revealed earlier this morning.
Established in 1980, Copenhagen-based Scanbox has a catalog of more than 1,000 titles, including acclaimed international and Danish films. It also has offices in Reykjavik, Oslo and Stockholm.
The company was steered for a long time by legendary Icelandic producer Joni Sighvatsson, who in the ’80s set up leading music video company Propaganda Films with Steve Golin, where they worked with directors including David Fincher, Michael Bay and Spike Jonze. Scanbox is now run by Joni’s son Thor.
The outfit has been ramping up its acquisitions and productions in recent months and recently pre-bought Jason Statham starrer The Beekeeper, big-budget Sylvester Stallone reboot Cliffhanger and Vin Diesel sequel Riddick: Furya. This is in addition to Cannes competition films May December and Ken Loach’s The Old Oak,...
Established in 1980, Copenhagen-based Scanbox has a catalog of more than 1,000 titles, including acclaimed international and Danish films. It also has offices in Reykjavik, Oslo and Stockholm.
The company was steered for a long time by legendary Icelandic producer Joni Sighvatsson, who in the ’80s set up leading music video company Propaganda Films with Steve Golin, where they worked with directors including David Fincher, Michael Bay and Spike Jonze. Scanbox is now run by Joni’s son Thor.
The outfit has been ramping up its acquisitions and productions in recent months and recently pre-bought Jason Statham starrer The Beekeeper, big-budget Sylvester Stallone reboot Cliffhanger and Vin Diesel sequel Riddick: Furya. This is in addition to Cannes competition films May December and Ken Loach’s The Old Oak,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: A significant shakeup in the European indie film space is underway with the formation of new studio Vuelta Group, Deadline can reveal.
Headed by French media veteran Jerome Levy as Group Chairman, Vuelta has $50 million-backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm and has recently acquired Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group (in a deal closed in the past week), German distributor-producer SquareOne and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Talks are underway for companies to join from Italy, Spain and Benelux, as well as another from France.
Amid the proliferation of platforms in Europe and consolidation from fellow U.S.-backed indie studios such as Leonine and Mediawan, Vuelta’s partners have taken the view that they’ll be stronger together.
The joint venture will focus on distribution as well as film and TV production. Each company will continue to operate autonomously and with their former branding but they will sit within the Vuelta Group,...
Headed by French media veteran Jerome Levy as Group Chairman, Vuelta has $50 million-backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm and has recently acquired Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group (in a deal closed in the past week), German distributor-producer SquareOne and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Talks are underway for companies to join from Italy, Spain and Benelux, as well as another from France.
Amid the proliferation of platforms in Europe and consolidation from fellow U.S.-backed indie studios such as Leonine and Mediawan, Vuelta’s partners have taken the view that they’ll be stronger together.
The joint venture will focus on distribution as well as film and TV production. Each company will continue to operate autonomously and with their former branding but they will sit within the Vuelta Group,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The first titles to be released under the deal will be Cannes 2022 selection Godland.
Scanbox Entertainment has added Aurora Studios as its exclusive Finnish theatrical distribution partner through its distribution subsidiary Cinemanse.
The deal covers all Scanbox titles, both acquisitions (usually made on a pan-Nordic basis) and its in-house productions, which are ramping up.
The collaboration will boost Scanbox’s connections to local productions in Finland while giving Aurora and Cinemanse an expansion of their theatrical slate.
The first titles to be released under the deal will be Cannes 2022 selection Godland by Hlynur Pálmason followed by The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Hettie Macdonald.
Scanbox Entertainment has added Aurora Studios as its exclusive Finnish theatrical distribution partner through its distribution subsidiary Cinemanse.
The deal covers all Scanbox titles, both acquisitions (usually made on a pan-Nordic basis) and its in-house productions, which are ramping up.
The collaboration will boost Scanbox’s connections to local productions in Finland while giving Aurora and Cinemanse an expansion of their theatrical slate.
The first titles to be released under the deal will be Cannes 2022 selection Godland by Hlynur Pálmason followed by The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Hettie Macdonald.
- 2/9/2023
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Studiocanal has signed a film output deal with Scanbox Entertainment, one of the Nordics’ leading all-rights distribution banner.
The pact will see Studiocanal’s current slate of films released in the Nordics, including Cédric Klapisch’s “Rise” (pictured), Claude Zidi Jr.’s comedy “Tenor,” Eric Lartigau’s coming-of-age story “This One Summer” based on the New York Times bestseller graphic novel of the same name, and Isaki Lacuesta’s “One Year, One Night” which was produced by Studiocanal’s Bambú Producciones and world premiered at Berlin.
Scanbox will also release Studiocanal’s upcoming productions, including Lynne Ramsay’s recently announced “Stone Mattress” with Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh attached to star, and Studiocanal’s first Australian production “Kangaroo.”
The deal was negotiated between Scanbox Entertainment’s Torben Thorup Jørgensen and Studiocanal’s head of international sales Chloé Marquet, as well as VP of international sales Marta Monjanel and Olga Heinz,...
The pact will see Studiocanal’s current slate of films released in the Nordics, including Cédric Klapisch’s “Rise” (pictured), Claude Zidi Jr.’s comedy “Tenor,” Eric Lartigau’s coming-of-age story “This One Summer” based on the New York Times bestseller graphic novel of the same name, and Isaki Lacuesta’s “One Year, One Night” which was produced by Studiocanal’s Bambú Producciones and world premiered at Berlin.
Scanbox will also release Studiocanal’s upcoming productions, including Lynne Ramsay’s recently announced “Stone Mattress” with Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh attached to star, and Studiocanal’s first Australian production “Kangaroo.”
The deal was negotiated between Scanbox Entertainment’s Torben Thorup Jørgensen and Studiocanal’s head of international sales Chloé Marquet, as well as VP of international sales Marta Monjanel and Olga Heinz,...
- 6/17/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
One of Scandinavia’s leading film distributors, Scanbox Entertainment is changing ownership with a new board including CEO Thor Sigurjonsson.
The company was bought back from Scanbox Chairman Joni Sighvatsson. New owners include COO Kim William Beich, commercial director Torben Thorup Jorgensen, and producer Chris Briggs. They will be expending the business into film and TV production, kicking off with a Norwegian adaptation of the Italian blockbuster “Perfect Strangers “ which is co-produced by Storm Films and will premiere in theaters on Feb. 25.
“We see significant growth potential in the content creation side of the business. and with this Mbo, we have taken the first step towards that goal,” said Sigurjonsson.
The company will continue to license and distribute international and local films in the Nordic region as its core business. Scanbox’s slate also includes the Icelandic version of “Perfect Strangers” with Zik Zak Filmworks, which will premiering in the fall.
The company was bought back from Scanbox Chairman Joni Sighvatsson. New owners include COO Kim William Beich, commercial director Torben Thorup Jorgensen, and producer Chris Briggs. They will be expending the business into film and TV production, kicking off with a Norwegian adaptation of the Italian blockbuster “Perfect Strangers “ which is co-produced by Storm Films and will premiere in theaters on Feb. 25.
“We see significant growth potential in the content creation side of the business. and with this Mbo, we have taken the first step towards that goal,” said Sigurjonsson.
The company will continue to license and distribute international and local films in the Nordic region as its core business. Scanbox’s slate also includes the Icelandic version of “Perfect Strangers” with Zik Zak Filmworks, which will premiering in the fall.
- 2/10/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer (below) for Danish horror film “Speak No Evil,” which has its world premiere at Sundance. Sales are being handled by TrustNordisk.
The film follows a Danish family on vacation in Tuscany, where they befriend a Dutch family. Months later the Danish couple receive an invitation to visit the Dutch and decide to go for the weekend. However, it doesn’t take long before the joy of reunion is replaced by misunderstandings. Things gradually get out of hand, as the Dutch turn out to be something different than what they have pretended to be.
The film was directed by Christian Tafdrup, and written by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup.
Christian Tafdrup describes “Speak No Evil” as a satirical horror movie. “Satirical, because it revolves around ordinary people’s absurdly recognizable ways of behaving. A horror movie, because the film is dark, evil and willingly foul.
The film follows a Danish family on vacation in Tuscany, where they befriend a Dutch family. Months later the Danish couple receive an invitation to visit the Dutch and decide to go for the weekend. However, it doesn’t take long before the joy of reunion is replaced by misunderstandings. Things gradually get out of hand, as the Dutch turn out to be something different than what they have pretended to be.
The film was directed by Christian Tafdrup, and written by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup.
Christian Tafdrup describes “Speak No Evil” as a satirical horror movie. “Satirical, because it revolves around ordinary people’s absurdly recognizable ways of behaving. A horror movie, because the film is dark, evil and willingly foul.
- 1/13/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
“Pre-buying is very tricky, when you don’t know when they are going to be able to shoot the film.”
A final decision on whether and when the 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival and its Marché du Film will take place had yet to be announced on Thursday (April 9) as Europe headed into the Easter weekend break.
The future of this year’s edition has been in the balance since early on in the global Covid-19 outbreak which has locked down most of Europe, the Us, Latin America, Asia and now Africa.
In pre-coronavirus times, the film industry...
A final decision on whether and when the 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival and its Marché du Film will take place had yet to be announced on Thursday (April 9) as Europe headed into the Easter weekend break.
The future of this year’s edition has been in the balance since early on in the global Covid-19 outbreak which has locked down most of Europe, the Us, Latin America, Asia and now Africa.
In pre-coronavirus times, the film industry...
- 4/10/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The iconic Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson passed away with a few years ago, but he has left us with something timeless and extraordinary – an awe-inspiring work of cinematic brilliance, both aurally and visually. Last and First Men is a 70-minute documentary feature that Jóhannsson originally created as a visual piece to accompany his live concerts. The finished "documentary" film was put together by Icelandic producer Thor Sigurjonsson and Norwegian cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, and it has just premiered at the Berlin Film Festival – two years after his death. Maybe it helped that I was deliriously tired (film fest exhaustion) when I watched this but... This is one of the most entrancing cinematic experiences I have ever had. I feel like I stopped caring about time and was completely lost in the footage and the music and the words. My mind melded with the screen on this journey. I loved every last second of this experience.
- 2/26/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Berlin-based sales agent Films Boutique expands their slate for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival with global sales rights on “Last and First Men,” from the late Icelandic-born filmmaker-composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, which will world premiere in the Berlinale Special section.
With narration by Tilda Swinton, “Last and First Men” juxtaposes a science-fiction story written in 1930 by Olaf Stapledon, and a haunting musical score with filmed images of the “Spomenik,” futuristic, abstract stone monuments erected during the communist era in the former Yugoslav republics. The narrator describes the life and society of a dying race of humans, while taking us through a landscape of surreal and phantasmagorical monuments filmed in 16mm black and white.
The deal was negotiated between producer Thor Sigurjonsson of Zik Zak Film and Films Boutique’s COO Gabor Greiner.
Sigurjonsson said: “Jóhann Jóhannsson first discussed this project with me back in 2012 when he was about to embark on...
With narration by Tilda Swinton, “Last and First Men” juxtaposes a science-fiction story written in 1930 by Olaf Stapledon, and a haunting musical score with filmed images of the “Spomenik,” futuristic, abstract stone monuments erected during the communist era in the former Yugoslav republics. The narrator describes the life and society of a dying race of humans, while taking us through a landscape of surreal and phantasmagorical monuments filmed in 16mm black and white.
The deal was negotiated between producer Thor Sigurjonsson of Zik Zak Film and Films Boutique’s COO Gabor Greiner.
Sigurjonsson said: “Jóhann Jóhannsson first discussed this project with me back in 2012 when he was about to embark on...
- 2/6/2020
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Dr’s “When the Dust Settles,” Nrk’s “22. Juli” and Svt’s “Caliphate” will compete for 2020’s 4th Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, as terrorism strikes to the heart of three of the five Nordic dramas nominated for the award for outstanding screenwriting announced at Sweden’s Göteborg.Film Festival on Jan. 29.
Two other titles – Yle/Mediapro’s “The Paradise” and Ruv’s ”Happily Never After” – chart halting spiritual recovery – after caring for years for a loved one and separation in marriage respectively.
Winners of the Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award will receive a €20,000 cash prize, announced during the Göteborg Film & TV Festival’s TV Drama Vision, a highlight of the festival, and part of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s 30th anniversary celebrations
First episodes of all the series will screen at the Göteborg Festival.
”With the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, the Fund wants to celebrate the art of script writing,...
Two other titles – Yle/Mediapro’s “The Paradise” and Ruv’s ”Happily Never After” – chart halting spiritual recovery – after caring for years for a loved one and separation in marriage respectively.
Winners of the Nordic TV Drama Screenplay Award will receive a €20,000 cash prize, announced during the Göteborg Film & TV Festival’s TV Drama Vision, a highlight of the festival, and part of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s 30th anniversary celebrations
First episodes of all the series will screen at the Göteborg Festival.
”With the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, the Fund wants to celebrate the art of script writing,...
- 12/17/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Films moves for Us rights to Oskar Thór Axelsson’s second feature.
Scandinavian sales outfit TrustNordisk has finalised multiple Cannes deals on its Icelandic horror I Remember You.
The film has sold to North America (IFC Films), France (Swift), Japan (Gaga), Latin America (California Filmes), and Vietnam (Green Media).
Those deals add to previously struck agreements for UK and Ireland (Studiocanal), German speaking territories (Telemünchen), Turkey (Euromedia), and Hungary (Vertigo).
I Remember You, director-writer Oskar Thór Axelsson’s second feature film after Black’s Game in 2013, tells the story of a young man and woman who move into a small abandoned town with a dark history in Iceland to renovate an old house.
Once there, a number of elderly people befall strange deaths, leading to the discovery of a dark, supernatural presence.
The film is based on a novel by Icelandic crime writer Yrsa Sigurdardottir and stars Thor Kristjansson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson...
Scandinavian sales outfit TrustNordisk has finalised multiple Cannes deals on its Icelandic horror I Remember You.
The film has sold to North America (IFC Films), France (Swift), Japan (Gaga), Latin America (California Filmes), and Vietnam (Green Media).
Those deals add to previously struck agreements for UK and Ireland (Studiocanal), German speaking territories (Telemünchen), Turkey (Euromedia), and Hungary (Vertigo).
I Remember You, director-writer Oskar Thór Axelsson’s second feature film after Black’s Game in 2013, tells the story of a young man and woman who move into a small abandoned town with a dark history in Iceland to renovate an old house.
Once there, a number of elderly people befall strange deaths, leading to the discovery of a dark, supernatural presence.
The film is based on a novel by Icelandic crime writer Yrsa Sigurdardottir and stars Thor Kristjansson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson...
- 6/8/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen star.
California Filmes have acquired worldwide distribution rights (excluding Scandinavia) for 3 Things from TrustNordisk.
The deal was negotiated between Senior Sales Manager at TrustNordisk, Nicolai Korsgaard and Vice-president at California Filmes, Claiton Fernandes.
Jens Dahl makes his feature directorial debut with the stylish thriller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (Borgen).
The contained story is set mostly in a hotel, where police negotiate a witness protection deal with an explosives expert who is a robbery suspect. The man has three demands from the police, including that his former girlfriend is brought to him.
“California Filmes is a dear and long-time partner for us and we are happy and confident that they will release the movie with great success - they were keen and excited about 3 Things from the very beginning when we presented the film, and we are sure that they will do a great job with...
California Filmes have acquired worldwide distribution rights (excluding Scandinavia) for 3 Things from TrustNordisk.
The deal was negotiated between Senior Sales Manager at TrustNordisk, Nicolai Korsgaard and Vice-president at California Filmes, Claiton Fernandes.
Jens Dahl makes his feature directorial debut with the stylish thriller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (Borgen).
The contained story is set mostly in a hotel, where police negotiate a witness protection deal with an explosives expert who is a robbery suspect. The man has three demands from the police, including that his former girlfriend is brought to him.
“California Filmes is a dear and long-time partner for us and we are happy and confident that they will release the movie with great success - they were keen and excited about 3 Things from the very beginning when we presented the film, and we are sure that they will do a great job with...
- 5/24/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Sales agent TrustNordisk scores key distribution deals in Germany, Turkey and Hungary.
Studiocanal has acquired UK distribution rights to Icelandic horror film I Remember You after a promo screening at the American Film Market.
The horror film is the second feature by director Oskar Thór Axelsson, following his 2013 crime thriller Black’s Game.
I Remember You marks the second collaboration between the director and actors Thor Kristjansson and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, who both appeared in Black’s Game. They are joined by a cast including Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir (City State), among others.
After an elderly woman commits suicide, a psychiatrist discovers the woman’s obsession with the disappearance of the doctor’s son. Across the bay in an abandoned village, three city dwellers restoring a home realise it is haunted. The two stories intertwine when the discovery of a child who vanished 60 years ago becomes the missing link of the film.
The genre film...
Studiocanal has acquired UK distribution rights to Icelandic horror film I Remember You after a promo screening at the American Film Market.
The horror film is the second feature by director Oskar Thór Axelsson, following his 2013 crime thriller Black’s Game.
I Remember You marks the second collaboration between the director and actors Thor Kristjansson and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, who both appeared in Black’s Game. They are joined by a cast including Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir (City State), among others.
After an elderly woman commits suicide, a psychiatrist discovers the woman’s obsession with the disappearance of the doctor’s son. Across the bay in an abandoned village, three city dwellers restoring a home realise it is haunted. The two stories intertwine when the discovery of a child who vanished 60 years ago becomes the missing link of the film.
The genre film...
- 11/24/2016
- ScreenDaily
Sales outfit TrustNordisk also inks deals for Japan, China and Turkey.
Studiocanal has picked up Danish action thriller Darkland (Underverden) for UK release.
The deal was struck with sales agent TrustNordisk at the recent American Film Market.
TrustNordisk has also closed deals on the film for Japan (Gaga), China (Dd Dream) and Turkey (Euromedia), with further territories in negotiations.
Directed by feature debutant Fenar Ahmad, Darkland stars Dar Salim (A Hijacking), Stine Fischer Christensen (After The Wedding), Roland Møller (Land Of Mine), and Dulfi Al-Jabouri (A War).
The film follows a successful surgeon whose younger brother is murdered. When the police turn out to be unhelpful, he is forced to take matters into his own hands and to face the criminal gangs of Copenhagen by himself.
It was produced by Jacob Jarek for Profile Pictures with support from Danish Film Institut, Dr and Scanbox Entertainment - and executive produced by Thor Sigurjonsson, Ditte Milsted and [link...
Studiocanal has picked up Danish action thriller Darkland (Underverden) for UK release.
The deal was struck with sales agent TrustNordisk at the recent American Film Market.
TrustNordisk has also closed deals on the film for Japan (Gaga), China (Dd Dream) and Turkey (Euromedia), with further territories in negotiations.
Directed by feature debutant Fenar Ahmad, Darkland stars Dar Salim (A Hijacking), Stine Fischer Christensen (After The Wedding), Roland Møller (Land Of Mine), and Dulfi Al-Jabouri (A War).
The film follows a successful surgeon whose younger brother is murdered. When the police turn out to be unhelpful, he is forced to take matters into his own hands and to face the criminal gangs of Copenhagen by himself.
It was produced by Jacob Jarek for Profile Pictures with support from Danish Film Institut, Dr and Scanbox Entertainment - and executive produced by Thor Sigurjonsson, Ditte Milsted and [link...
- 11/23/2016
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Oskar Thór Axelsson’s second feature is based on Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s best-selling novel.
TrustNordisk has picked up Icelandic horror film I Remember You ahead of the Afm.
Based on Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s best-selling novel, the film marks Oskar Thór Axelsson’s second feature film after his 2013 festival hit, crime thriller Black’s Game.
After an older lady hangs herself in a church, a new psychiatrist discovers she was obessed with the disappearance of his eight-year-old son, who vanished three years earlier. Meanwhile, three city dwellers are restoring a house when they realise it is haunted, and a mysterious child named Bernodus, who disappeared 60 years earlier, is discovered as the link between the two groups.
I Remember You stars Thor Kristjansson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson. It is produced by Joni Sighvatsson, Thor Sigurjonsson, Skuli Malmquist and Chris Briggs for Zik Zak Filmworks in co-production with Ape & Björn Norway (Ruben Thirkildsen) and Maze Pictures in Germany...
TrustNordisk has picked up Icelandic horror film I Remember You ahead of the Afm.
Based on Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s best-selling novel, the film marks Oskar Thór Axelsson’s second feature film after his 2013 festival hit, crime thriller Black’s Game.
After an older lady hangs herself in a church, a new psychiatrist discovers she was obessed with the disappearance of his eight-year-old son, who vanished three years earlier. Meanwhile, three city dwellers are restoring a house when they realise it is haunted, and a mysterious child named Bernodus, who disappeared 60 years earlier, is discovered as the link between the two groups.
I Remember You stars Thor Kristjansson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson. It is produced by Joni Sighvatsson, Thor Sigurjonsson, Skuli Malmquist and Chris Briggs for Zik Zak Filmworks in co-production with Ape & Björn Norway (Ruben Thirkildsen) and Maze Pictures in Germany...
- 10/28/2016
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
TrustNordisk will handle international sales on director Fenar Ahmad’s second feature film Darkland.
TrustNordisk has picked up international rights for the upcoming action thriller Darkland. The film is directed by Fenar Ahmad.
Darkland stars Dar Salim (Games of Thrones) as the lead. He will be joined by Stine Fischer Christensen (After the Wedding), Roland Møller (Land of Mine) and Dulfi Al-Jabouri (A War).
The film tells the story of Zaid, played by Salim, a successful surgeon who lives with his pregnant girlfriend, played by Christensen. One night, Zaid’s younger brother knocks on his door and asks for money. Zaid refuses, but a few days later, his brother is assaulted and killed.
With little help from the police, Zaid feels obligated to find out who murdered him and embarks on a mission to eliminate all criminal gangs in Copenhagen by disguising himself and entering the criminal underworld. He must decide if the price of revenge is worth...
TrustNordisk has picked up international rights for the upcoming action thriller Darkland. The film is directed by Fenar Ahmad.
Darkland stars Dar Salim (Games of Thrones) as the lead. He will be joined by Stine Fischer Christensen (After the Wedding), Roland Møller (Land of Mine) and Dulfi Al-Jabouri (A War).
The film tells the story of Zaid, played by Salim, a successful surgeon who lives with his pregnant girlfriend, played by Christensen. One night, Zaid’s younger brother knocks on his door and asks for money. Zaid refuses, but a few days later, his brother is assaulted and killed.
With little help from the police, Zaid feels obligated to find out who murdered him and embarks on a mission to eliminate all criminal gangs in Copenhagen by disguising himself and entering the criminal underworld. He must decide if the price of revenge is worth...
- 10/28/2016
- ScreenDaily
“I can’t sing, I can’t dance, I can’t write… no real talent. But I’m pretty, and I can make money off pretty.”
Amazon Studio’s The Neon Demon directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, is a sumptuous horror-thriller, set in the highly competitive and often vicious world of fashion modeling, where the term “eat their own” takes on a decidedly new meaning. When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will use any means necessary to get what she has. The film is co-written by Refn (Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives, Valhalla Rising), Mary Laws (”Preacher”) and Polly Stenham; and stars Elle Fanning (Maleficent,Super 8), Karl Glusman (Love, Stonewall), Jena Malone (Inherent Vice, The Hunger Games series), Bella Heathcote (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dark Shadows), Abbey Lee (Gods of Egypt, Max Max:...
Amazon Studio’s The Neon Demon directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, is a sumptuous horror-thriller, set in the highly competitive and often vicious world of fashion modeling, where the term “eat their own” takes on a decidedly new meaning. When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will use any means necessary to get what she has. The film is co-written by Refn (Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives, Valhalla Rising), Mary Laws (”Preacher”) and Polly Stenham; and stars Elle Fanning (Maleficent,Super 8), Karl Glusman (Love, Stonewall), Jena Malone (Inherent Vice, The Hunger Games series), Bella Heathcote (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dark Shadows), Abbey Lee (Gods of Egypt, Max Max:...
- 9/25/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Company also takes Cannes titles Cafe Society, The Neon Demon, The Salesman.
Scandinavian distributor Scanbox has acquired several new hot Cannes titles: Paolo Virzì’s Like Crazy [pictured] from Bac Films, Mohamed Diab’s Clash from Pyramide, and Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake from Wild Bunch.
At Cannes 2016, Scanbox has set a new personal best with its number of titles in the festival – it boasts Scandinavian rights to Woody Allen’s Café Society, Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only The End of the World, Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman, Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, Matt Ross’ Captain Fantastic and David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water.
“It marks our 12th movie with Woody Allen and our fifth with Refn. We have strong relationships with talent,” said Scanbox chairman Joni Sighvatsson. “We do anything from a small film like Clash to a big film like The Hateful Eight, we’re talent...
Scandinavian distributor Scanbox has acquired several new hot Cannes titles: Paolo Virzì’s Like Crazy [pictured] from Bac Films, Mohamed Diab’s Clash from Pyramide, and Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake from Wild Bunch.
At Cannes 2016, Scanbox has set a new personal best with its number of titles in the festival – it boasts Scandinavian rights to Woody Allen’s Café Society, Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only The End of the World, Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman, Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, Matt Ross’ Captain Fantastic and David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water.
“It marks our 12th movie with Woody Allen and our fifth with Refn. We have strong relationships with talent,” said Scanbox chairman Joni Sighvatsson. “We do anything from a small film like Clash to a big film like The Hateful Eight, we’re talent...
- 5/17/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Denmark’s Profile Pictures, which launches its debut feature Shelley [pictured] at Berlin, will next month begin shooting Darkland - a masked avenger story set in a gang environment in Copenhagen.
The action thriller is the second feature for Fenar Ahmad. “It’s an updated Pusher, very gritty and real,” said Profile producer and partner Jacob Jarek.
The company has two further features now in post, both feature directorial debuts from experienced writers.
The first is In The Blood, a story of twentysomething friends in Copenhagen that marks the directorial debut of A Royal Affair writer Rasmus Heisterberg.
The other is 3 Things, a “contained thriller” with Game Of Thrones stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Birgitte Hort Sorensen from Pusher writer Jens Dahl.
Profile Pictures was founded by Jarek alongside his fellow National Film School of Denmark alumni Caroline Schlüter Bingestam, Ditte Milsted and Thor Sigurjonsson.
“We’re interested in elevated genre films,” said Jarek. “What...
The action thriller is the second feature for Fenar Ahmad. “It’s an updated Pusher, very gritty and real,” said Profile producer and partner Jacob Jarek.
The company has two further features now in post, both feature directorial debuts from experienced writers.
The first is In The Blood, a story of twentysomething friends in Copenhagen that marks the directorial debut of A Royal Affair writer Rasmus Heisterberg.
The other is 3 Things, a “contained thriller” with Game Of Thrones stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Birgitte Hort Sorensen from Pusher writer Jens Dahl.
Profile Pictures was founded by Jarek alongside his fellow National Film School of Denmark alumni Caroline Schlüter Bingestam, Ditte Milsted and Thor Sigurjonsson.
“We’re interested in elevated genre films,” said Jarek. “What...
- 2/14/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Celluloid Dreams handles Valley of Shadows; Media Luna boards Little Wing; Indie Sales represents The Giant.
The old adage of ‘leaving them wanting more’ was certainly on display at the Works In Progress pitches at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market this year (full line-up below).
The most-anticipated pitch of the session was Johannes Nyholm’s feature debut The Giant. The director showed several scenes from the film, but refrained from showing footage of the fantastical Giant as he said the VFX was still being worked on.
Also holding back were the producers of Cold Case Hammarskjold, the latest provocative documentary from Mads Brugger (of The Ambassador and The Red Chapel fame), about the death of Swedish diplomat and author Dag Hammarskjold.
Co-producer Andreas Rocksen said the filmmakers had a new theory about how Hammarskjold’s plane went down in 1961, but he said the theory won’t be revealed until the film is ready.
Several of the...
The old adage of ‘leaving them wanting more’ was certainly on display at the Works In Progress pitches at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market this year (full line-up below).
The most-anticipated pitch of the session was Johannes Nyholm’s feature debut The Giant. The director showed several scenes from the film, but refrained from showing footage of the fantastical Giant as he said the VFX was still being worked on.
Also holding back were the producers of Cold Case Hammarskjold, the latest provocative documentary from Mads Brugger (of The Ambassador and The Red Chapel fame), about the death of Swedish diplomat and author Dag Hammarskjold.
Co-producer Andreas Rocksen said the filmmakers had a new theory about how Hammarskjold’s plane went down in 1961, but he said the theory won’t be revealed until the film is ready.
Several of the...
- 2/8/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Watch the new trailer for Z For Zachariah starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie and Chris Pine.
The film will open in theaters August 21.
In the not-distant future, a disastrous radioactive event has obliterated most of civilization. Yet somewhere deep in the American South is a valley that remains untouched; evidence of a micro-climate or some other miracle. A young farm girl, Ann Burden (Margot Robbie), is grittily surviving on her own in this valley, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth. Then, she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being.
John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor) arrives in the valley a cipher; a distraught scientist nearly driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. He and Ann share little in common beyond survival. Even so, as Ann nurses Loomis back to health, they build a fragile, imperative strand of trust across...
The film will open in theaters August 21.
In the not-distant future, a disastrous radioactive event has obliterated most of civilization. Yet somewhere deep in the American South is a valley that remains untouched; evidence of a micro-climate or some other miracle. A young farm girl, Ann Burden (Margot Robbie), is grittily surviving on her own in this valley, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth. Then, she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being.
John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor) arrives in the valley a cipher; a distraught scientist nearly driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. He and Ann share little in common beyond survival. Even so, as Ann nurses Loomis back to health, they build a fragile, imperative strand of trust across...
- 6/4/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Two weeks before the start of the Sundance Film Festival, one of its highest-profile titles has secured distribution, as Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will partner on the release of Craig Zobel’s “Z For Zachariah,” which stars Margot Robbie, Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor, TheWrap has learned.
Grindstone Entertainment will present the sci-fi thriller, which was executive produced by the company’s Barry Brooker and Stan Wertlieb.
While its involvement had never been reported, Lionsgate has actually had the project for some time, though the company only recently decided on its release plans.
Also Read: Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Jared Leto,...
Grindstone Entertainment will present the sci-fi thriller, which was executive produced by the company’s Barry Brooker and Stan Wertlieb.
While its involvement had never been reported, Lionsgate has actually had the project for some time, though the company only recently decided on its release plans.
Also Read: Will Smith, Tom Hardy, Jared Leto,...
- 1/5/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Kevorkian, Shoval, Haq, Fiennes, Sigurðsson, Nikonova and Runarsson heading to Les Arcs European Film Festival with upcoming projects.Scroll down for full list of projects
The UK’s Johnny Kevorkian and Sophie Fiennes, Israeli Tom Shoval, Norwegian Iram Haq and Russia’s Angelina Nikonova will be among the filmmakers presenting their upcoming projects at the Les Arcs Co-Production Village this year.
The event, running Dec 13-16 within the Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 13-20), will present 25 projects in development and a further 10 Works-in-Progress.
“I thinks it’s a good sign that filmmakers whose projects we presented in development are now coming back to show their films in Work-in-Progress, which is the case for Sparrow and Rams,” said Les Arcs industry head Vanja Kaludjercic.
“Conversely, we’ve got directors who presented in Works-in Progress, such as Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, who came with Paris of the North last year, who is back with his new project The Tree...
The UK’s Johnny Kevorkian and Sophie Fiennes, Israeli Tom Shoval, Norwegian Iram Haq and Russia’s Angelina Nikonova will be among the filmmakers presenting their upcoming projects at the Les Arcs Co-Production Village this year.
The event, running Dec 13-16 within the Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 13-20), will present 25 projects in development and a further 10 Works-in-Progress.
“I thinks it’s a good sign that filmmakers whose projects we presented in development are now coming back to show their films in Work-in-Progress, which is the case for Sparrow and Rams,” said Les Arcs industry head Vanja Kaludjercic.
“Conversely, we’ve got directors who presented in Works-in Progress, such as Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, who came with Paris of the North last year, who is back with his new project The Tree...
- 11/24/2014
- ScreenDaily
We can still feel the heat generated from Craig Zobel’s Compliance. His sophomore film, which was made on a dime (his directorial debut Great World of Sound was made for a nickel and was also showcased at Sundance), got under the skin of select imbecile auds at its Park City premiere, but in the same token it intellectually tickled the critical masses. Adept in human discord in its purest form, this quality surely got infused on his third directing outing, Z for Zachariah, which is large scale humanity in crisis. You don’t often see Blacklist scripts (ranked #26th in 2009) break into Sundance, but in a Take Shelter scheme of things, this shot in New Zealand production benefitting from a plethora of producers on board could fit a sci-fi mold of Duncan Jones’ Moon. Despite the presence of A listers such as Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor, conceivably, big...
- 11/14/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Exclusive: Distributor picks up seven films in Cannes’ official selection.
Scandinavian distributor Scanbox has set a company record by acquiring seven films in official selection.
They are Competition titles The Homesman, Saint Laurent, The Search, The Captive and opener Grace of Monaco; and from Un Certain Regard Lost River and Eleanor Rigby.
These acquisitions reflect a restructured and re-energised Scanbox. After the departure of former CEO Mikael Modig, the company’s new management team includes Kim Beich as head of acquisitions and general operations; Henrik Rasmussen leading the home entertainment business: and Thor Sigurjonsson as head of production.
Scanbox has built up from a home entertainment-focused company that concentrated on genre fare to have a more diverse slate with top arthouse titles. Joni Sighvatsson, chairman of Scanbox for the past eight years, told Screen: “We have a much more diversified slate, but also we’re not abandoning our roots in genre.”
Forthcoming genre releases...
Scandinavian distributor Scanbox has set a company record by acquiring seven films in official selection.
They are Competition titles The Homesman, Saint Laurent, The Search, The Captive and opener Grace of Monaco; and from Un Certain Regard Lost River and Eleanor Rigby.
These acquisitions reflect a restructured and re-energised Scanbox. After the departure of former CEO Mikael Modig, the company’s new management team includes Kim Beich as head of acquisitions and general operations; Henrik Rasmussen leading the home entertainment business: and Thor Sigurjonsson as head of production.
Scanbox has built up from a home entertainment-focused company that concentrated on genre fare to have a more diverse slate with top arthouse titles. Joni Sighvatsson, chairman of Scanbox for the past eight years, told Screen: “We have a much more diversified slate, but also we’re not abandoning our roots in genre.”
Forthcoming genre releases...
- 5/17/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
What next for Hellfjord and You Said What? director Patrik Syversen? Well, he's got a couple projects on the boil but the one we're most excited about around these parts is upcoming horror comedy Party Animal. A piece today in Variety pitches the film like this:a horror film with action and comedic beats, "Animal" turns on a disillusioned young man who arranges a bachelor party for his best friend at a locked-down location. But he has to fight for his life when it turns out that the groom is a werewolf.Dead Snow and Hellfjord co-writer Stige Frode Henriksen with Jacob Jarek (whose credits include Only God Forgives), Thor Sigurjonsson and Fredrik Pryser set to produce the pan-Scandinavian co-production, the producers being Danish, Icelandic and Norwegian, respectively.Syversen...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/31/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Breaking: Margot Robbie, the 23-year-old Australian actress who made her breakout in The Wolf Of Wall Street, has signed on to play the female lead in Z For Zachariah. Directed by Craig Zobel, the film is an adaptation of the post-apocalyptic Robert C. O’Brien novel and focuses on a young small-town girl who survives a nuclear war. Robbie will star with Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor. She recently wrapped Focus opposite Will Smith, and Suite Francais. She’s also reportedly got the offer to star in Tarzan at Warner Bros. She’s repped by CAA, Management 360, and attorney Jeff Bernstein. Aran Michael is her Australian agent. Z For Zachariah is produced by Material Pictures’ Tobey Maguire and Matthew Ploffe with Skuli Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Joni Sighvatsson. Gary Ross and Stephen Bannatyne will exec produce with Claudia Bluemhuber and Lotus’ Jim Seibel and Bill Johnson. Michael Benaroya is financing.
- 1/19/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
We wake from our December holiday production break slumber for a production month of January that has some notable American indie productions, foreign films projects worth signaling out. Tracking Shot is sponsored by Production Weekly. German auteur Wim Wenders returns to Montreal for the winter portion of filming on Everything is Fine – the 3D drama stars James Franco, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rachel McAdams and Marie-Josee Croze. After distinctly break-out indie offerings in Great World of Sound and Compliance, Craig Zobel is packing his bags for New Zealand. Adapted from the classic novel, Z for Zachariah sees Chris Pine, Amanda Seyfried and Chewitel Ejiofor jousting a little during the end of the world. A neighboring production can be found in Australia, David Mamet (his last theatrical release was 08′s Redbelt) is set to unload Blackbird – this is about a grieving granddaughter of a famous special effects artist in Hollywood discovers secrets (plot...
- 1/1/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Fitzgibbon, Sitaru, Vicari, Huddles, Runarsson and van Geffen will be at Les Arcs this December.
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
- 11/14/2013
- ScreenDaily
Fitzgibbon, Sitaru, Vicari, Huddles, Runarsson and van Geffen will be at Les Arcs this December.
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
- 11/14/2013
- ScreenDaily
Fitzgibbon, Sitaru, Vicari, Huddles, Runarsson and van Geffen will be at Les Arcs this December.
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
Ireland’s Ian Fitzgibbon, Romania’s Adrian Sitaru, Iceland’s Runar Runarsson (pictured), Italy’s Daniele Vicari and America’s John Huddles are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the Les Arcs Co-production village this year.
The event, which runs Dec 14-17 within France’s alpine, Sundance-style Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 14-21), unveiled the production line-up on Thursday as well as the productions that will be presented in the Works in Progress section on Dec 15.
This year’s co-pro selection mixes upcoming productions from established independent filmmakers with a slew of projects from feted shorts directors who are embarking on their first features.
“We pretty proud of this year’s line-up. There’s a lot of projects I would be seriously looking at if I were going to Les Arcs in a professional capacity rather...
- 11/14/2013
- ScreenDaily
Chris Pine, Amanda Seyfried, and Chiwetel Ejiofor are set to star in Craig Zobel's post-apocalyptic thriller "Z for Zachariah".
An adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Robert C. O'Brien, Amanda Seyfried plays a girl who seems to be the only one left alive after a devastating apocalyptic event.
Eventually a scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds her on the farm and they end up falling in love.
Chris Pine plays a fellow survivor who complicates things. Craig Zobel will helm from a script by Nissar Modi and shooting begins this August.
Tobey Maguire, Matthew Plouffe, Skuli Fr. Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Joni Sighvatsson will produce
Source: Screen Daily...
An adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Robert C. O'Brien, Amanda Seyfried plays a girl who seems to be the only one left alive after a devastating apocalyptic event.
Eventually a scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) finds her on the farm and they end up falling in love.
Chris Pine plays a fellow survivor who complicates things. Craig Zobel will helm from a script by Nissar Modi and shooting begins this August.
Tobey Maguire, Matthew Plouffe, Skuli Fr. Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Joni Sighvatsson will produce
Source: Screen Daily...
- 5/16/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Chiwetel Ejiofor has joined the cast of Material Pictures' and Zik Zak Filmworks' Z For Zachariah - a psychological thriller about a girl who believes she is the only survivor after a devastating nuclear event, but comes to learn she is not alone. Ejiofor will co-star in the adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s classic science fiction novel of the same name, alongside Chris Pine and Amanda Seyfried, in a project that will be directed by Craig Zobel (Compliance) from a script penned by Nissar Modi. Material Pictures’ Tobey Maguire and Matthew Plouffe will produce alongside Zik Zak Filmworks’ Skúli Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Palomar...
- 5/16/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Chris Pine, Amanda Seyfried, and Chiwetel Ejiofor are starring in Z For Zachariah, a post-apocalyptic feature that will be directed by Craig Zobel. Tobey Maguire is producing via his Material Pictures banner along with the company’s senior vp Matthew Plouffe. Zik Zak Filmworks’ Skuli Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Palomar Pictures’ Joni Sighvatsson are also producing. Photos: 30 Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Films Zachariah is a psychological thriller, set after an apocalyptic event. It centers on a teenaged girl (Seyfried) who is seemingly the sole survivor until a scientist (Ejiofor) finds her farm, and the two fall in love. Another survivor,
read more...
read more...
- 5/16/2013
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Material Pictures and Zik Zak Filmworks are pleased to announce Chris Pine, Amanda Seyfried, and Chewitel Ejiofor have joined the cast of Z For Zachariah. The film will be directed by Craig Zobel (The Great World of Sound, Compliance) from a script penned by Nissar Modi. Material Pictures’ Tobey Maguire and Matthew Plouffe will produce alongside Zik Zak Filmworks’ Skúli Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Palomar Pictures’ Joni Sighvatsson. Gary Ross and Lucky Hat Entertainment’s Stephen Bannatyne will executive produce, along with Silver Reel’s Claudia Bluemhuber and Lotus Entertainment’s Jim Seibel and Bill Johnson. Lotus will commence international sales at Cannes. CAA arranged financing for the project, and CAA and Wme will co-represent domestic rights. An adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s classic science fiction novel of the same name, Z For Zachariah is a psychological thriller about a girl who believes she is the only survivor after a devastating nuclear event,...
- 5/15/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Announced for development last summer , director Craig Zobel's ( Compliance ) Z for Zachariah has found its first three cast members in Chiwetel Ejiofor ( Children of Men ), Chris Pine ( Star Trek ) and Amanda Seyfried ( Mamma Mia! ). Nissar Modi is providing the screenplay for the post-apocalyptic thriller, adapting Robert C. O'Brien's 1974 novel. The story, a psychological thriller, follows a girl who believes she is the only survivor after a devastating nuclear event, but comes to learn she is not alone. Material Pictures. Tobey Maguire and Matthew Plouffe will produce alongside Zik Zak Filmworks. Skúli Malmquist, Thor Sigurjonsson and Palomar Pictures. Joni Sighvatsson. Gary Ross and Lucky Hat Entertainment.s Stephen Bannatyne will executive produce, along with Silver...
- 5/15/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Vol. I Issue 10 February 2013
Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
As this last weekend approached I was faced with marking my Academy Award ballot. This process is always really difficult. How does one sort out the “best” film or accomplishment of five or nine in the case of the Best Picture? For me it has been over 30 years of screenings. Thousand of films. Some really great films and many not so great. I also try to think what it means to be one of the nominees. What was the off-screen story but always more importantly what their contribution was to the work and how the film compares to others. What’s great about short films is that they can be made for almost nothing by a few filmmakers without a large budget, crew or cast.
The Academy has three nomination categories for films less than 41 minutes in length: short fiction, documentary and animation. Once nominated, there are public screenings and panels to celebrate the nominated films at the Academy in Beverly Hills. A group photograph of all the nominees is taken with a large Oscar in the lobby of the Academy headquarters. It is really a wonderful experience.
It wasn’t always like that. There were no special celebrations for the short or documentary films until the l980s. While the Foreign Language films had their seminar, nothing was done for these films. We tried to remedy that in the 1980s and started the Direct Cinema receptions and screenings with UCLA, USC and, a few years later, the Ida sponsored “Docuday” and the Academy started doing an annual reception for the shorts and documentary filmmakers. Today the Academy’s evening receptions for the short films, animated features (a relatively new Oscar category) and the documentaries are annual sell-out events. The filmmakers and their works are celebrated and it has become a highlight of the Oscar week for the filmmakers and those associated with the films.
When I first became a member of the Academy the short films and animation branch was headed by a number of extraordinary talents: T Hee, Saul Bass and June Forey. These three remarkable artists represented classic Disney animation (T. Hee), fiction and narrative short films (Saul Bass), and the television and theatrical films (June Forey, who voiced hundreds of characters.)
Saul Bass articulated the branch’s membership policy, “We want them to be part of our branch.” This liberal interpretation allowed documentary filmmakers like Ken Burns as well as voice artists and creatives like Stan Friedberg (and June Forey) to be part of a group that included IMAX filmmakers as well as classic character animation directors, colorists, layout artists, producers and other key short film and animation filmmakers. The animation filmmakers represent both the studio animators and the independent animators who work globally doing personal work as well as studio work. Other governors from 1979 to the present have included Hal Elias, who served on the Academy board for 37 years and was a short film publicist for MGM among other things; Bill Littlejohn, who worked on over 90 films as an animator ranging from Charley Brown, Peanuts Christmas Specials to working with the Hubleys’; Bill Scott, who acted and wrote over a hundred animated films, and Carl Bell, who worked on over 35 films at Disney in its animation department.
Unlike most of the other branches, the Short Films branch screens all of the submitted films in 16mm and 35mm and now in Digital Cinema, in an effort to find and nominate the best short films produced in the world. The branch rules allowed films to qualify in an effort to encourage more international entries in the 1990s by taking a first prize at key festivals in addition to the method that all Academy films can use to qualify, a theatrical week long (now three day for shorts) run in a theater in Los Angeles County. Branch screenings were expanded to New York to permit more members to participate in the nomination process in the 1990s. The final short listed screenings are in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Over one-third of the branch participates in the voting. The best change took place this year, sending DVD screeners to all Academy members of the short live action and animated nominated films. While this still won’t force members to watch them, members can’t claim they can’t see them. This is not only great for the branch but great for the nominated filmmakers. Who would not want to screen their short film for Academy members?
The process of the branch for selecting Nominees has remained unchanged for years—members screen the films in a theater rather than on DVDs, which is how the Documentary branch is dealing with the flood of feature docs and their unwillingness to trust committees. Nothing beats seeing films projected on a large screen with perfect sound and that is now lost. In a two step process, a committee (self selected from the branch membership) screens the films and the 15 films with the highest scores are short listed. The short listed films are then screened again and members vote.
The current Short Film Branch governors are Jon Bloom (pictured with the 2007 nominees), a 1983 fiction short nominee, filmmaker, editor and producer who chairs the branch, animator and Disney Creative Head and multi-Oscar winner, John Lasseter, and William "Bill" Kroyer,an award-winning director of animation and computer graphics commercials, short films, movie titles and theatrical films and faculty member Chapman College.
One of the challenges for the branch is how to grow live action producing members. With the addition of feature animation to the awards and the large number of feature animation films being released, the branch would like to have the most qualified animators to become members. The number of animators grows at a far faster rate than that of the live action filmmakers since only a few live action filmmakers can qualify for membership. The commercial success of animated features, the long production schedules and the large number of animators who work in qualifying positions allows for six plus individuals per picture to be eligible for membership. With five nominees a year, the number of individuals who can play a key role in two or three features becoming eligible for membership can easily approach 30 plus individuals annually. Add in the short animation nominees and competition for the limited new slots allocated to the branch can be brutal. The talent pool of animators is both astonishingly strong and suggests that Hollywood can easily double production from the 15 or so films made annually to 25 or 30 without having to compromise on talent.
Many of the filmmakers in the branch who make their Oscar nominated or winning live action short have made or are interested in making feature length works. A number of recent nominees or winners have made that transition. The following list looks at all of the live action nominees from 2001 to 2011, using the Internet Movie Database I looked up each nominee and listed what they reported they were doing professionally. Obviously, this is not intended to show everything. In each case, I listed credits or summarized credits shown in the IMDb listing.
Some observations about 11 years of Live Action Short Film Academy Award Nominees:
There were 86 nominations (out of a possible 110) This is because in some years only three films were nominated and in some cases only one filmmaker from a film was eligible for a nomination. Non-us based filmmakers dominate this category. Despite the huge number of short films being made annually in the Us, a majority of the nominated films come from filmmakers based abroad. In part this is due to the government subsidies available, but it is also due to the strong training programs, commercial support for the short films and a rich tradition of theatrical shorts. This year (2012) four of the five films in the live action category are from Us filmmakers. This is an unusual year. Few filmmakers have more than one nomination, only a handful of the nominees have made multiple Academy worthy short films. As one might expect, many of the filmmakers have continued their film work in television, some in features. The European Oscar winners (vs nominees) have done better at snagging features after a win than have their American counterparts. Again, this is likely a function of government support for entry features. Perhaps one of the short films seem to have been turned into a feature (or television) film. Some of the short films are intended to be sizzle reels for features, but it is not clear why so few of the nominated short films have been turned into features. A number of the Oscar winners have not continued working in film. No record of future productions are shown on IMDb. It would be interesting to see what they are doing now. Two of the Oscar winners have written critically award winning screenplays, one received two Academy Award nominations for his screenwriting. None of these nominees have gone on to win Oscars in directing or producing for feature films.
The data is from the Academy and the IMDb databases.
Apologies in advance, if credits were missed or other factual errors were made. In a week we’ll be able to add this year's winner.
2001 (74th)
Short Film (Live Action) (* won Academy Award)
*the accountant -- Ray McKinnon: Two Features: Randy and the Mob 2007 and Crystal 2004 Lisa Blount: Produced these features. Copy Shop -- Virgil Widrich Gregor's Greatest Invention -- Johannes Kiefer A Man Thing (Meska Sprawa) -- Slawomir Fabicki, Two Features: Loving 2012, Retrieval 2006 (Also wrote) Bogumil Godfrejow Has shot multiple features Speed for Thespians -- Kalman Apple, Shameela Bakhsh
2002 (75th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Fait D'Hiver -- Dirk Beliën, Anja Daelemans produced Comrade Kim Goes North I'll Wait for the Next One... (J'Attendrai Le Suivant...) -- Philippe Orreindy, Thomas Gaudin Inja (Dog) -- Steven Pasvolsky Feature, Deck Dogz Joe Weatherstone, produced episodic television. Johnny Flynton -- Lexi Alexander, directed 3 features: Lifted, Punisher: War Zone and Green Street Hooligans Alexander Buono as a Dp has shot series and features *This Charming Manon (Der Er En Yndig Mand) -- Martin Strange-Hansen, Mie Andreasen produced both features, series and documentaries.
2003 (76th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket) -- Florian Baxmeyer Multiple television films and series Most (The Bridge) -- Bobby Garabedian, William Zabka Mr. Zabka has appeared as an actor in numerous films and television shows Squash -- Lionel Bailliu Features: Fair Play and Denis (in post) (A) Torzija [(A) Torsion] -- Stefan Arsenijevic Directed: Lost and Found, Love and Other Crimes, and Do Not Forget Me Istanbul *Two Soldiers -- Aaron Schneider,Asc (Cinematographer numerous credits) and feature, Kiss the Girls, Andrew J. Sacks Series The Closer (98 episodes) and Major Crimes.
2004 (77th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Everything in This Country Must -- Gary McKendry Directed Killer Elite, Joseph and the Girl Little Terrorist -- Ashvin Kumar Produced and Directed features (2) and documentaries (2) 7:35 in the Morning (7:35 de la Mañana) -- Nacho Vigalondo Directed and written multiple films, series, shorts Two Cars, One Night -- Taika Waititi, Acted and directed and written multi television and films Ainsley Gardiner Nz based producer of multiple shorts, television and feature films *Wasp -- Andrea Arnold Actor, director and writer of numbers films, television programs
2005 (78th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Ausreisser (The Runaway) -- Ulrike Grote Ms. Grote has acted in over 42 programs, features, television series and films Cashback -- Sean Ellis, Director/Writer Metro Manila, The Broken Lene Bausager Producer, The Broken, Ginger and Rosa The Last Farm -- Rúnar Rúnarsson, Director/Writer Volcano, Thor S. Sigurjónsson Produced multiple features Our Time Is Up -- Rob Pearlstein, Director/Writer multiple television and a feature Pia Clemente Producer, documentaries *Six Shooter -- Martin McDonagh Writer/Director Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges
2006 (79th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea) -- Javier Fesser, no other credits shown Luis Manso Produced multiple features Éramos Pocos (One Too Many) -- Borja Cobeaga Writer, multi films and television series Helmer & Son -- Søren Pilmark no other credits, Kim Magnusso Producer over 100 film, television films (4 Best Short Film Academy Award nominations) Won for Ernst & Lyset The Saviour -- Peter Templeman, no other credits Stuart Parkyn, Producer, multi-short film credits *West Bank Story -- Ari Sandel Director, one short, one documentary
2007 (80th)
Short Film (Live Action)
At Night -- Christian E. Christiansen, Directed, Features and television series Louise Vesth Producer, multi features Il Supplente (The Substitute) -- Andrea Jublin
*Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets) -- Philippe Pollet-Villard Actor and director short films, a television film
Tanghi Argentini -- Guido Thys, Director, Multiple television series Anja Daelemans, nominated for 2 Short Film nominations (Gridlock, 2002) Producer/Pm various The Tonto Woman -- Daniel Barber, Directed The Keeping Room, Harry Brown Matthew Brown Produced 2 shorts
2008 (81st)
Short Film (Live Action)
Auf der Strecke (On the Line) -- Reto Caffi Manon on the Asphalt -- Elizabeth Marre, Director, Television series Olivier Pont Director, Television series New Boy -- Steph Green, Director Run and Jump Tamara Anghie Producer Run and Jump The Pig -- Tivi Magnusson, Producer Over 64 titles many short films, Dorte Høgh Writer multiple series, (Directed The Pig) *Spielzeugland (Toyland) -- Jochen Alexander Freydank Producer of multiple television series
2009 (82nd)
Short Film (Live Action)
The Door -- Juanita Wilson, Director As If I Am Not There James Flynn Multiple Producer credits for over 50 titles, television and theatrical Instead of Abracadabra -- Patrik Eklund, Director, Television film and feature Mathias Fjellström Kavi -- Gregg Helvey Miracle Fish -- Luke Doolan, Multiple credits as editor Drew Bailey Multiple credits as Assistant Director *The New Tenants -- Joachim Back, no other credits shown as a director, Tivi Magnusson This is Mr. Magnusson’s first Academy Award and second nomination. See 2008.
2010 (83rd)
Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession -- Tanel Toom The Crush -- Michael Creagh *God of Love -- Luke Matheny Feature Love Sick and multiple Television series episode Na Wewe -- Ivan Goldschmidt Wish 143 -- Ian Barnes, Multiple directing credits Television Samantha Waite Credits as production coordinator on multiple titles
2011 (84th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Pentecost -- Peter McDonald, Credits as actor Eimear O'Kane Credits as Producer on The Shadows and on television programs. Raju -- Max Zähle, Director, Television series Stefan Gieren Producer-Writer credit on feature film, Kunduz: The Incident at Hadji Ghafur *The Shore -- Terry George, Writer Two Oscar nominations for screenplays In the Name of the Father and Hotel Riwanda Producer and director on films and television series Oorlagh George Numerous credits as Assistant on features, documentaries and television shows Time Freak -- Andrew Bowler Writer and actor in a short film Gigi Causey Production manager, producer shorts, series and films
__________________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
__________________________________________________________________________________
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
As this last weekend approached I was faced with marking my Academy Award ballot. This process is always really difficult. How does one sort out the “best” film or accomplishment of five or nine in the case of the Best Picture? For me it has been over 30 years of screenings. Thousand of films. Some really great films and many not so great. I also try to think what it means to be one of the nominees. What was the off-screen story but always more importantly what their contribution was to the work and how the film compares to others. What’s great about short films is that they can be made for almost nothing by a few filmmakers without a large budget, crew or cast.
The Academy has three nomination categories for films less than 41 minutes in length: short fiction, documentary and animation. Once nominated, there are public screenings and panels to celebrate the nominated films at the Academy in Beverly Hills. A group photograph of all the nominees is taken with a large Oscar in the lobby of the Academy headquarters. It is really a wonderful experience.
It wasn’t always like that. There were no special celebrations for the short or documentary films until the l980s. While the Foreign Language films had their seminar, nothing was done for these films. We tried to remedy that in the 1980s and started the Direct Cinema receptions and screenings with UCLA, USC and, a few years later, the Ida sponsored “Docuday” and the Academy started doing an annual reception for the shorts and documentary filmmakers. Today the Academy’s evening receptions for the short films, animated features (a relatively new Oscar category) and the documentaries are annual sell-out events. The filmmakers and their works are celebrated and it has become a highlight of the Oscar week for the filmmakers and those associated with the films.
When I first became a member of the Academy the short films and animation branch was headed by a number of extraordinary talents: T Hee, Saul Bass and June Forey. These three remarkable artists represented classic Disney animation (T. Hee), fiction and narrative short films (Saul Bass), and the television and theatrical films (June Forey, who voiced hundreds of characters.)
Saul Bass articulated the branch’s membership policy, “We want them to be part of our branch.” This liberal interpretation allowed documentary filmmakers like Ken Burns as well as voice artists and creatives like Stan Friedberg (and June Forey) to be part of a group that included IMAX filmmakers as well as classic character animation directors, colorists, layout artists, producers and other key short film and animation filmmakers. The animation filmmakers represent both the studio animators and the independent animators who work globally doing personal work as well as studio work. Other governors from 1979 to the present have included Hal Elias, who served on the Academy board for 37 years and was a short film publicist for MGM among other things; Bill Littlejohn, who worked on over 90 films as an animator ranging from Charley Brown, Peanuts Christmas Specials to working with the Hubleys’; Bill Scott, who acted and wrote over a hundred animated films, and Carl Bell, who worked on over 35 films at Disney in its animation department.
Unlike most of the other branches, the Short Films branch screens all of the submitted films in 16mm and 35mm and now in Digital Cinema, in an effort to find and nominate the best short films produced in the world. The branch rules allowed films to qualify in an effort to encourage more international entries in the 1990s by taking a first prize at key festivals in addition to the method that all Academy films can use to qualify, a theatrical week long (now three day for shorts) run in a theater in Los Angeles County. Branch screenings were expanded to New York to permit more members to participate in the nomination process in the 1990s. The final short listed screenings are in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Over one-third of the branch participates in the voting. The best change took place this year, sending DVD screeners to all Academy members of the short live action and animated nominated films. While this still won’t force members to watch them, members can’t claim they can’t see them. This is not only great for the branch but great for the nominated filmmakers. Who would not want to screen their short film for Academy members?
The process of the branch for selecting Nominees has remained unchanged for years—members screen the films in a theater rather than on DVDs, which is how the Documentary branch is dealing with the flood of feature docs and their unwillingness to trust committees. Nothing beats seeing films projected on a large screen with perfect sound and that is now lost. In a two step process, a committee (self selected from the branch membership) screens the films and the 15 films with the highest scores are short listed. The short listed films are then screened again and members vote.
The current Short Film Branch governors are Jon Bloom (pictured with the 2007 nominees), a 1983 fiction short nominee, filmmaker, editor and producer who chairs the branch, animator and Disney Creative Head and multi-Oscar winner, John Lasseter, and William "Bill" Kroyer,an award-winning director of animation and computer graphics commercials, short films, movie titles and theatrical films and faculty member Chapman College.
One of the challenges for the branch is how to grow live action producing members. With the addition of feature animation to the awards and the large number of feature animation films being released, the branch would like to have the most qualified animators to become members. The number of animators grows at a far faster rate than that of the live action filmmakers since only a few live action filmmakers can qualify for membership. The commercial success of animated features, the long production schedules and the large number of animators who work in qualifying positions allows for six plus individuals per picture to be eligible for membership. With five nominees a year, the number of individuals who can play a key role in two or three features becoming eligible for membership can easily approach 30 plus individuals annually. Add in the short animation nominees and competition for the limited new slots allocated to the branch can be brutal. The talent pool of animators is both astonishingly strong and suggests that Hollywood can easily double production from the 15 or so films made annually to 25 or 30 without having to compromise on talent.
Many of the filmmakers in the branch who make their Oscar nominated or winning live action short have made or are interested in making feature length works. A number of recent nominees or winners have made that transition. The following list looks at all of the live action nominees from 2001 to 2011, using the Internet Movie Database I looked up each nominee and listed what they reported they were doing professionally. Obviously, this is not intended to show everything. In each case, I listed credits or summarized credits shown in the IMDb listing.
Some observations about 11 years of Live Action Short Film Academy Award Nominees:
There were 86 nominations (out of a possible 110) This is because in some years only three films were nominated and in some cases only one filmmaker from a film was eligible for a nomination. Non-us based filmmakers dominate this category. Despite the huge number of short films being made annually in the Us, a majority of the nominated films come from filmmakers based abroad. In part this is due to the government subsidies available, but it is also due to the strong training programs, commercial support for the short films and a rich tradition of theatrical shorts. This year (2012) four of the five films in the live action category are from Us filmmakers. This is an unusual year. Few filmmakers have more than one nomination, only a handful of the nominees have made multiple Academy worthy short films. As one might expect, many of the filmmakers have continued their film work in television, some in features. The European Oscar winners (vs nominees) have done better at snagging features after a win than have their American counterparts. Again, this is likely a function of government support for entry features. Perhaps one of the short films seem to have been turned into a feature (or television) film. Some of the short films are intended to be sizzle reels for features, but it is not clear why so few of the nominated short films have been turned into features. A number of the Oscar winners have not continued working in film. No record of future productions are shown on IMDb. It would be interesting to see what they are doing now. Two of the Oscar winners have written critically award winning screenplays, one received two Academy Award nominations for his screenwriting. None of these nominees have gone on to win Oscars in directing or producing for feature films.
The data is from the Academy and the IMDb databases.
Apologies in advance, if credits were missed or other factual errors were made. In a week we’ll be able to add this year's winner.
2001 (74th)
Short Film (Live Action) (* won Academy Award)
*the accountant -- Ray McKinnon: Two Features: Randy and the Mob 2007 and Crystal 2004 Lisa Blount: Produced these features. Copy Shop -- Virgil Widrich Gregor's Greatest Invention -- Johannes Kiefer A Man Thing (Meska Sprawa) -- Slawomir Fabicki, Two Features: Loving 2012, Retrieval 2006 (Also wrote) Bogumil Godfrejow Has shot multiple features Speed for Thespians -- Kalman Apple, Shameela Bakhsh
2002 (75th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Fait D'Hiver -- Dirk Beliën, Anja Daelemans produced Comrade Kim Goes North I'll Wait for the Next One... (J'Attendrai Le Suivant...) -- Philippe Orreindy, Thomas Gaudin Inja (Dog) -- Steven Pasvolsky Feature, Deck Dogz Joe Weatherstone, produced episodic television. Johnny Flynton -- Lexi Alexander, directed 3 features: Lifted, Punisher: War Zone and Green Street Hooligans Alexander Buono as a Dp has shot series and features *This Charming Manon (Der Er En Yndig Mand) -- Martin Strange-Hansen, Mie Andreasen produced both features, series and documentaries.
2003 (76th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket) -- Florian Baxmeyer Multiple television films and series Most (The Bridge) -- Bobby Garabedian, William Zabka Mr. Zabka has appeared as an actor in numerous films and television shows Squash -- Lionel Bailliu Features: Fair Play and Denis (in post) (A) Torzija [(A) Torsion] -- Stefan Arsenijevic Directed: Lost and Found, Love and Other Crimes, and Do Not Forget Me Istanbul *Two Soldiers -- Aaron Schneider,Asc (Cinematographer numerous credits) and feature, Kiss the Girls, Andrew J. Sacks Series The Closer (98 episodes) and Major Crimes.
2004 (77th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Everything in This Country Must -- Gary McKendry Directed Killer Elite, Joseph and the Girl Little Terrorist -- Ashvin Kumar Produced and Directed features (2) and documentaries (2) 7:35 in the Morning (7:35 de la Mañana) -- Nacho Vigalondo Directed and written multiple films, series, shorts Two Cars, One Night -- Taika Waititi, Acted and directed and written multi television and films Ainsley Gardiner Nz based producer of multiple shorts, television and feature films *Wasp -- Andrea Arnold Actor, director and writer of numbers films, television programs
2005 (78th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Ausreisser (The Runaway) -- Ulrike Grote Ms. Grote has acted in over 42 programs, features, television series and films Cashback -- Sean Ellis, Director/Writer Metro Manila, The Broken Lene Bausager Producer, The Broken, Ginger and Rosa The Last Farm -- Rúnar Rúnarsson, Director/Writer Volcano, Thor S. Sigurjónsson Produced multiple features Our Time Is Up -- Rob Pearlstein, Director/Writer multiple television and a feature Pia Clemente Producer, documentaries *Six Shooter -- Martin McDonagh Writer/Director Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges
2006 (79th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea) -- Javier Fesser, no other credits shown Luis Manso Produced multiple features Éramos Pocos (One Too Many) -- Borja Cobeaga Writer, multi films and television series Helmer & Son -- Søren Pilmark no other credits, Kim Magnusso Producer over 100 film, television films (4 Best Short Film Academy Award nominations) Won for Ernst & Lyset The Saviour -- Peter Templeman, no other credits Stuart Parkyn, Producer, multi-short film credits *West Bank Story -- Ari Sandel Director, one short, one documentary
2007 (80th)
Short Film (Live Action)
At Night -- Christian E. Christiansen, Directed, Features and television series Louise Vesth Producer, multi features Il Supplente (The Substitute) -- Andrea Jublin
*Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets) -- Philippe Pollet-Villard Actor and director short films, a television film
Tanghi Argentini -- Guido Thys, Director, Multiple television series Anja Daelemans, nominated for 2 Short Film nominations (Gridlock, 2002) Producer/Pm various The Tonto Woman -- Daniel Barber, Directed The Keeping Room, Harry Brown Matthew Brown Produced 2 shorts
2008 (81st)
Short Film (Live Action)
Auf der Strecke (On the Line) -- Reto Caffi Manon on the Asphalt -- Elizabeth Marre, Director, Television series Olivier Pont Director, Television series New Boy -- Steph Green, Director Run and Jump Tamara Anghie Producer Run and Jump The Pig -- Tivi Magnusson, Producer Over 64 titles many short films, Dorte Høgh Writer multiple series, (Directed The Pig) *Spielzeugland (Toyland) -- Jochen Alexander Freydank Producer of multiple television series
2009 (82nd)
Short Film (Live Action)
The Door -- Juanita Wilson, Director As If I Am Not There James Flynn Multiple Producer credits for over 50 titles, television and theatrical Instead of Abracadabra -- Patrik Eklund, Director, Television film and feature Mathias Fjellström Kavi -- Gregg Helvey Miracle Fish -- Luke Doolan, Multiple credits as editor Drew Bailey Multiple credits as Assistant Director *The New Tenants -- Joachim Back, no other credits shown as a director, Tivi Magnusson This is Mr. Magnusson’s first Academy Award and second nomination. See 2008.
2010 (83rd)
Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession -- Tanel Toom The Crush -- Michael Creagh *God of Love -- Luke Matheny Feature Love Sick and multiple Television series episode Na Wewe -- Ivan Goldschmidt Wish 143 -- Ian Barnes, Multiple directing credits Television Samantha Waite Credits as production coordinator on multiple titles
2011 (84th)
Short Film (Live Action)
Pentecost -- Peter McDonald, Credits as actor Eimear O'Kane Credits as Producer on The Shadows and on television programs. Raju -- Max Zähle, Director, Television series Stefan Gieren Producer-Writer credit on feature film, Kunduz: The Incident at Hadji Ghafur *The Shore -- Terry George, Writer Two Oscar nominations for screenplays In the Name of the Father and Hotel Riwanda Producer and director on films and television series Oorlagh George Numerous credits as Assistant on features, documentaries and television shows Time Freak -- Andrew Bowler Writer and actor in a short film Gigi Causey Production manager, producer shorts, series and films
__________________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
__________________________________________________________________________________
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 2/28/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
Tobey Maguire and "Compliance" director Craig Zobel are teaming for the post-apocalyptic drama "Z for Zachariah" says Variety.
Nissar Modi's script adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's novel follows a teen girl who lives alone maintaining a farm in the only valley with breathable air in the wake of nuclear war.
Her world is turned upside down when two strangers wander in from the forest. Maguire will play a rugged scientist with a past whom the girl nurses back to health after he is weakened by a contaminated stream.
Maguire will also produce alongside Matthew Plouffe, Gary Ross, Steve Bannatyne, Joni Sighvatsson, Skuli Malmquist and Thor Sigurjonsson.
Nissar Modi's script adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's novel follows a teen girl who lives alone maintaining a farm in the only valley with breathable air in the wake of nuclear war.
Her world is turned upside down when two strangers wander in from the forest. Maguire will play a rugged scientist with a past whom the girl nurses back to health after he is weakened by a contaminated stream.
Maguire will also produce alongside Matthew Plouffe, Gary Ross, Steve Bannatyne, Joni Sighvatsson, Skuli Malmquist and Thor Sigurjonsson.
- 8/15/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.