Exclusive: France deal for Hungarian comedy-thriller Kills On Wheels about a disabled gang.
Paris-based distributor Pretty Pictures has acquired French rights to Hungarian comedy thriller Kills On Wheels ahead of its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July.
The high-octane comedy-thriller revolves around two physically disabled young men who team up with a wheelchair-using hit man to offer their services to the Mafia as assassins. They enter a surreal world of gangsters and gunfights all the while coping with their disabilities.
The deal was negotiated between Pretty Pictures founding chief James Velaise and Klaudia Androsovitz of...
Paris-based distributor Pretty Pictures has acquired French rights to Hungarian comedy thriller Kills On Wheels ahead of its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July.
The high-octane comedy-thriller revolves around two physically disabled young men who team up with a wheelchair-using hit man to offer their services to the Mafia as assassins. They enter a surreal world of gangsters and gunfights all the while coping with their disabilities.
The deal was negotiated between Pretty Pictures founding chief James Velaise and Klaudia Androsovitz of...
- 6/14/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Pretty Pictures nabs Hungarian comedy-thriller Kills On Wheels about a disabled gang.
Paris-based distributor Pretty Pictures has acquired French rights to Hungarian comedy thriller Kills On Wheels ahead of its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July.
The high-octane comedy-thriller revolves around two physically disabled young men who team up with a wheelchair-using hit man to offer their services to the Mafia as assassins. They enter a surreal world of gangsters and gunfights all the while coping with their disabilities.
The deal was negotiated between Pretty Pictures founding chief James Velaise and Klaudia Androsovitz of...
Paris-based distributor Pretty Pictures has acquired French rights to Hungarian comedy thriller Kills On Wheels ahead of its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July.
The high-octane comedy-thriller revolves around two physically disabled young men who team up with a wheelchair-using hit man to offer their services to the Mafia as assassins. They enter a surreal world of gangsters and gunfights all the while coping with their disabilities.
The deal was negotiated between Pretty Pictures founding chief James Velaise and Klaudia Androsovitz of...
- 6/14/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Shia Labeouf and Sverrir Gudnason star as John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
Pretty Pictures has acquired French rights to the newly announced Borg/McEnroe film to be directed by Janus Metz and starring Shia Labeouf as John McEnroe, Sverrir Gudnason as Bjorn Borg and Stellan Skarsgard as Borg’s coach.
Sf Studios handles sales and Pretty Pictures president James Velaise negotiated the deal with Sf head of international sales Anita Simovic.
Pretty Pictures has also boarded Benjamin Ree’s documentary Magnus from TrustNordisk in a deal that Velaise negotiated with sales manager Nicolai Korsgaard. That Tribeca hit documentary is about chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
Velaise told Screen that Borg/McEnroe “is one of the best scripts we’ve read in a long time, combined with very good ideas on the casting front and an excellent director.
“Both actors are the spitting image of Borg and McEnroe. Having grown up with all these tennis players, I’m instinctively...
Pretty Pictures has acquired French rights to the newly announced Borg/McEnroe film to be directed by Janus Metz and starring Shia Labeouf as John McEnroe, Sverrir Gudnason as Bjorn Borg and Stellan Skarsgard as Borg’s coach.
Sf Studios handles sales and Pretty Pictures president James Velaise negotiated the deal with Sf head of international sales Anita Simovic.
Pretty Pictures has also boarded Benjamin Ree’s documentary Magnus from TrustNordisk in a deal that Velaise negotiated with sales manager Nicolai Korsgaard. That Tribeca hit documentary is about chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
Velaise told Screen that Borg/McEnroe “is one of the best scripts we’ve read in a long time, combined with very good ideas on the casting front and an excellent director.
“Both actors are the spitting image of Borg and McEnroe. Having grown up with all these tennis players, I’m instinctively...
- 5/18/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Films tackling Islamic extremism get limited theatrical release in France following November attacks.
A French documentary, exploring the ideology of the ultra-conservative Islamic Salafist movement in Africa, is whipping up debate in France after the pro-Sharia and Jihadi beliefs freely expressed by interviewees in the work resulted in it being given an 18-certificate, effectively halting its theatrical release.
French film-maker François Margolin and Mauritanian journalist Lemine Ould M. Salem’s joint work Salafists (Salafistes) combines images of life under Islamic law, or Sharia, in the Malian cities of Timbuktu and Gao in 2012 and interviews with Salafist ideologues and followers in Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania.
The central criticism of the film is that it gives free rein to the interviewees to express their extremist beliefs without any counterbalancing commentary or points of view.
French Minister of Culture and Communication Fleur Pellerin said her decision had been based on the fact that the film included “scenes and speeches of extreme...
A French documentary, exploring the ideology of the ultra-conservative Islamic Salafist movement in Africa, is whipping up debate in France after the pro-Sharia and Jihadi beliefs freely expressed by interviewees in the work resulted in it being given an 18-certificate, effectively halting its theatrical release.
French film-maker François Margolin and Mauritanian journalist Lemine Ould M. Salem’s joint work Salafists (Salafistes) combines images of life under Islamic law, or Sharia, in the Malian cities of Timbuktu and Gao in 2012 and interviews with Salafist ideologues and followers in Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania.
The central criticism of the film is that it gives free rein to the interviewees to express their extremist beliefs without any counterbalancing commentary or points of view.
French Minister of Culture and Communication Fleur Pellerin said her decision had been based on the fact that the film included “scenes and speeches of extreme...
- 1/28/2016
- ScreenDaily
Terrorism-themed films to hit French screens in coming days.
French distributor Bac Films has decided to push on with the scheduled release of Nicolas Saada’s Taj Mahal, about the 2008 Mumbai attacks, following a deadly extremist assault on Paris on Friday.
The film, based on the true story of an 18-year-old French girl caught up in the Nov 2008 siege of Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel in which 164 people were killed, will be released on Dec 2.
“Bac has decided to maintain the theatrical release of Nicolas Saada’s Taj Mahal,” Paris-based Bac confirmed in a statement.
The decision came four days after a series of attacks across Paris on Friday night at the Bataclan concert hall, four restaurants and outside the Stade de France, in which 129 people were killed and 350 people injured, many of them severely.
The bloodshed came less than a year after deadly assaults on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris in...
French distributor Bac Films has decided to push on with the scheduled release of Nicolas Saada’s Taj Mahal, about the 2008 Mumbai attacks, following a deadly extremist assault on Paris on Friday.
The film, based on the true story of an 18-year-old French girl caught up in the Nov 2008 siege of Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel in which 164 people were killed, will be released on Dec 2.
“Bac has decided to maintain the theatrical release of Nicolas Saada’s Taj Mahal,” Paris-based Bac confirmed in a statement.
The decision came four days after a series of attacks across Paris on Friday night at the Bataclan concert hall, four restaurants and outside the Stade de France, in which 129 people were killed and 350 people injured, many of them severely.
The bloodshed came less than a year after deadly assaults on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris in...
- 11/17/2015
- ScreenDaily
Bridge of Spies, Jane Got a Gun, Steve Jobs junkets cancelled.
Most Paris cinemas were due to reopen their doors on Monday in the aftermath of terror attacks on the French capital that killed at least 132 people and left 350 injured, 99 severely.
In a campaign to mark France’s three days of national mourning, which entered its final day on Monday, the National Federation for French Cinemas (Fncf) announced it was making available a silent, seven-minute Dcp showing the “Peace for Paris” symbol and suggested cinemas played the clip ahead of screenings.
“Cinema theatres are among the most important places of culture in the heart of the city… Cinema must participate actively in fostering social links and national unity during this moment of mourning and solidarity,” said Fncf president Richard Patry.
The design incorporating the Eiffel Tower into the peace symbol, created by French graphic designer Jean Jullien in the wake of the attacks, has become...
Most Paris cinemas were due to reopen their doors on Monday in the aftermath of terror attacks on the French capital that killed at least 132 people and left 350 injured, 99 severely.
In a campaign to mark France’s three days of national mourning, which entered its final day on Monday, the National Federation for French Cinemas (Fncf) announced it was making available a silent, seven-minute Dcp showing the “Peace for Paris” symbol and suggested cinemas played the clip ahead of screenings.
“Cinema theatres are among the most important places of culture in the heart of the city… Cinema must participate actively in fostering social links and national unity during this moment of mourning and solidarity,” said Fncf president Richard Patry.
The design incorporating the Eiffel Tower into the peace symbol, created by French graphic designer Jean Jullien in the wake of the attacks, has become...
- 11/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
Bridge of Spies, Jane Got a Gun, Steve Jobs junkets cancelled.
Most Paris cinemas were due to reopen their doors on Monday in the aftermath of terror attacks on the French capital that killed at least 132 people and left 350 injured, 99 severely.
In a campaign to mark France’s three days of national mourning, which entered its final day on Monday, the National Federation for French Cinemas (Fncf) announced it was making available a silent, seven-minute Dcp showing the “Peace for Paris” symbol and suggested cinemas played the clip ahead of screenings.
“Cinema theatres are among the most important places of culture in the heart of the city… Cinema must participate actively in fostering social links and national unity during this moment of mourning and solidarity,” said Fncf president Richard Patry.
The design incorporating the Eiffel Tower into the peace symbol, created by French graphic designer Jean Jullien in the wake of the attacks, has become...
Most Paris cinemas were due to reopen their doors on Monday in the aftermath of terror attacks on the French capital that killed at least 132 people and left 350 injured, 99 severely.
In a campaign to mark France’s three days of national mourning, which entered its final day on Monday, the National Federation for French Cinemas (Fncf) announced it was making available a silent, seven-minute Dcp showing the “Peace for Paris” symbol and suggested cinemas played the clip ahead of screenings.
“Cinema theatres are among the most important places of culture in the heart of the city… Cinema must participate actively in fostering social links and national unity during this moment of mourning and solidarity,” said Fncf president Richard Patry.
The design incorporating the Eiffel Tower into the peace symbol, created by French graphic designer Jean Jullien in the wake of the attacks, has become...
- 11/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
Pretty Pictures CEO James Velaise explains why he pulled “brilliant picture” after Paris attacks.
French terror plot thriller Made in France will not be released before the beginning of 2016, following Islamic State attacks in Paris over the weekend.
“We need to re-evaluate the best time to bring the film out,” said James Velaise, president of Paris-based Pretty Pictures, who decided to halt a scheduled release on 100 copies this Wednesday (Nov 18) following the carnage in the French capital on Friday night that saw at least 132 people killed and left 350 injured.
“No-one put any pressure on us to pull the film,” he added. “The cinemas didn’t suddenly say we’re not going to give you the screens. We just decided the subject matter was too close to home to what happened on Friday.
“I can’t see it coming out for at least another six, or even eight weeks. We have to see how events unfold.”
The sixth feature...
French terror plot thriller Made in France will not be released before the beginning of 2016, following Islamic State attacks in Paris over the weekend.
“We need to re-evaluate the best time to bring the film out,” said James Velaise, president of Paris-based Pretty Pictures, who decided to halt a scheduled release on 100 copies this Wednesday (Nov 18) following the carnage in the French capital on Friday night that saw at least 132 people killed and left 350 injured.
“No-one put any pressure on us to pull the film,” he added. “The cinemas didn’t suddenly say we’re not going to give you the screens. We just decided the subject matter was too close to home to what happened on Friday.
“I can’t see it coming out for at least another six, or even eight weeks. We have to see how events unfold.”
The sixth feature...
- 11/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
Pretty Pictures CEO James Velaise explains why he pulled “brilliant picture” after Paris attacks.
French terror plot thriller Made in France will not be released before the beginning of 2016, following Islamic State attacks in Paris over the weekend.
“We need to re-evaluate the best time to bring the film out,” said James Velaise, president of Paris-based Pretty Pictures, who decided to halt a scheduled release on 100 copies this Wednesday (Nov 18) following the carnage in the French capital on Friday night that saw at least 132 people killed and left 350 injured, 99 severely.
“No-one put any pressure on us to pull the film,” he added. “The cinemas didn’t suddenly say we’re not going to give you the screens. We just decided the subject matter was too close to home to what happened on Friday.
“I can’t see it coming out for at least another six, or even eight weeks. We have to see how events unfold.”
The...
French terror plot thriller Made in France will not be released before the beginning of 2016, following Islamic State attacks in Paris over the weekend.
“We need to re-evaluate the best time to bring the film out,” said James Velaise, president of Paris-based Pretty Pictures, who decided to halt a scheduled release on 100 copies this Wednesday (Nov 18) following the carnage in the French capital on Friday night that saw at least 132 people killed and left 350 injured, 99 severely.
“No-one put any pressure on us to pull the film,” he added. “The cinemas didn’t suddenly say we’re not going to give you the screens. We just decided the subject matter was too close to home to what happened on Friday.
“I can’t see it coming out for at least another six, or even eight weeks. We have to see how events unfold.”
The...
- 11/16/2015
- ScreenDaily
Pretty Pictures snaps up raft of international rights; Rialto Pictures to release documentary in the Us and Canada.
Pretty Pictures has acquired rights to documentary Ingrid Bergman - In Her Own Words from TrustNordisk for the Us, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium - marking a new direction for the Paris-based distributor.
The company has already secured a Us and Canadian theatrical release through New York-based Rialto Pictures, which will release the doc on Nov 13 - making it eligible for the Oscars - following its Us debut at the New York Film Festival.
The French rights were previously picked up by Pretty Pictures ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, where the feature received its world premiere and won the L’Oeil d’Or (Golden Eye) for best documentary. The festival also used the face of the Swedish star for its official poster, marking the centennial of her birth.
James Velaise, president...
Pretty Pictures has acquired rights to documentary Ingrid Bergman - In Her Own Words from TrustNordisk for the Us, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium - marking a new direction for the Paris-based distributor.
The company has already secured a Us and Canadian theatrical release through New York-based Rialto Pictures, which will release the doc on Nov 13 - making it eligible for the Oscars - following its Us debut at the New York Film Festival.
The French rights were previously picked up by Pretty Pictures ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, where the feature received its world premiere and won the L’Oeil d’Or (Golden Eye) for best documentary. The festival also used the face of the Swedish star for its official poster, marking the centennial of her birth.
James Velaise, president...
- 8/27/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: German indie powerhouse signs slew of deals.
German sales outfit The Match Factory will be at the Berlinale with a typically strong line-up, which has already piqued plenty of buyer interest.
Four of the company’s titles compete for the Golden Bear, two will premiere in Panorama and one in Forum.
45 Years, the Golden Bear contender starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay by Weekend director Andrew Haigh has recently sold to Benelux (ABC Cinemien), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Australia/ New Zealand (Madman) and Germany (Piffl Medien).
The Match Factory previously secured a deal for the UK (Artificial Eye).
Competition title As We Were Dreaming, which continues The Match Factory’s relationship with director Andreas Dresen and producer Peter Rommel, has been sold to France (Sophie Dulac), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Greece (Ama Films) and ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom).
Pandora Film Verleih will release the drama in Germany after its Berlinale premiere.
Meanwhile, Laura Bispuri’ s debut film Sworn Virgin, also in competition...
German sales outfit The Match Factory will be at the Berlinale with a typically strong line-up, which has already piqued plenty of buyer interest.
Four of the company’s titles compete for the Golden Bear, two will premiere in Panorama and one in Forum.
45 Years, the Golden Bear contender starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay by Weekend director Andrew Haigh has recently sold to Benelux (ABC Cinemien), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Australia/ New Zealand (Madman) and Germany (Piffl Medien).
The Match Factory previously secured a deal for the UK (Artificial Eye).
Competition title As We Were Dreaming, which continues The Match Factory’s relationship with director Andreas Dresen and producer Peter Rommel, has been sold to France (Sophie Dulac), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Greece (Ama Films) and ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom).
Pandora Film Verleih will release the drama in Germany after its Berlinale premiere.
Meanwhile, Laura Bispuri’ s debut film Sworn Virgin, also in competition...
- 2/5/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: German indie powerhouse signs slew of deals.
German sales outfit The Match Factory will be at the Berlinale with a typically strong line-up, which has already piqued plenty of buyer interest.
Four of the company’s titles compete for the Golden Bear, two will premiere in Panorama and one in Forum.
45 Years, the Golden Bear contender starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay by Weekend director Andrew Haigh has recently sold to Benelux (ABC Cinemien), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Australia/ New Zealand (Madman) and Germany (Piffl Medien).
The Match Factory previously secured a deal for the UK (Artificial Eye).
Competition title As We Were Dreaming, which continues The Match Factory’s relationship with director Andreas Dresen and producer Peter Rommel, has been sold to France (Sophie Dulac), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Greece (Ama Films) and ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom).
Pandora Film Verleih will release the drama in Germany after its Berlinale premiere.
Meanwhile, Laura Bispuri’ s debut film Sworn Virgin, also in competition...
German sales outfit The Match Factory will be at the Berlinale with a typically strong line-up, which has already piqued plenty of buyer interest.
Four of the company’s titles compete for the Golden Bear, two will premiere in Panorama and one in Forum.
45 Years, the Golden Bear contender starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay by Weekend director Andrew Haigh has recently sold to Benelux (ABC Cinemien), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Australia/ New Zealand (Madman) and Germany (Piffl Medien).
The Match Factory previously secured a deal for the UK (Artificial Eye).
Competition title As We Were Dreaming, which continues The Match Factory’s relationship with director Andreas Dresen and producer Peter Rommel, has been sold to France (Sophie Dulac), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Greece (Ama Films) and ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom).
Pandora Film Verleih will release the drama in Germany after its Berlinale premiere.
Meanwhile, Laura Bispuri’ s debut film Sworn Virgin, also in competition...
- 2/5/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Premiering in Cartagena Film Festival 2014 and then going to the filmmakers’ hometown, New York City, where " Manos Sucias" ("Dirty Hands") won Tribeca Film Festival’s Best New Narrative Director Award and 2nd place Audience Award, this film has not yet closed Us distribution, but has been acquired internationally by some of the best distributors.
In Cannes, Marina de la Fuentes’ international sales agency, 6 Sales, sold it to Paris-based Pretty Pictures who acquired not only France – its usual home territory – but also Germany, Austria, Benelux and Switzerland. James Velaise of Pretty Pictures screened the film at Tribeca and “immediately fell madly in love with it,” he said.
“It came totally out of the blue, we were mesmerized by the filmmaking. As a first-time film 'Manos Sucias' is outstanding, as good as anything we’ve seen coming out of Latin America in a long time,” said Velaise.
Shot on location in Colombia, using local actors who speak the patois of Buenaventura, "Manos Sucias" reflects years of painstaking research by Josef Wladyka.
“What is fascinating is that the filmmaker spent five years in Buenaventura learning what was going on there and building up the trust of people. The average filmmaker would never take the time to do that. You feel that in the film: There a sense of genuineness which you don’t get in 99% of indie films today,” said Velaise.
At the same time, 'Manos Sucias' is “incredibly tight: On paper, it has some breakout potential to it, because it is a thriller, ” he added.
Pretty Pictures will now seek to sell the film on to distributors in the other four territories, all significant distributors for arthouse films. Velaise reasons that companies exist in these territories that often buy the same films as Pretty Pictures, and share similar tastes. (e.g., "La Jaula de Oro", premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard 2013 and was acquired by Belgium-Fourcorners Distribution, France-Pretty Pictures, Germany-Films Boutique, Hong Kong (China)-Encore Inflight Limited, Hungary-Cirko Film Kft., Italy-Parthenos S.R.L., Mexico-Canibal Networks, Netherlands-Wild Bunch Benelux, Norway-As Fidalgo Film Distribution, Poland-Art House, Puerto Rico-Wiesner Distribution, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Taiwan-Maison Motion, Inc., U.K.- Peccadillo Pictures or "Love is Strange" by Ira Sachs premiered at Sundance 2014 and was acquired by U.S.-Sony Pictures Classics, Australia-Rialto Distribution (Australia), Canada-Métropole Films Distribution, Canada-Mongrel Media Inc., France-Pretty Pictures, Italy-Koch Media, Mexico-Cinemas Nueva Era, Portugal-Midas Filmes, Spain-Golem Distribución, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Turkey-Kurmaca Film, U.K.- Altitude Film Sales). These distributors are all likely candidates to acquire rights to "Manos Sucias" as well.
U.S. rights to "Manos Sucias" are handled by Wme Global’s Mark Ankner and Christine D’Souza. Distributors seeking to win over the booming Latino audience, and who have an affinity for gritty, action-packed, arthouse thrillers, or any of Pretty Pictures’ recent acquisitions (see below) owe it to themselves to check out this film.
This pioneering U.S.- Colombia production was the debut feature by writer-director, Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-writer-dp Alan Blanco. It was produced by Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes, Mirlanda Torres Zapata and Carolina Caicedo and exec-produced by U.S. Film Director Spike Lee.
"Manos Sucias" follows two estranged brothers, both Afro-Colombian fishermen, who embark on a fishing-boat from Buenaventura, Colombia’s biggest Pacific Coast port and a violent drug trade emporium. Their mission is to tow underwater a “narco-torpedo” packed with 100 kilos of cocaine to Panama. En route, they must circumnavigate marauding paramilitaries and impoverished villagers eager for their cargo.
In Cartagena, I interviewed the director, Dp, and producers. Josef Wladyka is a U.S. citizen who is the son of a Japanese mother and a Polish father. He received the Spike Lee Fellowship while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at Nyu.
Josef:
You could say this is a drug story, but you should know it is much more than that. In a fisherman’s village the Afro Colombians are confronted with drug traffic taking place on their ancestral beaches where they have lived for generations.
Before I started Grad Film School at Nyu, I spent several months backpacking with a close friend in South America. We traveled along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and Colombia, and went through these towns that were under siege by narco-trafficking. The locals would tell us stories about homemade submarines, narco-torpedoes, and different armed groups that would fight to control these areas. I became very interested in the subject and wanted to immerse myself more in the world. With the help of a friend from the region, I went back several times to Buenaventura, Tumaco, and other parts of the Pacific coast of Colombia to continue researching and collecting stories.
I also got permission to go to Malaga Naval Base where I saw confiscated narco-torpedoes and submarines first hand. I always had a camera with me and shot lots of footage during my travels. I used that footage to make a pitch video for raising money from Kickstarter and private equity.
The film is an official Colombian production, recognized by the Ley de Cine (The Cinema Law). It is a 50-50 coproduction with Colombian producers Carolina Caicedo and Mirlanda Zapata. With our U.S. producers, Márcia Nunes and Elena Greenlee, that makes four female producers on this film.
Cine Colombia , Colombia’s largest distributor and theater owner, one of the Cartagena Film Festival sponsors as well, invested in the film, as did Caracol, one of Colombia’s top two broadcasters.
Márcia knew Cine Colombia from her previous life in international sales with Goldcrest. Elena, Alan and I scouted in October 2012, one week in Bogotá and through Proimagenes we met many possible co-producers and visited locations. We chose young producers who were hungry for their first film; they were not rigid.
The U.S. producers wanted to do the film U.S. indie style, not in the usual Colombian style. We shot it in Buenaventura, Colombia’s largest port, which has been hit very hard by narco traffickers and violence.
This was the first feature for everyone. Except for Márcia, who got her Masters of Film Business at Gallatin School of Nyu, the others all got their MFAs from Tisch, though some graduated two years ago and others four years ago.
How we, as foreigners, were able to make this film, opening up delicate, sensitive and violent stories, was based on my having no assumptions. And our own cross-cultural backgrounds helped.
We had a great premiere in Cartagena. The festival permits people to see films for free and we were able to test the Colombian audience’s reaction. The film explores the international issue of drug trafficking and the social-exclusion of the Afro-Colombian community on the coast from the mainstream economy in Colombia. The film is genre bending; it is not too arty and is not fully a genre movie. The audience of 800 to 1,000 Colombians laughed and cried, even danced in their seats. Three of the actors also saw the film for the first time, as did the crew. When the actors came up for the Q & A they received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a beautiful moment.
We offered free audiovisual workshops for the community before we shot the film, and found many of our actors and crewmembers through that process. We used Kickstarter to raise Us $60,000 to greenlight production and fund our community workshops in Buenaventura.
Film Independent bestowed the Canon Filmmaker Award upon the film’s two producers, who are also Film Independent Producing Fellows. The Canon Filmmaker Award Program is a program for Film Independent Fellows, alumni of the Los Angeles Film Festival and Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners. Producers Elena Greenlee and Márcia Nunes who had participated in the Find Producing Lab with the project were awarded with the loan of a Canon camera package for their production. Further support was granted by the San Francisco Film Society, who, together with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, awarded the film with two grants, one during the production phase, and one during post-production.
Jennifer Kushner, Director of Artist Development at Film Independent spoke with Elena and Márcia in those early days about Manos Sucias and its upcoming shoot, and here’s what they had to say then:
Manos Sucias, Canon Filmmaker Award Winner Round 2
"The social exclusion of the Pacific coast — home to much of the Afro-Colombian population — is felt throughout the country, echoed in the sentiment that Colombia “doesn’t really have a black population.” While popular culture glamorizes cocaine “cowboys,” and the Us takes a tough stance in the “war on drugs,” few people acknowledge the oppression and resilience of these citizens.
Our goal is for the film to inspire change in our audience, and in the region. We want audiences to realize that people like Jacobo and Delio are not perpetuating the drug trade, they are trapped in it; and to reflect on the impact their personal choices have on the situation.”
“When Josef and Alan brought us the script in early 2012, we immediately fell in love with it. The characters jumped off the page, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Pretty Pictures roster of films illustrates their exceptional taste in films:
"The Dark Valley" ("Das Finstere Tal") By Andreas Prochaska (Acquired From Films Distribution In Feb 2014)
"Dancing In Jaffa" By Hilla Medalia (Acquired From K5 International In Apr 2013)
"Omar" By Hany Abu-Assad (Acquired From The Match Factory In Feb 2013)
"The Look Of Love" By Winterbottom Michael (Acquired From Studiocanal In Aug 2012)
"Pieta" By Ki-Duk Kim (Acquired From Finecut Co. Ltd. In Aug 2012)
"Wadjda" By Haifa Al-Mansour (Acquired From The Match Factory In May 2012)
"The Hunt" ("Jagten") By Thomas Vinterberg (Acquired From Trust In Apr 2012)
"Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present" By Matthew Akers (Acquired From Dogwoof In Feb 2012)...
In Cannes, Marina de la Fuentes’ international sales agency, 6 Sales, sold it to Paris-based Pretty Pictures who acquired not only France – its usual home territory – but also Germany, Austria, Benelux and Switzerland. James Velaise of Pretty Pictures screened the film at Tribeca and “immediately fell madly in love with it,” he said.
“It came totally out of the blue, we were mesmerized by the filmmaking. As a first-time film 'Manos Sucias' is outstanding, as good as anything we’ve seen coming out of Latin America in a long time,” said Velaise.
Shot on location in Colombia, using local actors who speak the patois of Buenaventura, "Manos Sucias" reflects years of painstaking research by Josef Wladyka.
“What is fascinating is that the filmmaker spent five years in Buenaventura learning what was going on there and building up the trust of people. The average filmmaker would never take the time to do that. You feel that in the film: There a sense of genuineness which you don’t get in 99% of indie films today,” said Velaise.
At the same time, 'Manos Sucias' is “incredibly tight: On paper, it has some breakout potential to it, because it is a thriller, ” he added.
Pretty Pictures will now seek to sell the film on to distributors in the other four territories, all significant distributors for arthouse films. Velaise reasons that companies exist in these territories that often buy the same films as Pretty Pictures, and share similar tastes. (e.g., "La Jaula de Oro", premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard 2013 and was acquired by Belgium-Fourcorners Distribution, France-Pretty Pictures, Germany-Films Boutique, Hong Kong (China)-Encore Inflight Limited, Hungary-Cirko Film Kft., Italy-Parthenos S.R.L., Mexico-Canibal Networks, Netherlands-Wild Bunch Benelux, Norway-As Fidalgo Film Distribution, Poland-Art House, Puerto Rico-Wiesner Distribution, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Taiwan-Maison Motion, Inc., U.K.- Peccadillo Pictures or "Love is Strange" by Ira Sachs premiered at Sundance 2014 and was acquired by U.S.-Sony Pictures Classics, Australia-Rialto Distribution (Australia), Canada-Métropole Films Distribution, Canada-Mongrel Media Inc., France-Pretty Pictures, Italy-Koch Media, Mexico-Cinemas Nueva Era, Portugal-Midas Filmes, Spain-Golem Distribución, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Turkey-Kurmaca Film, U.K.- Altitude Film Sales). These distributors are all likely candidates to acquire rights to "Manos Sucias" as well.
U.S. rights to "Manos Sucias" are handled by Wme Global’s Mark Ankner and Christine D’Souza. Distributors seeking to win over the booming Latino audience, and who have an affinity for gritty, action-packed, arthouse thrillers, or any of Pretty Pictures’ recent acquisitions (see below) owe it to themselves to check out this film.
This pioneering U.S.- Colombia production was the debut feature by writer-director, Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-writer-dp Alan Blanco. It was produced by Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes, Mirlanda Torres Zapata and Carolina Caicedo and exec-produced by U.S. Film Director Spike Lee.
"Manos Sucias" follows two estranged brothers, both Afro-Colombian fishermen, who embark on a fishing-boat from Buenaventura, Colombia’s biggest Pacific Coast port and a violent drug trade emporium. Their mission is to tow underwater a “narco-torpedo” packed with 100 kilos of cocaine to Panama. En route, they must circumnavigate marauding paramilitaries and impoverished villagers eager for their cargo.
In Cartagena, I interviewed the director, Dp, and producers. Josef Wladyka is a U.S. citizen who is the son of a Japanese mother and a Polish father. He received the Spike Lee Fellowship while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at Nyu.
Josef:
You could say this is a drug story, but you should know it is much more than that. In a fisherman’s village the Afro Colombians are confronted with drug traffic taking place on their ancestral beaches where they have lived for generations.
Before I started Grad Film School at Nyu, I spent several months backpacking with a close friend in South America. We traveled along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and Colombia, and went through these towns that were under siege by narco-trafficking. The locals would tell us stories about homemade submarines, narco-torpedoes, and different armed groups that would fight to control these areas. I became very interested in the subject and wanted to immerse myself more in the world. With the help of a friend from the region, I went back several times to Buenaventura, Tumaco, and other parts of the Pacific coast of Colombia to continue researching and collecting stories.
I also got permission to go to Malaga Naval Base where I saw confiscated narco-torpedoes and submarines first hand. I always had a camera with me and shot lots of footage during my travels. I used that footage to make a pitch video for raising money from Kickstarter and private equity.
The film is an official Colombian production, recognized by the Ley de Cine (The Cinema Law). It is a 50-50 coproduction with Colombian producers Carolina Caicedo and Mirlanda Zapata. With our U.S. producers, Márcia Nunes and Elena Greenlee, that makes four female producers on this film.
Cine Colombia , Colombia’s largest distributor and theater owner, one of the Cartagena Film Festival sponsors as well, invested in the film, as did Caracol, one of Colombia’s top two broadcasters.
Márcia knew Cine Colombia from her previous life in international sales with Goldcrest. Elena, Alan and I scouted in October 2012, one week in Bogotá and through Proimagenes we met many possible co-producers and visited locations. We chose young producers who were hungry for their first film; they were not rigid.
The U.S. producers wanted to do the film U.S. indie style, not in the usual Colombian style. We shot it in Buenaventura, Colombia’s largest port, which has been hit very hard by narco traffickers and violence.
This was the first feature for everyone. Except for Márcia, who got her Masters of Film Business at Gallatin School of Nyu, the others all got their MFAs from Tisch, though some graduated two years ago and others four years ago.
How we, as foreigners, were able to make this film, opening up delicate, sensitive and violent stories, was based on my having no assumptions. And our own cross-cultural backgrounds helped.
We had a great premiere in Cartagena. The festival permits people to see films for free and we were able to test the Colombian audience’s reaction. The film explores the international issue of drug trafficking and the social-exclusion of the Afro-Colombian community on the coast from the mainstream economy in Colombia. The film is genre bending; it is not too arty and is not fully a genre movie. The audience of 800 to 1,000 Colombians laughed and cried, even danced in their seats. Three of the actors also saw the film for the first time, as did the crew. When the actors came up for the Q & A they received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a beautiful moment.
We offered free audiovisual workshops for the community before we shot the film, and found many of our actors and crewmembers through that process. We used Kickstarter to raise Us $60,000 to greenlight production and fund our community workshops in Buenaventura.
Film Independent bestowed the Canon Filmmaker Award upon the film’s two producers, who are also Film Independent Producing Fellows. The Canon Filmmaker Award Program is a program for Film Independent Fellows, alumni of the Los Angeles Film Festival and Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners. Producers Elena Greenlee and Márcia Nunes who had participated in the Find Producing Lab with the project were awarded with the loan of a Canon camera package for their production. Further support was granted by the San Francisco Film Society, who, together with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, awarded the film with two grants, one during the production phase, and one during post-production.
Jennifer Kushner, Director of Artist Development at Film Independent spoke with Elena and Márcia in those early days about Manos Sucias and its upcoming shoot, and here’s what they had to say then:
Manos Sucias, Canon Filmmaker Award Winner Round 2
"The social exclusion of the Pacific coast — home to much of the Afro-Colombian population — is felt throughout the country, echoed in the sentiment that Colombia “doesn’t really have a black population.” While popular culture glamorizes cocaine “cowboys,” and the Us takes a tough stance in the “war on drugs,” few people acknowledge the oppression and resilience of these citizens.
Our goal is for the film to inspire change in our audience, and in the region. We want audiences to realize that people like Jacobo and Delio are not perpetuating the drug trade, they are trapped in it; and to reflect on the impact their personal choices have on the situation.”
“When Josef and Alan brought us the script in early 2012, we immediately fell in love with it. The characters jumped off the page, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Pretty Pictures roster of films illustrates their exceptional taste in films:
"The Dark Valley" ("Das Finstere Tal") By Andreas Prochaska (Acquired From Films Distribution In Feb 2014)
"Dancing In Jaffa" By Hilla Medalia (Acquired From K5 International In Apr 2013)
"Omar" By Hany Abu-Assad (Acquired From The Match Factory In Feb 2013)
"The Look Of Love" By Winterbottom Michael (Acquired From Studiocanal In Aug 2012)
"Pieta" By Ki-Duk Kim (Acquired From Finecut Co. Ltd. In Aug 2012)
"Wadjda" By Haifa Al-Mansour (Acquired From The Match Factory In May 2012)
"The Hunt" ("Jagten") By Thomas Vinterberg (Acquired From Trust In Apr 2012)
"Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present" By Matthew Akers (Acquired From Dogwoof In Feb 2012)...
- 7/18/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: German kids adventure Fiddlesticks has been snapped up buyers following its market premiere.
Following a deal with Farbfilm for theatrical release in Germany and Austria in October, the feature has been sold to France (Pretty Pictures), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe) and Romania (Metropolis).
Deals for Benelux and Norway to be announced soon, according to director Veit Helmer, who is coordinating theatrical sales himself while BetaFilm handles TV sales.
Fiddlesticks tells the story of six youngsters who try and free their grandparents from and old people’s home, with a cast that includes Benno Fürmann and Fritzi Haberlandt.
Pretty Pictures’ James Velaise said: “What a delight to discover a really fun live action European film (such a rarity these days) for children from four years old and all the way up to watching with parents. My four year boy screened it in German with delight and gave me the big thumbs up so that was...
Following a deal with Farbfilm for theatrical release in Germany and Austria in October, the feature has been sold to France (Pretty Pictures), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe) and Romania (Metropolis).
Deals for Benelux and Norway to be announced soon, according to director Veit Helmer, who is coordinating theatrical sales himself while BetaFilm handles TV sales.
Fiddlesticks tells the story of six youngsters who try and free their grandparents from and old people’s home, with a cast that includes Benno Fürmann and Fritzi Haberlandt.
Pretty Pictures’ James Velaise said: “What a delight to discover a really fun live action European film (such a rarity these days) for children from four years old and all the way up to watching with parents. My four year boy screened it in German with delight and gave me the big thumbs up so that was...
- 5/19/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad is planning to reunite with some of the team behind his Oscar-nominated 2005 feature Paradise Now.
Abu-Assad said Palestine-set drama Lamya will likely be next film.
“It’s about a girl seeking her mother,” explained the director. “The story is that the mother ran away with her lover, but the girl can’t believe that a mother could leave her daughter for a man. It’s a road movie of sorts.”
Click here for the full interview
Abu-Assad said he intends to work on the film with his Paradise Now collaborators, including producers Roman Paul of Razor Film and Augustus Film from the Netherlands, as well as Us duo Laura Kim and Paul Federbush [the former Warner Independent Pictures execs who distributed Paradise Now in the Us] and Pretty Pictures’ James Velaise.
The Match Factory, which also handles Omar, is on board for international sales.
Abu Assad won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for new thriller Omar, which...
Abu-Assad said Palestine-set drama Lamya will likely be next film.
“It’s about a girl seeking her mother,” explained the director. “The story is that the mother ran away with her lover, but the girl can’t believe that a mother could leave her daughter for a man. It’s a road movie of sorts.”
Click here for the full interview
Abu-Assad said he intends to work on the film with his Paradise Now collaborators, including producers Roman Paul of Razor Film and Augustus Film from the Netherlands, as well as Us duo Laura Kim and Paul Federbush [the former Warner Independent Pictures execs who distributed Paradise Now in the Us] and Pretty Pictures’ James Velaise.
The Match Factory, which also handles Omar, is on board for international sales.
Abu Assad won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for new thriller Omar, which...
- 9/10/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad is planning to reunite with some of the team behind his Oscar-nominated 2005 feature Paradise Now.
Abu-Assad said Palestine-set drama Lamya will likely be next film.
“It’s about a girl seeking her mother,” explained the director. “The story is that the mother ran away with her lover, but the girl can’t believe that a mother could leave her daughter for a man. It’s a road movie of sorts.”
Click here for the full interview
Abu-Assad said he intends to work on the film with his Paradise Now collaborators, including producers Roman Paul of Razor Film and Augustus Film from the Netherlands, as well as Us duo Laura Kim and Paul Federbush [the former Warner Independent Pictures execs who distributed Paradise Now in the Us] and Pretty Pictures’ James Velaise.
The Match Factory, which also handles Omar, is on board for international sales.
Abu Assad won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for new thriller Omar, which...
Abu-Assad said Palestine-set drama Lamya will likely be next film.
“It’s about a girl seeking her mother,” explained the director. “The story is that the mother ran away with her lover, but the girl can’t believe that a mother could leave her daughter for a man. It’s a road movie of sorts.”
Click here for the full interview
Abu-Assad said he intends to work on the film with his Paradise Now collaborators, including producers Roman Paul of Razor Film and Augustus Film from the Netherlands, as well as Us duo Laura Kim and Paul Federbush [the former Warner Independent Pictures execs who distributed Paradise Now in the Us] and Pretty Pictures’ James Velaise.
The Match Factory, which also handles Omar, is on board for international sales.
Abu Assad won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for new thriller Omar, which...
- 9/10/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
All the latest news, reviews, comment and buzz from the Croisette, as it happens
9.15am: Morning all. Well, it's the morning after Britain's big night at this year's Cannes film festival, when Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, wildly received by the critics yesterday, got its turn on the red carpet.
We've just launched this reel review on the movie, which also includes various pundits' take on the film, as well as that of our own Xan Brooks. Sample quote: "I'm still scared."
9.26am: So what else is on the cards today? Well we'll be updating our gallery from last night, then in an hour or so we'll launch another video – Xan's exploits wandering round the Marché, that fantastic flogging ground for weird and wonderful flicks. Then we'll have a first review of Habemus Papam, Nanni Moretti's hot potato film about the Pope, plus Xan's diary of the day,...
9.15am: Morning all. Well, it's the morning after Britain's big night at this year's Cannes film festival, when Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, wildly received by the critics yesterday, got its turn on the red carpet.
We've just launched this reel review on the movie, which also includes various pundits' take on the film, as well as that of our own Xan Brooks. Sample quote: "I'm still scared."
9.26am: So what else is on the cards today? Well we'll be updating our gallery from last night, then in an hour or so we'll launch another video – Xan's exploits wandering round the Marché, that fantastic flogging ground for weird and wonderful flicks. Then we'll have a first review of Habemus Papam, Nanni Moretti's hot potato film about the Pope, plus Xan's diary of the day,...
- 5/13/2011
- by Catherine Shoard, Ian J Griffiths
- The Guardian - Film News
HONG KONG -- French rights to Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises" have been acquired by Pretty Pictures from Hong Kong's Emperor Motion Pictures.
The deal was brokered between Alan Ng of Emperor Motion Pictures and James Velaise of Pretty Pictures. The film is set for release in France in April with 50 prints.
"Sun" screened at this year's Venice Film Festival, but lost the Golden Lion to Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution". It also screened at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival.
The film stars Joan Chen, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan and Jiang Wen, best known for his role opposite Gong Li in "Red Sorghum", for which he was nominated in China for best actor at the Golden Rooster Awards in 1988.
The deal was brokered between Alan Ng of Emperor Motion Pictures and James Velaise of Pretty Pictures. The film is set for release in France in April with 50 prints.
"Sun" screened at this year's Venice Film Festival, but lost the Golden Lion to Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution". It also screened at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival.
The film stars Joan Chen, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan and Jiang Wen, best known for his role opposite Gong Li in "Red Sorghum", for which he was nominated in China for best actor at the Golden Rooster Awards in 1988.
- 11/2/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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