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Hot projects new to Screenbase include Nicolas Winding Refn feature The Neon Demon, Pope Francis biopic Francisco, Brady Corbet’s directorial debut The Childhood Of A Leader and a new adaptation by Wim Wenders.Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon

Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote and Jena Malone have signed on to co-star in Nicolas Winding Refn’s next feature.

“After making Drive and falling madly in love with the electricity of Los Angeles, I knew I had to return to tell the story of The Neon Demon,” Winding Refn said.

Principal photography will begin in Los Angeles on March 30. Gaumont and Wild Bunch are co-selling the title.

Wim Wenders’ Les Beaux Jours D’Aranjuez

This adaptation of the play by Peter Handke was announced by Alfama’s Paulo Branco during the Efm. It will star Reda Kateb and Sophie Semin. Wenders is expected to shoot in June.

Brady Corbet’s [link...

Beta wins My Special Prize for the Best Berlin Lineup of all the International Sales Agents

From the producer of 2013 Golden Bear winner “Child’s Pose” comes “Aferim!” playing in Berlinale Competition. Policeman Costandin, a charismatic mixture of a funny Stalin and a somewhat more pragmatic Don Quixote, and his shy and introverted son ride through the rural countryside In search of a fugitive Gypsy slave. Meeting hundreds of characters, delivering a surprise in every scene, this is an ingenious Western in a very wild East of 19th century Romania directed by Radu Jude (“Everybody in our Family”) and produced by HiFilm’s Ada Solomon, Klas, Endorfilm and Mulberry Development, and stars Teodor Corban (“Child’s Pose”, “Beyond the Hills”), Mihai Comãnoiu and Cuzin Toma.

Forum entry “Zurich," Oliver Hirschbiegel’s "13 Minutes" (Competition - Out of Competition) plus this year’s Sundance Audience Award winner “Umrika” and the new Sky Italia series “1992" kicking off the Berlinale Special Series section make this a banner Berlin for Beta Cinema.

In official selection/out of competition bows Nazi resistance drama "13 Minutes" about failed Hitler assassin Georg Elser. Oliver Hirschbiegel, whose Academy Award nominated “Downfall” is one of the most successful Beta Cinema titles ever with 145 sold territories, presents a stunning, emotional portrait of the resistance fighter and his attack on the Munich Bürgerbräukeller on November 8th 1939. Georg Elser was a man who could have changed world history and saved millions of human lives, but his bomb, built to tear Adolf Hitler apart, exploded 13 minutes late. Produced by Lucky Bird’s Oliver Schündler and Boris Ausserer, who just recently won the Bavarian Film Award for "13 Minutes", and written by Fred Breinersdorfer (“Sophie Scholl”), the feature stars Christian Friedel (“The White Ribbon”), Katharina Schüttler (“Generation of War” ) and Burghart Klaussner (“The White Ribbon”).

Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak, who received the prestigious Fipresci-award at the 2012 Berlinale for Hemel, presents with "Zurich" her second feature film, a road movie starring famous Dutch singer and performance artist Wende Snijders. "Zurich" (Viking Film/Rohfilm/Private View/Nrt/Zdf/arte) revolves around Nina, who is wandering along Europe’s motorways in a desperate attempt to leave the past behind. Slowly it becomes clear that Nina’s drive to hang around in the truckers’ scene is a result of the pain caused by the ultimate betrayal that has befallen her. Sacha Polak developed the script by author Helena van der Meulen during last year’s Berlinale Residency program.

Kicking off the Berlinale Special Series, designated to promote outstanding international TV-series, is the political thriller "1992" from Sky Italia ("Gomorrah"), La 7 and Wildside. Over 20 years ago, on February 17th 1992, the first arrest within the so-called Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) maxi-investigation was made in Italy. It was the symbolic start of a revolution. "1992" revolves around six ordinary people whose lives are intertwined with the country's political, civil and social earthquake. The 10xone hour series stars Stefano Accorsi (idea), Guido Caprino and Miriam Leone; director is Giuseppe Gagliardi.

Celebrating its Berlin Market Premiere is Prashant Nair’s Indian drama "Umrika," which just recently received the Audience Award at Sundance, starring world-renowned, up-and-coming young actors Suraj Sharma ("Life of Pi") and Tony Revolori ("The Grand Budapest Hotel," "Dope"). "Umrika" (Hindi for America) is about a small village in India that is invigorated when one of their own travels to America, sharing his adventures and inspiring hope through letters home. But when the letters mysteriously stop coming, his brother sets out on a journey to find him.

Also premiering at the market is the fourth adventure of "The Famous Five" (Sam Film/Constantin), in which Enid Blyton’s teenager gang venture thousands of miles and thousands of years back in time to solve yet another nail-biting mystery. Prolific maverick filmmaker Detlev Buck ("Hands off Mississippi") presents as international market premiere "Bibi & Tina 2," an inventive live-action adaptation of the teen-adventure and romance in the beloved “Bibi & Tina” universe.

Amongst the upcoming titles, "Colonia" is heading the slate, starring Emma Watson in her first lead role since "Harry Potter" alongside Daniel Brühl ("Rush") as her abducted boyfriend and opposite a very sinister Mikael Nykvist ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"). The $15 million production wrapped shooting mid-January and is being presold at the European Film Market.

"Ghosthunters: On Icy Trails" marks another English-language presales highlight for the Efm. This witty and charming Family Entertainment movie sees Milo Parker ("Robot Overlords") team up with the animated Asg, the “Averagely Spooky Ghost” Hugo, to save the world from the “Ancient Ice Ghost”. A promo will be made available for buyers.

Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North American and Latin American rights to “13 Minutes” from Beta Cinema, the company announced Saturday. The film, starring Christian Friedel, Katharina Schüttler, Burghart Klaußner, and Johann von Bülow, depicts a German carpenter who could’ve saved millions of lives if only he had 13 more minutes—to blow up Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. It’s produced by Lucky Bird Pictures in coproduction with Swr, Ard Degeto, Br, Wdr, Arte, Delphi Medien and Philipp film production. Producers are Boris Ausserer, Oliver Schündler (Lucky Bird) and Fred Breinersdorfer (Delphi). Also Read: Sony Classics Acquires Woody Allen’s ‘Irrational Man’ Starring Joaquin.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American and Latin American rights from Beta Cinema to 13 Minutes, Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Hitler assassination drama that plays out of competition in Berlin.

Christian Friedel, Katharina Schüttler, Burghart Klaussner and Johann von Bülow star in the story of a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

Lucky Bird Pictures produces with Swr, Ard Degeto, Br, Wdr, Arte, Delphi Medien and Philipp film production. Boris Ausserer, Oliver Schündler and Fred Breinersdorfer served as producers.

13 Minutes centres on Georg Elser, a carpenter who built a bomb to kill the Fuhrer only for the 1939 plot to collapse when Hitler left the scene unexpectedly early.

Oliver Hirschbiegel’s "13 Minutes" (aka “Georg Elser”) was among the top sellers at this year’s Afm with a wide range of deals closed for all continents. The latest film by the Academy Award-nominated director secured an all-rights-agreement from Beta Cinema for UK and Ireland, Studiocanal also locked the rights for Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore Beta Cinema sold the emotional portrait of the resistance fighter who tried to assassinate Hitler to Japan (Gaga Communications), France (Sophie Dulac Distribution), Scandinavia (Svensk Filmindustri), Benelux (September Film Rights), Brazil (Mares Filmes), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), and Colombia (Cine Colombia).

Beta Cinema’s Afm promo reel raised also strong interest from distributors in the Us, amongst others.

"13 Minutes" relates the background of the failed attack on Hitler on November 8th 1939 in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller, where Hitler left the scene only 13 minutes before the explosion – leaving Elser to fail catastrophically. Painting a suspenseful, emotional portrait of "Georgie", how he was called in his hometown, the story takes us from Georg Elser’s early years in the Swabian Alps - when National Socialism arose - to his last days at the Dachau concentration camp, where he was killed shortly before the end of the war.

Hirschbiegel (“Downfall”) is supported by high-ranking talents before and behind the camera: Christian Friedel ("The White Ribbon"), Katharina Schüttler (“Generation War”) and Burghart Klaußner ("The White Ribbon") take the leads; among the crew members are author Fred Breinersdorfer ("Sophie Scholl"), Dop Judith Kaufmann ("Four Minutes") and the set-designer duo Benedikt Herforth ("Rommel") and Thomas Stammer (“Generation War”). The Oliver Hirschbiegel film is a production of Lucky Bird Pictures in coproduction with Swr, Ard Degeto, Br, Wdr, Arte, Delphi Medien, Philipp filmproduction and Broth Film. Producers are Oliver Schündler, Boris Ausserer ("Lucky Bird") and Fred Breinersdorfer ("Delphi"). Nfp ("The Lunchbox", " Hannah Arendt") will release the feature next April in Germany.

Territories in Europe and Asia snap up 13 Minutes.

Beta Cinema has revealed a raft of further sales of Oliver Hirschbiegel’s 13 Minutes (aka Georg Elser) in the wake of the American Film Market.

During the market, Beta announced it had secured an all-rights agreement with StudioCanal for UK and Ireland. StudioCanal has now locked rights for Australia and New Zealand.

The film has also been sold to Japan (Gaga Corporation), France (Sophie Dulac Distribution), Scandinavia (Svensk Filmindustri), Benelux (September Film Rights), Brasil (Mares Filmes), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), and Colombia (Cine Colombia).

Beta said there was further interest from the Us.

Beta screened a promo reel to distributors at the Afm of 13 Minutes, which relates to the failed attack on Hitler on November 8 1939 in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller, where the Nazi leader left the scene only 13 minutes before the explosion.

The film centres on would-be assassin Georgie Elser and begins during his early years in the Swabian Alps -...

Oliver Hirschbiegel to direct the story of Georg Elser, the man who attempted to assassinate Hitler in 1939.

Ten years after the success of Oscar-nominated Downfall, about the last days of Hitler, director Oliver Hirschbiegel returns to Germany with a new, Nazi drama.

Shooting on Georg Elser, a portrait of the resistance fighter who tried to assassinate Hitler in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller in November 1939, started yesterday (July 2) in Wackershofen, Southern Germany.

It marks a return to Hirschbiegel’s home turf after making biopic Diana, about the last two years in the life of Princess Diana, which was poorly received by critics.

Hirschbiegel replaces Torsten C. Fischer, who had previously been attached to direct.

In the upcoming film, Christian Friedel (The White Ribbon) will play Elser, Katharina Schüttler (Generation War) will portray his girlfriend Elsa and and Burghart Klaussner (The White Ribbon) will play head of the Criminal Police of the “Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich Defense Office) Arthur Nebe.

The crew includes...