Is $2m - $10ma Dead Zone?

Transcription

$10M+
BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL 2014
CANNES • TORONTO • LOS ANGELES • BERLIN
FINANCING MEDIUM BUDGET ACTION, ADVENTURE, THRILLER, SCI-FI AND CRIME FEATURE FILMS
May 2014
Cannes Preview / Issue 1
Is $2m - $10m a
Dead Zone?
Why financiers are drawing
the line for theatrical
CASE STUDY:
SON OF A GUN
TREND SETTER
ANALYSIS OF LOOPER
INTERVIEWS WITH THE PRODUCERS
AND FINANCIERS
..........................................
Location analysis:
Scotland
Why World War Z, Skyfall and
many more films went north
..........................................
Hot projects for Cannes:
Sci-fi & thrillers
..........................................
Views from our $10m+ panel at 2014 Berlin Film Festival
Initialize Films $10m+ Intro
PREVIEW - CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2014
W
elcome to the first edition of $10m+, a new
digital publication which looks at how independent action, adventure, crime, sci-fi and thriller
films budgeted over $10m are put together, sold and
distributed.
As well as an e-zine $10m+ is also an informal club
meeting at all the main markets to promote outstanding new projects, to track trends and to assist networking.
We hope you enjoy our first edition and look forward
to seeing you in Cannes or at other markets in 2014.
Ian Davies, Editor
Contents
3 Dead Zone
How the $2m-$10m budget range
doesn’t cut it for theatrical
6 Son of a Gun
Interview with producer Janelle Landers
from WBMC
8 Trend Setter: Looper
In discussion with Greg Schenz
12 Location Analysis:
Scotland
14 Hot Projects for Cannes:
Sci-fi and thrillers
Ian Davies: Managing Director/Editor
Eva Lewucha: Production Director
Emma Jones: Features Editor
Cover image: ©Endgame Entertainment
Advertisement enquires:
[email protected]
Editorial enquiries:
[email protected]
Membership enquiries:
[email protected]
-2-
$10m+ Magazine Ltd 2014
All work is copyrighted to the author or artist.
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may
be used or reproduced without permission from
the publisher. The magazine is not for sale and is
distributed among members of $10m+ club.
Initialize Films $10m+ Trends
Dead Zone - how the $2m-$10m budget range doesn’t cut it for theatrical
$10m+ Editor Ian Davies in discussion with Peter Graham,
Jeff Most and Charlene Paling
W
ith the narrowing of focus for theatrical films,
many financiers are
steering clear of action,
adventure and thrillers under $10m.
That was the view from Berlin during
the $10m+ panel featuring Peter Graham (120DB), Charlene Paling (National Bank of Canada) and Jeff Most (Most
Films).
“In order for it to be theatrical you need
to have higher production value and good
talent. What we find difficult [for theatrical] is the films with budgets between $5m
and $10m because you may not get the
cast you need at that level.”
Peter Grahams’ concerns that action, adventure and sci-films under $10m are
risky were supported by Jeff Most.
CHARLENE PALING / NATIONAL BANK OF CANADA
The mission of the National Bank’s TV and Motion Picture
Group, which specializes in financing film projects and television series, is to offer a complete range of made-to-measure
banking products and services to the film and television
production and distribution industry. In addition to producers and distributors, our clientele includes post-production,
special effects and equipment leasing companies, as well as
studios. Flexible, customized loan and service programs:
Lines of credit, Special production credits, Financing of tax
credits and national and international presales as well as Gap financing round
out our full banking services.
Charlene Paling is currently Associate Vice-President, Commercial Banking,
TV & Motion Picture Group for Ontario and Western Canada.
JEFF MOST / MOST FILMS
Mostfilms is a prolific feature film production company,
based at Universal Studios in Hollywood, CA., that develops,
finances, physically produces, delivers and assists in the sales
of its feature films.
Jeff Most, the founder and President of the company has over
30 years of experience in the feature film business and has
produced more than 25 feature films including such international hits as THE CROW and the three sequel films in THE CROW franchise,
THE SPECIALIST, GIRL, THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER, and many others.
“The vast majority of our development
slate is for films with budgets over $10m.
We don’t really see any opportunity to do
a decent return for our investors unless it’s
a theatrical cast and a theatrical director.”
Charlene Paling (National Bank of Canada) agreed with this risk assessment and
said that when considering gap for international at the National Bank of Canada
“we are looking at the top sales agents, top
cast; we are looking for a really good package and that is more often than not in the
$10m+ range.”
PETER GRAHAM / 120DB FILMS
120dB Films is a US-based film finance company specializing
in gap, tax credit, pre-sale, finishing, P&A and bridge loans.
Primary goal is assisting producers that have already raised a
substantial portion of their required capital, to complete the
necessary funding.
Peter Graham has been actively involved in financing
entertainment companies and film production for over 17 years. He has been
involved in financing over 250 independent movies including KINGDOM
OF TWILIGHT, SPARTAN, MONSTER, ALEX AND EMMA, MY BIG FAT
GREEK WEDDING and ENGLISH PATIENT.
-3-
Hanna
dir. Joe Wright
budget: $30m
Hanna: Copyright by Focus Features and other respective production studios and distributors. Intended for editorial use only.
The panelists brought up a number of
films which were more modestly budgeted
but which had not cut it theatrically. With
home entertainment revenues dwindling
the gap between a theatrical film with a
decent theatrical release and a film which
is destined for the VoD market is greater
than ever before.
Moreover, the risk of supporting a film
which has an uncertain theatrical life is
significant. Peter Graham: “If you want
to do a theatrical film you need to spend
more on your release than the budget. So
it’s a considerable amount of money and
you want to be sure that it’s a good idea to
spend it.”
Talent is Key
At a time when there is a narrowing of focus on theatrical titles cast has become increasingly important. As Charlene Paling
pointed out, “there are a few really good
projects out there, but if they don’t have
the right cast they won’t make it past the
finishing line.”
Peter Graham went further.
“I think that’s the scariest part. You can
have most of the cash, but if you don’t have
the access to talent then you won’t get the
film made.”
Accessing talent is becoming increasingly
difficult for independent producers. Actors are turning increasingly to high-quality TV series and franchise movies and
their agents are wary of offers from independent film projects which may never get
financed. Jeff Most: “Try to put yourself in
[the talent agent’s] shoes, which is where I
try to position myself whenever I’m dealing with them. They first and foremost are
looking to have their goose laying golden
eggs; they don’t want to find themselves in
a position where they’ve made a recommendation that could backfire. They want
to know that their talent is going to be
looked after and that the film is going to
be promoted correctly. It’s tougher for independent producers [than the Studios].
You have to give [the agent] a reason that
they can’t say no to.”
As well as a producer’s relationship to
talent agents being vital to the process
-4-
of securing cast, the experience of a project’s director is increasingly coming under scrutiny. Jeff Most: “I tend to find that
many actors will literally care more about
the director than even the script. And
when the agent knows that this is a good
director or that this actor has an affinity
for the director they are happy to see the
project go forward.”
Charlene Paling added: “When we’re making a gap decision, we are looking at the
cast and we are looking at the director as
well. How reliable are they and what kind
of reputation do they have, are they going
to attract and keep the right people and
stay on budget. That’s quite important too,
when you’re independent and not a Studio
you don’t have those deep pockets, where
when you go over budget you have a big
hole.”
Berlin for international producers with $5m
- $8m action/adventure/sci-fi projects was
clear: either scale up, and work with partners who have strong relationships with talent agents, secure the services of a proven
director, top-line cast and work with sales
agents which are used to operating in this
budget range; or go lo-fi, bank on home ent.
sales with the potential sweetener of a limited theatrical release.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
TO ROLL CAMERA
Dead Zone?
Although the panellists pointed out many
examples of other genres performing well
theatrically in the under $10m segment
(for example horror films) they all agreed
that action / adventure and sci-fi films
were at risk of becoming non-theatrical
without the package of proven director,
bankable cast and sufficient production
spend.
Financiers spoke about $6m and $8m
films which performed at a similar level as
$3m non-theatrical titles, simply because
they lacked the star power to generate a
decent theatrical run or to justify appropriate marketing spend. As Peter Graham
pointed out, “if it’s not theatrical you’re
going to get the same price whether [the
film cost] $8m or $2m.”
With Cannes fast approaching, it will be
interesting to see whether the market will
continue to bifurcate. But the advice from
At National Bank we have a team of experts fully
dedicated to the Film and Television industry.
We offer a full range of ﬁnancial services that can
guide you through every stage of your projects
from idea to screen.
nbc.ca/ﬁlmandtv
Certain conditions apply. Subject to credit approval by National Bank.
-5-
Initialize Films $10m+ Case Study
Case study - Son of a Gun
Interview with Janelle Landers, WBMC
S
on of a Gun, by first-time feature
director Julius Avery, is one of a
number of $10m+ projects which
shot in Australia in 2013. Starring
Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites, Alicia
Vikander and Jacek Koman the film is destined for a premiere in the second half of
2014.
How did you get involved with Son of a
Gun?
JL: Tim White, Son of a Gun’s producer,
approached me in 2012 to come on board
as co-producer to help set the film up in
Western Australia, which is where the majority of the story is set. Once on board, I
was able to secure the last remaining piece
of equity finance and assist Tim to access
maximum Western Australia state government funding from ScreenWest.
What was the proportion of shooting
and post in Australia?
JL: The entire film was shot and post produced in Australia.
What proportion of the film’s budget came from Australian incentives?
JL: Screen Australia were very supportive and provided equity investment.
Combined with the Producer Offset,
the Federal Government support ended up being about 57% of the budget.
In addition to ScreenWest’s base funding
(10% of qualifying Western Australian
spend), the Western Australian govern-
Janelle Landers is Director of Production and Development at
WBMC
Established in 2000, WBMC is a collaborative creative production
company producing feature films, television programs and cutting
edge interactive content. Notable productions include Wasted on the
Young, an internationally released feature film acquired by Paramount
Pictures; HURT, an award-winning interactive documentary about
domestic violence; feature rockumentary Something In The Water;
and Race Scar, an automotive television series that was the first in the
world to incorporate SMS voting. WBMC has also achieved significant
success with interactive projects. Internationally focused, WBMC is
working on projects with partners in China, Taiwan, Ireland and the
United States.
ment’s investment included further incentives for Western Australian elements which
amounted to about 2% of the total budget.
Screen NSW post production investment
accounted for about 1.3% of the budget,
linked to post production in that state.
All combined government support
amounted to approximately 64% of the total budget.
Where was the film shot?
JL: Son of a Gun was shot on location in
Perth and the remote mining town of
Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, with a
few scenes shot in Melbourne, Victoria.
The film was largely post produced in New
South Wales.
What were the challenges you faced during the shoot?
JL: Even though Son of a Gun had a larger than average budget for an Australian
-6-
film, it was an ambitious production for
its budget - lots of stunts, car chases and
location moves. It sounds mundane, but
one of the biggest challenges was moving the unit from Perth to Kalgoorlie to
Melbourne - Australia is a big place! Big
budget films can accommodate those
kinds of relocation costs more easily, but
for an independent film like Son of a Gun
we had to plan all our moves very carefully
to make sure costs didn’t get out of hand
and so we could maximise the on-screen
value for the film.
What was the involvement of the other
(finance) partners in the film?
Gap finance was provided by Media House
Capital from Canada and the Producer
Offset was cash-flowed by Fulcrum Media
Finance. Equity partners included Deluxe
Australia and private investors from Australia and New Zealand (approx. 10% of
the total budget).
What is the process of applying for the
Australian offset?
JL: An Australian producer can apply to
Screen Australia for a Provisional Certificate that operates as a guide as to how
much money the producer can expect
to claim back under the Producer Offset
and to assess whether the film will pass a
“significant Australian context” test which
looks at things like key creatives, setting,
story and cast and crew. Producers can
then borrow against the Offset and cashflow that loan into the budget. When the
film is completed the producer applies to
Screen Australia for a Final Certificate
which is then submitted with the production company’s tax return to the Australian Tax Office which pays out the Offset
(less any pre-existing tax liabilities). “Official co-productions” automatically pass
the SAC test. It’s an easy system to understand but there are some idiosyncrasies.
All the information is on the Screen Australia website.
At what stage could you apply to Screen
Australia for production finance?
JL: Once a film’s finance plan is complete
and offers from a domestic distributor and
a ROW sales agent have been received.
Screen Australia is always ‘last in’.
-7-
TREND SETTER? - Looper
In discussion with Greg Schenz
A
lmost 20 months on from its
Toronto premiere, Looper
continues to be an important reference for producers
pitching new sci-fi projects. From strong
word of mouth following its premiere
in Canada, the film went on to top just
over $110m internationally and $66m
domestically, scoring impressive numbers in China ($20m+) and Australia
($12m+) in particular. We caught up
with Executive Vice-President of Business & Legal Affairs of Endgame Entertainment Greg Schenz to assess Looper’s
role in the spawning of the high number
of sci-fi titles heading to Cannes.
Looper was the third film by Rian Johnson following the much-acclaimed Brick
and The Brothers Bloom. Like his previous two films Johnson penned Looper,
but the scope of Looper was much more
ambitious, and once Tristar, Endgame and
Film District had come on board, the film
needed to perform at a level that was expected for a c. $30m spend. It was a risk.
“The sci-fi element was definitely viewed
as a negative in the marketplace”, comments Schenz.
Despite this, the producers and financiers were keen to back Johnson’s vision and
Looper went on to garner strong reviews
in Toronto and then post impressive box
office numbers. And rather than inhibiting the film’s success, the sci-fi element
may well have contributed to it.
Greg Schenz is Executive Senior Vice President, Business & Legal
Affairs at Endgame Entertainment.
Greg Schenz heads the business and legal affairs department at Endgame Entertainment. Previously Schenz worked at Beacon Pictures
in a similar position, as well as VP of Buisiness and Legal Affairs at
Intermedia and International Film Guarantor.
Endgame Entertainment is a privately backed independent production
and finance company based in Los Angeles. The company has been
involved in more than 30 feature films including Hotel Rwanda, An
Education, I’m Not There, White Noise and The Brothers Bloom.
“I think the [sci-fi] trend has a lot to do
with the current political and economic
situation in the world more than anything.
It’s a reason to step back from the reality of
the world and address social issues from
the safety of a sci-fi world. Films like Looper probably have more substance to them
[than the average thriller] and talk to an
audience on a different level.”
Looper is, of course, not alone, in translating a futuristic dystopian society into box
office gold; as Looper was released, franchises were being built around other films
which used the dystopian context as well.
Looper was different to The Hunger Games
and Divergent, in that it was not adapted
from a book, but it was similar in that it
used basic genre underpinnings to its story, as Schenz points out.
“Looper is a thriller with sci-fi elements.
The trend is also for genre films which
-8-
have a sci-fi context.”
China
Another way in which Looper has been
a trend setter, or at least contributed to a
trend, is the way in which the producers
steered the project towards the Chinese
market. Looper’s plot was transplanted
from Paris to Shanghai and Endgame
brought on Chinese company DMG as coproducers and co-financiers. It was a good
move. Firstly the film was recognised as
a US–Chinese co-production, allowing it
to by-pass the quota system; and secondly
the film performed outstandingly well in
China with box office receipts exceeding
more than $20m. There’s no doubt that
Looper’s success in China has convinced
many producers of indie films to look
East for co-production partners and many
scripts, for better or worse, now have Chi-
nese elements. The figures are, admittedly,
dazzling. More than 1.3 billion potential cinemagoers, twenty-five thousand
screens to be built in five years…. However, producers looking to quickly plug a
hole in their finance plans might be disappointed.
Schenz: “We had been working for couple
years prior to [the production of the film]
trying to set up a China fund which ended
up not being fruitful. I think we were in
the market too early, even five years ago
we were ten years too early. But through
that process we met a lot of people and
gained a lot of contacts and DMG was one
of them. They also have an office here in
the US so it was kind of a smooth negotiation and they understood what we needed.
If you look at similar projects to Looper,
China as a market is definitely something
you need to factor in.”
Looper: Copyright by Endgame Entertainment and other respective production studios and distributors. Intended for editorial use only.
-9-
Special Effects
Another legacy element from Looper was
the production team’s decision to focus on
gritty sci-fi, with effects to match, rather
than sci-fi as a computer-generated show.
Schenz: “There were a lot more realistic
special effects in Looper. We went back to
the grunge look. We did not rely on a lot
of CGI.”
Sequel?
With Looper succeeding financially as
well as critically it was tempting to make
a sequel, and try to build on the franchise
model which has become so dominant in
Hollywood. However, currently there are
no plans to re-boot Looper or to build a
franchise.
“Ryan is not thinking about a sequel of
Looper at the moment. Instead we are moving forward with Selfless which is a thriller
with sci-fi elements, but quite a different
film.”
Selfless is written by Alex and David Pastor, directed by Tarsem Singh and like
Looper produced by Ram Bergman, James
D. Stern with the addition of Peter Schlessel. Singh’s previous films include Immortals and Mirror Mirror.
Looper’s legacy has been significant. Not
only for similar projects which will be
brought to the Croisette but also for Endgame as well. As Schenz points out, “I
think we’re fast on the way to becoming
known for this type of film.”
- 10 -
FILM IN
SCOTLAND
FOR THE PERFECT LOCATION
For a fast, free, confidential location-finding service,
award-winning production companies, experienced
crew and great facilities, contact us today.
www.creativescotlandlocations.com
E [email protected]
T +44 (0) 141 302 1723/35
The Black Cuillin hills on the Isle of Skye
from the road to Glen Brittle, Inner Hebrides.
Photo: Ian Paterson/Scottish Viewpoint.
Photo: Hannah Houston © Edinburgh International Film Festival
- 11 -
Initialize Films $10m+ Location Report
Location Analysis:
Scotland
T
he recent announcement that
Creative Scotland will increase
its maximum production
award by 66% from April 2014
is part of a significant move towards
boosting the production sector in Scotland.
The news comes as Creative Scotland announced the appointment of law firm Lee
& Thompson partner Natalie Usher as incoming Director of Film and TV, starting
in May 2014.
Usher has strong experience in structuring film deals for Scottish and international productions and is a popular appointment.
Buachaille Etive Mor Glencoe © Scottish Viewpoint
Secondly, Scotland’s ability to attract
$10m+ projects has been impressive with
films such as Prometheus, Skyfall, The Fast
and the Furious 6, The Railway Man, World
War Z and Harry Potter all shooting there.
And thirdly, Scottish films continue to
be feted. Black Camel’s Sunshine on Leith
(more than £4m at UK box office), Crab
Apple Films’ 71 (in competition in Berlin),
Sigma’s Under the Skin (sold worldwide by
FilmNation) and Starred Up (sold to Fox
in the UK and winner of a BIFA), Makar’s
Let Us Prey (winner of Meliée d’Argent
Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth in The Railway Man
The announcements come in the wake of
calls for an increase in government funding for film and television production
which parts of the media have interpreted
as a sector in crisis.
Although the Independent Producers
Group Scotland have been lobbying the
Government and Creative Scotland for
more money to be made available to the
film sector (Creative Scotland’s budget for
film and TV is around £4m), the Scottish
film and TV sector has, in fact, had quite a
lot to celebrate.
Firstly in October 2013 Starz and Sony TV
brought Outlander to Scotland, the largest
TV series ever to be made in the country.
- 12 -
Initialize Films $10m+ Location Report
The Black Cuillin Hills Isle of Skye © Scottish Viewpoint
award for Best European Feature at Brussels Fantasia) and Singer Film’s God Help
the Girl (winner of Best Ensemble cast at
Sundance) are all results of a vibrant producing community.
The Railway Man filming at Perth Station courtesy of Creative
Scotland
Influenced by Outlander and similar larger-scale productions, international producers are increasingly looking to come to
Scotland for more reasons than just utilising the backdrop of the Highlands or the
Georgian architecture of Edinburgh.
“Glasgow doubled for Philadelphia for
World War Z, London for Fast and Furious 6, and San Francisco for Cloud Atlas.
So there is more to Scotland than some
producers realise. More recently we’ve
had sci-fi projects, historical epics, urban
thrillers, a whole host of projects that are
keen to come here and shoot,” commented
Locations Manager for Creative Scotland,
Brodie Pringle.
Visiting producers, such as The Railway
Man’s Andy Paterson, have complimented Scottish crews and their technical expertise which continues to increase as a
broader range of film and TV productions
shoot there.
On the finance side Scottish producers
are able to combine Creative Scotland investment with investment from BFI, other
UK nations (although like Creative Scotland funding these are selective awards
and are decided on a project-by-project
basis), as well as the UK tax credit. With
several producers creating strong links to
private investment sources (both EIS and
non-EIS) and international co-producers,
productions can be set up efficiently and
quickly.
Industry guests will be able to find out
more about incentives and filming in
Scotland at the UK Film Centre on Scotland Day, 20th May.
More details are available at www.weareukfilm.com
Fast & Furious 6 filming in Glasgow © Glasgow Film Office
- 13 -
Initialize Films $10m+ Projects Base
Hot projects for Cannes: Sci-fi & Thrillers
C
annes will once again attract
lawlessness, emotional voids,
malevolent rulers, tales of
revenge and the impending
apocalypse. James Schwartzer eyes the
hot sci-fi and thriller picks for Cannes
where dystopian world views are very
much in vogue and relationship-skewed
sci-fi and quest-based thrillers are top of
the must-have buys.
Sci-fi
Mister Smith’s Equals has a script written by Moon scribe Nathan Parker, Drake
Doremus (Like Crazy) directing and
Kirsten Stewart and Nicholas Hoult starring all of which makes it one of the hottest titles in Cannes. The sci-fi drama is
being produced by Ridley Scott, Michael
Schaefer, Ann Ruark, Jay Stern and Chip
Diggins. In Equals, a society in the future
is threatened by a disease which causes its
victims to feel emotion, something that is
considered by the rulers of the society, The
Collective, to be undesirable. The film is
slated to be shot in Japan and Singapore
this summer.
FilmNation will be selling sci-fi thriller
Story of Your Life directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Amy Adams. The
film, which is currently in prep, centres on
a linguist who is tasked to communicate
with aliens in order to determine if they
are friend or foe. Lava Bear Productions
and 21 Bears are producing with FilmNation. The script was adapted by Eric Heisserer from a short story by Ted Chiang.
Villeneuve’s cred is high from the success
of Prisoners and sales are expected to be
strong.
FilmNation also has the sci-fi drama The
Rover which will get a midnight screening in Cannes. The film, directed by David Michod (Animal Kingdom), stars
Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson and is
set in the near-future where lawlessness
reigns. Filmed in Australia last year from
a story by Joel Edgerton and written by
Michod expectation is high for the film
which is produced by David Linde (Lava
Bear Films), David Michod (Blue-Tongue
Films) and Liz Watts (Porchlight Films).
Elysium ©QED International
Embankment brings the UK sci-fi adventure film Robot Overlords written by
Jon Wright and Mark Stay, directed by
Wright and produced by Piers Tempest,
Steve Milne, Justin Garak and Ian Flooks
with Aidan Elliot and Robert Norris coproducing. As the title suggests, the film
depicts a future world with robots as rulers and humans as subjects. To say that life
under the robots is not particularly pleasant would be something of an understatement – humans are not allowed out of
their houses and if they are caught breaking the rules they are incinerated. The film
was shot in Northern Ireland and the Isle
of Man last summer. Special effects are
- 14 -
being provided by Nvizible which recently opened an office in Belfast. Financiers
include Pinewood Studios, British Film
Company, BFI, Northern Ireland Screen
and the Isle of Man Media Development
Fund.
Fast rising sales and production company
XYZ Films will continue selling sci-fi drama Parts Per Billion which they launched
in Berlin. The film, which stars Rosario
Dawson and Josh Hartnett, was recently
picked up for the US by Millennium. Parts
Per Billion focuses on the decisions three
couples have to make in the face of a biological catastrophe which threatens to destroy the world. The film will be directed
by Brian Horiuchi, and has Jennifer Levine, Michael Benaroya, David Dickson,
Kevin Scott Frakes and Molly Hassell producing.
Voltage will bring Prisoner of War to the
Croisette, a sci-fi thriller which centres
on humankind’s last ditch fight against
an alien invasion. Produced by Nicholas
Chartier and Zev Foreman for Voltage,
Roy Aitken and Ben Pugh from 42, James
Harris from Tea Shop & Film Company
and Brian Kavanagh-Jones from Automatik, the film will be helmed by TV director
Jon Miale.
Altitude will continue selling several sci-fi
projects already launched at previous markets. Included on their slate are two completed films about alien invasion / alien
encounters namely Outpost 37, directed
by first-time feature director Jabbar Raisani and Hangar 10, directed by first-time
feature director Daniel Simpson, as well
as sci-fi action film The Call-Up directed
by Charles Baker and produced by Matt
Wilkinson and John Giwa-Amu.
Total Recall ©Original Film
Thrillers
eOne recently announced a key title at
Cannes, Eye in the Sky, which will be directed by Gavin Hood (Enders Game) and
stars Colin Firth. Set to shoot in South Africa in the summer, the film is being produced by Ged Doherty and Colin Firth of
Raindog Films and Xavier Marchand of
eOne. The film centres on a commander
of a drone mission who is tasked to capture a group of terrorists.
Lionsgate International is bringing Sicario which stars Benicio del Toro and
Emily Blunt and will be directed by Denis
Villeneuve. The film teams Villenenuve
with producer Edward McDonnell who
worked together on Prisoners. Other
producers are Basil Iwanyk of Thunder
Road Pictures, and Thad Luckinbill, Trent
Luckinbill and Molly Smith of Black Label
Media. Sicario is the story of a US police
officer who teams with two mercenaries
to track down a Mexican drug lord.
- 15 -
Voltage intends to breathe life into the
erotic psycho-thriller with not just one
but two femme fatales in Knock Knock, the
latest from Eli Roth. The film stars Keanu
Reeves and is produced by Miguel Asensio and Nicolas Lopez of Sobras International, Colleen Camp and John T. Degraye
of Camp Grey, and Eli Roth.
Lockout ©EuropaCorp
IM Global has the revenge thriller Remember which teams Serendipity Point Films
once again with Atom Egoyan. Ari Lantos
produces for Serendipity with Jens Meurer
from Egoli Tossell co-producing. The film,
which stars Christopher Plummer, will go
into production in Toronto this summer.
Egoyan will of course be in Cannes with
the thriller The Captive which is in competition, premiering on 16 May. The story
centres on a father who tries to rescue his
kidnapped daughter. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Scott Speedman the film is produced by Atom Egoyan’s Ego Film Arts
and Stephen Traynor, Simone Urdl and
Jennifer Weiss of The Film Farm. The film
is being sold by eOne.
ring Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo.
The film, directed by Bourne Supremacy
writer Dan Gilroy, centres on the underground world of LA freelance crime
journalism
Australian thriller Son of a Gun starring Ewan McGregor and produced and
sold by Altitude, will be given a market
screening on 15 and 17 May, with many
buyers signaling interest.
Buyers will also be keen to see some
smaller budgeted thrillers which are being screened or introduced on the Croisette. These include Director’s Fortnight
titles These Final Hours by Zak Hilditch,
an Australian apocalyptic thriller, produced by Liz Kearney, in association with
XYZ Films and sold by Celluloid Nightmares; Memento Films’ US thriller
Cold In July, directed by Jim Mickle and
produced by Adam Folk, Rene Bastian,
Linda Moran and Marie Savare de Laitre,
with Backup Media and Memento funding; and Altitude’s UK thriller Catch Me
Daddy, written and directed by first-time
feature director Daniel Wolfe, and produced by Emu Films and financed by Lip
Sync, Screen Yorkshire, BFI and Film 4.0.
As usual there will be a number of under-the-radar surprises and we will bring
you a review of Cannes market activity
in the next edition of $10m+.
Sierra/Affinity will sell the US thriller
Nightcrawler, currently in post and star- 16 -

Is $2m - $10ma Dead Zone?

Transcription

Similar documents

Film quiz 12 May 2011

THE CREATION OF MEANING - Press Kit

Bandyke Moving Pictures

Oct 2013 reg layout

Who We Are: FILMCLUB is a free educational program that provides

THE SOURCE (international)

Call for entries 2016

impression of a war - Camilo Restrepo Films

Page 19 - Films - Magazine for the Arts

Activities related to film in the Department of Literature during the