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Update: Unifrance responds to sales outfit quitting French cinema promotion group.

Leading French sales company Wild Bunch has quit the country’s state-backed French cinema export and promotional body Unifrance in protest at the appointment of Serge Toubiana (pictured, top) as its new president.

It is the first time in Unifrance’s near 70-year history that a company of Wild Bunch’s magnitude has quit the body.

Unifrance announced on Thursday that former Cinématheque Française chief Serge Toubiana had been elected to the role by its 48-member executive committee, beating out producers Yves Marmion and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam who had also put themselves forward as candidates.

The appointment was greeted with surprise by many in the French film sales and production community who said Toubiana lacked the export and sales experience to take on such a role, even if they respected his track record as a journalist and at the helm of the Cinématheque.

Letter

In a...

Former Cinématheque Française chief takes up post at French cinema export body.

Serge Toubiana has been elected president of French cinema promotional and export body Unifrance, replacing director Jean-Paul Salomé who leaves the post after two successive terms in the role.

He was elected by the body’s management committee made up of 48 cinema professionals and state appointees. The other candidates included producers Yves Marmion and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.

Toubiana was the director of the prestigious Cinématheque Française in Paris from 2003 until the end of 2015.

During that time, he re-energised the institution and oversaw its relocation to its current home in the neighbourhood of Bercy in eastern Paris.

He is also credited with widening its public appeal with a packed programme of events showcasing its archives as well as big name retrospectives such as the MoMA-produced Tim Burton exhibition which drew more than 300,000 visitors in 2012.

A life-long cinephile, Toubiana started out as a cinema journalist becoming the co-editor...

“Resistance” the story of the famed mime Marcel Marceau and how he learned to mime in order to survive and to save the lives of Jewish orphans in World War II France, written and to be directed by “Hands of Stone” director Jonathan Jakubowicz and produced by Claudine Jakubowicz and Carlos Garcia de Paredes, will star the curly haired and fast talking Jesse Eisenberg who played Mark Zuckerberg in the 2010 film “The Social Network”. Baptiste Marceau, the oldest son of Marcel, has been closely involved in the research for this European coproduction that CAA is packaging and representing in Cannes. Marceau the artist of silence gave his first major performance to 3,000 American troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944.

Michael Jackson and Marcel Marceau

The producers of last year’s Norwegian hit, “The Wave”, have turned their attention to Marius Holst’s “Betrayed”, the story of the Norwegian Jews...

Tim League and Tom Quinn’s young distribution company Neon has pre-bought the North American rights to the French-language romantic thriller “Racer and the Jailbird” ahead of the Berlin Film Festival. The film is directed by Michaël R. Roskam, and stars Matthias Schoenaerts and Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue is the Warmest Color”).

Read More: Neon Acquires ‘Ingrid Goes West’ Starring Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen — Sundance 2017

“Racer” reunites Roskam with Schoenaerts, who starred in the director’s 2011 drama “Bullhead,” which earned an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film. “Racer” tells the story of a romance between a gangster (Schoenaerts) and a wealthy racing driver (Exarchopoulos). The film was written by Roskam, Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré, and produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam and Bart Van Langendonck.

“Michaël and I are very excited to team up again with Tim League who had a big hand in the the launch of our first film ‘Bullhead,...

The North American rights deal with Wild Bunch on the romantic thriller marks another early buy for the recently launched company headed by Tom Quinn and Tim League.

Schoenaerts reunites with his Bullhead director Michaël R. Roskam and will star in the French-language feature opposite Adèle Exarchopoulos from Blue Is The Warmest Color.

Racer And The Jailbird takes place in Belgium and is set agains the racing world as a gangster falls for a wealthy racing driver.

Stone Angels and Savage Film are producing and Pathé and Wild Bunch co-produce. Wild Bunch handles international sales and Pathé will distribute in France.

“Michaël and I are very excited to team up again with Tim League who had a big hand in the launch of our first film Bullhead in 2011,” said producer Bart Van Langendonck of Savage Film. “We expect great things from Tim’s new association with Tom Quinn at Neon.”

Producer [link=nm...

Exclusive: Slate includes films starring Louis Garrel, Marion Cotillard,

Wild Bunch will kick-off pre-sales at Cannes on Oscar-winner Michel Hazanavicius’s [pictured] new project Redoubtable revolving around the relationship between Jean-Luc Godard and actress Anne Wiazemsky in the late 1960s.

Based on Wiazemsky’s autobiographical account Un An Après, the production will star Louis Garrel as Jean-Luc Godard and Stacy Martin, last seen in High-Rise, as the director’s young muse.

The script kicks off with the 1967 shoot of La Chinoise – about a group of students who try to live by Maoists principles - and follows the couple through the late 1960s when Godard went through his so-called “revolutionary period”.

Wiazemsky – who met Godard when she was just 17-years-old and he was on the rebound from Anna Karina – was married to the filmmaker for more than a decade.

Like Hazanavicius’s Oscar-winning The Artist, the aesthetics and style of Redoubtable will take inspiration from the films around which the...

Outgoing CEO Christophe Lambert has decided to “devote himself to a personal project”.

In an unexpected development, Marc Shmuger has been named as the new CEO of Luc Besson’s Paris-based-major EuropaCorp, following the resignation of Christophe Lambert.

A statement issued by the company board late on Wednesday said that having secured the financing of Luc Besson’s ambitious sci-fi picture Valerian, which is currently shooting in Paris, Lambert had “decided to devote himself to a personal project.”

The same statement announced former Universal Pictures executive and founding chief of production company Global Produce Marc Shmuger as his successor.

Luc Besson paid tribute to Lambert’s work as CEO of the company:

“He knew how to steer the company in an international direction which enabled the company to gain real legitimacy among the cinema majors… He’s leaving the company due to a long-held desire to produce (and I understand him),” he said in the statement.

News...

Here's the official one-sheet for the apocalyptic zombie thriller "Maggie", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson. Directed by Henry Hobson, "Maggie" will be making its world premiere at the Tribeca FilmFestival on April 22 and hits theaters and VOD on May 8th. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger. Claudia Blumhuber and Jim Seibel are executive producers.A teenage girl in the Midwest becomes infected by an outbreak of a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies. During her transformation, her loving father stays by her side....

Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions and Grindstone Entertainment Group have released the trailer for the apocalyptic thriller "Maggie", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson. "Maggie", directed by Henry Hobson, will hit theaters and On Demand May 8. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger. Claudia Blumhuber and Jim Seibel are executive producers.A teenage girl in the Midwest becomes infected by an outbreak of a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies. During her transformation, her loving father stays by her side....

Quiet Earth is premiering the first seen footage from Arnold Schwarzenegger's upcoming zombie drama Maggie. The film stars Abigail Breslin the daughter who has been inflicted by a virus that will inevitably turn her into a flesh eating zombie.

Recently acquired for distribution by Lionsgate, Maggie was a Black List script that was written by John Scott 3. Henry Hobson directed and Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger.

Synopsis:

The story of a deadly zombie virus that has spread a plague across the world. Breslin portrays a vivacious young woman who becomes infected.

Okay, so no, it's not a ton of footage, but I'd say it gives a good sense of the tone [Continued ...]...

In a preemptive deal that knocked it out of the Toronto premieres line-up, Lionsgate has acquired North American rights to apocalyptic thiller Maggie. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator and Expendables franchises, Total Recall, Batman And Robin), Oscar-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Ender’s Game) and Joely Richardson (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Tudors, Nip/Tuck), Maggie tells the story of a deadly zombie virus that has put a plague on the world. When Maggie, a vivacious young woman becomes infected, her father brings her home to let her be with their family. As Maggie’s condition worsens, the relationship between father and daughter is tested. Henry Hobson is directing from the Black List script by John Scott 3. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger. Claudia Blumhuber and Jim Seibel are exec producers. Silver Reel and Gold Star Films...

Update: The studio has acquired North American rights to the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin zombie film and has pulled it from its Toronto world premiere berth.

Maggie was set to premiere at the festival on September 12, however now the public will have to wait until the early 2015 release.

Neither the film’s North American representatives CAA, Lionsgate itself, international sales agent Lotus Entertainment nor the festival had returned calls at time of writing to explain why the film would no longer premiere in Canada.

However industry insiders said Lionsgate intend to re-cut the film and do not want to present it until it is ready.

Silver Reel And Gold Star Films financed the story of a Midwestern farmer who cares for his daughter after she succumbs to a deadly plague.

Henry Hobson’s feature directorial debut is based on the Black List screenplay by John Scott 3.

Maggie marks the latest entry in Schwarzenegger’s return...

In a preemptive deal prior to the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, Lionsgate has acquired North American distribution rights to the apocalyptic thriller “Maggie,” which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oscar nominated actress Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson, the studio announced Tuesday. Henry Hobson directed from a Black List script by John Scott 3. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger. Claudia Blumhuber and Jim Seibel executive produced the film, which was financed by Silver Reel and Gold Star Films. Also read: ‘What's the Deal?’ With Toronto Film Fest: Jeff Sneider Picks.

Lionsgate has acquired North American distro rights to a new apocalyptic thriller called Maggie which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the father of Abigail Breslin, who has been inflicted by a virus that will innevitably turn her into a flesh eating zombie.

Maggie was a black list script that was written by John Scott 3. Henry Hobson directed and Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger.

Synopsis:

The story of a deadly zombie virus that has spread a plague across the world. Breslin portrays a vivacious young woman who becomes infected.

Via: Variety

[Continued ...]...

Playing as part of the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival is the Arnold Schwarzenegger zombie film, Maggie, and right now we have the first Stateside distro news for you guys. Dig it!

From the Press Release

In a preemptive deal prior to the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, Lionsgate has acquired the North American distribution rights to the apocalyptic thriller Maggie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (the Terminator and Expendables franchises, Total Recall, Batman and Robin).

Academy Award-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Ender’s Game) and Joely Richardson (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the hit TV series "The Tudors" and "Nip/Tuck") co-star.

The announcement was made by Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President Steve Beeks and Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel, Co-Chairs of Lotus Entertainment, who produced and handled international sales.

The Black List script by John Scott 3 is directed by Henry Hobson.

Wade knows his daughter Maggie is succumbing to an infection that will inevitably turn her into a zombie, but he’s hoping his fervent love will keep her human for as long as possible. With its Tiff world premiere right around the corner, the zombie drama Maggie has been picked up by Lionsgate and will now forego playing at the festival, looking to debut instead via an early 2015 theatrical release.

The news of Maggie not playing at Tiff comes from The Hollywood Reporter. Lionsgate now holds the film’s North American distribution rights. We have the official press release with full details below (a big thanks to Collider for the press release!).

“A Midwestern farmer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) stays by the side of his beloved teenage daughter (Abigail Breslin) even as she slowly turns into a cannibalistic zombie, in this audacious, genre-bending debut feature from director Henry Hobson.”

Directed by Henry Hobson...

In a preemptive deal prior to the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, Lionsgate, a premier next generation global content leader, has acquired the North American distribution rights to the apocalyptic thriller Maggie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator and The Expendables franchises, Total Recall, Batman & Robin), Academy Award-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Ender's Game) and Joely Richardson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the hit TV series The Tudors and Nip/Tuck). The announcement was made by Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President Steve Beeks and Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel, Co-Chairs of Lotus Entertainment, who produced and handled international sales.

The Black List script by John Scott 3 is directed by Henry Hobson. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger. Claudia Blumhuber and Jim Seibel are executive producers. Silver Reel and Gold Star Films...

In a preemptive deal prior to the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, Lionsgate, a premier next generation global content leader, has acquired the North American distribution rights to the apocalyptic thriller Maggie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (the Terminator and Expendables franchises, Total Recall, Batman and Robin), Academy Award-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Ender’s Game) and Joely Richardson (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the hit TV series The Tudors and Nip/Tuck). The announcement was made by Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President Steve Beeks and Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel, Co-Chairs of Lotus Entertainment, who produced and handled international sales.

The Black List script by John Scott 3 is directed by Henry Hobson. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger. Claudia Blumhuber and Jim Seibel are executive producers. Silver Reel and Gold Star Films...

Zombie tale Maggie has been picked up by Lionsgate ahead of its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson.

The Black List script by John Scott 3 is directed by Henry Hobson. Bill Johnson and Ara Keshishian produced alongside Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer and Schwarzenegger.

The post Lionsgate Takes Maggie Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

In a preemptive deal prior to the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, Lionsgate has acquired the North American distribution rights to the apocalyptic thriller Maggie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (the Terminator and Expendables franchises, Total Recall, Batman and Robin), Academy Award-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Ender’s Game) and Joely Richardson (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the hit TV series The Tudors and Nip/Tuck).

The film tells the story of a deadly zombie virus that has put a plague on the world. When Maggie, a vivacious young woman becomes infected, her father brings her home to let her be with their family. As Maggie’s condition worsens, their relationship is tested, a father’s love holding on stronger than the disease. This heart-wrenching twist on the zombie apocalypse puts a human face on an inexplicable horror.

The announcement was made by Lionsgate Co-Chief Operating Officer and...

Danish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev wil direct Deity, an English-language remake of Indian hit thriller Kahaani for Yrf Entertainment.

Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries) and Richard Regen (Tehran) have scripted the adaptation. Oplev’s credits include the original Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Released in 2012, Kahaani was directed by Sujoy Ghosh and starred Vidya Balan as a woman who travels to Kolkata to search for her missing husband. In the remake, Balan’s character will become an American woman.

The remake will be produced and financed by Yrf Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based production arm of India’s Yash Raj Films, with CEO Uday Chopra serving as producer and Jonathan Reiman, head of production & development, serving as executive producer.

Yrf Entertainment recently financed Cannes opening film Grace Of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, which it produced with Pierre-Ange le Pogam’s Stone Angels and Arash Amel. Yrf’s upcoming projects include Amel’s adaptation of [link...

Danish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev wil direct Deity, an English-language remake of Indian hit thriller Kahaani for Yrf Entertainment.

Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries) and Richard Regen (Tehran) have scripted the adaptation. Oplev’s credits include the original Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Released in 2012, Kahaani was directed by Sujoy Ghosh and starred Vidya Balan as a woman who travels to Kolkata to search for her missing husband. In the remake, Balan’s character will become an American woman.

The remake will be produced and financed by Yrf Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based production arm of India’s Yash Raj Films, with CEO Uday Chopra serving as producer and Jonathan Reiman, head of production & development, serving as executive producer.

Yrf Entertainment recently financed Cannes opening film Grace Of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, which it produced with Pierre-Ange le Pogam’s Stone Angels and Arash Amel. Yrf’s upcoming projects include Amel’s adaptation of [link...

Yrf Entertainment will remake the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Sujoy Ghosh directed and Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani, for Western and international audiences as “Deity”.

One of the coolest things is that “Deity” will be directed by Niels Arden Oplev (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”).

The movie is a thriller about an American woman who goes to Kolkata in search of her missing husband. As she gets closer to the truth, she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous conspiracy. The story unfolds in the context of a colourful, week-long festival.

An excited Sujoy Ghosh said, “It’s an incredible step by Yrf. Years back Aditya Chopra had said he wanted to make ‘Kahaani’ for a global audience… I thought he was kidding. But obviously not. Yrf has left no stone unturned on making the English version. The new script by Jose Rivera and Richard Regen is perfectly...

Grace of Monaco’s Photo Call and Red Carpet walk took place in Cannes amidst packed fans and a sea of media. Producer Uday Chopra, after the screening said, “Grace Of Monaco gets a standing ovation at the Cannes Festival. Wish my father was there to see.”

The movie, which also opened in France yesterday, will have its big screen debut in India on 13 June 2014.

Seen in the images along with Producer Uday Chopra are Actress Nicole Kidman, Director Olivier Dahan, Actor Tim Roth, Producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Actress Jeanne Balibar and Actress Paz Vega.

Cannes red carpet welcome for Grace Of Monaco is a post from: BollySpice

The post Cannes red carpet welcome for Grace Of Monaco appeared first on BollySpice.

The 67th Cannes Film Festival opened with Grace Of Monaco, a film based on the life of the Hollywood icon Grace Kelly. The French director Olivier Dahan has directed it. It stars Nicole Kidman who plays the role of Grace while Tim Roth plays Prince Rainier of Monaco. It’s produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday Chopra, and Arash Amel, co-produced under the banners of Yrf Entertainment and Stone Angels. The film was released in France simultaneously with its Cannes opening. Gaumant distributes it in France. The film releases in India on 13 June 2014. Read More...

Speakers include David Glasser, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam [pictured] and Jessica Lacy.

The fifth annual International Film Finance Forum on Friday, organised by Winston Baker and counting Screen as a media partner, will welcome top speakers including The Weinstein Company’s David Glasser, Grace of Monaco producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, ICM’s Jessica Lacy, producer Philippe Carcassonne, CAA’s Micah Green, Participant Media’s Jonathan King, and Silver Reel’s Claudia Blümhuber.

Univercine’s Jean LucOrmières has newly joined the ‘Fighting For a New French Cinema’ panel.

Topics of discussion will include approaches to raising finance today, risk management, and changes in the distribution landscape.

For more information or to register, visit its website.

Yrf Entertainment and Stone Angels’ Grace Of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, will be the opening film at Festival de Cannes today! The film will be screened Out of Competition in Cannes’ Official Selection.

Directed by Olivier Dahan and Produced by Uday Chopra, Pierre-Ange le Pogam and Arash Amel, who also wrote the screenplay, Grace of Monaco will be released in France on 14 May, the same day as the Cannes opening.

Grace of Monaco will release in India on 13 June 2014.

Yrf Entertainment is proud to be bringing Grace of Monaco to Cannes for its royal red carpet welcome and then onto the big-screens thereafter.

On the brink of stardom, Grace Kelly leaves aside her successful career as a Hollywood actress to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. Six years later, with her marriage hitting full crisis, famed director Alfred Hitchcock offers her the chance to return to Hollywood with a leading...

The Us release of Olivier Dahan’s Cannes opening film Grace of Monaco may be uncertain, amid rumours that Harvey Weinstein is still unhappy with the cut, but its business as usual in the rest of the world.

Coinciding with its Cannes world premiere on Wednesday, French distributor Gaumont will open the film on 530 screens in France.

Lucky Red is putting it out on 350 screens in Italy and SquareOne Entertainment will launch it on 250 prints in Germany.

“There will be strong or big releases in the rest of Europe on May 21 and 22 including in Scandinavia, Benelux, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe and Cis,” said the film’s producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.

“We’re still in the process of trying to finalise with The Weinstein company,” he said, adding he was expecting an autumn release.

In the meantime, the film is set to hit more than 3,000 screens in China, where it is handled by Content Media while [link=co...

Grace of Monaco opened the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May 14, amid conflict between director Olivier Dahan and distributor Harvey Weinstein and criticism from Monaco.

Grace Kelly's Children Call Film 'A Farce'

Directed by French director Olivier Dahan, Grace of Monaco stars Nicole Kidman as the legendary Grace Kelly, beloved actress who left Hollywood behind when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The film attempts to paint a portrait of Kelly’s unhappy marriage and desire to return to Hollywood, a portrait Kelly and Rainier’s three children vocally oppose. Prince Albert II, Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie released a statement on the film, calling it “a farce” and insisting that it not be considered as a biopic.

“The director and producers refused to take into consideration the many observations made by the Palace because these called into question the entire script and the characters of the film,...

With the May 14 Grace of Monaco premiere at the Cannes Film Festival looming, Harvey Weinstein has decided to keep the biopic of the late Princess Grace after all. The Weinstein Co. is in final negotiations to retain U.S. distribution rights to the film that has sparked more headlines than any other Cannes title this year. The move comes after months of public feuding between Weinstein and the film's director, Olivier Dahan, and producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam over the tone of the film. Weinstein was looking for a breezier rendition, while Dahan's version painted a darker, more cautionary tale. Story:

read more...

Well, it looks like Harvey Weinstein hasn't worked his Oscar wiles on filmmaker Olivier Dahan, who directed Marion Cotillard to an Oscar in "La Vie en Rose." The American distributor had wanted to craft another Oscar contender. But the French director likes his own final cut--which is opening the Cannes Film Festival on May 14. If TWC drops the release, the producers of the Nicole Kidman biopic, Arash Amel and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, may be in search of a new stateside distributor. It is not mentioned in any of Weinstein's advance Cannes email pitches so far.  There's two ways to look at this. Weinstein knows what it takes to craft a movie that will play for the Hollywood Foreign Press --a small group that votes for the Golden Globes--as well as 6000 Academy voters. (Kidman has nabbed eight Golden Globes nominations against three Oscar nods.) This situation brooks comparison with Simon Curtis's 2011 "My Week with Marilyn,...

Screen International becomes media partner on 5th Annual International Film Finance Forum.

Screen International is to partner with conference producer Winston Baker on the fifth annual International Film Finance Forum during the Cannes Film Festival.

Speakers at this year’s forum, held at the InterContinental Carlton Hotel on May 16, include Pierre-Ange Le Pogam [pictured], Rodolphe Buet, David Glasser, Philippe Carcassonne and Claudia Blümhuber.

Additional sponsors and partners include O’Melveny & Myers Llp, Rothstein Kass, Silver Reel, Stroock, Variety, and Women in Film and Television Germany.

More information, including registration details, can be found here.

Speakers include:

Robbert Aarts, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Fintage House

Nicole Ackermann, Managing Partner, Mouna GmbH

Claudia Blümhuber, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner, Silver Reel Partners Ag

Rodolphe Buet, Chief Executive Officer, StudioCanal Germany

Joseph Calabrese, Partner and Chair of Entertainment, Sports & Media Practice, O’Melveny & Myers Llp

Philippe Carcassonne, Producer, Ciné-@

Joseph Chianese, Executive Vice President, Ep Financial...

The Canadian distributor picked up rights to Olivier Dahan’s Cannes opening night film starring Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth from Stone Angels.

Grace Of Monaco screens out of competition and also stars Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Jeanne Balibar, Derek Jacobi and Paz Vega.

The film spans its protagonist’s life from 1962, when the Oscar winner is already married to Prince Rainier III of Monaco and faces a crisis of identity.

Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday Chopra and screenwriter Arash Amel produced Grace Of Monaco through Stone Angels and Yrf Entertainment.

Mongrel Media acquired the film from Stone Angels.

It will release the film in 2014, with an exact date to be announced.

Vyer Films has acquired Us rights to Aran Hughes’ and Christina Koutsospyrou’s festival favourite To The Wolf (Sto Lyko).

The company formerly known as Inferno Distribution run by Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel handled international sales.

Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman has been selected to open the world renowned Cannes Film Festival on May 14. Yrf Entertainment and Stone Angels produced the film.

The film will screen out of competition in Cannes’ Official Selection and the opening ceremony will be broadcast to a number of participating cinemas.

Directed by Olivier Dahan and Produced by Uday Chopra, Pierre-Ange le Pogam and Arash Amel, who also wrote the screenplay, Grace of Monaco will be released worldwide. The Weinstein Company will distribute the film in the U.S.

An ecstatic Uday Chopra said about the thrilling news “I knew from the moment I read the wonderful script, penned by Arash Amel, that we had something special in Grace of Monaco and watching Nicole bring that character to life only increased my excitement about the project. I guess today, after viewing the film, The Cannes Film Festival agrees with our...

Cannes, Jan 26: French director Olivier Dahan's "Grace of Monaco" will open the 67th Festival de Cannes on May 14.

The biopic will be screened in Cannes in the Official Selection category, Out of Competition, said a statement on Cannes official website.

Jointly produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday Chopra (Yrf Entertainment) and Arash Amel, the film features Nicole Kidman as the legendary Hollywood actress-turned-princess Grace and Tim Roth as Prince Ranier of Monaco.

Set in the 1950s, "Grace of Monaco" portrays a period in the life of Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier.

French director Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco, produced by Yrf Entertainment and Stone Angels, will open the 67th Festival de Cannes on May 14, 2014. The film will screen Out of Competition in the official selection.

Yrf Entertainment, a subsidiary of Indian studio Yash Raj Films, is a Beverly Hills-based production and financing company led by Uday Chopra.

Grace of Monaco portrays a period in the life of American Actress Grace Kelly (played by Nicole Kidman) who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III (Tim Roth) in 1956, in what was dubbed “the marriage of the century”. An Oscar winner, she was already a huge film star, having worked with great directors (John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Fred Zinnemann) and acclaimed the world over.

Six years later, amid occasional difficulties in fulfilling her role, she was invited back to Hollywood by Alfred Hitchcock, to play in his new film Marnie.

French director Olivier Dahan’s Grace Of Monaco will open the Cannes Film Festival. It will have its world premiere Wednesday, May 14, 2014, and will screen in Official Selection – out of competition category.

This comes on the heels that Us distributor the Weinstein Company would be moving the film from their 2014 slate due to a conflict between Harvey Weinstein and Dahan over final cut. Gaumont, which is distributing the film in France, recently changed the release date from January 29 to March 19, 2014. All the various moves makes sense today due to the announcement from Cannes.

Produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday Chopra and Arash Amel, who also wrote the screenplay, Grace Of Monaco will be released May 14 in France by Gaumont and in several cities around the world.

The opening ceremony will be broadcast to participating cinemas, with the cooperation of France’s Canal Plus.

Click here to read the official Cannes press release.

Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, will be the opening film at the 67th Festival de Cannes

The film’s premiere will be on May 14, in official selection, out of competition. It will be released theatrically by Gaumont in France and in several over world cities that day. The opening ceremony will be broadcast to participating cinemas with the cooperation of Canal+.

Kidman plays Grace Kelly and Tim Roth plays Prince Rainier III. The biopic is set in the time of Princess Grace’s life when she gets married and then is invited back to Hollywood to star in Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie. The cast also inclues Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Jeanne Balibar, Derek Jacobi and Paz Vega.

Producers are Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday Chopra and screenwriter Arash Amel, one of the inaugural 2013 Stars of Tomorrow: Brits In La honourees. The film is a Stone Angels and Yrf Entertainment production. Co-production by TF1 Films...

French filmmaker tells Liberation newspaper there are two versions of Grace of Monaco - “his and mine”.

French filmmaker Olivier Dahan has hit out at Us distributor Harvey Weinstein over his decision to re-edit his cut of Grace of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman as the tragic actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly, ahead of its Us release next year.

“The film that I am in the process of finishing is complicated to finalise although actually for me it is finished,” Dahan said in an interview with French newspaper Liberation.

“What’s complicated at the moment is ensuring that you, the critics, can review my version of the film and not that of somebody else. It’s not over yet. I haven’t given up.”

The Weinstein Company announced in September that it was pushing back the Us release of Grace of Monaco to spring 2014 from the previously expected Nov 2013, thus excluding the picture from this year’s Oscar race.

Weinstein...

Latin America and China are two of the hottest markets to watch for growing film investment, experts told the fourth-annual Film Finance Forum at the Zurich Film Festival, organised by Winston Baker.

French producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam of Stone Angels said that he is “Looking a lot to China, the ‘zero’ we have at the moment could become substantial investment. In three years, China could be a bigger market than the Us.”

Charles Coker, the MD of Dasym Media who is working on Chinese co-productions with John Woo and Jackie Chan, noted: “China is a mystery to everybody here. It’s seen as the emerging behemoth in the entertainment industry…Media and entertainment spend rose from $350bn in 2011 to $547bn in 2012.” He added that 2002’s 1300 cinema screens were now closer to 13,000; Chinese box office in 2012 totaled $2.7bn and is on track to hit $3.5-$3.5bn this year.”

Stuart Wilkins of new Swiss-based financial company Blue Pencil Investments...

Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch's Les Chevaux De Dieu (God's Horses), which premiered at Cannes 2012, and early this year at Fespaco, will represent Morocco at the Academy Awards early next year for its foreign category. To recap from our post back in January of this year, the lauded film is loosely based on the terrorist attacks that took place in Casablanca on May 13, 2003. Ayouch was shocked by these attacks that were committed by a gang of kids from a neighborhood that he knew very well. The filmmaker wanted to essentially humanize the suicide bombers, and show that they themselves are/were also victims. Pierre-Ange Le Pogam’s Stone Angels distributed and...

You might know Abigail Breslin from some of her child roles in movies like Little Miss Sunshine, Signs or Zombieland, but now she’s growing up and ready to move from sweet little zombie killer to the moaning groaning walking dead in the new movie, Maggie.

She is in talks to be playing the infected daughter and title role to dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the new movie Maggie according to THR. The film is being directed by Henry Hobson and Schwarzenegger will be serving double duty acting and producing alongside Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matt Baer, Trevor Kaufman, Colin Bates and Joey Tufaro.

We’ll keep you posted on Maggie starring Abigail Breslin and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Zombieland star Abigail Breslin is returning to the world of the undead in Maggie.

Breslin joins Arnold Schwarzengger in the film. She will play Maggie, a girl who is infected with the undead virus and he will play her father.

The blacklisted script was written by John Scott 3 and will be directed by Henry Hobson.

Schwarzenegger will produce with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matt Baer, Trevor Kaufman, Colin Bates and Joey Tufaro.

Shooting on Maggie is expected to begin in the fall.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter...

The Arnold Schwarzenegger zombie flick Maggie may have found its titular character at last. The one-time Little Miss Sunshine is all grown up and ready to... rot.

THR is reporting that Abigail Breslin (The Call) is in talks to play a young woman who realizes she will slowly join the ranks of the undead.

The film is based on the Black List script by John Scott 3 and is set during a time when a “walking dead” virus has spread across the country. Schwarzenegger, who recently closed a deal to appear in the fifth Terminator, will portray the father on a journey to help his daughter come to terms with her infection as she slowly becomes a zombie. Chloe Moretz had been in negotiations last year to play the zombie lead but now is not appearing due to scheduling issues.

The film will be directed by commercials director Henry Hobson...

Abigail Breslin is in talks to join Arnold Schwarzenegger in the upcoming zombie thriller Maggie. We first reported on the project back in June, when Arnold Schwarzenegger signed on.

The story is set in a world where the zombie epidemic has spread across the country, following a father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) whose daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) has become infected, as he tries to get her to come to terms with the plague before becoming one of the walking dead. Chloe Moretz had originally signed on to play Maggie, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

Commercials director Henry Hobson is making his feature directorial debut, working from a script by John Scott 3, which landed on The Black List in 2011. Arnold Schwarzenegger is also producing alongside Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer, Trevor Kaufman, Colin Bates and Joseph Tufaro. Production is slated to begin this fall.

Abigail Breslin most recently starred in The Call,...

Abigail Breslin will join Arnold Schwarzenegger in Henry Hobson's zombie film "Maggie".

John Scott III penned the Black List script about a father whose daughter is infected by a walking-dead virus that has spread across the country.

Schwarzenegger, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matt Baer, Trevor Kaufman, Colin Bates and Joey Tufaro are producing. Shooting kicks off this Fall.

Source: THR...

Arnold Schwarzenegger is stepping into the horror world by signing on to star and produce the zombie thriller Maggie. Chloe Moretz had been in talks to portray the title character last year, but she was forced to bow out, due to scheduling issues.

The story centers on a young girl who has become infected with the zombie virus that has spread throughout the country. Arnold Schwarzenegger is playing the girl's father, who helps her come to terms with becoming one of the walking dead. Paddy Considine was previously attached to the father role, but he is no longer involved either.

Henry Hobson is directing from a screenplay by John Scott 3, which landed on The Black List in 2011. Arnold Schwarzenegger will produce alongside Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Matthew Baer, Trevor Kaufman, Colin Bates and Joseph Tufaro. Production is scheduled to begin this fall.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will next be seen in Escape Plan,...

Chinese mogul Bruno Wu's Seven Stars Entertainment has partnered with French mogul Pierre-Ange Le Pogam to form Angel Storm, a new joint venture that will develop and produce European-Chinese co-productions. Le Pogam and Wu have already picked the venture's first two films, "Shanghai" and "Triangle," which both will produce. Le Pogam's Stone Angels will handle distribution rights in France, while Seven Stars will distribute in China. "Pierre-Ange is a very versatile filmmaker and executive, whether he's dealing with a mainstream commercial title or an art house film, he understands the global business,...

Cannes – Chinese media mogul Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Entertainment has launched a joint venture with French producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam (Grace of Monaco, Hitman) and his company Stone Angels. The venture, to be called Angel Storm, will develop and co-produce European-Chinese action films and franchises. The companies say their first collaboration will be a project called Shanghai, which will start production early next year, followed by a feature titled Triangle. No additional details have yet been announced about the films. The companies say Le Pogam and Wu will both serve as producers on the projects under

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Summit Entertainment has picked up The Infinity Principle, a sci-fi pitch from Grace of Monaco writer Arash Amel. The project will be produced by Basil Iwanyk, the producer via his Thunder Road Pictures banner. In the story, a physicist proves the possibility of time travel and the universe begins to unravel as a result. Amel is an up-and-comer who wrote The Expatriate, a thriller starring Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko and worked on Warner Bros.’ sequel to I Am Legend. His big break, however, occurred when Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, the Europacorp co-founder who launched

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