Munich-based sales agency The Playmaker has closed several key distribution deals on heist comedy “Two to One,” starring Sandra Hüller, who was Oscar nominated this year for “Anatomy of a Fall.”
The Playmaker has sold the film to Kmbo in France, A Contracorriente in Spain, Madman in Australia and Rosebud in Greece. The German distributor is X-Verleih. The Playmaker will present “Two to One” to buyers in a private screening at the Cannes Film Market.
“Two to One” is based on true events that took place during the reunification of Germany in 1990. In the chaos during the disintegration of the German Democratic Republic, a group of clever East Germans seize the chance to retrieve hidden millions from an underground vault. As they outsmart formidable opponents, the heist takes an unexpected turn when money officially unrecognized in East Germany circulates.
Hüller is joined in the cast by Max Riemelt (“Sense 8”) and Ronald Zehrfeld.
The Playmaker has sold the film to Kmbo in France, A Contracorriente in Spain, Madman in Australia and Rosebud in Greece. The German distributor is X-Verleih. The Playmaker will present “Two to One” to buyers in a private screening at the Cannes Film Market.
“Two to One” is based on true events that took place during the reunification of Germany in 1990. In the chaos during the disintegration of the German Democratic Republic, a group of clever East Germans seize the chance to retrieve hidden millions from an underground vault. As they outsmart formidable opponents, the heist takes an unexpected turn when money officially unrecognized in East Germany circulates.
Hüller is joined in the cast by Max Riemelt (“Sense 8”) and Ronald Zehrfeld.
- 5/10/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Line-up for the 25th edition of the market includes 16 completed features, 15 Wip, 17 films in development.
Films by Sweat director Magnus von Horn and Margrete: Queen of the North filmmaker Charlotte Sieling will be presented at the 25th Nordic Film Market (January 31-February 2), the film marketplace of Goteborg Film Festival.
The projects are among the 15 Nordic films in post-production being showcased in the Works in Progress strand.
Scroll down for the full Market selection
Swedish director von Horn attends with The Girl With The Needle, a horror story set in 1910s Denmark, starring Trine Dyrholm and produced by Creative Alliance’s Malene Blenkov.
Films by Sweat director Magnus von Horn and Margrete: Queen of the North filmmaker Charlotte Sieling will be presented at the 25th Nordic Film Market (January 31-February 2), the film marketplace of Goteborg Film Festival.
The projects are among the 15 Nordic films in post-production being showcased in the Works in Progress strand.
Scroll down for the full Market selection
Swedish director von Horn attends with The Girl With The Needle, a horror story set in 1910s Denmark, starring Trine Dyrholm and produced by Creative Alliance’s Malene Blenkov.
- 1/16/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The Göteborg Film Festival’s film industry confab, the Nordic Film Market, unspooling Jan 31-Feb. 2, has unveiled in exclusivity to Variety its 2024 lineup comprising 58 new and upcoming Nordic films.
These are directed by newcomers and bona fide helmers such as Hans Petter Moland, Rúnar Rúnarsson, Charlotte Sieling, Daniel Espinosa and Pirjo Honkasalo.
Just over two weeks before kick-off, a record number of delegates – 507 from 33 countries – have signed up for the biggest film market in the Nordic region.
The 90-plus international buyers, 90 funding bodies, 60 festival programmers and 50 sales agents can look forward to a revamped showcase, both in terms of programming and set-up, with a new hub for networking and accommodation at the Clarion Hotel Draken. “We’re very excited about making this year’s venue both new and familiar for delegates coming to Göteborg,” said head of industry Josef Kullengård.
“The industry has entered a slowdown, but creatively, the Nordic...
These are directed by newcomers and bona fide helmers such as Hans Petter Moland, Rúnar Rúnarsson, Charlotte Sieling, Daniel Espinosa and Pirjo Honkasalo.
Just over two weeks before kick-off, a record number of delegates – 507 from 33 countries – have signed up for the biggest film market in the Nordic region.
The 90-plus international buyers, 90 funding bodies, 60 festival programmers and 50 sales agents can look forward to a revamped showcase, both in terms of programming and set-up, with a new hub for networking and accommodation at the Clarion Hotel Draken. “We’re very excited about making this year’s venue both new and familiar for delegates coming to Göteborg,” said head of industry Josef Kullengård.
“The industry has entered a slowdown, but creatively, the Nordic...
- 1/16/2024
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Never Alone received the Screen International Best Pitch Award at the 2011 edition of the Baltic Event co-production market.
Shooting has wrapped in Finland on Klaus Harö’s Second World War drama Never Alone, starring Ville Virtanen, based on the true story of how a prominent member of the Jewish community in Finland, tried to stop the police handing over Jewish refugees to the Gestapo to be deported to the death camps.
The film is produced by Ilkka Matila of Helsinki-based Mrp Matila Röhr Productions, as a €4.9m co-production with Austria’s Samsara Filmproduktion, Estonia’s Taska Film, Germany’s Penned Pictures and Sweden’s Hobab.
Shooting has wrapped in Finland on Klaus Harö’s Second World War drama Never Alone, starring Ville Virtanen, based on the true story of how a prominent member of the Jewish community in Finland, tried to stop the police handing over Jewish refugees to the Gestapo to be deported to the death camps.
The film is produced by Ilkka Matila of Helsinki-based Mrp Matila Röhr Productions, as a €4.9m co-production with Austria’s Samsara Filmproduktion, Estonia’s Taska Film, Germany’s Penned Pictures and Sweden’s Hobab.
- 11/20/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
We probably won’t see this week’s streaming debuts on the Oscars’ nomination roster come January, but they offer a variety of genres that will satisfy whatever mood you find yourself in this weekend.
The contender to watch this week: “Pain Hustlers“
The opioid epidemic has fueled a wave of movie and TV shows in the last few years, from “Dopesick” and “Ben Is Back” to the gorgeous Oscar-nominated documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.” Hollywood’s latest Big Pharma indictment is a star-studded dramedy directed by “Harry Potter” alum David Yates. Based on a book by journalist Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers” features Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, and Andy Garcia in a crime saga revolving around a pharmaceutical start-up whose founder served two years in prison. Reviews have been tepid, but “Hustlers” is now streaming on Netflix following a limited theatrical release.
Other contenders:
“My Sailor, My Love...
The contender to watch this week: “Pain Hustlers“
The opioid epidemic has fueled a wave of movie and TV shows in the last few years, from “Dopesick” and “Ben Is Back” to the gorgeous Oscar-nominated documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.” Hollywood’s latest Big Pharma indictment is a star-studded dramedy directed by “Harry Potter” alum David Yates. Based on a book by journalist Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers” features Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, and Andy Garcia in a crime saga revolving around a pharmaceutical start-up whose founder served two years in prison. Reviews have been tepid, but “Hustlers” is now streaming on Netflix following a limited theatrical release.
Other contenders:
“My Sailor, My Love...
- 10/28/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Explore where to stream the best films of 2023.
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Amerikatsi (Michael A. Goorjian)
If “Rear Window meets Life Is Beautiful” sounds like an all-timer of a cursed elevator pitch, then there’s nothing Michael A. Goorjian’s well-intentioned crowd-pleaser Amerikatsi will be able to do to win you over. A stubbornly unfashionable blend of broad comedy and highly sentimental prisoner-of-war drama, it’s paint-by-numbers middlebrow cinema of the kind the Weinstein Company would release regularly, albeit on a much more contained budget. While there is some brief novelty factor that movies of this distinctively Weinsteinian vintage are still getting made outside Hollywood, even as the broader cinematic landscape has moved past emulating that studio’s tried-and-tested formula in the hopes of awards success,...
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Amerikatsi (Michael A. Goorjian)
If “Rear Window meets Life Is Beautiful” sounds like an all-timer of a cursed elevator pitch, then there’s nothing Michael A. Goorjian’s well-intentioned crowd-pleaser Amerikatsi will be able to do to win you over. A stubbornly unfashionable blend of broad comedy and highly sentimental prisoner-of-war drama, it’s paint-by-numbers middlebrow cinema of the kind the Weinstein Company would release regularly, albeit on a much more contained budget. While there is some brief novelty factor that movies of this distinctively Weinsteinian vintage are still getting made outside Hollywood, even as the broader cinematic landscape has moved past emulating that studio’s tried-and-tested formula in the hopes of awards success,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Both the ÖFI+ scheme for local films and the Fisa+ scheme for international shoots are being significantly enhanced.
Austrian producers have welcomed the government’s plans to increase the overall budget for the Fisa+ and ÖFI+ film and TV incentive schemes to more than €130m in 2024, to support both local production and to attract international film and TV production shoots.
The ÖFI+ scheme, which is administered by the Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI) as an extension of its funding portfolio, supports national Austrian productions and Austrian majority or minority co-productions, is set to see its budget increase by €24.4m from the...
Austrian producers have welcomed the government’s plans to increase the overall budget for the Fisa+ and ÖFI+ film and TV incentive schemes to more than €130m in 2024, to support both local production and to attract international film and TV production shoots.
The ÖFI+ scheme, which is administered by the Austrian Film Institute (ÖFI) as an extension of its funding portfolio, supports national Austrian productions and Austrian majority or minority co-productions, is set to see its budget increase by €24.4m from the...
- 10/24/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Sometimes films highlight little-known events in their country of origin that wind up catalyzing a re-evaluation of their nation’s history. Finnish director Klaus Härö’s “Never Alone” is shaping up to be that sort of film. It follows the deportation from Finland of eight Austrian-Jewish refugees by the Gestapo during World War II and the work of Abraham Stiller, a pillar of the Helsinki Jewish community, who tried to stop it from happening.
Despite Finland’s uneasy alliance with Nazi Germany during the early years of the war, Jewish citizens of Finland had their government’s protection in spite of some Finnish officials who would have preferred to comply with the Gestapo’s requests to expel them all.
It’s the first cinematic treatment of this subject, which producer Ilkka Matila says was too painful a story for the Finnish state and the entire society to speak about publicly.
Despite Finland’s uneasy alliance with Nazi Germany during the early years of the war, Jewish citizens of Finland had their government’s protection in spite of some Finnish officials who would have preferred to comply with the Gestapo’s requests to expel them all.
It’s the first cinematic treatment of this subject, which producer Ilkka Matila says was too painful a story for the Finnish state and the entire society to speak about publicly.
- 9/29/2023
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Stop Making Sense, the remastered concert film that sowed delight at TIFF, opens on 300 Imax screens in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland. Locations Stateside number 260 ahead of a nationwide release next week.
The 1984 Talking Heads extravaganza from Jonathan Demme is presented in its new iteration by A24 — meaning the decades-old movie can now extend its reach to a new, younger audience that is A24’s core fan base. Opening numbers are hard to gauge since there aren’t many comps but there are parties, discos, stars and sellouts with film looking at about $1.5 million, including Thursday previews.
A 40th anniversary large-format special premiere screening at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month had people dancing in the aisles and broke Imax records. It was the company’s highest grossing live event, earning $640.8k and selling out 25 screens across 165 Imax locations in North America and the BFI Imax in London.
The 1984 Talking Heads extravaganza from Jonathan Demme is presented in its new iteration by A24 — meaning the decades-old movie can now extend its reach to a new, younger audience that is A24’s core fan base. Opening numbers are hard to gauge since there aren’t many comps but there are parties, discos, stars and sellouts with film looking at about $1.5 million, including Thursday previews.
A 40th anniversary large-format special premiere screening at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month had people dancing in the aisles and broke Imax records. It was the company’s highest grossing live event, earning $640.8k and selling out 25 screens across 165 Imax locations in North America and the BFI Imax in London.
- 9/22/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Kaurismäki was previously nominated in 2002 for The Man Without A Past.
Finland has selected Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves as its official entry for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
The comedy drama world premiered at Cannes where it topped Screen’s jury grid and picked up the festival’s jury prize.
It recently won the 2023 Grand Prix, voted on by members of the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci), and will screen at San Sebastian International Film Festival where it receives the award.
Fallen Leaves is produced by Sputnik Oy and Bufo and co-produced by Pandora Film.
Finland has selected Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves as its official entry for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
The comedy drama world premiered at Cannes where it topped Screen’s jury grid and picked up the festival’s jury prize.
It recently won the 2023 Grand Prix, voted on by members of the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci), and will screen at San Sebastian International Film Festival where it receives the award.
Fallen Leaves is produced by Sputnik Oy and Bufo and co-produced by Pandora Film.
- 9/13/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
’Silent Roar’, ‘Shoshana’ and ’How To Have Sex’ will also play at the French seaside festival that spotlights UK and Irish cinema.
France’s Dinard Festival of British Film has unveiled the line-up of its 34th edition, which includes Cannes titles Ken Loach’s The Old Oak, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest and Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex.
Also on the line-up is Charlotte Regan’s Sundance title Scrapper. The comedy drama stars Harris Dickinson and follows a young girl forced to confront reality when her estranged father returns, and is currently on release in...
France’s Dinard Festival of British Film has unveiled the line-up of its 34th edition, which includes Cannes titles Ken Loach’s The Old Oak, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest and Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex.
Also on the line-up is Charlotte Regan’s Sundance title Scrapper. The comedy drama stars Harris Dickinson and follows a young girl forced to confront reality when her estranged father returns, and is currently on release in...
- 8/31/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Estonia’s Taska Film, the production company behind local box-office hits such as medieval crime thriller “Melchior the Apothecary,” hits Locarno’s Match Me! industry sessions with a slate that includes Jaak Kilmi’s “Dirt in Your Face,” a coming-of-age rock drama set in the twilight of the Soviet Union backed in part by Apollo, the largest cinema chain in the Baltic region.
The film follows 17-year-old Mihkel and his band as they go on a journey full of alcohol, protest and music to impress a Western producer visiting a rock festival in 1980s Soviet Estonia. In their struggle to keep the band together, the group inadvertently help split the Soviet Union apart.
“Dirt in Your Face” is written by Martin Algus and based on the bestseller of the same name by Mihkel Raud, a former member of the ’80s band Golem (pictured) on whom the movie is based. It...
The film follows 17-year-old Mihkel and his band as they go on a journey full of alcohol, protest and music to impress a Western producer visiting a rock festival in 1980s Soviet Estonia. In their struggle to keep the band together, the group inadvertently help split the Soviet Union apart.
“Dirt in Your Face” is written by Martin Algus and based on the bestseller of the same name by Mihkel Raud, a former member of the ’80s band Golem (pictured) on whom the movie is based. It...
- 8/3/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Michiel van Erp’s Casanova drama ‘A Beautiful Imperfection’ stars Jonah Hauer-King and Dar Zuzovsky.
German sales outfit Global Screen has added two new titles to its busy Cannes market line-up.
The Munich-based company has taken on international rights, excluding Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy, for Michiel van Erp’s A Beautiful Imperfection, a romantic costume drama telling the story of the love affair between a young woman and the notorious Italian adventurer and womaniser Giacomo Casanova.
The project is in post-production and Global Screen will have a first promo for pre-sales at the Cannes Market.
Jonah Hauer-King stars as...
German sales outfit Global Screen has added two new titles to its busy Cannes market line-up.
The Munich-based company has taken on international rights, excluding Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy, for Michiel van Erp’s A Beautiful Imperfection, a romantic costume drama telling the story of the love affair between a young woman and the notorious Italian adventurer and womaniser Giacomo Casanova.
The project is in post-production and Global Screen will have a first promo for pre-sales at the Cannes Market.
Jonah Hauer-King stars as...
- 5/3/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The feature recently won best Irish film at the Dublin International Film Festival.
Germany’s Global Screen has sold the North American rights on Finnish filmmaker Klaus Härö’s English-language debut and Toronto International Film Festival premiere My Sailor, My Love to Music Box Films.
It stars James Cosmo, Bríd Brennan and Catherine Walkera, and follows a retired sailor and widower who falls in love with his home help. His adult daughter disapproves and feels she is losing the father she never had.
My Sailor, My Love has just been released in the UK and Ireland by Signature and will...
Germany’s Global Screen has sold the North American rights on Finnish filmmaker Klaus Härö’s English-language debut and Toronto International Film Festival premiere My Sailor, My Love to Music Box Films.
It stars James Cosmo, Bríd Brennan and Catherine Walkera, and follows a retired sailor and widower who falls in love with his home help. His adult daughter disapproves and feels she is losing the father she never had.
My Sailor, My Love has just been released in the UK and Ireland by Signature and will...
- 3/17/2023
- by Mona Tabbara¬Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
’65’ came in third place for Sony in its opening weekend.
Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Mar 10-512 Total gross to date Week 1. Creed III (Warner Bros) £2.7m £9.4m 2 2. Scream VI (Paramount) £2.4m £3m 1 3. 65 (Sony) £1.3m £1.3m 1 4. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Universal) £902,045 £23.2m 6 5. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (Disney) £722,279 £18.3m 4
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.21
Michael B. Jordan’s Creed III continued strongly in its second weekend at the UK-Ireland box office, taking £2.7m for Warner Bros, and beating Paramount’s three-day takings for new opener Scream VI.
Creed III’s total now boasts £9.4m and it looks...
Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Mar 10-512 Total gross to date Week 1. Creed III (Warner Bros) £2.7m £9.4m 2 2. Scream VI (Paramount) £2.4m £3m 1 3. 65 (Sony) £1.3m £1.3m 1 4. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Universal) £902,045 £23.2m 6 5. Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (Disney) £722,279 £18.3m 4
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.21
Michael B. Jordan’s Creed III continued strongly in its second weekend at the UK-Ireland box office, taking £2.7m for Warner Bros, and beating Paramount’s three-day takings for new opener Scream VI.
Creed III’s total now boasts £9.4m and it looks...
- 3/13/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Sony’s ’65’ and Universal’s ’Champions’ are also new this weekend.
This weekend’s widest opener at the UK-Ireland box office is Scream VI, the latest offering from the iconic horror franchise, hitting 624 locations for Paramount.
It is slightly up on locations to Scream – the fifth film in the slasher series – which opened to an impressive £2.5m from 622 sites in January 2022, at an average of £3,955, making it the highest-performing horror title since the pandemic at the UK-Ireland box office.
Recent horrors to do well in the territory includes Universal’s M3GAN, the second best-performer for the genre since the pandemic,...
This weekend’s widest opener at the UK-Ireland box office is Scream VI, the latest offering from the iconic horror franchise, hitting 624 locations for Paramount.
It is slightly up on locations to Scream – the fifth film in the slasher series – which opened to an impressive £2.5m from 622 sites in January 2022, at an average of £3,955, making it the highest-performing horror title since the pandemic at the UK-Ireland box office.
Recent horrors to do well in the territory includes Universal’s M3GAN, the second best-performer for the genre since the pandemic,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Beautifully nuanced performances underpin an interesting drama that evolves from late-life romance into study of family trauma across generations
Shot on the misty Achill island off Ireland’s west coast, Finnish director Klaus Härö’s English-language debut grapples with the rough currents of late-in-life regrets and resentment. Cranky retired sea captain Howard (James Cosmo) – once content with shutting himself off from the outside world – is forced to open his disorderly home, and subsequently his heart, to Annie (Brid Brennan), a housekeeper hired by his overworked daughter Grace (Catherine Walker).
What begins as a lighthearted autumnal romance gradually evolves into a thorny study of familial grievances. Troubled by her own unhappy marriage, Grace grows increasingly bitter about her father’s new relationship. The reasons for her disturbing, self-destructive behaviours spring from a traumatic childhood, the details of which are revealed late in the film – too late, really, to fully flesh out her character.
Shot on the misty Achill island off Ireland’s west coast, Finnish director Klaus Härö’s English-language debut grapples with the rough currents of late-in-life regrets and resentment. Cranky retired sea captain Howard (James Cosmo) – once content with shutting himself off from the outside world – is forced to open his disorderly home, and subsequently his heart, to Annie (Brid Brennan), a housekeeper hired by his overworked daughter Grace (Catherine Walker).
What begins as a lighthearted autumnal romance gradually evolves into a thorny study of familial grievances. Troubled by her own unhappy marriage, Grace grows increasingly bitter about her father’s new relationship. The reasons for her disturbing, self-destructive behaviours spring from a traumatic childhood, the details of which are revealed late in the film – too late, really, to fully flesh out her character.
- 3/6/2023
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
"I'll tell you a secret - I'm actually quite enjoying myself." Signature Ent. in the UK has revealed an official trailer for an indie film titled My Sailor, My Love, an Ireland-Finland co-production from director Klaus Härö. This old age romantic drama premiered at TIFF 2022 last year, and just played at the Palm Springs Film Festival in the US earlier this year. Howard, a retired sea captain, refuses any help from his daughter Grace. When she hires Annie as domestic help for him, Howard unexpectedly falls in love. He gives all his affection to Annie and her family, but rejects his own daughter. My Sailor, My Love is a story about a guilt-affected daughter-father relationship. But it's also a love story between two elderly people, proving a new beginning is never too late. James Cosmo co-stars with Brid Brennan, joined by Catherine Walker, Nora-Jane Noone, Aidan O'Hare, & Molly McCann. Early...
- 2/13/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Project previously won Screen’s Best Pitch Award at Tallinn’s Baltic Event co-production market in 2011.
The Playmaker Munich is to handle international sales for Finnish director Klaus Härö’s World War II drama Never Alone (Ei Koskaan Yksin), which won Screen’s Best Pitch Award when it was pitched at Tallinn’s Baltic Event co-production market in 2011.
Since then, Härö has been busy with other projects such as the 2015 Golden Globe nominated and Oscar-shortlisted The Fencer and his first foray into English-language films with the drama My Sailor, My Love.
He has now turned his attention back to Never Alone,...
The Playmaker Munich is to handle international sales for Finnish director Klaus Härö’s World War II drama Never Alone (Ei Koskaan Yksin), which won Screen’s Best Pitch Award when it was pitched at Tallinn’s Baltic Event co-production market in 2011.
Since then, Härö has been busy with other projects such as the 2015 Golden Globe nominated and Oscar-shortlisted The Fencer and his first foray into English-language films with the drama My Sailor, My Love.
He has now turned his attention back to Never Alone,...
- 11/28/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Global Screen strikes key territory sales on Finnish box office hit ‘My Sailor, My Love’ (exclusive)
Romance has grossed more than Euros 618,000 in three weeks through Nordisk Film.
Global Screen has licensed further key territories on Klaus Haro’s English-language debut My Sailor, My Love, which recently opened top of the box office in Finland and will continue selling at the AFM.
Rights have gone to Kismet for Australia and New Zealand and Twelve Oaks for Spain following a recent deal announced in Screen with Signature for the UK and Ireland. Global Screen’s SVP international sales and acquisitions Klaus Rasmussen is engaged in ongoing conversations for the US and further territories.
Haro’s (The Fencers...
Global Screen has licensed further key territories on Klaus Haro’s English-language debut My Sailor, My Love, which recently opened top of the box office in Finland and will continue selling at the AFM.
Rights have gone to Kismet for Australia and New Zealand and Twelve Oaks for Spain following a recent deal announced in Screen with Signature for the UK and Ireland. Global Screen’s SVP international sales and acquisitions Klaus Rasmussen is engaged in ongoing conversations for the US and further territories.
Haro’s (The Fencers...
- 10/19/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
As the Finnish Film Affair embarks on the start of its second decade, the organizers of the annual industry event, which runs parallel to the Helsinki International Film Festival — Love & Anarchy, can both reflect on 10 years of success and look ahead for ways to continue to serve both the Finnish and the Nordic film industries.
“Finnish Film Affair started in 2012 with 240 participants. This year, for our 11th edition, we have nearly 500 delegates attending from over 20 countries, with a third of them being international guests and buyers,” Finnish Film Affair director Maria Pirkkalainen told Variety on the eve of the event, which runs from Sept. 21 – 23.
It’s a return to form for a Nordic showcase that, like other industry events around the world, has faced a range of disruptions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
“The past years haven’t been the easiest for the Nordic film industry, and...
“Finnish Film Affair started in 2012 with 240 participants. This year, for our 11th edition, we have nearly 500 delegates attending from over 20 countries, with a third of them being international guests and buyers,” Finnish Film Affair director Maria Pirkkalainen told Variety on the eve of the event, which runs from Sept. 21 – 23.
It’s a return to form for a Nordic showcase that, like other industry events around the world, has faced a range of disruptions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
“The past years haven’t been the easiest for the Nordic film industry, and...
- 9/20/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Buyer plans early 2023 theatrical release.
Germany’s Global Screen has reported a strong response in Toronto to Klaus Haro’s TIFF Contemporary World Cinema selection My Sailor, My Love and has struck a deal with Signature for UK & Ireland.
Härö’s English-language debut premiered last Friday (September 9) and stars James Cosmo and Bríd Brennan as a retired sea captain and the home help he falls for, much to the chagrin of his grown-up daughter who feels she has never truly known her father. Catherine Walker also stars.
Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Wikman wrote the screenplay. Haro’s 2015 Finnish drama The Fencer...
Germany’s Global Screen has reported a strong response in Toronto to Klaus Haro’s TIFF Contemporary World Cinema selection My Sailor, My Love and has struck a deal with Signature for UK & Ireland.
Härö’s English-language debut premiered last Friday (September 9) and stars James Cosmo and Bríd Brennan as a retired sea captain and the home help he falls for, much to the chagrin of his grown-up daughter who feels she has never truly known her father. Catherine Walker also stars.
Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Wikman wrote the screenplay. Haro’s 2015 Finnish drama The Fencer...
- 9/16/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Finnish director Klaus Härö makes his English-language debut with Toronto Film Festival premiere “My Sailor, My Love.” A gentle drama about a retired sea captain falling in love one last time will be spotlighted at the Helsinki-based event Finnish Film Affair next. Global Screen is handling the sales.
Härö, an experienced filmmaker behind Golden Globe-nominated “The Fencer,” didn’t feel “desperate” to make a movie in English, he says.
“I hope it doesn’t feel forced. With English, there is always this thought that maybe this way, it will reach more people. But it just felt natural to set it in Ireland.”
“I love the loneliness of this landscape, its proximity to the sea. Also, ‘The Fencer’ was shot in Estonia and my next film will be in Finnish, German, Hebrew and Yiddish.”
Produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho for Making Movies, as well as David Collins for Ireland...
Härö, an experienced filmmaker behind Golden Globe-nominated “The Fencer,” didn’t feel “desperate” to make a movie in English, he says.
“I hope it doesn’t feel forced. With English, there is always this thought that maybe this way, it will reach more people. But it just felt natural to set it in Ireland.”
“I love the loneliness of this landscape, its proximity to the sea. Also, ‘The Fencer’ was shot in Estonia and my next film will be in Finnish, German, Hebrew and Yiddish.”
Produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho for Making Movies, as well as David Collins for Ireland...
- 9/14/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Howard (James Cosmo) lives what appears to be a hermitic life of unwavering obstinance. He doesn’t even open the door when his daughter Grace (Catherine Walker) and her husband Martin (Aidan O’Hare) arrive—a seemingly inconsequential fact until you realize it’s his birthday and she’s there to ready for the celebration. It would be easy to dismiss his demeanor as immovable then. Why would he act like this with his loved ones if that wasn’t how he acts with everyone? Except attending the local bar afterwards to celebrate more inexplicably sees Howard suddenly sparkling to life. He regales the children with tales at sea, enjoys a slice of their cake (not Grace’s), and seems a decade younger. Where then is the disconnect? What are we missing?
While Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Vikman’s script keeps the particulars of Howard’s relationship with his family hidden for a short while,...
While Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Vikman’s script keeps the particulars of Howard’s relationship with his family hidden for a short while,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Seasoned Finnish producer Ilkka Matila of Mrp Matila Röhr has signed with Estonia’s Taska Film and locked early support from the Finnish Film Institute and local commercial channel MTV3 for the 2.7m film “Between the Hammer and the Sickle.” Nordisk Film holds Scandinavian rights.
To be pitched on Aug. 24 at the Nordic Co-Production Market in Haugesund, Norway, the title will be one of Matila’s most defining projects, a feature which he believes will stay, along the lines of the multi-awarded “Mother of Mine” or “The Eternal Road.”
“Between the Hammer and the Sickle” will be one of the first features ever to portray Finland’s illustrious former president Urho Kekkonen. Head of state for nearly 26 years, Kekkonen served as the longest-serving Finnish president from 1956 until 1981 and masterminded his country’s policy of neutrality, keeping at bay the threatening Soviet Union with which Finland shares 800 miles of border.
“I...
To be pitched on Aug. 24 at the Nordic Co-Production Market in Haugesund, Norway, the title will be one of Matila’s most defining projects, a feature which he believes will stay, along the lines of the multi-awarded “Mother of Mine” or “The Eternal Road.”
“Between the Hammer and the Sickle” will be one of the first features ever to portray Finland’s illustrious former president Urho Kekkonen. Head of state for nearly 26 years, Kekkonen served as the longest-serving Finnish president from 1956 until 1981 and masterminded his country’s policy of neutrality, keeping at bay the threatening Soviet Union with which Finland shares 800 miles of border.
“I...
- 8/24/2022
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Toronto Film Festival has announced new titles for its TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema sections.
The TIFF Docs section will open with the previously announced Sacha Jenkins’ Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, and there’s a North American premiere for Laura Poitras’ opioid epidemic doc All the Beauty and the Bloodshed from Participant.
The festival will also feature newly-added world bows for Cine-Guerrilas: Scenes from the Labudovic Reels, by director Mila Rurajlic; Documentary Now!, by Alex Buono, Rhys Thomas and Micah Gardner; Sam Soko and Lauren DeFilippo’s Free Money, about a Kenyan village being given a universal basic income by an American organization; The Grab, from Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite; and Stephanie Johnes’ Maya and the Wave.
Other documentary first looks headed to Toronto include Mark Fletcher’s Patrick and the Whale; Sinead O’Shea’s Pray for our Sinners; Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot,...
The Toronto Film Festival has announced new titles for its TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema sections.
The TIFF Docs section will open with the previously announced Sacha Jenkins’ Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, and there’s a North American premiere for Laura Poitras’ opioid epidemic doc All the Beauty and the Bloodshed from Participant.
The festival will also feature newly-added world bows for Cine-Guerrilas: Scenes from the Labudovic Reels, by director Mila Rurajlic; Documentary Now!, by Alex Buono, Rhys Thomas and Micah Gardner; Sam Soko and Lauren DeFilippo’s Free Money, about a Kenyan village being given a universal basic income by an American organization; The Grab, from Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite; and Stephanie Johnes’ Maya and the Wave.
Other documentary first looks headed to Toronto include Mark Fletcher’s Patrick and the Whale; Sinead O’Shea’s Pray for our Sinners; Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot,...
- 8/17/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...
Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...
- 10/12/2021
- by Ben Dalton¬Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Indian streaming major Disney+ Hotstar has put the wheels in motion on major new project Special Ops Universe, a multi-series spin-off format of its recent espionage thriller Special Ops. Created by Neeraj Pandey, the project will span numerous incarnations, including Special Ops season 1.5: The Himmat Story, which will tell the back story of Kay Kay Menon’s character Himmat Singh. Like Special Ops, the show will be shot across multiple international locations. “Within weeks of its launch, Special Ops emerged as one of the biggest shows of 2020,” said Sunil Rayan, President of Disney+ Hotstar. “We’re excited to venture in this nonlinear format of storytelling that brings alive an entire universe; where stories and different characters can simultaneously co-exist. The scale at which this is being conceived is enormous and speaks of our passion for creating world-class entertainment for our audiences.”
Leading Nordic distributor Nordisk Film has signed a...
Leading Nordic distributor Nordisk Film has signed a...
- 1/22/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Nordisk Film has signed a development and distribution deal with Mrp Matila Röhr Productions, a leading Finnish production company launched 30 years ago by Marko Röhr and Ilkka Matila, two veteran industry players in Finland.
Under the deal, Nordisk Film will have exclusive distribution rights for the Nordic territories to Mrp’s upcoming features, kicking off with “Hamsters,” a drama-comedy produced directed by Markku Pölönen, Klaus Härö’s “Never Alone,” and the animated title “Malcolm Rocks.”
The pact also gives Nordisk Film the rights to Mrp’s library of 43 titles for the Scandinavian territories.
“Hamsters,” which is currently in pre-production, is based on Veikko Huovinen’s book. “Never Alone,” meanwhile, is based on the true story of a man who fought to help Jewish refugee seekers in 1942. ‘It is the story of an unusual friendship and political power based on the memoirs of the journalist Maarit Tyrkkö,’ said Matila, who is producing the film.
Under the deal, Nordisk Film will have exclusive distribution rights for the Nordic territories to Mrp’s upcoming features, kicking off with “Hamsters,” a drama-comedy produced directed by Markku Pölönen, Klaus Härö’s “Never Alone,” and the animated title “Malcolm Rocks.”
The pact also gives Nordisk Film the rights to Mrp’s library of 43 titles for the Scandinavian territories.
“Hamsters,” which is currently in pre-production, is based on Veikko Huovinen’s book. “Never Alone,” meanwhile, is based on the true story of a man who fought to help Jewish refugee seekers in 1942. ‘It is the story of an unusual friendship and political power based on the memoirs of the journalist Maarit Tyrkkö,’ said Matila, who is producing the film.
- 1/22/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Bookmark this page for all the latest international feature submissions.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
- 11/18/2020
- by Ben Dalton¬Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The highly anticipated drama by Ulla Heikkilä will venture where few dare to go: straight to a Christian camp. Ulla Heikkilä’s first feature, Eden – set, of all places, in a Christian camp – is bound to stand out among a slew of new Finnish releases, if just for one reason, rarely addressed by her colleagues, at least unless their name is Klaus Härö: religion. “I was interested in the way confirmation camps create a world of their own, far from everyday reality,” says the director, still optimistic about the film’s planned end-of-July premiere. “It forces the participants to redefine their relationship with their community and with themselves. The questions my characters face are quite universal: where do I belong? Do I want to belong there? Do I need the sense of belonging?” Over the course of one summer week, some of these questions might even be answered. “I’m interested.
Four years after it was founded, the Finnish company is entering its second phase of expansion. Helsinki-based venture capital company Ipr.Vc has announced the creation of a €42 million fund specialised in European film, TV and web content. With this move, the firm is planning to raise about €60-70 million by the end of next year. Ipr.Vc, the first Nordic venture capital investment firm dedicated to media content, was founded four years ago by entrepreneurs Timo Argillander, Tanu-Matti Tuominen and Jarkko Virtanen, and invested €20 million in 16 content projects or companies, and in the development of 14 projects. Some of their backed productions include Miikko Oikkonen’s crime series Bordertown, and features such as Dome Karukoski’s Tom of Finland and Klaus Härö’s One Last Deal. During this second phase of expansion, the funds for which have been raised through a group of institutional, private and public investors, the firm will.
- 10/16/2019
- Cineuropa - The Best of European Cinema
Which film will follow on from ‘Roma’ in winning the prize?
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
- 9/5/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Which film will follow on from ‘Roma’ in winning the prize?
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
- 9/3/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Which film will follow on from ‘Roma’ in winning the prize?
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
- 9/2/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare tale All Is True has been selected to open the Palm Springs Film Festival, which Friday unveiled its full lineup of films for the 30th edition that runs January 3-14. The fest also said that Bruce Bereford’s Ladies in Black will be the closing-night film, with the director and cast members expected to be in attendance.
In all, the fest will screen 223 films from 78 countries, and as usual will screen a slew of Oscar Foreign Language Film entries, this year numbering 43 of the 87 official submissions. Also on the docket: a 30-film retrospective of past fest selections, dubbed the Palm Springs Canon; special focuses on cinema from France, India and Mexico, and Jewish and queer cinema; and the new Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Award, named for actor and magician Ricky Jay who died last month.
In addition to the film lineup, the opening awards gala...
In all, the fest will screen 223 films from 78 countries, and as usual will screen a slew of Oscar Foreign Language Film entries, this year numbering 43 of the 87 official submissions. Also on the docket: a 30-film retrospective of past fest selections, dubbed the Palm Springs Canon; special focuses on cinema from France, India and Mexico, and Jewish and queer cinema; and the new Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Award, named for actor and magician Ricky Jay who died last month.
In addition to the film lineup, the opening awards gala...
- 12/14/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its 2019 lineup, and it’s prodigious: 223 films from 78 countries, four of them world premieres. Though well known for celebrating future Oscar nominees (and winners) each year, the festival also boasts a deceptively robust world-cinema slate; among the upcoming offerings are Jia Zhangke’s “Ash Is Purest White,” Sergey Loznitsa’s “Donbass,” Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra’s “Birds of Passage,” and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Asako I & II,” to name just a few.
A number of post-screening Q&As will also be held, including with “Black Klansman” author Ron Stallworth and “Support the Girls” star Regina Hall, in addition to a new section celebrating the best films to screen at Psiff throughout its first three decades.
World premieres:
Buck Run (USA), Director Nick Frangione
Carlos Almaraz Playing With Fire (USA), Directors Elsa Flores Almaraz, Richard Montoya (Schlesinger Documentary Competition)
The Last Color...
A number of post-screening Q&As will also be held, including with “Black Klansman” author Ron Stallworth and “Support the Girls” star Regina Hall, in addition to a new section celebrating the best films to screen at Psiff throughout its first three decades.
World premieres:
Buck Run (USA), Director Nick Frangione
Carlos Almaraz Playing With Fire (USA), Directors Elsa Flores Almaraz, Richard Montoya (Schlesinger Documentary Competition)
The Last Color...
- 12/14/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The project is directed by 15 female writers and directors.
Tuffi Films short film anthology One-Off Incident won the Finnish Film Affair’s work in progress award, which goes to the project presented that is most likely to attract international attention.
One-Off Incident is an anthology of short films about how power is used against women in their private lives as well as in society. The project will also include an awareness campaign.
The project is directed by 15 female writers and directors and curated by Tuffi Films’ group of female producers; it was pitched by director Alli Haapasalo and Tuffi producer Elli Toivoniemi.
Tuffi Films short film anthology One-Off Incident won the Finnish Film Affair’s work in progress award, which goes to the project presented that is most likely to attract international attention.
One-Off Incident is an anthology of short films about how power is used against women in their private lives as well as in society. The project will also include an awareness campaign.
The project is directed by 15 female writers and directors and curated by Tuffi Films’ group of female producers; it was pitched by director Alli Haapasalo and Tuffi producer Elli Toivoniemi.
- 10/1/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Sales include Japan, Brazil and Taiwan.
LevelK has closed a number of deals for Klaus Härö’s One Last Deal, after the Finnish drama’s world premiere in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
Sales have been done for Japan (New Select), Australia/New Zealand (Rialto),
Brazil (Cineart Filmes), Taiwan (Swallow Wings), and worldwide airlines excluding Taiwan & the Nordics (Encore Inflight Limited).
The story follows an elderly art dealer on the verge of retirement who wants to pull off one last big deal, with the help of his estranged grandson. Anna Heinämaa wrote the screenplay.
Lauren Valmadre, sales manager at LevelK,...
LevelK has closed a number of deals for Klaus Härö’s One Last Deal, after the Finnish drama’s world premiere in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
Sales have been done for Japan (New Select), Australia/New Zealand (Rialto),
Brazil (Cineart Filmes), Taiwan (Swallow Wings), and worldwide airlines excluding Taiwan & the Nordics (Encore Inflight Limited).
The story follows an elderly art dealer on the verge of retirement who wants to pull off one last big deal, with the help of his estranged grandson. Anna Heinämaa wrote the screenplay.
Lauren Valmadre, sales manager at LevelK,...
- 9/19/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Art to Art: Haro Conjures Another Character Study in Crowd-pleasing Drama
Much like his contemporary Dome Karukoski, Finnish director Klaus Härö is one of his country’s most prolific contemporary filmmakers yet to break out into significant international acclaim despite having a string of notable titles to his name. Haro is quite esteemed in Finland as four of his five previous titles have been selected as his country’s submission for Best Foreign Language film (the sole exception being his 2007 title The New Man), while his last effort, 2015’s The Fencer, reached the esteemed shortlist and received significant critical acclaim.…...
Much like his contemporary Dome Karukoski, Finnish director Klaus Härö is one of his country’s most prolific contemporary filmmakers yet to break out into significant international acclaim despite having a string of notable titles to his name. Haro is quite esteemed in Finland as four of his five previous titles have been selected as his country’s submission for Best Foreign Language film (the sole exception being his 2007 title The New Man), while his last effort, 2015’s The Fencer, reached the esteemed shortlist and received significant critical acclaim.…...
- 9/7/2018
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Scandinavian sales outfit LevelK has picked up “One Last Deal,” Finnish director Klaus Härö’s follow up to Golden Globe-nominated film “The Fencer.”
Set to world premiere at Toronto in the Contemporary World Cinema section, “One Last Deal” follows Olavi, an elderly art dealer on the verge of retirement who has always put business and art before everything, and embarks on a journey to sell an unmarked painting found at an auction. The film was written by Anna Heinämaa, and it stars Heikki Nousiainen, Amos Brotherus and Pirjo Lonka.
One of Finland’s most successful filmmakers, Härö made his feature debut with “Elina” which won the Berlin Crystal Bear in 2003, while his latest film “The Fencer” was shortlisted for an Oscar and nominated for a foreign-language Golden Globe in 2016.
“One Last Deal” is produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho at Making Movies whose credits include “The Fencer” and Tonislav Hristov’s “The Good Postman.
Set to world premiere at Toronto in the Contemporary World Cinema section, “One Last Deal” follows Olavi, an elderly art dealer on the verge of retirement who has always put business and art before everything, and embarks on a journey to sell an unmarked painting found at an auction. The film was written by Anna Heinämaa, and it stars Heikki Nousiainen, Amos Brotherus and Pirjo Lonka.
One of Finland’s most successful filmmakers, Härö made his feature debut with “Elina” which won the Berlin Crystal Bear in 2003, while his latest film “The Fencer” was shortlisted for an Oscar and nominated for a foreign-language Golden Globe in 2016.
“One Last Deal” is produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho at Making Movies whose credits include “The Fencer” and Tonislav Hristov’s “The Good Postman.
- 8/16/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Estonia has selected drama “Take It or Leave It” as its submission for the Oscar for best foreign-language film – the third time in five years that the country has put forward a movie from producer Ivo Felt, whose 2014 “Tangerines” received Estonia’s only Academy Award nomination.
“Take It or Leave It” beat six other contenders under consideration by a selection committee led by Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute, which announced the selection Thursday. Five members of the seven-person panel picked “Take It or Leave It” as their choice for submission to the Academy.
Director Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo’s film tackles themes of responsibility, single parenthood and economic inequality. It tells the story of a 30-year-old construction worker who suddenly finds himself a single parent when his ex-girlfriend, whom he hasn’t seen for six months, has a baby girl and informs him that she’ll put the child...
“Take It or Leave It” beat six other contenders under consideration by a selection committee led by Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute, which announced the selection Thursday. Five members of the seven-person panel picked “Take It or Leave It” as their choice for submission to the Academy.
Director Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo’s film tackles themes of responsibility, single parenthood and economic inequality. It tells the story of a 30-year-old construction worker who suddenly finds himself a single parent when his ex-girlfriend, whom he hasn’t seen for six months, has a baby girl and informs him that she’ll put the child...
- 8/16/2018
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival has rounded out its slate of gala premieres in what is looking like a very strong filmmaker-driven slate. Here are all the new additions.
Galas 2018
Green Book Peter Farrelly | USA World Premiere
Closing Night Film — Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy Justin Kelly | Canada/USA/United Kingdom World Premiere
The Lie Veena Sud | Canada World Premiere
Opening Night Film — Outlaw King David Mackenzie | USA/United Kingdom World Premiere
Special Presentations 2018
22 July Paul Greengrass | Norway/Iceland North American Premiere
American Woman Jake Scott | USA World Premiere
Baby ( Bao Bei Er ) Liu Jie | China World Premiere
Boy Erased Joel Edgerton | USA International Premiere
Driven Nick Hamm | Puerto Rico/United Kingdom/USA North American Premiere
Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) Olivier Masset-Depasse | Belgium/France World Premiere
A Faithful Man ( L’homme fidèle ) Louis Garrel | France World Premiere
Gloria Bell Sebastián Lelio | USA/Chile World Premiere
Hold the Dark Jeremy Saulnier | USA World Premiere...
Galas 2018
Green Book Peter Farrelly | USA World Premiere
Closing Night Film — Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy Justin Kelly | Canada/USA/United Kingdom World Premiere
The Lie Veena Sud | Canada World Premiere
Opening Night Film — Outlaw King David Mackenzie | USA/United Kingdom World Premiere
Special Presentations 2018
22 July Paul Greengrass | Norway/Iceland North American Premiere
American Woman Jake Scott | USA World Premiere
Baby ( Bao Bei Er ) Liu Jie | China World Premiere
Boy Erased Joel Edgerton | USA International Premiere
Driven Nick Hamm | Puerto Rico/United Kingdom/USA North American Premiere
Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) Olivier Masset-Depasse | Belgium/France World Premiere
A Faithful Man ( L’homme fidèle ) Louis Garrel | France World Premiere
Gloria Bell Sebastián Lelio | USA/Chile World Premiere
Hold the Dark Jeremy Saulnier | USA World Premiere...
- 8/14/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
MaryAnn’s quick take… The true story of an Estonian sports hero offers a lovely twist on a familiar tale. A cinematic triumph from a nation that’s been missing from the global film stage. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s a familiar sort of tale, but in a setting we haven’t seen before: Reluctant teacher ends up inspiring underdog kids to succeed in a sport they have no prior experience in… in early 1950s Estonia, the Baltic republic annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II and suffering under Stalin’s harsh regime. Endel Nelis (Märt Avandi), in hiding from the secret police (he’s wanted for a completely unjust reason) in the small town of Haapsalu, takes a job teaching phys ed in the local secondary school; it’s...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s a familiar sort of tale, but in a setting we haven’t seen before: Reluctant teacher ends up inspiring underdog kids to succeed in a sport they have no prior experience in… in early 1950s Estonia, the Baltic republic annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II and suffering under Stalin’s harsh regime. Endel Nelis (Märt Avandi), in hiding from the secret police (he’s wanted for a completely unjust reason) in the small town of Haapsalu, takes a job teaching phys ed in the local secondary school; it’s...
- 11/30/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The Fencer (2015 – directed by Klaus Härö) screens Friday November 17th through Sunday November 19th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). The movie starts each evening at 7:30pm.
A young man, Endel Nelis (Märt Avandi), arrives in Haapsalu, Estonia, in the early 1950s. Having left Leningrad to escape the secret police, he finds work as a teacher and supervises a sports club for his students. Endel becomes a father figure to his students and starts teaching them his great passion – fencing, which causes a conflict with the school’s principal who starts investigating Endel’s background. Endel learns to love the children and looks after them; most are orphans as a result of the Russian occupation. Fencing becomes a form of self-expression for the children and Endel becomes a role model. The children want to participate in a national fencing tournament in Leningrad, and Endel must make a...
A young man, Endel Nelis (Märt Avandi), arrives in Haapsalu, Estonia, in the early 1950s. Having left Leningrad to escape the secret police, he finds work as a teacher and supervises a sports club for his students. Endel becomes a father figure to his students and starts teaching them his great passion – fencing, which causes a conflict with the school’s principal who starts investigating Endel’s background. Endel learns to love the children and looks after them; most are orphans as a result of the Russian occupation. Fencing becomes a form of self-expression for the children and Endel becomes a role model. The children want to participate in a national fencing tournament in Leningrad, and Endel must make a...
- 11/14/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Netflix has acquired the worldwide Svod rights to Drake Doremus’ “Newness,” Deadline reports. The film stars Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa as a couple in contemporary Los Angeles navigating the world of online dating and social media–driven hookup culture. The film was a last-minute addition to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Courtney Eaton, Danny Huston and Courtney Eaton. Netflix acquired the rights in a reported seven-figure deal.
– Gravitas Ventures has acquired writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s second feature film, “Abundant Acreage Available.” The film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay Award in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The film focuses on siblings Tracy (Amy Ryan) and Jesse...
– Netflix has acquired the worldwide Svod rights to Drake Doremus’ “Newness,” Deadline reports. The film stars Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa as a couple in contemporary Los Angeles navigating the world of online dating and social media–driven hookup culture. The film was a last-minute addition to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Courtney Eaton, Danny Huston and Courtney Eaton. Netflix acquired the rights in a reported seven-figure deal.
– Gravitas Ventures has acquired writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s second feature film, “Abundant Acreage Available.” The film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay Award in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The film focuses on siblings Tracy (Amy Ryan) and Jesse...
- 6/16/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Klaus Härö’s tale of a champion fencer on the run from the Kgb who winds up teaching schoochildren has strong performances and is luscious to look at
This Finnish-Estonian-German co-production, directed with vim by Klaus Härö, unfolds in the early 1950s, a period that’s still a raw wound for many who survived Soviet oppression under Stalin. Endel (Märt Avandi), a champion fencer quietly on the run from the secret service in Leningrad, manages to get a post teaching at a provincial Estonian school. Before long, he’s developed a deep affection for his charges, mostly war orphans, and starts coaching them on foil control and legwork at an afterschool club. When several kids show promise and skill, Endel must decide whether to risk taking them to Leningrad for a competition. The set-up is a bit schmaltzy and the only guesswork is how bitter the bittersweet ending will be,...
This Finnish-Estonian-German co-production, directed with vim by Klaus Härö, unfolds in the early 1950s, a period that’s still a raw wound for many who survived Soviet oppression under Stalin. Endel (Märt Avandi), a champion fencer quietly on the run from the secret service in Leningrad, manages to get a post teaching at a provincial Estonian school. Before long, he’s developed a deep affection for his charges, mostly war orphans, and starts coaching them on foil control and legwork at an afterschool club. When several kids show promise and skill, Endel must decide whether to risk taking them to Leningrad for a competition. The set-up is a bit schmaltzy and the only guesswork is how bitter the bittersweet ending will be,...
- 9/29/2016
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
★☆☆☆☆ At first glance The Fencer has a lot going for it. Set in Soviet occupied Estonia, it is the oddball tale - partly based on true events - of a renowned fencer (Märt Avandi, known as Endel in the film) on the run from the authorities who sets up a school fencing club in a backwater town. But although the material has real potential for innovative storytelling and historical insight, in director Klaus Härö and writer Anna Heinämaa's hands it quickly degenerates into a mess of clichés and clunkiness.
- 9/29/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Sales and production outfit’s inaugural sales slate to include John Jencks’ The Hippopotamus.
Elie Mechoulam and Caroline Couret-Delègue have teamed to launch Truffle Pictures, a new London-based film sales and production company.
Mechoulam was the former director of sales and marketing at La-based The Little Film Company, working on releases including Elaine Constantine’s Northern Soul and Klaus Härö’s Golden Globe nominated The Fencer.
Couret-Delègue was head of sales and acquisitions at Metrodome International, the sales arm (launched in 2014) of the UK distribution outfit that was placed in administration last month. She was previously head of international sales at Av Pictures.
Truffle Pictures will unveil its inaugural slate at the forthcoming American Film Market (Nov 2-9). That line-up will include John Jencks’ The Hippopotamus, based on Stephen Fry’s novel, which the company has taken on from Metrodome, and Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton’s supernatural thriller We Go On.
The company...
Elie Mechoulam and Caroline Couret-Delègue have teamed to launch Truffle Pictures, a new London-based film sales and production company.
Mechoulam was the former director of sales and marketing at La-based The Little Film Company, working on releases including Elaine Constantine’s Northern Soul and Klaus Härö’s Golden Globe nominated The Fencer.
Couret-Delègue was head of sales and acquisitions at Metrodome International, the sales arm (launched in 2014) of the UK distribution outfit that was placed in administration last month. She was previously head of international sales at Av Pictures.
Truffle Pictures will unveil its inaugural slate at the forthcoming American Film Market (Nov 2-9). That line-up will include John Jencks’ The Hippopotamus, based on Stephen Fry’s novel, which the company has taken on from Metrodome, and Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton’s supernatural thriller We Go On.
The company...
- 9/28/2016
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Piff 39: Five Films Criterion Collection Fans Should See at the Portland International Film Festival
Tomorrow night, the Northwest Film Center kicks off their 39th annual Portland International Film Festival. They’ll be screening Klaus Härö’s The Fencer as the opening night film (unfortunately the screenings are sold out, but there will be an additional showing on Sunday the 14th). Over the course of the next sixteen days there will be over 90 feature films shown around town at various theaters.
This is one of my favorite festivals that I’ve had the privilege of attending, and I cannot wait to see a some of the films that they have programmed.
As usual, we here at the site will be covering a number of the films throughout the festival, but I wanted to make sure that any local Criterion Collection fans were alerted to some of the treats that we have in store. While there are many films at the festival that will align with...
This is one of my favorite festivals that I’ve had the privilege of attending, and I cannot wait to see a some of the films that they have programmed.
As usual, we here at the site will be covering a number of the films throughout the festival, but I wanted to make sure that any local Criterion Collection fans were alerted to some of the treats that we have in store. While there are many films at the festival that will align with...
- 2/11/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
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