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After a blockbuster debut in 2022, the London Action Festival is set to return this summer for its second edition.

The festival is timed to be squarely in the middle of the summer action movie season. This summer will see the release of “Fast X,” “Kandahar,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One” in the May-July time frame and the festival will unspool June 21-25.

Highlights of the inaugural edition included The World’s Greatest Screening Ever… Probably! – an enhanced screening experience of “Die Hard” with director John McTiernan; a making of “Jurassic World Dominion” with an Academy Award-winning VFX panel presented by Proof Inc. and director Colin Trevorrow participating; exclusive previews of season 2 of Sky original “Gangs of London” with director Corin Hardy and Marv’s “School Fight” from stunt coordinator turned director Damien Walters; and...

Vienna-based Autlook Filmsales has picked up global rights to upcoming documentary Cannes Uncut.

Filmmakers and stars including Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, Ken Loach and Sharon Stone feature in the doc, which aims to capture the film festival in all its guises and suggest what it might offer in the future. It also features industry professionals and an in-depth interview with festival head Thierry Frémaux.

Co-directed by Richard Blanshard and Roger Penny, producers are Colin Burrows, Mark Adams, Chris Pickard and Blanshard. It is being readied for release this summer.

The film covers the red carpets, films, stunts, deals, parties and...

Creative agency Once Upon a Time (Ouat) has acquired film content specialist The Special Treats Production Company for an undisclosed sum.

Colin Burrows founded Special Treats more than 30 years ago and served as MD. Special Treats has produced a range of documentaries, TV movies and electronic press kits for the film, TV and music industries. It has several clients in common with Ouat including Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros, Universal and Netflix. Twenty year veteran of the company, Lisa Fass, will become the new MD.

Ouat is headquartered in London with offices in Nottingham, New York and Los Angeles. The addition of Special Treats is aligned with its strategy to offer specialist audio visual and advertising services in the entertainment, music, gaming and hospitality sectors and with its focus on expanding its capabilities in the audio visual arena, Ouat said. Ouat’s previous acquisitions include New York-based IdeaWork Studio Inc and health and beauty specialist,...

In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Starring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, with Jeffrey Wright, with Christoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes as “M”, the movie is from director Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Check out the new trailer and see it in theaters on October 8.

Being James Bond, from Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), will be exclusively available to stream on the Apple TV app as a free rental ahead of the theatrical release of the upcoming 25th film in the James Bond franchise, No Time To Die.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Being James Bond, from Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), will be exclusively available to stream on the Apple TV app as a free rental ahead of the theatrical release of the upcoming 25th film in the James Bond franchise, No Time To Die.* In this special 45-minute retrospective, Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15-year adventure as James Bond. Customers in over 30 countries and regions around the globe can rent the film for free and stream it exclusively on the Apple TV app from September 7 to October 7.

Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, in the lead up to his final performance as James Bond.

“A lot of people here have worked on five pictures with me,” Craig noted...

MGM is releasing a documentary short film called “Being James Bond” about how Daniel Craig specifically transformed into 007, and in a first teaser for the film, Craig explains how he was “overwhelmed” by the role and was eager to change.

“I thought I wouldn’t know how to handle it, but I knew we were doing something really special. I literally met my trainer with a rolly and a bacon sandwich and I said, I want to change,” Craig says in the clip. “I was so overwhelmed. My world had turned upside down. But I’m incredibly proud and I’m incredibly fortunate to do this.”

“Being James Bond” is being released by MGM and will be available as a free rental on the Apple TV app for one month ahead of the release of “No Time to Die,” which is the 25th James Bond movie and Daniel Craig’s...

Being James Bond, from MGM, will stream exclusively on the Apple TV app as a free rental ahead of the theatrical release of No Time To Die, the 25th installment of the storied franchise.

The 45-minute retrospective features Daniel Craig reflecting on his 15 years playing Bond, with never-before-seen archival footage from his oeuvre and conversations with 07 producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It will be available for free to Apple TV customers in over 30 countries and regions from September 7 through October 7. No Time To Die, Craig’s last outing as Bond, will be released in theaters on Sept. 30 in the U.K. through Universal Pictures International and in the U.S. on Oct. 8 through MGM via United Artists Releasing.

“A lot of people here have worked on five pictures with me,” the actor tells Wilson and Broccoli in the film. “I’ve loved every single second of these movies,...

Journalist Christopher Pickard was at the just-concluded Cannes Film Festival as part of a film crew shooting “Cannes Uncut,” a feature-length documentary celebrating the iconic festival that will be ready in time for its 75th edition next year. He shares his experiences of shooting during this year’s festival exclusively with Variety.

Like many others, even in the week before the opening of the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 6, we were still not certain if we would ever get to the south of France. Would the French government close its borders to Britain, or would the U.K. government stop people travelling to Europe? And if a 10-day quarantine was imposed, we, like others, would miss most of the festival. Welcome to the new norm for global travel.

Not the most relaxing way to start a shoot as we — Special Treats Productions — were on our way to film for “Cannes Uncut,...

Feature-length documentary to be completed ahead of festival’s 75th anniversary in 2022.

The first major documentary to cover the history of the Cannes Film Festival is to shoot at this year’s edition, with the aim of delivering in time for the festival’s 75th anniversary in 2022.

Cannes Uncut will mix archive material with interviews and footage filmed at the 74th edition, which will take place from July 6-17. It will be produced by the UK’s Special Treats Productions, which is known for producing electronic press kits and junkets for the film and TV industries but also documentaries. It...

A feature documentary is in the works that will chronicle the storied history of the Cannes Film Festival. The pic promises to delve behind the scenes of the famously glitzy event and will release in time for the fest’s 75-year anniversary in 2022.

Cannes Uncut comes from indie producer Colin Burrows, critic and film festival exec Mark Adams, journalist Chris Pickard and photographer-director Richard Blanshard. The team will be in Cannes this year to film new footage and conduct interviews. They said they are now in discussions with sales agents.

The project will look at the numerous outlandish and dramatic events that the French Riviera has witnessed over its three-quarters of a century history from spectacular promotional stunts to glamorous red-carpet arrivals and wild parties.

Blanshard shared a selection of his photos from over the year at Cannes, which you can see below:...

Turks and Caicos, an archipelago of 40 islands southeast of the Bahamas, is known for picturesque white-sand beaches, a variety of marine life and the world’s third-largest barrier reef. What it didn’t have until this month is its own film festival.

For Colin Burrows, festival director of the inaugural Turks and Caicos Intl. Film Festival — which runs Nov. 15-17 —the island location spurred both the idea for the event as well as the festival’s environmental focus. “It’s a no-brainer,” Burrows says. “We’re on the frontline of climate change.”

As a part-time Turks and Caicos resident, Burrows is well-versed in the dualities of island life. “We’re very aware of the power of nature,” he says. “We’re just a small bunch of rocks, not much above sea level. The upside of that is that we have very little agriculture and thus very little pollution run-off. So...

Film commission also launching in Caribbean islands.

A film festival and film commission wll be launched in the Turks and Caicos Islands, in the Caribbean. 

The Turks and Caicos International Film Festival (Tciff) will run from November 15-17, 2019.

The Tci Film Commission (Tcfc) will launch in 2019. Both will operate under the tourist board.

The festival, run by British film exec Colin Burrows, will focus on the ocean, the environment and promoting local talent. 

Burrows is Special Treats Production Company CEO and co-founder, with Michael Ward, of Beautiful Bay Entertainment.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory located in the Atlantic Ocean.

As part of his official visit to India, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled plans for a $150M UK/India drama co-production of The Far Pavilions, based on the epic novel of British-Indian history by Mm Kaye. The book previously was adapted as HBO's first miniseries in 1984, starring Ben Cross, Amy Irving, Omar Sharif and Christopher Lee. The latest version will consist of 30 hourlong episodes and be produced by Michael Ward and Colin Burrows for Beautiful Bay…...

Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has joined the cast of The Confession Of Sultana Daku, produced by London-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment.

Adapted from Sujit Saraf’s best-selling novel, the film tells the true story of the 1920’s bandit who thumbed his nose at the British Raj in a crime spree across central India with a task force of a thousand police on his tail.

The film will be directed by Heeraz Marfatia (Birju) from a script by Shubra Swarup. “Nawaz has lived and dreamed the stories of Sultana Daku since he was a child. In a way, he has been preparing to play this character his entire life without even knowing it,” said Marfatia

Beautiful Bay, founded by Colin Burrows and Michael Ward, specialises in Indian-focussed stories and currently has Pia Sukanya’s Bombairiya in post-production.

Exclusive: Caper comedy by Pia Sukanya is scheduled for release in first half of 2016.

Bombairiya, starring Radhika Apte, Akshay Oberoi and Siddhanth Kapoor, is set to start its third and final schedule of the shoot in mid-December after it was interrupted by an industry strike and a non-film-related injury that Kapoor suffered at home last month.

Set in modern-day Mumbai, the film is shooting on location, with 70% outdoor locations. The final leg will start on December 11 for 12 days, bringing the total shoot to 46 days. The domestic release is scheduled for the first half of 2016.

The Hindi and English-language caper comedy is the latest Bollywood film featuring a female director and female lead. Produced by UK and Mumbai-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment, it is the first feature film of director Pia Sukanya.

“Hero kaun hai? (Who’s the hero?) was the standard Bollywood question asked when a new film was being discussed,” says Beautiful...

Co-production Market to feature new projects from Kanu Behl, Aditya Vikram Sengupta and Nandita Das, along with Ritesh Batra’s first project as a producer.

Film Bazaar, hosted by India’s National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc), has unveiled the 19 South Asian projects selected for this year’s Co-production Market.

The line-up includes new projects from Kanu Behl, whose Titli premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard 2014; Aditya Vikram Sengupta, director of Venice 2014 title Labor Of Love; acclaimed Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage; and Fahad Mustafa, whose credits include award-winning documentary Katiyabaaz.

In addition, Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox) is stepping into producing with Raj Rish More’s Pirates, which Batra will produce through his new outfit Poetic License Motion Pictures.

Drishyam Films’ Manish Mundra is bringing a new project from Amit V Masurkar (Sulemani Keeda), while acclaimed filmmaker Nandita Das will present her new project Manto at Film Bazaar.

The market is introducing a new feature this year – Open...

Exclusive: Production has started on India-uk-uae co-production Bombairiya, a comedy thriller starring Radhika Apte, Akshay Oberoi and Siddhanth Kapoor.

Directed by first-time feature director Pia Sukanya, the film is the first in a planned slate to be produced by UK and Mumbai-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment, founded by Michael Ward and Colin Burrows, and their Dubai-based partners Kreo Films.

Set in modern-day Mumbai, the story follows a young woman who loses her phone during a frenzied day as a film PR executive and enlists the help of a hapless bystander to pursue the thief.

The Hindi and English-language film is aimed at the domestic Indian market, but with an eye on its potential in the international arena.“Its one of the first examples of international independent producers taking a look at a sector that only the bigger studios have addressed through their local offices,” said Ward.

Ward was lead producer on The Far Pavilions musical that ran at...

Radhika Apte who was recently appreciated by critics and audiences for her role in Badlapur has replaced Richa Chadda in Michael Ward's Indo-British project. Radhika met UK Producer Colin Burrows in London and was finalised this week to star in the film.

Confirming the news Michael adds, "I'm delighted Radhika has joined our film. Her talent, versatility and charm are just what the character of Meghna needs and director Pia Sukanya and I were convinced it was worth waiting till she completed her other commitments".

Radhika enthuses "I think it is fascinating that international producers are bringing their energies and focus into Hindi cinema. Bombairiya is a lovely script and Meghna is a character unlike anything I have played before so I look forward to creating her with Pia. This film also adds another international co-production to my portfolio."

Akshay Oberoi and Siddhanth Kapoor have remained attached to the...

Exclusive: UK-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment teams up with Vikramaditya Motwane and Tulsea Pictures.

UK-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment (Bbe) is teaming with filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan, Lootera) and Tulsea Pictures on an Indian script development programme.

Motwane, the programme’s creative advisor, has already selected the first three writer-directors to be supported by the scheme, which aims to contribute to a longer-term development pipeline in the Indian film business.

The three filmmakers will receive funds to develop their projects from conceptual stage to the final draft of the script.

Tulsea Pictures, which manages writers and directors, advised on structuring the programme and will serve as packaging partner on the developed scripts. Tulsea represents Motwane as well as the writer-directors associated with the programme.

The three selected filmmakers are Varun Grover with sports biopic Spin Baloo, Atul Mongia with noir drama The Antagonist and Anvita Dutt with Gudiya, the story of two girls connected through past lives who are...

Exclusive: UK-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment teams up with Vikramaditya Motwane [pictured] and Tulsea Pictures.

UK-based Beautiful Bay Entertainment (Bbe) is teaming with filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan, Lootera) and Tulsea Pictures on an Indian script development programme.

Motwane, the programme’s creative advisor, has already selected the first three writer-directors to be supported by the scheme, which aims to contribute to a longer-term development pipeline in the Indian film business.

The three filmmakers will receive funds to develop their projects from conceptual stage to the final draft of the script.

Tulsea Pictures, which manages writers and directors, advised on structuring the programme and will serve as packaging partner on the developed scripts. Tulsea represents Motwane as well as the writer-directors associated with the programme.

The three selected filmmakers are Varun Grover with sports biopic Spin Baloo, Atul Mongia with noir drama The Antagonist and Anvita Dutt with Gudiya, the story of two girls connected through past lives who are...

Rajesh Jala’s The Spark was awarded the $16,000 (Rs1m) Incredible India award at the close of Film Bazaar (Nov 20-24), while Kanu Behl’s Titli took the Prasad Digital Intermediate prize.

The Spark, which was selected for Film Bazaar’s Screenwriters’ Lab, tells the story of a riot victim who has a plan to take revenge, but is indecisive about taking action. Jala previously directed award-winning documentary Children Of The Pyre.

Produced by Dibakar Banerjee with backing from Yash Raj Films, Titli revolves around the volatile relationship between two brothers. Currently in post-production, the film was selected for Film Bazaar’s Work-in-Progress Lab. Behl has worked as assistant and co-writer on Banerjee’s previous features.

More than 950 delegates from 35 countries attended this year’s Film Bazaar, compared to 712 from 32 countries in 2012. International visitors included four Cannes heavyweights – Thierry Fremaux, Christian Jeune, Critics Week’s Charles Tesson and Directors’ Fortnight’s Edouard Waintrop – along with delegations from Screen...

Bollywood actor-producer Abhay Deol’s i.e. Films is joining forces with Colin Burrows UK-based Special Treats Productions to co-produce Bounty Hunter.

Deol will star in the UK-set thriller to be directed by brothers Sunandan and Yugesh Walia, who will also co-produce through their UK-based production company Endboard Productions.

The producers aim to raise half of the project’s financing from the UK and are currently seeking Indian partners for the remaining 50%.

“We were going to make the film in English but we are now considering making it in Hindi,” Burrows said. “We are in talks with UK funding sources and also looking for an equal Indian partner with the vision to do a Hindi-language British thriller headlining a Bollywood star.”

Viacom 18 Motion Pictures is releasing i.e. Films’ first feature, comedy drama One By Two, on February 7. The film is directed by Devika Bhagat and stars Deol and Preeti Desai.

Deol, best known...

After Nobel Chor in 2011 featuring stars like Mithun Chakraborty and Soumitra Chatterjee; director Suman Ghosh returns to Mumbai Film Festival 2012 with a small-budget Bengali film Shyamal Uncle Turns Off the Lights, which is the story of an eighty year old pensioner who wants the street lights switched off during the day to save waste .

The film recently premiered at Busan International Film Festival where it was picked up by Global Film Initiative for North American distribution.

Suman Ghosh, in a conversation with Nandita Dutta, ahead of the Indian premiere of his film on October 21:

Who or what was the inspiration for the character of Shyamal Uncle?

Shyamal uncle is a real character and is played by Shyamal Bhattacharya himself. And this film is based on a real incident which was experienced by Shyamal Uncle. You see, Shyamal Uncle represents an entire generation. The generation who has seen the country...

Session: (2:15 pm to 3:30 pm) - Making Cinema with Global Appeal and (3:30 pm - 4:45 pm) Film Marketing Making Cinema with Global Appeal: Why to attend: To get the secret recipe of making cinema which would appeal to worldwide audiences Who should attend: Filmmakers, storytellers and aspirants Added Attraction: Keynote by Taylor Hackford, Film-maker & President, Directors' Guild of America Film Marketing: Why to attend: To get detailed insights on how to market your film and distribute it internationally. Know about the new ways to sell your film across nations. Who should attend: Everyone in the entertainment business especially distributors, exhibitors and film promoters. Added Attraction: The session is being moderated by Colin Burrows, MD, Specialtreats Production Company...

Session: (2:15 pm to 3:30 pm) - Making Cinema with Global Appeal and (3:30 pm - 4:45 pm) Film Marketing Making Cinema with Global Appeal: Why to attend: To get the secret recipe of making cinema which would appeal to worldwide audiences Who should attend: Filmmakers, storytellers and aspirants Added Attraction: Keynote by Taylor Hackford, Film-maker & President, Directors' Guild of America Film Marketing: Why to attend: To get detailed insights on how to market your film and distribute it internationally. Know about the new ways to sell your film across nations. Who should attend: Everyone in the entertainment business especially distributors, exhibitors and film promoters. Added Attraction: The session is being moderated by Colin Burrows, MD, Specialtreats Production Company...

A Screenwriting Workshop, “The Six Layers of a Great Film and Great Character” will be conducted by Hollywood’s renowned screenwriter David Freeman at the upcoming Ficci Frames 2011. Ficci Frames 2011, the annual convention of the media and entertainment industry, will be held through March 23-25, 2011in Mumbai.

A session on marketing Indian films abroad, “Gateways to the European Market” will be conducted by Juliane Schulze, Senior Partner, Peacefulfish , Germany. The session which will also include consultation, will involve detailed presentation on European film financing covering the core European markets (treaties, EU funding, national & regional funding, specialized funds and cash rebates.)

To register, visit http://www.ficci-frames.com/registration.htm.

Some other things of interest: (As stated in Ficci Frames Press Release, subject to change)

Making Cinema with Global Appeal: A Session with the Stalwarts

What goes into creating movies which appeal to a worldwide audience and can captivate countries together?...

Marketing & Distribution gurus like  NBC Universal Pictures executive VP-International Production Clare Wise, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures CEO Vikram Malhotra, Google India MD Shailesh Rao, Utv Motion Picture CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur and Speical Treats(UK) MD Colin Burrows, will discuss marketing, distribution and other innovative trends in films at Ficci Frames 2011 .The will be speaking about how under-rated films often acquire that status as they are unable to realize their true box-office potential, right marketing strategy for such films ...