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The Party Films Sales, the newly launched Paris-based film company, is making its market debut at the Efm with several acquisitions, including Javier Polo’s “The Mystery of the Pink Flamingos” and Jim Rakete’s “Now.”

The company brings together the international sales units of two banners, Jour2Fête, a French distribution company, and Doc & Film Intl., a world sales company that was recently acquired by Jour2Fete following the exit of its CEO Daniela Elstner, who is now UniFrance’s managing director.

“The Mystery of the Pink Flamingos” and “Now” are being delivered in two different versions, a feature-length one aimed at theatrical distributors, and a 52-minute format for TV channels. Samuel Blanc, co-head of international sales at The Party Films Sales, said the company was interested in building bridges between film and TV through the acquisitions of movies that can be viewed in different formats.

“The Mystery of the...

Festival will feature 10 films from the German cinematographer in February.

The 66th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) is to award an Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement to German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, to whom the festival is also dedicating this year’s Homage.

Ballhaus is perhaps best known for his collaboration with director Martin Scorsese on films including Goodfellas, The Color of Money, The Age of Innocence and Gangs Of New York.

Before spending 25 years working primarily in the Us, Ballhaus established his reputation in Germany where he worked with, among others, auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

The award will be bestowed on Feb 18, accompanied by a screening of Gangs Of New York, which was shown out of competition at the 2003 Berlinale.

The previous evening, there will be an in conversation event titled Michael Ballhaus Meets Jim Rakete.

Ballhaus was president of the Berlinale’s International Jury in 1990 and was awarded the Berlinale Camera for his unique...

Chris Kraus was born in Goettingen, Germany and studied at the German Film and Television Academy (Dffb) in Berlin, where he now teaches. Already a noted scriptwriter before making his debut as a director, Kraus scored a notable success with his first feature, Scherbentanz (Shattered Glass, 2002), which was awarded two Bavarian Film Prizes, among other awards. His second film, Vier Minuten (Four Minutes, 2006), was one of the most successful German films of past years and won over 50 German and international awards, including the Audience Prize at San Francisco's 2007 Frameline Film Festival. In The Poll Diaries (2010) [official German site], Kraus continues his tradition of introducing sensational young talents to the movie-going public: after Hannah Herzsprung in Four Minutes, it is now Paula Beer's turn to shine as Oda von Siering, the adolescent protagonist of The Poll Diaries, which boasted its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) and is now poised for its U.

Chris Kraus was born in Goettingen, Germany and studied at the German Film and Television Academy (Dffb) in Berlin, where he now teaches. Already a noted scriptwriter before making his debut as a director, Kraus scored a notable success with his first feature, Scherbentanz (Shattered Glass, 2002), which was awarded two Bavarian Film Prizes, among other awards. His second film, Vier Minuten (Four Minutes, 2006), was one of the most successful German films of past years and won over 50 German and international awards, including the Audience Prize at San Francisco's 2007 Frameline Film Festival. In The Poll Diaries (2010), Kraus continues his tradition of introducing sensational young talents to the movie-going public: after Hannah Herzsprung in Four Minutes, it is now the turn of Paula Beer who plays Oda von Siering, the adolescent protagonist of The Poll Diaries, which boasted its world premiere at Tiff 2010: "On the eve of World War I, a...