Ventana Sur, The First Latin American - European Film Market to be held on Latin American Ground.

The positive energy here is palpable. Everyone is not only happy to be here, but business is brisk. It feels like a natural place for a Latin American market with films, buyers and sellers all discussing Spanish language films con mucho gusto.

A lot of INCAA and Euro money went into this. Held in the magnificent space of Harrods next to Calle Florida where shopping deals rule, and in the Cinemark Theaters on the Rio de la Plata River, well organized with online screenings of films which will continue to be available to participants for the next two months on Cinando, it looks ordained as a key event on the market calendar.

How it will compare to Guadalajara Film Festival and Market in March is a question that hangs in the air. Cinando's participation there goes back four years with its active Co-Production Market.

On reading the list of 1,400 buyers and sellers it was a bit intimidating seeing the best names in the European business. There were far fewer American sellers, perhaps because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but there was Shoreline, Laguna, Outsider and Figa among the sellers' tables. Making an informal appearance as both buyer and seller was Maya who is proud of their first production, The Dry Land - to debut in Sundance - about a Tejano soldier returning from Iraq, produced by Sergio Aguero whose career path from the days of Trimark has been extraordinary.

Looking at the US buyers who came and who did not was also revealing. As ever, Peter Goldwyn was present. Condor's Peter Marai who is not only buying for Condor, his US video label but has already released three (European) films in his new Argentinean distribution company Mirada were here as were Richard Lorber, Film Movement, Kino and Zeitgeist, Strand, TLA, young, energetic Cuban and Brazilian owned California based Figa Films -- both buying and selling, Venevision, LAPTV, Latino Public Broadcasting, Magnolia, Music Box, Roadside Attractions (me!). Also present, Canadians Yves Dion of TVA, Mongrel, Lina Marrone representing Lolafilm sales were also here. And all the best European distributors, along with all the Latin American distributors make this intimate space very exciting.

Considering the elusive US market for foreign language films and the prevalence of French language films among them; not counting 2008 Fox Searchlight's Sundance acquisition Under the Same Moon which did gross $12,600,000, 2007's Lionsgate / Univision release of Robber of Robbers (Ladrón que roba a ladrón) which racked up $4,000,000, or 2006's Lionsgate My Brother's Wife (La Mujer de mi hermano) from Colombia which grossed almost $3,000,000, the few Spanish language films that have been released over the past three years have been few and far between and have grossed bupkas (all under $100,000). Experts in the US marketing and distribution of Latino films agree (see the blog on LALIFF) that if there were a steady flow of good product theatrically, an audience could and would be cultivated, but there has only been on film per year backed with enough marketing behind it to reach the audience.

The screenings in the Cinemark Theaters were somewhat sparse to start, with the possibility to going from one to another easy but also discouraging. Perhaps the distance from the Market itself discouraged attendance, although the last day of big screenings left me quite upbeat. Even if the films are not blatantly bidding-war-commercial, my favorites -- insightful, well produced and well directed -- were Elo Audiovisuals Budapest, Bolivia's Zona Sur with no sales agent on offer from the Cultural Center Yaneramai CCY-SRL. (NB DECEMBER 12: SHORELINE HAS PICKED UP WORLD RIGHTS AND THE FILM WILL SHOW IN SUNDANCE), and the Argentinean submission for the Best Foreign Language Oscar of 2009 El Secreto de sus Ojos. The Primer Corte (works in progress) was very well attended with distributors looking to get in on the upcoming releases earlier than their competition.  The most talked about film were Los Viejos and Vacas Flakas. The 450 titles available online in the viewing booths at the market itself were being consumed avidly and the sellers report considerable sales. The films? continuing viewing availability to participants on Cinando for the next two months can keep the heat up and will also alert film buyers and sellers and perhaps festivals to the expanding possibilities of online distribution both as a new trade tool within the trade and to the next step, beyond the trade.

We will see what sales were made and we hope that they match the optimistic positive energy so in evidence so that next year we can once again partake in what we hope will be a growing market and a growing supply of young original talent.

Thessaloniki International Film Festival

Thessaloniki has so much to offer and between meetings and screenings, plus my current work with the Berlinale's European Film Market, there is little time to explore the environs, like, Mount Olympus and the newly excavated perfectly preserved gravesite of Philip, the father Alexander the Great and Alexander's son Alexander IV, killed before reaching the age to become king. Truly and literally classic!

Thessaloniki is situated between east (as in The Byzantine) and west Europe, at the edge of the Balkans. Aside from the market itself called Agora and organized by Margarita Eliopoulou, three sections are designed to take advantage of its geographically unique location: the Balkans, South Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

• Salonica Studio/ Four Corners, the TIFF Student Workshop - My partner Peter Belsito is busy coaching the Thessaloniki film school students in pitching and entering the world('s) markets. Thessaloniki has the largest student population in Greece.

• Balkan Fund, the TIFF Script Development Fund

• Crossroads, the TIFF Co-Production Forum

It's obvious still that Romania holds sway as the great emerging film talent in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti’s dynamic debut feature Ajami and Calin Netzer’s Romanian drama Medal Of Honour took the top prizes at the 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece on November 22.

The debut film First of All, Felicia (Romania) also screened at AFI this year (and premiered at Sarajevo). This film's two debuting directors Melissa de Raaf and Razvan Radulescu are seasoned writers. Especially Razvan who wrote my favorite film from Thessaloniki last year, which surprisingly has made very little waves stateside, not even showing in Jewish Film Festivals, a film worthy of the great French Romanian playwright Ionesco, Gruber's Journey. He was the writer on Best Foreign Language Oscar winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days , The Paper Will Be Blue and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. It's obvious Razvan should try his hand at directing. I only wish it had not been from a script that would be better made into a stage play. Well written, and very well acted, but shot in two locations with three actors, it felt too enclosed.

The side bar Crossroads, organized by Despina Mouzaki, the director of the festival itself, and Marie-Pierre Macia, had 17 projects chosen from Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Syria and Turkey, all wth experienced producers and directors attached, gathered from the Producers' Network in Cannes, the Mediterranean Film Institute, a MEDIA proramme, and Sofia Meetings of the Sofia Film Festival. Two films coming from there showed at TIFF this year: Israel's Academy Award submission Ajami and Romania's Kino Caravan.

Romania producer Tudor Giurgiu of Libra Film whose Katalin Varga is at the festival is also pitching Adalbert's Dream at Crossroads. Producer Giurgiu himself seems to be the one man organizing the entire Romanian film industy. While he would not claim this himself, in many ways he reminds me of Pusan's Mr. KIM Dong-Ho. Aside from his production company Libra Film, he is the founder of film distribution company Transilvania Film and film/ music magazine Re:public. He is also the founder and honorary President of the Transilvania Int'l Film Festival, the first and most important international festival for feature films from Romania, and founder of Romanian Film Promotion, initiator of the GOPO Awards (the annual awards for best achievemens in local filmmaking, the local equivalent to the Oscar or Cesar Awards), and is a member of the board of ACRO, Romanian Filmmakers' Association. Who knows but that in 10 years he may also be honored by Thessaloniki as the new Mr. KIM for Eastern Europe's ascendancy in world film.

Thessaloniki Film Festival Honors Pusan and KOFIC presents reform plan to culture ministry

As the Thessaloniki International Film Festival waits on its own government to see its new policies toward the film industry, currently undergoing its own changes, and while TIFF's numerous activities seem to be making it the center of the Greek film industry, it honored and awarded Mr. KIM Dong-Ho, the founder of Pusan International Film Festival for his innovative and creative activities over the past 13 years working to establish Pusan as Korea's film capital. His address was eloquent and enlightening.

While in 1926 the first films were produced in Pusan, in 1945 [he did not say this, but I would note it here: "In 1945 when the U.S. army occupied the former Japanese colony of South Korea..."] theaters closed and no writers, directors, producers worked in Pusan. Every aspect of the film industry moved to Seoul, including publishing and all cultural events, creating a vacuum, or cultural wasteland in Pusan.

In 1996 Pusan International Film Festival was founded and the film industry began to reestablish its roots in Pusan.

• In 1998 Rotterdam Cinemart -- which was formerly headed by Wouter Barendrect, the man credited with bringing Asian films to the west -- began working with PPP which essentially brought the western "players" to the east to participate in international co-productions originating in the east.
• Pusan's Film Commission was the first in Asia to have an organized effort to bring production to locations in Pusan.
• Extensive studio facilities continue to be built in Pusan.
• Exports of Korean films expanded from $50 millon in 1996 to $76 million in 2005.
• The market share of Korean films in Korea rose from 20% in 1996 to 60% in 2008.
• Profits from the business have been reinvested in training the upcoming generations in film and in promotion of the Korean film industry.

• And as announced in the following article in Screen Daily, (KOFIC presents reform plan to culture ministry News Screen: "The Korean Film Council (KOFIC), led by recently-appointed chairman CHO Hee-moon, reported on a plan for reform today (November 11) to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, YOO In-chon." ) "According to an initiative to move government offices out of Seoul, KOFIC is now scheduled to move its offices to Busan by December 2012. It is due to sell its main office building in Hongneung and the Seoul Studio Complex in Namyangju by December 2011, while keeping the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) building in the Hongdae neighborhood only to re-educate and train film industry workers. "

The remainder of Screen's article leaves me wondering at the political implications of the article and which players are right, left, like-minded (with my concerns and Pusan's). However, the points made after the dizzyfying rhetoric (here quoted: The government-funded organisation has recently been suffering through what the labour union called “KOFIC’s greatest crisis” before and after the exit of its much-criticised former chairman KANG Han-sup. The problems included the staff’s weak performance evaluation and attacks from veteran filmmakers on what they called “leftist favoritism” in the years before Korea’s current right-wing administration took over. ) are important points:

• This included a proposal to stop giving P&A funds to overseas distributors of Korean films in advance, and instead selecting final recipients after they have finished releasing a film.
• The same applies to independent and art films – instead of pre-production funds, KOFIC plans to award completed films.
• In 2010 to 2011, KOFIC will also create a $17.25m (KW20bn) account to guarantee loans, meant to support Korean films and their development in overseas markets, as well as in the form of co-productions.
• To fight piracy, KOFIC will make available an online marketplace for films called KOME – Korean Open Movie Exchange. It estimates KOME will help the online market grow from $14.15m to $252.8m in the next three years.
• In an effort to ameliorate the currently poor treatment of below-the-line staff and crew, KOFIC is also planning to create a system which will use 25% of its support programme budget for below-the-line wages, and to make sure the investment funds KOFIC has taken part in support the due payment of staff and crew before all else.
• Minister YOO In-chon urged the KOFIC staff to “meet with filmmakers on a regular basis to find out what they are doing and what they need.”
• He also demanded a re-evaluation of state support methods for film festivals such as the recently wrapped Grand Bell Awards, which have been gathering increasing criticism towards the lack of confidence in their selection and awards practices.
• Related Articles Kang resigns as chairman of Korean Film Council 2 July 2009 Cho appointed as head of Korean Film Council 8 September 2009 South Korea at AFM 1 November 2009 Asian film commissions to jointly develop incentives system 14 October 2009 Pusan appoints new executives and programmers 12 March 2009 Linked Articles KOFIC to back Im Kwon-taek’s 101st film 22-Jul-2009 KOFIC selects 29 screens for Artplus Cinema programme 9-Apr-2009 KOFIC hands out $1.82m under two funding schemes 7-Apr-2009 KOFIC hands out p&a funding to three companies 16-Mar-2009 KOFIC cuts funding, overhauls investment strategy 10-Mar-2009

I hope I will be able to speak with KIM Dong-Ho before he leaves today. If I do, this article will be revised.

AFM Rights Round Up

A WORK IN PROGRESS: Halls and the lobby of Loews remained bare and quiet until Monday when the final day approaches and buyers began congregating in final deals. Surprisingly to all multiple sales had already been made by day 2 and sales for some, if not all were better than expected even if prices were lower. At the Thursday evening European Film Promotion reception, where all friends in the biz meet with welcoming smiles, Marcus Hu of Strand said he was already packing up to go as he had made his purchases..they were already screening Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before AFM began he said. One sales agent remarked that Toronto was the zero level and AFM looked like level 1 had been reached. One sales agent said only theatrical films were selling. Jonathan Wolf says AFM has are 10% fewer sellers (369 vs. 412 in 2008) but 4% more buyers with 13 new buyers from South Korea, 10 from US, 7 from Russia and 5 from China.

To quote Screen Daily's wrap up article: "Marquee titles like a hot trio from Summit - The Beaver, Red and Vendome Pictures’ first title Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal - Kinology’s Buried with rising star Ryan Reynolds, IM Global’s Area 51 from Oren Peli, and Focus Features International’s (FFI)
starring George Clooney have all done well here. Buyers have flocked to Mandate International’s Paul Haggis film The Next Three Days with Russell Crowe, The Weinstein Company’s Scream 4 and Hyde Park International’s Machete."

Here's a view on sales.

6 Sales sold Ex Terminators to Ascot Elite for Germany, Four Corners in Benelux, Horizon One in Australia, CP Digital in Russa, Pro Rom in Romania, Peekshill in Poland and the Czech Republic, Falcon in the Middle East and DBS in Israel. UTV will handle US distribution.
The Dancer and the Thief has sold to Rialto for Austrial and New Zealand.

Affinity Internationalis an "old/ new" international sales agent formed by Bold Films and Odd Lot Entertainment’s international sales arms which merged as Affinity International in time to debut at AFM.

Arclight Films's Bait 3D has pre-sold rights to Paramount for Australia, Arena Comunicación for Spain, Medusa for Italy, Gussi Films for Mexico, Paris Filmes for Brazil, and Lusomundo for Portugal, VideoVision Entertainment (South Africa), Dutch Film Works (Benelux), Aqua Pinema (Turkey), Amero Mitra (Indonesia), Pioneer (Philippines), Soundspace (Thailand, India, Vietnam) and Alfa (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay), Cine Colombia (Colombia), Delta (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador), Ballistic (Middle East), Modus Vivendi (Eastern Europe) and Arena (former Yugoslavia).

Arsenal/ Mirabelle's Tribeca premiering Tell-Tale has gone to Genius and Alliance for US and Canada respectively. Susan Jackson of Turtles Crossing and WME Global handled the domestic deal for the filmmakers.

Aspect Films has licensed the already-US-Warner Bros.-DVD comedy The Utopian Society to Scandinavia (Scanbox), Romania (Globcom), and the Middle East (Front Row). Self Medicated has sold to Benelux (Homvision) and North America (THINKFilm). Four films went to Front Row for the Middle East: Familiar Strangers, Drawn and In Memory Of My Father (which has more offers in negotiation now), and The Clan. Documentary The Peter Green Story has sold to Scanbox for the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia; and to airlines British Airways and Qatar Airways.
Atrix sold Buy Borrow Steal to Mediaset's RTI for pay TV in Italy and SBS TV for Belgium.

Bankside Films licensed Accidents Happen to Image Entertainment for all North American rights. Hopscotch Films has Australia and New Zealand. Blessed went to Baditri for Spain and How About You to Sherlock Films in Spain. New UK distributor Matchbox Films picked up Normal.

Bavaria Film International has licensed Krabat to Australia’s Accent Film. Liebe Mauer has sold to Isaan Entertainment in Spain and Golden Harvest in Hong Kong. Spanish buyer Contracorrientes Filmes has picked up Buddenbrooks, Van Diemen’s Land and Bothersome Man. Deliver Us From Evil has gone to Prorom in Romania, with Germany and US under negotiation. Nothing Personal has gone to Isaan in Spain and MFA Filmverlieh in Germany while US and French deals are likely to be closed soon.

CJ who has entered into a mutually beneficial strategic partnership with Fortissimo has also sold White Night to Edko for Hong Kong and Catchplay for Taiwan who also acquired Secret. Killer Bride's Perfect Crime went to Golden Harvest for Hong Kong and Catchplay for Taiwan. Coproduced by Japan's Amuse Soft and TBS, it is already in release in Japan and Korea. Good Morning President which debuted in Pusan went to SPO for Japan and Catchplay for Taiwan. SPO also acquired Public Enemy Returns and Marine Boy. All done by day 2! Mother went to Festive for Singapore. Golden Slumber went to Filmware for Taiwan. Haeundae went to ECS fo the Middle East which is now sold out. White Night and Secret went to Catchplay for Taiwan.

CMG licensed Good Hair to Icon for UK, Other Angle for France, Nu Metro for South Africa and Front Row for the MIddle East. Talks continue with Eastern Europe and Madman took Australia and New Zealand prior to AFM. The Collector went to Icon for UK, CTV International for France, Rialto for Australai and New Zealnd, Splendid for Germany, Front Row for the Middle East and is talking with Mexico and Eastern Europe.

Contentfilm's Ironclad has gone to Square One in Germany, Village Films in Greece, Bowline for Czech and Slovak Republics, Pro Films in Bulgaria, Italia in the Middle East, Cinestar Films in Philippines, Monolith in Poland, Lusomundo in Portugal, Media Pro in Romania, Antena 3 in Spain, Sahmongkol in Thailand, and Umut Sanat in Turkey. Airlines and ships have been bought by Jaguar.

Dadi Entertainment, China has licensed its $23m biopic Confucius to Korea’s JL International, Thailand’s Sahamongkol and Singapore’s Cathay Keris Films. It has also gone to Hong Kong’s Intercontinental (theatrical) and Mei Ah (video & TV), Taiwan’s Applause Entertainment, Malaysia’s Golden Screen, Indonesia’s PT Amero Mitra Film and Vietnam’s BHD, and Spain’s Flins & Piniculas . Dadi and China Film Group Corporation will release the film on more than 3,000 screens across mainland China on Jan 28, 2010.

Epic Pictures has l,icensed Blood River to MIG Film for Germany, Vox for Russia, Five Stars for Brazil and Argentina, Spentzos Films for Greece and Carisma Films for Poland, Ster-Kinekor for South Africa and Gulf for the Middle East.

Films Distribution licensed The Horde to IFC Films in the US and to Showgate in Japan and is about to close a Korean deal.

Fine Cut continues its work with Pablo Trapero on the next film Carancho. Lion's Den (aka Leonera)'s French distributor Ad Vitam will also invest in the film. Cinema Epoch has acquired North American distribution rights to Eye for An Eye and Fighter in the Wind. Finecut has sealed a Japanese deal on Ounie Lecomte’s A Brand New Life, selling the Korean-French co-production to Crest International.

Forward Motion Entertainment licensed Pontypool to Anchor Bay in Asuatralia and New Zealand and Camro in Scandinavia. Earlier deals included Kaleidoscope for UK, Mirovision for So. Korea, Phoenicia for the Middle East, A-Plus for Turkey, MIG for Germany and Maple for Canada. IFC has US.

Fuji TV and Pony Canyon have sold Threads of Destiny, Happy Flight and Nobody To Watch Over Me to Continental for Hong Kong and Cathay for Singapore.

Galloping Films, headed by Carlos alperin has pre-sold Love and Virtue to Lizard Cinema for CIS, Tandem Video for Bulgaria, Falcon for the Middle East.

Gaumont licensed Last Night and Splice to Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux. La rafle (The Roundup) went to Wide for Spain. Other distributors of Splice which premiered at Sitges are
Seville Pictures for Canada, California Filmes for Brazil, Madman Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand, Mirovision for So. Korea, Quality Films for Spain, Senator Film for Germany.

Graham King's GK Films licensed Edge of Darkness and The Young Victoria to Wild Bunch for Germany and Austria.

Hanway licensed Samuel Goldwyn the US rights along with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group who will handle other "select entertainment rights" to Harry Brown.
The film launches wide in the UK this weekend.

Icon licensed East is East to Metropolitan for France, lusomundo for Portugal, Odeon for Greece, Prime Pictures for the Middle East.

IM Global sold out on Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity and expects to close a North American deal soon and has licensed Oren Peli’s Area 51 to Momentum in the UK, Concorde in Germany, Euro TV in France, Zelta in Spain, and Village Roadshow in Australia and New Zealand, and to PlayArte (Latin America), Svensk (Scandinavia), RCV (Benelux), Village Roadshow (Greece), and Gulf (Middle East.)

Independent Film Sales has sold Exm to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for UK and is collaborating with the producers on a theatrical release for the film in January.

Intandem licensed Your Perfect Angel to Mediafilm for Italy, CP Digital for CIS, Svensk for Scandinavia, Freeman for Eastern Europe, Village Roadshow for Greece, and PT Amero for Indonesia. Previous deals were made with Splendid for Germany and Lusomundo for Portugal.

Kadokawa has sold Ju-On: Whaite Ghost and Ju-on: Black Ghost to Media Blasters for US and RAM India for Singpore, Malaysia and Indonesia. CMC opens November 5 in Taiwan. Showbox of So. Korea had 300,000 admissions. The Unbroken ($20 million budget) wold to Consolidated Theaters in Hawaii.

Kathy Morgan Intl licensed The Danish Girl to Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux.

Latido licensed The Secret of Their Eyes to Sony Pictures Classics for US.

LongTale International has licensed Neten Chokling's Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint to Sweden's Axess TV.

Media Asia licensed The Legend of Chen Zhen to TF1 for France. Dream Movies took rights for Australia and New Zealand to Love In A Puff and Death Of A Hostage. Accident went o Rose Media for Thailand, Kaewon for Korea and Horizon for Turkey. Look For A Star went to Rose Media and Sky City Cinema for New Zealand. Death Of A Hostage sold to Maywin for Russia. Sky City Cinema also picked up Lady Cop & Papa Crook.

Media Luna licensed Call Girl to Only Hearts for Japan. 9 to 5: Days in Porn has gone to Beyond Home Entertainment for Australia/New Zealand with the guarantee of theatrical release in at least two cities. The Dragon House has sold to Kim Media for Korea.

Memento by day 2 has presold Black Heaven to O Brother for Benelux, PCV for Greece, Edko for Hong Kong, Catchplay for Taiwan. Haut et Court has France and the film is already tipped for Cannes.

Mirovision licensed Lifting Kingdom to Golden Harvest for Hong Kong and China. Death Bell went to KMG for Japan and Thailand and Elephant Films for French speaking territories.

MK2 licensed Belgian submission for Best Foreign Language Oscar The Misfortunates to Neo Classics (The Black Balloon, Moscow, Belgium) for US. Other distributors are Against Gravity (Il Divo, Waltz with Bashir) for Poland, A-ONE (Rumba, Dark Blue Almost Black) for Russia and the Baltic countries. MK2 Distribution releases the film on 100 prints in France on December 30.

Myriad licensed 3D English-language animated feature Dino Mom, currently in production in South Korea, sold to Gussi in Mexico, Imagem in Brazil, Cinemax in CIS/Russia, New Wave in China, Eagle Films in the Middle East, Intersonic in the Czech Republic/Hungary and MCFilms in the former Yugoslavia.Deals also closed with Polsat in Poland, ITV in Romania, Myndeform in Iceland, Aurora in the Ukraine, Delta Films in Peru, Blanco & Travieso in Venezuela and Leda Films in Latin America for Pay TV. Dino Mom went out through existing output deals with Golden Village in Singapore, VC Multimedia in Portugal, D Productions in Turkey and CineColumbia in Colombia.

Nikkatsu has sold Alien Vs Ninja to Revolver Entertainment for the UK and M Pictures for Thailand.

NonStop sold Magic Silver to BlueMedia Times for China, to Flins y Piniculas for Spain. Reykjavik-Rotterdam went to A Contracorriente in Spain.

Nu Image Films/ Millenium licensed Stallone directed The Expendables, Riot, Leaves of Grass, Labor Pains and an option on the Conan The Barbarian remake to Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux. Riot has also been sold to CatchPlay for Taiwan, Prorom Media-Trade for Romania, Wide Pictures for Spain who also acquired Trust.

Odin’s Eye has parsed out North American rights in two separate deals with Cinetic Media and Phase 4. Cinetic has acquired digital rights across all media platforms, and Phase 4 (formerly Peace Arch Home Entertainment) has home video rights. Odin’s Eye is also planning a limited North American theatrical release for the film in Feb 2010 to coincide with the Vancouver Winter Olympics and black history month.

Paramount Vantage International sales chief Alex Walton reported a ‘sensational’ response to the crime thriller remake 13 backed by Barbarian, Oceana Media and Magnet Media Group. It is close to selling out on completed titles like Overture pictures Traitor and Last Chance Harvey. 13 went to Wide for Spain. It had already presold to Distribution Company for Argentina, Midget Entertainment for Denmark, Noble Entertainment for Sweden.

Parkland Pictures licensed L'Amour Cache to Cinema Epoch for US.

Parlay Films licensed Henry's Crime to Wide for Spain.

Pathe licensed Oceans to Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux.

Protagonist Pictures has licensed Streetdance 3D to Metropolitan for France, Alliance for Canada, Aurum for Spain, Mars for South Korea, RCV for Benelux, Scanbox for Scandinavia and Front Row for the Middle East, Independent for Israel, Golden Scene for Hong Kong, Monolith for Eastern Europe, and Lens Media for China. CAA is handling the US Vertigo has set a UK release date for May 2010. Protagonist has also closed a two-picture deal with Icon for Australia for Wild Target and The Firm. NonStop took The Firm for Scandinavia. IFC Films bought Le Donk And Scor-Zay-Zee for the US, Madman took it for Australia and Front Row for the Middle East. Nativity has gone to Swift for France. Protagonist is also fielding several offers on Bel Ami .

Rézo Films licensed A Skirt Day to Cinema Epoch for US.

Roissy Films licensed The Sicilian Girl for the US.

Salt licensed US rights to Dominic Murphy’s White Lightnin', a Sundance premiering film and winner of the Hitchcock D’Or at the Dinard Film Festival and the winner this week of the international competition at the Mumbai Film Festival to Sundance Selects a Rainbow Meda label to release in theatres and on video-on-demand in 2010. Momentum currently has the film on theatrical release in the UK and it is in theatres in Benelux through Film Freak. It will be released later this year in Germany with I-On New Media and in Australia through Madman and Haut et Court has France.

SC Films (Simon Crowe's new sales agency) made deals before AFM, continuing the trend pointed out in this blog as the reason for "poor sales" reported at Toronto, that is, the majority of sales were made just before the festival/ market and are continuing still, as with Roadside Attractions pick up of The Joneses,which is being handled internationally by FilmNation. SC's Gunslinger was pre bought by Wild Bunch for Germany and Benelux, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Odeon for Greece, ECS for the Middle East.

Showbox/Mediaplex licensed Take Off to Amuse Soft Entertainment, One Dollar Distribution for China, Hong Kong and Malaysia, Catchplay for Taiwan and Horizon International for Turkey. In addition, horror title Possessed was picked up by Singapore’s Innoform Media, Malaysia’s Hua Yea Multimedia and Taiwan’s Catchplay.

Showgate has sold the hit 3D and live action film Paco And The Magical Book to Serenity Entertainment for Taiwan. The Cycling Genius Is Coming! (Shakariki!) to AV Jet for Taiwan. TV animations including Fist Of The North Star sold to Yamamoto for Italy and Mighty Media for Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan; and Casshern Sins to Odex in Singapore.

Sola licensed DVD rights Turtle: The Incredible Journey to Take Shobo for Japan.

StudioCanal has licensed the shortened feature version of Sundance Channel’s three-part mini-series Carlos The Jackal for US to IFC. The mini-series will air on the Sundance Channel in spring 2010. IFC plans an autumn 2010 theatrical and VOD release to a shortened version. Canal Plus will screen the film in early 2010.

Stylejam has sold Fine, Totally Fine to Third Window Film for the UK. Then Summer Came went to Cinema Valley for Korea, and Adrift In Tokyo to Evokative Films for Canada.

Summit has sold out on marquee titles The Beaver. Summit Entertainment will distribute in the US. Icon has taken UK and Australian rights, SND France,Telemunchen-Concorde Germany, Medusa has taken Italy, Aurum Spain, Nordisk Scandinavia, and Belga Benelux. Red rights have gone to E1 in the UK, Telemunchen-Concorde in Germany, SND in France, Aurum in Spain, and RCV in Benelux. The Ghost and Sorority Row went to to Dutch FilmWorks for Benelux. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group (SPWAG) acquired multiple territories to The Book Of Eli which now are Australia, Latin America, Spain, Scandinavia and select territories in Eastern Europe, Portugal, South Africa, New Zealand and much of Asia. Warner Bros holds North American rights and has scheduled a January 15 2010 release. Source Code went to SND in France, Kinowelt in Germany, Hopscotch in Australia and New Zealand, Aurum in Spain, Sandrew Metrnome in Scandinavia, Belga in Benelux, E1 in Canada, The Daisy in So. Korea, Sun in Latin America, Jaguar in the middle East, Fida in Turkeym Sahamongkol in Thailand, United King in Israel, Odeon in Greece, Sam Film in Iceland, and Optimum in the UK.
Tavix Pictures has closed deals on Hired Gun with Prorom for Romania and Phoenicia Pictures International for the Middle East. Tavix holds North American rights.

The Works sold I Am Love to Scanbox for Scandinavia the first morning of the market. My Year Without Sex went to Strand for the US.

Toei has pre-sold US-Japan co-production Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac to Hong Kong distributor Golden Scene.

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) has sold Pandemic to Bona Entertainment for Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, and to J Bics Films for Thailand. Pandemic would be released Jan 17 in Japan on more than 350 screens.

Tornado Film has sold Goth, Grotesque, Twilight Syndrome - Cruise Of Death and Twilight Syndrome - Theme Park Of Death to Sahamongkol for Thailand.

Trust Nordisk licensed Cold Prey II to Indonesia (MT Entertainment) and Brazil (Flashstar). The Candidate has been sold to Indonesia (Mt Ent) and Poland (Syrena Films). Dark Floors has gone to Indonesia (MT Ent) and Love At First Hiccup has been sold to Kino Swiat (Poland).

United Pictures and M-Line Distribution pre-sold Woochi to Splendid for Germany and Benelux and Viscom Suraya for Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, and to China’s New View TV & Media. M-Line is handling European territories on the film while United Pictures handles the US and Asia.

Vision Films has closed deals on The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff. with Isaan Entertainment in Spain, Arsenal Films in Germany and Dutch FilmWorks in Benelux. Xenon will release in the US.

Voltage licensed The Company You Keep to Luis De Val’s new company Wide Pictures for Spain.

We Distribution has sold Bodyguards and Assassins to E1 Entertainment for the UK and Canada, Cj Entertainment for Korea and Gulf Films for the Middle East by day 2.

Wide Management has licensed Two in the Wave to Les Films du Paradoxe for France, Cetera Films for Japan, Imovision for Brazil..all before AFM. By day 2 it licensed LaVida Loca to Fandango for Italy. Gigola presold to World Cinema for So. Korea. It is tipped for Cannes FF 2010.

Wild Bunch licensed Room in Rome to IFC for US. Other distributors of this remake of Chilean film En La Cama are Comstock (Japan), First Distributors (Hong Kong), Optimum Releasing (UK), Orlando Films (Israel), Transmission (Australia). The Good Heart went to Magnolia for US.

A quick review of IndieWire's other US pickups over the past month:
Sony Classics Has “Mother and Child”
by Peter Knegt (November 2, 2009)
Lorber Heads “Home”
by Peter Knegt (October 28, 2009)
Goldwyn to Bring “Life” to the U.S. in January
by Brian Brooks (October 27, 2009)
IFC Brings “Cairo” to the U.S.
by Brian Brooks (October 22, 2009)
Oscilloscope Brings the “Girl” to North America
by Brian Brooks (October 21, 2009)
B-Side Takes “Bill”
by Peter Knegt (October 20, 2009)

Hof Film Festival, Germany Wrap Up -- Old & New

In the final analysis the 43rd edition of Hof is an important part of international film geography. It offers an intimate relaxed setting where recent German film school graduates can showcase their debut features and German film business vets can see who and what is coming up and can discuss their own issues among themselves. From the retrospective of Lou Castelwho was honored in person to the film which we honor here for its exemplary production value, casting choices and thoughtfulness depicting a beautiful young woman's possibilities for love and her simultaneous loneliness and to the final soccer match between the townies and the film folks, this festival was a great pleasure to attend.

A bit more on the 43 minute film we are discussing here. Streiflichter or Sidelights was financed by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR). It was scored by Moritz Schmittat, a Berlinale talent written about in my blog about music in September, another evidence of the talented choices of the director-writer Lena Knauss, a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. The star, Sandra Borgmann, is someone we would like to see more of and in a larger part than her last part as Ruth in The Baader Meinhof Complex. We would especially like to follow Lena on her journey into features because we see her on a heretofore little traveled road expressing deeply held and seldom expressed sentiments of a thoughtful woman with visual, story and dramatic talents. She seems to be pointing the way to a new thematic approach to female subject matter and internal struggles of female characters. At least we hope so.

Hofer Filmtage 2009 Day 2 Women Filmmakers

More of the trade came in Thursday night including Rainer Kölmel who sold Kinowelt to Pathe just before the latest market crash and who has produced The Two Lives of Daniel Shore, playing here. Daniel Gluckau is still acquiring films for Kinowelt and has just had a son born. Former Kinowelt sales man Stlios Ziannis has created his own international sales agency Aktis Film whose film 13 Semester is premiering here and was produced by 20th Century Fox Germany signaling their possibly renewed interest in German production. This film, depicting life in college is a new subject for German film. Aktis also intends to enter coproductions as well. Also attending are Rudy Tjio of Universum UFA who will also be attending AFM, Antonio Exacoustos of ARRI Media Worldsales, Wigbert Moschall of mdc int., Prokino's Ira von Gienanth, MFA's Christian Meinke

Women in film are receiving some press these days, from an article discussing possible Oscar Best Director award to women, IndieWire's Celluloid Ceiling article at the London Film Festival, an earlier blog of mine, Toronto notes I made about the notable number of films made by women (around 51). And now, reviewing the Hof roster, of 39 shorts, 13 are by women and of 56 features, 14 are by women:


Nothing Personal, Urszula Antoniak, Polish born, German educated. Film is in English.
Porgy & Me, Susanna Boehm, German. Film is in English
Urville, Angela Christlieb, (Cinemania). German. Film is in French
The Song of Two Horses, Byambasuren Davaa. Mongolian.
One out of Eight, Sabine Derflinger. German
Queen of Hearts, Valerie Donzelli. French
Lourdes, Jessica Hausner. French
Wenn Die Welt Uns Gehoert, Judith Keil, Antje Kruska. German
Men on the Bridge, Asli Ozge, Turkish (The Turkish-German films are creating the most buzz among Germans these days)
Mazel Tov, Mischka Popp, German (There is usually 1 but this year are 2 Jewish films (also Such a Schlmazzel which was sold out)
Der innere Krieg , Astrid Schult, German
Hughezovka, Viola Stephan, German
Geburt, Silvia Haselbeck
Schwarz auf Weis, Susanne Jaeger

Hof Film Festival, Germany

The 43rd HOF Film Festival is in a tiny town in Franken, Bavaria. It's the hometown of festival founder Heinz Badewitz who entered the film world in the 60s side by side with Fassbinder, Herzog, Wenders and other new wave German filmmakers. The traditional soccer game between the filmmakers and the townies in the beautiful fall setting is one of the high points of the festival. Other notable reasons for coming to this festival is that every German film industryite including bankers and other festival progammers, distributors, sales agents and the press is here schmoozing, drinking beer, eating the best sausages in the world and watching films up the youngest up-and-comingest German filmmakers in a totally relaxed atmosphere.

Opening night film was Parkour, the debut drama by Marc Rensing about a young man and his group of friends in an unnamed industrial town in Germany. Sundance's Sin Nombre produce by Mexico's Canana Films will have its German premiere here, hosted by its distributor Prokino Filmverleih who is also premiering Keep Surfing by producer Tobias N. Siebert who was nominated for an Oscar for The Story of the Weeping Camel.

Heinz felt the docs were especially good this year and a large number have been programmed. The one I have been waiting to see since this summer when I was speaking to the producer Uwe Dierks (Rhythm IsIt!) about its US potential is Porgy & Me by Susanna Boehm. The African American singers of the New York Harlem Theatre have been touring Gershwin's Porgy and Bess for decades all over the world. I would guess this is on the road to Sundance. On another African diaspora subject is the doc Gunter Wallraff: Schwarz Auf Weiss in which a black immigrant travels through Germany testing the friendlines of the locals who never know that he is Gunther Wallraff, the famous under cover journalist.

This film, like many others this year, is directed by a woman, Susanne Jaeger. More on that subject in the coming days.

Upcoming blogs

Here is my tentative travel schedule, starting today!

Oct 25-Nov 4 Germany (HOF Film Festival)
Nov 4 – 11 AFM (Santa Monica)
Nov 11 -14 little trip to Big Sur
Nov 16 -22 Thessaloniki Film Festival
Nov. 26 – Dec. 3 Ventana Sur/ Buenos Aires
Dec. 3 – 13 Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano


Jan 21 - 31 Sundance Jan 21 - 31
Jan 31 – Feb 7 Rotterdam Cinemart
Feb 11 – 21 Berlin Film Festival
Mar 12 -20 Guadalajara Film Festival
May 13 – 24 Cannes Film Festival

UK Distribution

Momentum, PPI strike up UK distribution alliance on six-film slate

A Model to Emulate for Regional Film Markets

When I first read of TIFFCON's (Tokyo International Film Festival) efforts to increase international sales and coproductions (Sales and co-production under the spotlight at TIFFCON News Screen), what caught my attention first was reading, "Taiwan, which was colonised by Japan for 50 years until the 1940s" and I thought, How about a film about that little known fact for the rest of us...including -- was it called, Chang Kai Chek's "liberation"?

On thinking further of how much well-thought-out care was taken to address the issue of our international film crisis from the Japanese point of view, I realized that TIFFCON was presenting a model to emulate for regional film markets and that this applied particularly to the new upcoming Ventana Sur, hosted by the Argentina Government organization INCAA and Jerome Paillard of the Cannes Market. Might the Tokyo International Film Festival with its intense focus on the Japanese film industry investigating ways to sell films internationally and to coproduce with Asian neighbors be emulated by Ventana Sur in its second edition? This edition is strictly sales oriented film screenings, but beyond traditional sales, a united effort to create a larger cooperative sales, distribution and coproduction entity would create an environment more conducive to a steady flow of product of a certain commercial level of product that buyers could rely on. I will be in Buenos Aires blogging on this issue and other newsworthy issues November 26 – 30.

The panel at LALIFF (Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival) with Jim McNamara of CineLatino and Panamax, Ignacio Darnaude, EVP International Creative Advertising of Sony Pictures Releasing International and Santiago Pozo, founder and CEO of Arenas, US’s premiere Latino film marketing and sometime distribution company concluded that the product flow of Latino films -- whether in English or Spanish -- needs to be stepped up to a constant flow in order to cultivate a stateside audience, and relying on the already established studios and independent sales agents and distributors will not suffice. It will only be accomplished with the backing of a pan Latin American independent production/ distribution company made of cooperating Latin American and US based Latino entities.

TIFFCON had 209 exhibitors from 14 countries and was attended by buyers from Japan, Korea, China and Singapore. Here are events set up for its constituency, events designed to address the issues of pan Asian collaboration.

Japan has historically represented 10% of the market making it the second largest world market after US and was able to be more or less self sufficient. But with its declining DVD market and its own economic downturn it needs to increase exports and co-productions. Still and all, its own box office is booming.

UniJapan and J-Pitch organized a panel of five leading international sales agents to advise local producers on how to expand the market for their films.

• Gabor Greiner, acquisitions executive for Germany’s The Match Factory, explained how tough the international market has become for foreign-language product, despite the fact that Japanese films such as Departures and Tokyo Sonata have been winning accolades and distribution overseas. “Distributors these days are taking less and less risks and it is easier to pick up films than it is to sell them,” Greiner said. “In the coming year we will be looking for films that are a bit more commercial or not so local.” However he said he was in Tokyo specifically to look for Japanese films: “We are looking for novelty, freshness, new ways of filmmaking and storytelling and other points of international appeal.”


• Youngjoo Suh of Korean sales agent Fine Cut , which is handling Kanikôsen from Japan’s Sabu, outlined the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese cinema that she considers when deciding whether to pick up a project or invest. “The strength of the Japanese industry is that it has so many original contents, like manga and novels. But the arthouse films tend to be a little bit repetitive. Of course it’s nice to have a message, but I like films to have a bit of an edge."

Panels about collaboration between Japan and three Chinese-speaking territories who are all interested in working with Japan.

• China, soon to become the box office giant still has unresolved tensions with Japan dating back to WWII, though filmmakers are attempting to bridge the political gap.


• Hong Kong’s Trade Development Council (TDC) hosted coproduction partners stepping up to collaboration with Japan.
  § Irresistible Films’ Lorna Tee discussed its cooperation between Japan’s Avex Inc. Entertainment and Hong Kong’s Bill Kong and Hugh Simon which aims to support new talent and is currently on its sixth production, an untitled project co-directed by Derek Tsang and Jimmy Wan.
  § Hong Kong-based Salon Films and Japan’s Casio Entertainment talked about their co-production, Fly Baby Fly, an animated multi-platform project set for release in 2011. Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo is also co-producing the film, a fantasy about the annual migration of butterflies from Taiwan to Japan, which has an environmental message for kids.


• Taiwan, a colony of Japan for 50 years until the 1940s still has strong cultural links to the country, especially in the areas of youth and pop culture. One panel explored how this was exploited by the producers of Taiwanese mega-hit Cape No. 7 which featured Japanese actors and music from J-pop star Kousuke Atari. My question: Why not make a film about the colonization, a little known part of history in the west.

Rentrak Corporation - July is the Hottest Month to Date for Video-On-Demand

Is business really as bad as everyone fears or is it actually getting better? Looking at Rentrak's report, I'd say help is on the way.

Rentrak Corporation - July is the Hottest Month to Date for Video-On-Demand: "Rentrak Corporation (Nasdaq: RENT), a leader in multi-screen media measurement serving the entertainment and advertising industries, reported today that July eclipsed the previous video-on-demand (VOD) viewing record set last month, delivering a 19% year-to-year increase in overall VOD transactions and a 15% increase in the number of unique set-top-boxes (STB) accessing OnDemand.** The average minutes per day spent watching VOD increased and the percent of VOD enabled STBs accessing OnDemand content increased to 47% in July."

Discussion: GLITNER | LinkedIn

Glitner is a European based and a European funded digital rights management platform. An interesting discussion takes place on GLITNER via LinkedIn: What would facilitate the emergence of business models not based on territorial copyrights?

In the digital environment it is essential to remove artificial barriers to the circulation of creative content and to competitive market, while promoting and protecting cultural diversity.

One of the models discussed was one brought up last year at AFM by Brent V. Friedman in the panel "Web Entrepreneurs: Imagination Meets Commerce" Let us see what a difference a year has made: You can watch the video of the conference here: http://bit.ly/2p6JPx where a producer managed to get some product placement built-in the production, and actually managed to do some profit-sharing both ways in VoD (from the platform back to him as a rights holder, and from him to the platform as an in-build advertisement revenue stream on a per click model). The net net effect was in fact to the profit of the rights holder (the platform would give more than it received), and it allowed him to be more competitive that other rights holders in terms of visibility by giving an incentive to the platform to put his content upfront...

Another model has been proposed by WeVision.

Onlinefilm AG

Cay Wesnigk CEO of Onlinefilm AG is running the portal www.onlinefilm.org.

Onlinefilm.org is a multilingual European VOD platform for producers and filmmakers, offering them the possibility to easily upload their films and set them free for download against micro payment by using the internet as a direct sale channel. The price that has to be paid is choosen by the uploader himself and the regular share is 51% for the rights owner and 49% for the platform. www.onlinefilm.org is the only platform that allows the uploader total control over the distribution process and can be used to host trailers for all as well as raw cuts which can then be distributed to closed circles only. Once a film is uploaded the first three minutes are converted into a flash file automaticaly and if set free by the uploader, can be embedded on any webside or blog as a viral marketing tool. >From there to a purchase as VOD download to own it is always only just one click. Unlike other VOD platforms www.onlinefilm.org lets filmmakers know who their customers are. The platform is in collective possession by over 120 filmmakers already and is offering other filmmakers to become part of the collective that owns and controls the filmmaker owned marketplace on the Internet as well. Onlinefilm has partners that run regional portals, based on the onlinefilm.org distribution technology in Austria, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia and is looking for more partners in other countries."

Picture This!

Picture This!: "So sad and sorry to say that as of September 29, 2009, we have closed our doors after a wonderful, 13-year run as Picture This! Over the years we have globe-trotted to bring you quality gay, lesbian and coming-of-age features and shorts, but increasingly undeniable economic realities have sadly put an abrupt end to our mission."

Truly Free Film: One Day Crash Course In The New Distribution & Marketing

Announcing a chance to see Peter Broderick in person and hear about Hybrid DIY distribution. Don't miss this, even if it is in the middle of AFM. You'll learn things the Paramount marketing team of Paranormal Activity picked up from the source of the innovations in internet movie marketing itself. Truly Free Film: One Day Crash Course In The New Distribution & Marketing

Rena Ronson to UTA | The Wrap

I once planned to write a book entitled Ronna, Rena, Gina and Me. It would have been about the first women in the business of film (vs. the creative side of filmmaking). Ronna Wallace began as the first in acquisitions and opened up her jobs to me as she left them, most notably leaving Arthur Morowitz to head up MGM Home Video. Rena, met first behind the desk at Fox Lorber (with David Linde!) and then entering international sales -- and not just buying and selling features but companies themselves -- while not the first women in independent international sales, she was the first to be so versatile crossing into the agency world, producer repping and financing as well. Gina Resnick, an attorney moving up the corporate ladder to head acquisitions at RCA Columbia Home Video, and me, quiet but the first woman in corporate international distribution (20th Century Fox International, Amsterdam). The problem with the book was that while we all said yes, we were all too busy working to sit down and recall the struggles and compromises and decisions we had to take to keep progressing upward. And today, while we're all still going strong, it is Rena who has sprinted ahead once again and is still going upwards (while we are maintaining our pace and feeling strong about that). Here is the latest, straight from the official press release as broken on The Wrap. Congratulatons!

Rena Ronson to UTA The Wrap: "United Talent Agency today announced that top film finance and packaging executive Rena Ronson has joined the agency as Co-Head of the Independent Film Group. She will join UTA motion picture literary partner Rich Klubeck in overseeing the group, where she will focus on film finance and film packaging for independent and co-financed studio features as well as foreign sales and distribution strategies. Ronson was most recently co-head of William Morris Independent.

“UTA continues to recruit professionals who can bring experience and relationships that will serve our colleagues and our clients,” said UTA Board member Jeremy Zimmer. “Rena’s professionalism and reputation as one of the most passionate and widely-admired players in independent film certainly fit that criteria.

“Rena’s addition speaks directly to the vision we have for expanding our finance and packaging operations,” said UTA motion picture lit partner Rich Klubeck who has headed the group since 2004. “Her extensive experience here and abroad and her insight into the changing economics of the film industry will greatly add to our reach in the global film market. I am thrilled that she is joining the agency.

“This is a terrific opportunity and one I couldn’t pass up,” said Rena Ronson. “I have long admired the way in which UTA has grown and positioned itself in the industry, and I am excited to join Rich and the team in being part of the agency’s future. Together, Rich and I aim to make UTA a market leader in developing the new strategies and solutions that filmmakers, producers and financiers need in these challenging times.”

LATINO FILM RELEASE BY ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS TODAY

Roadside Attractions is releasing both Good Hair and From Mexico with Love today. We all know about Good Hair, the Toronto premiering doc by Chris Rock inspired by his daughter’s hair styling concerns. Check out Roadside Attraction’s Facebook Page and you’ll see more on this hands-down, well-loved film.

It’s From Mexico with Love which offers the challenge and possible new insights into distribution to the niche Mexican audience. Starring Kuno Becker a big star in Mexico and known here for the Goal Films and costarring Danay Garcia, a well loved Mexican telenovela star who also has a regular role in Fox's upcoming series Prison Break, it will be released on 281 screens in California, New Mexico and Arizona. (Good Hair will go out on 185 screens.)

The film is a Rocky-esque inspirational story in which a washed-up trainer takes a self-destructive young boxer under his wing. It is receiving important radio notice on Latino stations. While A Day without a Mexican played in Sundance, this film played in the San Diego Latino Film Festival. Whether that impacts the film is interesting to speculate upon, though I don’t think Sundance is a relevant factor, and San Diego’s impact is uncertain. The film did quite well in Mexico which could mean it’s been seen already in US illegally or that its reputation will create interest here.

Most interesting is the chance to compare and perhaps replicate the success of A Day Without a Mexican whose opening weekend was $620,000. It played theatrically from May to November 2004 finally grossing $4.18 million in US. Very little has hit the Latino (primarily Mexican) market to that tune since -- with the exception of Fox Searchlight's 2007 Sundance pickup Under The Same Moon in 2008 which grossed $12,589,108 -- but the majors and their P&A budgets essentially take their films out of the league we are discussing here.

***Late posting: Opening weekend From Mexico with Love was $334,340 (#26 rank, 279 theaters, $1,198 average) % of Total Gross: 66.1%
Widest Release: 279 theaters In Release: 10 days / 1.4 weeks. Now at $505,606.

It doesn't compare with A Day Without a Mexican whose Opening Weekend:
$628,807 was in 56 theaters averaging$11,228 and ranking #15. % of Total Gross:
15.0% View All 31 Weekends

Latino programming has been out of the spotlight lately after its 2004 to 2007 whirlwind of activities by companies looking to cash in on the elusive Latino market and riding in on the wave of ADWOM. We haven’t heard much news of Lionsgate Latino programming section who in 2006 hired Arturo Chavez to head up its Latino video division. Jim McNamara was named non executive chairman in August 2008 of Cine Latino and in principle is continuing to run production company Panamax Films which has a distribution deal with Lionsgate. Its last credits were 2007's Ladron que roba el ladron (Robber of Robbers) released by Lionsgate and Univision and grossing $4m and Sangre de mi sangre, (Blood of My Blood), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, was released by IFC and grossed $54,000 and 2006's La mujer de mi hermano (My Brother's Wife) from Colombia which grossed $2.8m. The only news of other Latino oriented distributors was last summer's Latino showcase tour starting at the Aero and initiated by Maya's Moctezuma Esparza. Maya's 2009 releases, Casi divas, Máncora and Sleep Dealer grossed $46,200, $29,700 and $75,700 respectively.

LA Latino Film Festival (LALIFF) is featuring a panel discussion on distribution in these markets October 15 at 4pm at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, 3rd floor. I’ll be moderating it and panelists will include

• Ignacio Darnaude who is credited in IMDb for the idea and as exec producer of Casi Divas and whose day job is with Sony Pictures Releasing International as EVP International Creative Adverstising where he is responsible for the creation of international print and audiovisual marketing materials of all major Sony Pictures releases. He developed the international campaigns for some of the highest grossing pictures in Sony’s history, including “The Da Vinci Code”, “Spider Man 3” and “Casino Royale”. In addition to his marketing responsibilities, Mr. Darnaude initiated and executive produced two of the highest grossing films in Mexican history: “Ladies’ Night” and “Ninas Mal” (“Charm School”); “Ladies’ Night” was the first film produced in Spanish by the Walt Disney Company.
• Jim McNamara – CineLatino, discussed above as Founder and Chairman of Panamax Films, Chairman of Cine Latino, the leading premium Spanish-language movie channel in the U.S. McNamara was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Telemundo Communications Group, Inc., headquartered in Hialeah, Florida.
• Santiago Pozo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ARENAS.
  Santiago is considered one of the foremost authorities on entertainment and film marketing to U.S. Latino audiences. Over the past 20 years, Pozo and the ARENAS team have worked on marketing over 300 films, including Transformers, Star Trek, Madagascar, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Chronicles of Narnia, Apocalypto, Shrek, Empire, Selena, and Like Water for Chocolate.

We will be discussing reaching the elusive Latino market which is by no means monolithic and whose members want to see mainstream films as much as the next guy. But the niche has recognized spending power. The big question is, what films will tap into that cash flow? For that reason we will be watching From Mexico With Love.

Festivals and Digitalization

Digital technology is forever changing and new opportunities are emerging all the time. How can film festivals get to grips with this rapidly changing scene and find what works for them? Virtually a Reality: Digitising Your Festival, supported by Film London at this year's LFF, is an opportunity for you to hear, think about and share how new technology can complement – or even transform – your festival.

Redbox Chief: 'We Are an Engine for Industry Growth' | The Wrap

By Mitch Lowe
Published: October 02, 2009 in The Wrap

The article and all its references speak for themselves. Increased rentals are good and do not impact on the decrease of sales of DVDs. All this is a stopgap anyway until downloading and streaming take place from computers and go directly onto whatever large TV screens consumers install in their homes. Even TV seems more and more like a stopgap when you can get all news (real news, in depth news) from your computer and all movies from online as well.

In recent weeks, there’s been chatter attempting to explain the decline in DVD sales, linking this trend to a multitude of factors: consumer preferences, changing physical media, the economy and shrinking retail footprints.

For the first half of the year, DVD sales were down 13.5 percent from the same time period last year, according to industry tracker Digital Entertainment Group.

Meanwhile, rentals have risen 8.3 percent.

Some have even promoted the idea that popular movie rental services like Redbox cannibalize the market for DVD sales. Others suggest that big studios are clinging to unsustainable business models. (For background, see Flurry of Lawsuits Puts Redbox in Spotlight)"

Finding Jobs to Score Music for Film

Occasionally I want to go off the beaten track on this blog. So today I’m going to show the correspondence between two composers looking for music gigs on films and me.

From: Moritz Schmittat [mailto:moritz@scoringforfilm.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
To: Sydney J. Levine
Subject: Berlinale Talent Campus

Dear Sydney!

My name is Moritz Schmittat - composer for film and TV. We met at the 'Dine&Shine' dinner at the Berlinale Talent Campus. I believe our round was the main course. I had a fabulous evening and I still have your card here.

I just wanted to re-connect and say hello. I recently scored my first feature film which is now playing in over 50 UK cinemas. It's called '31 North 62 East' - a political thriller directed by Tristan Loraine featuring John Rhys-Davies and Marina Sirits. I conducted the orchestral recording sessions myself. Now I am working on my next feature which is called 'Banquet of the Damned' - a horror film.I have a brand new website. It's: http://www.scoringforfilm.com/ - check it out when you have a free moment. You can watch my portfolio online if you want. If you are interested I could also send you my showreel on DVD/CD? Just email me your address. For me at this stage it is still very important to 'get my stuff out there' - would you maybe know some film makers who I could introduce myself to? That would be great help!Best wishes and greetings from London,Moritz


On 26 Sep 2009, at 06:25, Sydney J. Levine wrote:
Thanks Moritz for your email.

It seems like the film music people are the most active seekers of jobs except for producers who are always looking for money.

Your website is beautiful! I’m afraid I won’t do much with your show reel as I am not really into production and I have boxes of unseen DVDs!

Maybe I can put together something on filmmakers for you but for now, I suggest you contact www.volume57.com if you think their style fits yours (they are art films!). Gene Lechner is a friend of mine in Berlin and she started the site for performers and composers.

Are you a member of IMDbPro? They show films titles and contact info for films in pre-production which might give you some leads.

I hope we shall meet again…I will be in Berlin for the Berlinale and am going to Hof in November.

All my best,
Sydney

From: Moritz Schmittat [mailto:moritz@scoringforfilm.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Hi Sydney,

Thanks so much for getting back. Yes, I know the composers competition is huge - but I'll fight my way through it....

Volume57 seems to be promising. I applied already - Geno got back to me. They will listen to my work as soon as they are back from their travels. So, thanks for the link. Much appreciated.

I am a Pro member and I am using it almost every day. Not all users have their contact details online unfortunately. The other thing is that it is difficult to get 'around' the agents -- especially agents of young directors. There are many guys that have made their first feature or won some awards with shorts and who now have an agent who, understandably, want to keep their clients 'unspamed'. The funny thing is that quite a few of them do NOT have any composer credited in their films. Do you maybe have any good suggestions of how to approach those 'targets'.

Well, thanks again for your email. Let's keep in touch. I will definitely be in Berlin next year again!
Moritz

September 28, 2009
Moritz,

Try looking in advance at the films in upcoming festivals…the director is often invited…you can contact the festival and see if you can get an industry list or the producer of the film…perhaps he’s listed on IMDbPro if not on the industry lists of the fests. If you’ve been to Cannes officially, you have their www.cinando.com website as well. IMDbPro/FilmFinders has free festival reports with contact info for film posted before the festival actually begins.

Really, you need films in pre-production…Variety and Hollywood Reporter also list them on line. Cold call, send reel or refer to website, follow up call or email until you reach someone: That is the way to do it…repeat, repeat, repeat. Really even the agents do that to book their clients’ if they’re on the ball.

Agents are very protective of their directors but they don’t rep or protect producers…so meet producers with upcoming films and get info on directors from them to get yourself attached…e.g., in Berlin, find out about the Producer’s Co-production Market, in Cannes check out participants of the Producers Network and Cinefondation, or Rotterdam Cinemart and other premarkets in Mannheim, Pusan, New York's IFP, Guadalajara Film Festival.

Also, look for trade music events. Of course lots of competition is there too.

Does this help?
Sydney

September 29, 2009 Here’s a testimony to a close friend (composer) of mine about following the directions I just gave to you:

Almost everything you wrote, I've been doing. It's gotten to the point that the production companies think I am an agent or music supervisor. I've contacted directors way before any cast is attached or production has started. One instance was a film directed by a woman. I saw her credits on IMDb and noticed that she went to the AFI Women's Director's Program. So I contacted the AFI and they took down my info and passed it on. The next day I got a call from the director and she was excited that someone tracked her down re: her film. To make a long story short, my agent at the time did not want to have anything to do with it because she had never heard of the director. Well the film was "Monster" with Charlize Theron later attached and you know the rest...
Karen Martin [soundsculpture@sbcglobal.net]