Month: October 2023

Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed on “The Graham Norton Show” that he once hired an accent removal coach to try and do away with his thick Austrian accent for good. Aside from his jacked muscles, the action star’s accent is his most definitive quality as a performer. “I had an English coach and an acting coach and

“Godzilla Minus One,” the biggest picture to date in the Japanese monster movie franchise and the Wednesday night closing gala title at the Tokyo International Film Festival, is set for pan-European release at the beginning of December. Rights were acquired for 38 territories (excluding the U.K., Ireland and German-speaking territories) by theatrical-only specialist distributor Piece

Picture Tree Intl. has boarded international sales for Scandinavian period drama “Stormskerry Maja,” directed by Tiina Lymi (“Happier Times, Grump,” “Sisäilmaa”), adapted from Anni Blomqvist’s series of novels. The film chronicles the saga of Maja and her family as they embark on a journey to the desolate and remote island Stormskerry. Their daily existence becomes

Despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, sales agents and distributors are convening in Santa Monica this week in the hopes of reconnecting with buyers and kicking off deal discussions at the American Film Market. After an underwhelming Toronto Film Festival, which saw little deal activity, there’s hope that a few of the starry packages being shopped

The American Film Market kicks off Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 5 in its new headquarters at the Le Meridien Delfina in Santa Monica. Industry screenings are set at theaters throughout the city and AFM’s conference series, the AFM Sessions, will take place at the Hilton Santa Monica Hotel. More than 245 companies and

Gaumont is launching “Night Call,” a high-concept thriller set over the course of a night, directed by rising filmmaker Michiel Blanchart. Blanchart, who is repped by WME and Itaka Media, previously directed the short film “You’re Dead Hélène,” which was a festival standout and played at Clermont-Ferrand and Sitges, among other festivals. It also made

Stuart Ford’s AGC International has taken global rights outside the Middle East and Pakistan to “Voy! Voy! Voy!” the hit dramedy about a group of impoverished Egyptians who join a professional blind soccer team as a ploy to get to Europe. The film is Egypt’s candidate for the International Feature Film Oscar. “Voy! Voy! Voy!,”

From the moment Elizabeth “Lee” Miller (Kate Winslet), an American model turned photographer, meets future husband Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård) at a gathering with her intellectual friends, she gets confrontational. In a matter of a few sentences, Lee dismantles his efforts to be perceived as less bourgeoise than he is. Roland retaliates with a matching

For two decades, Rachel Cannon lived a life in Los Angeles that many would envy. She wasn’t an aspiring actress. She was a working one with a long list of sitcom appearances to her credit, including a recurring role as Deidre on “Fresh Off the Boat.” But in 2020, she decided to return to her

The American Film Market’s new home base gives everyone a fresh orientation towards Santa Monica’s vibrant dining scene. Looking for a quick bite? To the right of AFM headquarters at Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica, it’s a five-minute walk to plentiful fast-food outlets on Lincoln Boulevard. To the left, it’s 10 minutes to Main Street.

Czech punk rocker visual artist Marta Kovarova says it was becoming a mother that made her realize she had to do something radical to fight climate change. So, five years ago, she embarked on making “The World According to My Dad,” which won the Czech Joy student jury prize at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film

Elvis Lenić has picked up the coveted Opus Bonum award for Best World Documentary for his latest work “Ship” at Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival. He also got to say goodbye to a place that has defined his life. “My father spent his entire working life in the Uljanik shipyard. So did my uncle. My

2023’s American Film Market may be shaping up for “a rather quiet year,” says Martin Moszkowicz, chairman of the executive board at Germany’s Constantin Film. That said, Moszkowicz will stay in Los Angeles for around 10 days. “We have so much business there – and much of it is not related directly to the market,”

Berlin-based DCM Film Distribution has acquired Kristoffer Borgli’s surrealist comedy “Dream Scenario,” starring Nicolas Cage. In the A24 satire, which premiered in Toronto before opening this year’s Zurich Film Festival, Cage plays a college professor whose life is turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. “We love ‘Dream

International sales agency the Playmaker has signed a deal with Blue Finch Film Releasing to distribute the one-shot horror film “Home Sweet Home — Where Evil Lives” in the U.K. and Ireland. Thomas Sieben’s film, which made its world premiere in August at FrightFest in London, has its market premiere at AFM. The film, which

Industry veterans Amanda Sherwin, Mike Messina and Seth Needle are teaming up to launch Blue Harbor Entertainment, a new distribution, marketing and consulting company. The news comes as the American Film Market kicks off this week in Santa Monica where the executives will be on the ground looking for partners. Blue Harbor is looking to distribute 10 to 15

Bringing one of Spain’s biggest potential box office hits onto the market at the AFM, Filmax has secured international sales to “A Moroccan Affair,” the third instalment in the most successful Spanish movie franchise in history.  “Moroccan Affair” is produced by Telecinco Cinema and Lazona, the duo behind the first two instalments of the saga,

Former Disney India head and leading producer Siddharth Roy Kapur has warned of some practices that could arise in making films for streamers. Delivering the keynote address at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival‘s Industry Connect Symposium on Monday, Kapur, who is currently basking in the success of International Emmy nominated series “Rocket Boys” for streamer SonyLIV, lauded

Lila Aviles‘ “Totem” has won the global feature award at the annual Jakarta Film Week. The film previously won awards at the Berlin, Hong Kong, Durban and Beijing film festivals. The direction award for best Indonesian feature film went to Jeremias Nyangoen’s directorial debut “Women of Rote Island.” The film bowed at Busan earlier in

SAG-AFTRA advised its members Monday night that negotiations will resume on Tuesday, but warned that the two sides remain “far apart” on key issues. The union and the major studios have been bargaining for a week, focusing on issues like increases in minimum payments, a new residual model in streaming, and artificial intelligence. “The committee

Quiver Distribution has picked up Uwe Boll’s crime drama “First Shift” for the U.S., Canada and selected international territories.    The pic, which stars Kristen Renton (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Gino Anthony Pesi (“Shades of Blue”) as two mismatched New York City cops forced to work as partners, has also sold in Eastern Europe, Benelux,