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Maja Doroteja Prelog’s “Cent’anni” won this year’s Docs-in-Progress Award given out by the Cannes Film Market with the support of the Intl. Film Talent Assn. (Iefta), which was presented at a ceremony on Tuesday in Cannes.

Prelog’s feature was chosen out of the 32 works-in-progress that were presented this week during the Cannes Market. The award includes a €10,000 cash prize and professional project follow-up.

“Cent’anni” is a personal confession about the impact of illness on a relationship, following Prelog’s partner, Blaž, a leukemia survivor who embarks on an extraordinary cycling journey to heal from the traumatic experience. The jury described it as “a courageous step in an unknown journey that dives into a couple’s struggle through a fight for life and love, with a promising cinematic approach.”

The film is produced by Rok Biček, Alessandro Leone, and Massimo Casula. It was presented as part...

The Circle Women Doc Accelerator, a training program for women documentary filmmakers conceived with a focus on Southern and Eastern Europe, has selected the four projects that will take part in its showcase as part of the Cannes Docs program of the Cannes Film Market, Variety can reveal.

Hailing from the program’s backyard in the Balkans to as far afield as Brazil and Taiwan, the selection reflects the growing ambition of a program now in its fourth year.

“Although Circle started off as a regional initiative for Southeast European filmmakers, it quickly expanded to the whole world,” said the program’s director Biljana Tutorov and project manager Antigoni Papantoni. “This year’s selection is proof of the international scale that Circle has achieved.”

“Cent’Anni” is directed by Slovenian filmmaker Maja Doroteja Prelog and produced by Rok Biček, Alessandro Leone, and Massimo Casula. A personal confession about the impact of illness on a relationship,...

Based on his novel of the same name, the film will be shot mainly in Trentino with actors Lorenzo Richelmy, Fabrizio Ferracane and Fabrizio Rongione. Writer Massimo Donati makes his feature film directorial debut with Diario di Spezie, adapted from his own 2013 novel of the same name and which started filming a few days ago. Already behind the camera for Fuoriscena, a documentary about the Accademia Teatro alla Scala co-directed with Alessandro Leone, Donati is directing in this new film Lorenzo Richelmy, Fabrizio Ferracane and Fabrizio Rongione. The film is produced by Master Five Cinematografica with Rai Cinema and Rodeo Drive, with the support of the Trentino Film Commission. Written for the big screen by Donati himself, Diario di spezie is...

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...

New UK distribution company Neo has made its first two acquisitions in Berlin.

At the Efm, Neo (New Entertainment Organisation) has acquired Closer To the Moon from Celluloid Dreams and producer Michael Fitzgerald.

The English-language comedy drama from Nae Carafil stars Vera Farmiga and Mark Strong. It is a co-production with Italy’s Ugo Tucci; Poland’s Alessandro Leone; and Romania’s Bobby Paulescu.

It has been picked up for Us release by IFC for release in June and Poland’s Ultra+Monolith.

The second pick up, from Media Luna, is Perfect Obedience (Obediencia Perfecta), the controversial Mexican winner of the 2014 World Film Festival Montreal (Ffm).

The film, written and directed by Luis Urquiza, is a biopic about disgraced priest Marcial Maciel who used drugs, abused boys, and fathered numerous children, who he also allegedly abused. The movie sparked controversy when released in Mexico.

Neo plans

Neo will handle quality foreign and indie fare in the UK...