News

Well folks, after a rather long and brutal winter (at least for me here in Buffalo), we are finally heading into the wonderful warmth of summer, but with that blast of sunshine and steamy humidity comes the mid-year drought of major film fests. After the Sheffield Doc/Fest concludes on June 10th and AFI Docs wraps on June 21st, we likely won’t see any major influx in our charts until Locarno, Venice, Telluride and Tiff announce their line-ups in rapid succession. In the meantime, we can look forward to the intriguing onslaught of films making their debut in Sheffield, including Brian Hill’s intriguing examination of Sweden’s most notorious serial killer, The Confessions of Thomas Quick, and Sean McAllister’s film for which he himself was jailed in the process of making, A Syrian Love Story, the only two films world premiering in the festival’s main competition.

Exclusive: Roman Kopelevich’s La-based sales company is in Cannes with a varied roster of completed titles.

Morning stars Jeanne Tripplehorn, Laura Linney and Leland Orser in the story of a couple moving towards hope in the aftermath of their child’s death. Orser wrote and directed.

Paws, Bones & Rock ’n’ Roll screens in the market and bears the distinction of a Timur Bekmambetov producer credit. Maxim Sveshnikov directed the tale about two dogs home alone who defend the home against intruders.

Also screening is the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival world premiere It’s Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong (pictured) from writer-director Emily Ting. Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg star in the romance.

Michael Shumway directed and produces Alienate from a screenplay by Rick Hansberry and Lex Hogan about a man flying home to his family who becomes trapped on a plane during an alien invasion. Blake Webb, Tatum Ponce and Jaclyn Hales star.

Max Ryan, [link...

NEW YORK -- In a series of films torn from the headlines, Christian Johnson will write and direct the three-feature "Blackline International Trilogy," inspired by the recent Blackwater incidents resulting in the death of Iraq civilians.

The first film will be Blackline: The Beirut Contract, produced by Nabil Issa, Kirk Hassig (Manic) and Johnson. Issa also is producing the upcoming Pepsi-financed $10 million musical Bahr Al Nujoom, said to be the most expensive Arab musical ever made.

Each film centers on Blackline International, a fictional private military corporation. Contract revolves around three of its soldiers for hire and their mission to rescue a man taken hostage in Beirut after negotiating for peace among warring factions. The filmmakers plan a same-day release of a video game and interactive DVD allowing users to duplicate the experiences of the main characters and explore alternate versions of the story line.

Issa's Signature Prods., based in Dubai and Beirut, Lebanon, will finance the films with Los Angeles-based indie production outfit Big Deal Pictures.