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France’s Caractères Productions and Chile’s Planta Prods. have boarded Argentine Hernán Rosselli’s “Hard Boiled School,” a multi-country production that includes lead producer Un Puma (Argentina) alongside co-producers from Austria (Nabis Filmgroup), Uruguay (Tarkiofilm), Brazil (Multiverso Produções) and Portugal (Oublaum Filmes).

Selected to participate in the San Sebastian Film Festival’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, “Hard Boiled School” (“La escuela pesada”) underscores the surge in cooperation among international producers as they face a number of headwinds in their respective countries, including higher production costs, state fundings in flux and reduced budgets.

Currently at the financing stage, the drama follows real-life legendary Argentine thief Pedro Palomar who has been released from prison after serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery. Once he gets out, he is surprised to learn that he is now in charge of a former partner’s daughter.

Said its helmer-scribe Rosselli: “Like ‘Mauro,’ my previous film,...

Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales outlet New Europe Film Sales has acquired world rights for the upcoming drama “Leave No Traces,” from acclaimed Polish director Jan P. Matuszyński (“The Last Family”), produced by Aurum Film, the production house behind Jan Komasa’s Oscar-nominated “Corpus Christi.”

“Leave No Traces” is based on the real-life story of a young man who witnesses the fatal beating of his friend by the police in ‘80s Warsaw. Determined to testify about the killing in court, he must stand up to the full force of Poland’s communist regime.

Pic is produced by Leszek Bodzak and Aneta Hickinbotham for Aurum Film, in coproduction with Canal+ Polksa and Mikuláš Novotný’s Background Films (Czech Republic), with the support of the Polish Film Institute and the Czech Film Fund. The film is slated to premiere in 2021. Kino Świat will release in Poland.

Matuszyński’s last feature, “The Last Family,...

Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales has debuted the trailer for Argentinian film “The Lunchroom” (Planta Permanente), winner of the best actress award at Mar del Plata Film Festival, ahead of the Ventana Sur market. It is director Ezequiel Radusky’s second pic following “The Owners,” which played in Critics’ Week at Cannes.

The film is the story of Lila, who for 30 years has been a cleaner in a provincial municipality building. She’s an important figure in the office’s close-knit society because of the unofficial staff cafeteria, which she runs together with her friend Marcela. When Lila gets the opportunity to refurbish the lunchroom and run it officially as the boss, this elevation of her status causes Marcela’s envy and starts a slow decay of the office’s delicate status quo.

“The Lunchroom” was produced by Nicolas Avruj and Diego Lerman at Argentina’s Campo Cine,...

Jan Naszewski’s sales outlet New Europe Film Sales has signed a world sales deal for the Mar del Plata Film Festival competition title “The Lunchroom” (Planta Permanente), directed by Ezequiel Radusky, which it is selling at Afm. It’s Radusky’s second film after “The Owners,” which played in Cannes’ Critics’ Week.

The film centers on Lila, who is a cleaner in a municipal building and runs an unofficial staff cafeteria with her friend Marcela. When Lila gets the chance to run it officially as the boss, this elevation provokes Marcela’s envy, and unsettles the delicate balance in the life of the office block.

Nicolas Avruj, who produces alongside Diego Lerman for Campo Cine in Argentina, said: “A job where you cannot be fired can be paradise, but it can also be hell. ‘The Lunchroom’ is a funny dark film where we have the chance to rejoice with...

AFI Fest 2013 presented by Audi top brass unveiled the New Auteurs and shorts sections that will screen at the festival, set to take place from November 7-14 in Hollywood.

The New Auteurs section highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world.

Entries include: Yeon Sang-ho’s The Fake (South Korea), Emir Baigazin’s Harmony Lessons (Kazakhstan, Germany, France), Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross’ In Bloom (Georgia, Germany, France); Mira Fornay’s My Dog Killer (Slovakia, Czech Republic); and Katrin Gebbe’s Nothing Bad Can Happen (Germany).

Rounding out the ten selections are: Agustín Toscano and Ezequiel Radusky’s The Owners (Argentina); Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant (UK); Ben Rivers and Ben Russell’s A Spell To Ward Off The Darkness (France, Estonia); Ramon Zürcher’s The Strange Little Cat (Germany); and Samuel Isamu Kishi Leopo’s We Are Mari Pepa (Mexico);

For the full list of shorts and jurors for both categories visit the...

Organisers at the Rio Film Festival have brought in an extra 11 titles ahead of the September 26 opening night gala screening of Thierry Ragobert’s Amazonia 3D.

The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.

Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.

Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.

The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award.

Latin PremièreIl...

Organisers at the Festival do Rio, the Rio Film Festival, have brought in an extra 11 titles ahead of the September 26 opening night gala screening of Thierry Ragobert’s France-Brazil co-production Amazonia 3D.

The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.

Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.

Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.

The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award...