"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." –Sir Edmund Hillary. Mountains are mystical, magical, and extraordinary. Some people are born in the mountains, and they never leave, unable to step away from them. Some people are born in the mountains, and leave to find their place elsewhere, yet always longing to return. Those who are drawn to their poetic majesty never forget their grandeur and immensity no matter where they are on this planet. One of the best films from the 2022 Cannes Film Festival so far is The Eight Mountains, an Italian feature (originally Le Otto Montagne) co-directed by Belgian filmmakers Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch. It's another breathtaking, slow burn story about men and mountains. It takes its time, following boys growing into men as two friends navigate the cliffs, passages, and snowy peaks of their lives. This extensive two-and-a-half-hour film is indeed a poetic and moving...
- 5/20/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Friendship, mountains, growing up, and our changed rapport with the planet in the wake of the pandemic are the main elements in Cannes competition title “The Eight Mountains” by Belgian directors Felix van Groeningen (“Beautiful Boy”) and Charlotte Vandermeersch. (Watch the trailer above.)
The film is based on an Italian novel of the same title by Paolo Cognetti. It has won multiple awards in Italy and France and is also the author’s first book published in the U.S.
“The Eight Mountains” is a coming-of-age tale set over three decades about two young Italian boys — one, named Pietro, who is the son of a chemist, the other, Bruno, of a stonemason — who spend their childhoods together in a secluded Alpine village roaming the surrounding peaks and valleys before their paths diverge. Many years later, they reconnect in the same place.
The film marks the first foray into Italian-language filmmaking for Van Groeningen who,...
The film is based on an Italian novel of the same title by Paolo Cognetti. It has won multiple awards in Italy and France and is also the author’s first book published in the U.S.
“The Eight Mountains” is a coming-of-age tale set over three decades about two young Italian boys — one, named Pietro, who is the son of a chemist, the other, Bruno, of a stonemason — who spend their childhoods together in a secluded Alpine village roaming the surrounding peaks and valleys before their paths diverge. Many years later, they reconnect in the same place.
The film marks the first foray into Italian-language filmmaking for Van Groeningen who,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Belgian director Felix van Groeningen (“Beautiful Boy”) and Charlotte Vandermeersch have started shooting in the Alps on “The Eight Mountains,” an Italian drama based on a bestseller about male bonding set against a mountainous backdrop.
Vision Distribution will launch international sales of the film at the upcoming Cannes virtual market.
The film will be released in France by Pyramide Distribution and in Benelux by Kinepolis Film Distribution and Dutch FilmWorks.
Pic marks the first foray into Italian-language filmmaking for Van Groeningen who prior to “Beautiful Boy,” his English-language debut, broke out with Oscar-nominated “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” which is in Dutch, followed by “Belgica” winner of a prize at Sundance.
Van Groeningen has teamed up on “Eight Montains” with Vandermeersch, his partner in life, an actor and writer now making her directorial debut. They previously collaborated professionally on “Breakdown” on which she served as a co-writer.
“Bringing this deeply human,...
Vision Distribution will launch international sales of the film at the upcoming Cannes virtual market.
The film will be released in France by Pyramide Distribution and in Benelux by Kinepolis Film Distribution and Dutch FilmWorks.
Pic marks the first foray into Italian-language filmmaking for Van Groeningen who prior to “Beautiful Boy,” his English-language debut, broke out with Oscar-nominated “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” which is in Dutch, followed by “Belgica” winner of a prize at Sundance.
Van Groeningen has teamed up on “Eight Montains” with Vandermeersch, his partner in life, an actor and writer now making her directorial debut. They previously collaborated professionally on “Breakdown” on which she served as a co-writer.
“Bringing this deeply human,...
- 6/15/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Boespflug co-founded Pyramide and was managing director of Warner France.
French producer Francis Boespflug, best known as the co-founder of historic Paris-based production and distribution company Pyramide and the former managing director of Warner France, has died aged of 70.
Boespflug first became involved in cinema in his native city of Strasbourg in north-eastern France, working as a student volunteer at a cinema-club aimed at under-privileged, difficult teenagers.
It was through this volunteer work he met his future wife and life-long collaborator, the late producer Fabienne Vonier, who at the time was the manager of Le Club, the arthouse theatre founded...
French producer Francis Boespflug, best known as the co-founder of historic Paris-based production and distribution company Pyramide and the former managing director of Warner France, has died aged of 70.
Boespflug first became involved in cinema in his native city of Strasbourg in north-eastern France, working as a student volunteer at a cinema-club aimed at under-privileged, difficult teenagers.
It was through this volunteer work he met his future wife and life-long collaborator, the late producer Fabienne Vonier, who at the time was the manager of Le Club, the arthouse theatre founded...
- 11/6/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Peter Strickland's In Fabric, stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival San Sebastian Film Festival has announced six additions to its competition line-up, including films by Peter Strickland, Louis Garrel and Brillante Mendoza.
Strickland's In Fabric - which has already been bought by Curzon for distribution in the UK - is a ghost story about the life of a cursed dress, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires and Julian Barratt.
Veteran Filipino director Mendoza will compete for the first time at the festival with Alpha: The Right To Kill, set against the backdrop of the Philippine Government’s crackdown on drugs. Belgian filmmaker Felix van Groeningen also joins the competition for the first time with his English-language debut Beautiful Boy, based on the true story of a father’s struggle to rescue his son from drugs and starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chamalet.
Rounding out the additions...
Strickland's In Fabric - which has already been bought by Curzon for distribution in the UK - is a ghost story about the life of a cursed dress, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires and Julian Barratt.
Veteran Filipino director Mendoza will compete for the first time at the festival with Alpha: The Right To Kill, set against the backdrop of the Philippine Government’s crackdown on drugs. Belgian filmmaker Felix van Groeningen also joins the competition for the first time with his English-language debut Beautiful Boy, based on the true story of a father’s struggle to rescue his son from drugs and starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chamalet.
Rounding out the additions...
- 8/17/2018
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Felix Van Groeningen collaborator to “move aside”.
In a move that has taken the Belgian industry by surprise, veteran producer Dirk Impens has confirmed that he is closing down his production company Menuet and is planning to quit the film business.
Impens is the highly respected producer behind Oscar nominated films such as Stijn Coninx’s Daens and Felix van Groeningen’s Broken Circle Breakdown.
Contacted by Screen, Impens explained that after three decades in the business it was time to take a break.
“Old man, move aside,” 59-year-old Impens commented.
“What could be worse than becoming a grumpy old man who keeps on telling (people) how things were so much better in the old days? Never ! It’s been a wonderful 30 years, thanks to many super talented people and a very dedicated small staff. 30 years ago I did what I believed was the right thing, sometimes against all odds! And that is...
In a move that has taken the Belgian industry by surprise, veteran producer Dirk Impens has confirmed that he is closing down his production company Menuet and is planning to quit the film business.
Impens is the highly respected producer behind Oscar nominated films such as Stijn Coninx’s Daens and Felix van Groeningen’s Broken Circle Breakdown.
Contacted by Screen, Impens explained that after three decades in the business it was time to take a break.
“Old man, move aside,” 59-year-old Impens commented.
“What could be worse than becoming a grumpy old man who keeps on telling (people) how things were so much better in the old days? Never ! It’s been a wonderful 30 years, thanks to many super talented people and a very dedicated small staff. 30 years ago I did what I believed was the right thing, sometimes against all odds! And that is...
- 7/17/2017
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Frederic Boyer (Tribeca), Mirsad Purivatra (Sarajevo), Anna Hoffmann (Berlinale Forum) discuss challenges on panel.
Click here to read Screen’s full Think Fest coverage from Jerusalem
The inaugural edition of Think Fest kicked off with a debate about the rapid emergence of streaming platforms, and what impact they have had on the film festival ecosystem. Pointed reference was made to the activities of Netflix, particularly in 2017, and the company’s disruptive approach to the traditional theatrical model.
At Cannes, Netflix had two films selected to play In Competition – Bong Joon-ho’s Okja and Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories – but the streaming platform’s disinterest in adhering to theatrical windows prompted grumblings from French cinema owners loud enough to force the festival to announce a new policy.
From next year, distributors will have to show theatrical intention to receive Competition slots. While Cannes’ situation may be unique – with France’s requirement for a 36-month window between theatrical...
Click here to read Screen’s full Think Fest coverage from Jerusalem
The inaugural edition of Think Fest kicked off with a debate about the rapid emergence of streaming platforms, and what impact they have had on the film festival ecosystem. Pointed reference was made to the activities of Netflix, particularly in 2017, and the company’s disruptive approach to the traditional theatrical model.
At Cannes, Netflix had two films selected to play In Competition – Bong Joon-ho’s Okja and Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories – but the streaming platform’s disinterest in adhering to theatrical windows prompted grumblings from French cinema owners loud enough to force the festival to announce a new policy.
From next year, distributors will have to show theatrical intention to receive Competition slots. While Cannes’ situation may be unique – with France’s requirement for a 36-month window between theatrical...
- 7/15/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Amazon Studios fully finances both titles and will release in Us.
Glen Basner’s FilmNation has come on board to launch international sales on the Croisette to the latest films from Gus Van Sant and Felix van Groeningen.
Van Sant’s dramatic comedy Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot stars Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonah Hill, and Jack Black, while van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy stars Steve Carell.
Amazon Studios, with whom FilmNation has collaborated several times, most recently on a headline-grabbing $12m deal on Sundance hit The Big Sick, is fully financing both films and will distribute in the Us.
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot is in post and is based on Van Sant’s adaptation of the memoir by John Callahan.
Phoenix plays a hell-raiser who is paralysed and confined to a wheelchair following a car wreck.
After a dark spell of alcoholism he sobers...
Glen Basner’s FilmNation has come on board to launch international sales on the Croisette to the latest films from Gus Van Sant and Felix van Groeningen.
Van Sant’s dramatic comedy Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot stars Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonah Hill, and Jack Black, while van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy stars Steve Carell.
Amazon Studios, with whom FilmNation has collaborated several times, most recently on a headline-grabbing $12m deal on Sundance hit The Big Sick, is fully financing both films and will distribute in the Us.
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot is in post and is based on Van Sant’s adaptation of the memoir by John Callahan.
Phoenix plays a hell-raiser who is paralysed and confined to a wheelchair following a car wreck.
After a dark spell of alcoholism he sobers...
- 5/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Athens-set drama has been developed through Torino Film Lab and CineLink.
Dutch production outfit Topkapi Films (The Commune, Belgica) and France’s Le Bureau (Tramontane) have boarded Siamak Etemadi’s debut feature Pari and will co-produce with Greek company Heretic and Bulgaria’s The Chouvkov Brothers.
The Athens-set drama follows the devout Muslim parents of an Iranian student studying in the Greek capital who must search for their son after he goes missing. When the father returns to Iran following a tragic accident, the mother (the titular Pari) must continue the search alone in the darkest corners of the city.
Iran-born and Greek based writer-director Siamak Etemadi will make his feature debut on the project. His previous short films include Cavo d’Oro, which premiered in competition at Locarno Film Festival in 2012 and was nominated for best short film at the Greek Academy Awards
Pari has been developed through the Torino Film Lab, Cannes Film Festival...
Dutch production outfit Topkapi Films (The Commune, Belgica) and France’s Le Bureau (Tramontane) have boarded Siamak Etemadi’s debut feature Pari and will co-produce with Greek company Heretic and Bulgaria’s The Chouvkov Brothers.
The Athens-set drama follows the devout Muslim parents of an Iranian student studying in the Greek capital who must search for their son after he goes missing. When the father returns to Iran following a tragic accident, the mother (the titular Pari) must continue the search alone in the darkest corners of the city.
Iran-born and Greek based writer-director Siamak Etemadi will make his feature debut on the project. His previous short films include Cavo d’Oro, which premiered in competition at Locarno Film Festival in 2012 and was nominated for best short film at the Greek Academy Awards
Pari has been developed through the Torino Film Lab, Cannes Film Festival...
- 2/1/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Experts on Mia/Europa Distribution panel also discussed the importance of territoriality in European deals and need for diversification to mitigate risk.
With the European film business proving ever risky, diversification can be key to mitigating risk, experts said at the Rome Mia Market panel organized with Europa Distribution entitled “Everything you always wanted to know about distribution but were afraid to ask.”
Andrea Occhipinti, president of Italy’s Lucky Red, said: “What we find healthy is to diversify in all directions, we do a little bit of everything.”
Lucky Red started as an arthouse distributor, eventually also moving into more commercial films, while also working in exhibition, increasingly in production, and now partnering on sales company True Colours.
“It’s an advantage if you have a foot in exhibition. I think also it’s very important to produce more and more, because to acquire good films is very difficult [and very competitive],” Occhipinti added.
Room producer...
With the European film business proving ever risky, diversification can be key to mitigating risk, experts said at the Rome Mia Market panel organized with Europa Distribution entitled “Everything you always wanted to know about distribution but were afraid to ask.”
Andrea Occhipinti, president of Italy’s Lucky Red, said: “What we find healthy is to diversify in all directions, we do a little bit of everything.”
Lucky Red started as an arthouse distributor, eventually also moving into more commercial films, while also working in exhibition, increasingly in production, and now partnering on sales company True Colours.
“It’s an advantage if you have a foot in exhibition. I think also it’s very important to produce more and more, because to acquire good films is very difficult [and very competitive],” Occhipinti added.
Room producer...
- 10/24/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Experts on Mia/Europa Distribution panel also discussed the importance of territoriality in European deals and need for diversification to mitigate risk.
With the European film business proving ever risky, diversification can be key to mitigating risk, experts said at the Rome Mia Market panel organized with Europa Distribution entitled “Everything you always wanted to know about distribution but were afraid to ask.”
Andrea Occhipinti, president of Italy’s Lucky Red, said: “What we find healthy is to diversify in all directions, we do a little bit of everything.”
Lucky Red started as an arthouse distributor, eventually also moving into more commercial films, while also working in exhibition, increasingly in production, and now partnering on sales company True Colours.
“It’s an advantage if you have a foot in exhibition. I think also it’s very important to produce more and more, because to acquire good films is very difficult [and very competitive],” Occhipinti added.
Room producer...
With the European film business proving ever risky, diversification can be key to mitigating risk, experts said at the Rome Mia Market panel organized with Europa Distribution entitled “Everything you always wanted to know about distribution but were afraid to ask.”
Andrea Occhipinti, president of Italy’s Lucky Red, said: “What we find healthy is to diversify in all directions, we do a little bit of everything.”
Lucky Red started as an arthouse distributor, eventually also moving into more commercial films, while also working in exhibition, increasingly in production, and now partnering on sales company True Colours.
“It’s an advantage if you have a foot in exhibition. I think also it’s very important to produce more and more, because to acquire good films is very difficult [and very competitive],” Occhipinti added.
Room producer...
- 10/24/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Belgica (Felix van Groeningen)
Writer/director Felix van Groeningen based Belgica’s script on his father’s experiences running a nightclub in Ghent. How closely the story hews to the real events is anyone’s guess, though the boilerplate “though inspired by true events, all persons depicted are fictitious” title card which opens the film suggests that it might hit too close to home for more than a few real-life people.
Belgica (Felix van Groeningen)
Writer/director Felix van Groeningen based Belgica’s script on his father’s experiences running a nightclub in Ghent. How closely the story hews to the real events is anyone’s guess, though the boilerplate “though inspired by true events, all persons depicted are fictitious” title card which opens the film suggests that it might hit too close to home for more than a few real-life people.
- 4/15/2016
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Cecilia Verheyden’s debut feature has been a hit in Belgium.
Pandora Film Verleih has picked up Cecelia Verheyden’s direcotiral debut Behind The Clouds (Achter De Wolken) for theatrical release in Germany this autumn.
The film, which follows two former lovers who reunite after 50 years, has already recorded 115,000 admissions in Belgium. Veteran Belgian actors Chris Lomme and Jo De Meyere star, alongside emerging talent Charlotte De Bruyne.
The romantic drama was produced by Peter Bouckaert for Belgian outfit Eyeworks, and is co-produced by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Les Films du Fleuve and Scio Productions.
Pandora has also provided German distribution for other Belgian hits such as Felix Van Groeningen’s Belgica and Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.
Bjorn Hoffman, head of film purchases at Pandora Film Verleih, said: “It’s very precisely directed, highly emotional and has a subtle humor, that makes it a real crowd-pleaser for an arthouse audience.”...
Pandora Film Verleih has picked up Cecelia Verheyden’s direcotiral debut Behind The Clouds (Achter De Wolken) for theatrical release in Germany this autumn.
The film, which follows two former lovers who reunite after 50 years, has already recorded 115,000 admissions in Belgium. Veteran Belgian actors Chris Lomme and Jo De Meyere star, alongside emerging talent Charlotte De Bruyne.
The romantic drama was produced by Peter Bouckaert for Belgian outfit Eyeworks, and is co-produced by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Les Films du Fleuve and Scio Productions.
Pandora has also provided German distribution for other Belgian hits such as Felix Van Groeningen’s Belgica and Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.
Bjorn Hoffman, head of film purchases at Pandora Film Verleih, said: “It’s very precisely directed, highly emotional and has a subtle humor, that makes it a real crowd-pleaser for an arthouse audience.”...
- 4/8/2016
- ScreenDaily
Award-winning Belgian star to make directorial debut on novel adaptation.
Veerle Baetens, voted European actress of the Year in 2013 for her role in The Broken Circle Breakdown, is to make her directorial debut with the big-screen adaptation of Lize Spit’s debut novel The Melting (Het smelt).
The revenge drama reunites Baetens with producer Dirk Impens of Ghent-based Menuet, the company behind Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown and Code 37, which both starred the Belgian actress.
Menuet also recently produced Belgica, Café Derby, Coppers and In Flanders Fields. The Dutch co-producer is Topkapi Films. Baetens is to script the feature but it is yet to be decided whether she will act in it.
Baetens is also known for films including The White Queen and Berlinale entry News From Planet Mars, and has appeared in TV series The Team and the upcoming Beyond the Walls (Au-delà des murs) and Tabula Rasa, which she co-wrote...
Veerle Baetens, voted European actress of the Year in 2013 for her role in The Broken Circle Breakdown, is to make her directorial debut with the big-screen adaptation of Lize Spit’s debut novel The Melting (Het smelt).
The revenge drama reunites Baetens with producer Dirk Impens of Ghent-based Menuet, the company behind Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown and Code 37, which both starred the Belgian actress.
Menuet also recently produced Belgica, Café Derby, Coppers and In Flanders Fields. The Dutch co-producer is Topkapi Films. Baetens is to script the feature but it is yet to be decided whether she will act in it.
Baetens is also known for films including The White Queen and Berlinale entry News From Planet Mars, and has appeared in TV series The Team and the upcoming Beyond the Walls (Au-delà des murs) and Tabula Rasa, which she co-wrote...
- 4/8/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Belgian director Felix van Groeningen managed to make major waves internationally in the art-house circuit with his films The Misfortunates and especially The Broken Circle Breakdown, so I was quite happy when one of the surprise films of the International Film Festival Rotterdam turned out to be Felix' new film Belgica. In that same week, Felix won Sundance's best director award in that festival's World Cinema Dramatic section. In Belgica, we follow Frank and Jo, two Flemish brothers who are on the path of starting a legendary bar-dancing together. Frank is a brutish but good-natured guy who has been on many strange (and unsuccessful) financial adventures already, to the exasperation of his wife. Yet he doesn't hesitate a moment when he spots an opportunity to...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Turkish festival announces films, guests and industry lineups amid challenging security climate.
The Istanbul Film Festival has announced the lineup of its 35th edition, which will take place from April 7-17.
This year the festival, Kerem Ayan’s first as director, will host 221 feature films from 62 countries, as well as panel discussions, concerts and industry pitching session Meetings on the Bridge.
Films participating in the festival’s International Golden Tulip competition include Brady Corbet’s The Childhood Of A Leader (pictured) and recent Berlin favourite United States Of Love.
Actresses Suzan Avci, Perran Kutman and Jeyan Ayral Tozum, director Ulku Erakalin, and producer Seref Gur will receive the festival’s Cinema Honorary Awards, while Belgica director Felix van Groeningen, recent Oscar nominee Ciro Guerra and Golden Bear winner Gianfranco Rosi will also make appearances.
Additionally, the festival will feature new music and ‘Hidden Gems’ sections as well as tributes to director Otto Preminger and American avant garde cinema...
The Istanbul Film Festival has announced the lineup of its 35th edition, which will take place from April 7-17.
This year the festival, Kerem Ayan’s first as director, will host 221 feature films from 62 countries, as well as panel discussions, concerts and industry pitching session Meetings on the Bridge.
Films participating in the festival’s International Golden Tulip competition include Brady Corbet’s The Childhood Of A Leader (pictured) and recent Berlin favourite United States Of Love.
Actresses Suzan Avci, Perran Kutman and Jeyan Ayral Tozum, director Ulku Erakalin, and producer Seref Gur will receive the festival’s Cinema Honorary Awards, while Belgica director Felix van Groeningen, recent Oscar nominee Ciro Guerra and Golden Bear winner Gianfranco Rosi will also make appearances.
Additionally, the festival will feature new music and ‘Hidden Gems’ sections as well as tributes to director Otto Preminger and American avant garde cinema...
- 3/16/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Dutch outfit signs up for Iffr Tiger Award-winner’s follow-up to Radio Dreams.
Prolific Dutch production outfit Topkapi is on board the latest feature from Iffr Tiger Award winner Babak Jalali.
Last month, the Iranian-born Jalali won the Tiger award for his film Radio Dreams. Now, he is working on Land, which is being sold by Bac Films.
Billed as a “modern western”, the new film deals with alcoholism within a native-American community. It is produced by Asmara Films and is being put together as an Italian-French-Mexican-Dutch coproduction and will shoot in Mexico. Topkapi is the Dutch partner.
Topkapi was also a minority coproduction partner on Thomas Vinterberg’s The Commune, screening in competition at Berlin. The company also co-produced All Of A Sudden, selected for Berlin Panorama Special. This is the third feature from Turkish director Asil Ozge. September Films is abroad as Dutch distributor. Memento is handling sales.
The company...
Prolific Dutch production outfit Topkapi is on board the latest feature from Iffr Tiger Award winner Babak Jalali.
Last month, the Iranian-born Jalali won the Tiger award for his film Radio Dreams. Now, he is working on Land, which is being sold by Bac Films.
Billed as a “modern western”, the new film deals with alcoholism within a native-American community. It is produced by Asmara Films and is being put together as an Italian-French-Mexican-Dutch coproduction and will shoot in Mexico. Topkapi is the Dutch partner.
Topkapi was also a minority coproduction partner on Thomas Vinterberg’s The Commune, screening in competition at Berlin. The company also co-produced All Of A Sudden, selected for Berlin Panorama Special. This is the third feature from Turkish director Asil Ozge. September Films is abroad as Dutch distributor. Memento is handling sales.
The company...
- 2/15/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Ensor will see the Oscar-nominated director return to Europe, while his Sundance film Belgica has had its poster banned.
Belgica director Felix van Groeningen is working on a new feature that centres on the chaotic collaboration between a theatre company and a circus troupe.
The film, based on a play by the filmmaker’s regular co-writer Arne Sierens, is titled Ensor and is billed as a Fellini-esque drama.
The Belgian filmmaker will again work with producer Dirk Impens, who worked with Van Groeningen on Sundance title Belgica and Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.
It will also see him return to Europe after his first Us project, Beautiful Boy, which he is making for New Regency and Plan B.
Censored
Belgica, about two brothers who start a bar and get swept up in its success in the midst of Belgium’s nightlife scene, is being sold at Efm by The Match Factory.
A row has...
Belgica director Felix van Groeningen is working on a new feature that centres on the chaotic collaboration between a theatre company and a circus troupe.
The film, based on a play by the filmmaker’s regular co-writer Arne Sierens, is titled Ensor and is billed as a Fellini-esque drama.
The Belgian filmmaker will again work with producer Dirk Impens, who worked with Van Groeningen on Sundance title Belgica and Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.
It will also see him return to Europe after his first Us project, Beautiful Boy, which he is making for New Regency and Plan B.
Censored
Belgica, about two brothers who start a bar and get swept up in its success in the midst of Belgium’s nightlife scene, is being sold at Efm by The Match Factory.
A row has...
- 2/13/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Van Groeningen: "What inspired me was, why do people go out? What is attractive about nightlife? What sensations do you have, how does music play with people? How does it get people extremely excited and make people want to jump and scream?" Felix van Groeningen's Belgica was one of the Day One films at this year's Sundance Film Festival, where it competed in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It recounts the story of two brothers, Jo (Stef Aerts) and Frank (Tom Vermeir) who take on shared ownership of the titular bar. Their success with customers brings with it personal problems, as Frank begins to enjoy the hedonistic lifestyle a bit too much, causing tensions with his wife Isabelle (Charlotte Vandermeersch), while Jo's relationship with his girlfriend Marieke (Helene De Vos) also hits the rocks.
Music played a key part in Van Groenigen's previous film, the Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown,...
Music played a key part in Van Groenigen's previous film, the Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown,...
- 2/5/2016
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Not all projects should be made or released just because they go through film labs, says Bero Beyer.
The new artistic director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr), Bero Beyer, has questioned the role of talent schemes across the industry, saying there is a need to curate “gems” among a glut of “mediocre” features.
Speaking on the second day of CineMart, Iffr’s long-established co-production market, Beyer said: “It seems as if the R&D department of the film industry has moved to funds and festivals, in particular to specialised talent development programs that have grown into alternate financing models for feature films.”
Beyer, previously an independent producer on films such as Paradise Now and Atlantic., said having the weight of a major festival behind a project provided an advantage to features from young filmmakers and was not typical of the indie film process.
“Several schemes have been initiated to create a space for artistic freedom,” he said...
The new artistic director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr), Bero Beyer, has questioned the role of talent schemes across the industry, saying there is a need to curate “gems” among a glut of “mediocre” features.
Speaking on the second day of CineMart, Iffr’s long-established co-production market, Beyer said: “It seems as if the R&D department of the film industry has moved to funds and festivals, in particular to specialised talent development programs that have grown into alternate financing models for feature films.”
Beyer, previously an independent producer on films such as Paradise Now and Atlantic., said having the weight of a major festival behind a project provided an advantage to features from young filmmakers and was not typical of the indie film process.
“Several schemes have been initiated to create a space for artistic freedom,” he said...
- 2/1/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
All the news, reviews and interviews coming out of Park City.News
The Birth of a Nation
What were the buzz titles of 2016?
‘The Birth Of A Nation’, ‘Sonita’ rule Sundance awards
Sundance buyers wait to see if numbers add up
Six major deals signed in Park City
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
‘Embrace Of The Serpent’ wins Sloan prize
Netflix acquires ‘Audrie & Daisy’
Magnolia takes ‘Lo And Behold’
Paramount Home Media in talks for ‘The Intervention’
Sundance Channel acquires five festival...
The Birth of a Nation
What were the buzz titles of 2016?
‘The Birth Of A Nation’, ‘Sonita’ rule Sundance awards
Sundance buyers wait to see if numbers add up
Six major deals signed in Park City
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
‘Embrace Of The Serpent’ wins Sloan prize
Netflix acquires ‘Audrie & Daisy’
Magnolia takes ‘Lo And Behold’
Paramount Home Media in talks for ‘The Intervention’
Sundance Channel acquires five festival...
- 2/1/2016
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Film Festival marks a fresh start to the film calendar. Just as awards season is winding down, new artistic agendas are kicking off all over Park City.
Sundance is a festival unsullied by headline-sucking studio ‘out-of-competition’ launches, making it purely about the programming line-up, split neatly between docs and dramatic, world and Us, premieres and competitive. In that sense, there was one big winner: Nate Parker’s The Birth Of A Nation, which won the Grand Jury Prize in the Us Dramatic section and also walked away with the Audience Award and a record-breaking $17.5m deal from Fox Searchlight.
Netflix had actually offered more for the confrontational, provocative, agenda-changing film which will be pushed for next year’s awards to put a halt to Oscars-being-so-white. In fact, Netflix and Amazon were active throughout Sundance, chasing down quality, prestige English-language projects as opposed to bulk-buying. (This isn’t cable programming; this is taste-making. If a film...
Sundance is a festival unsullied by headline-sucking studio ‘out-of-competition’ launches, making it purely about the programming line-up, split neatly between docs and dramatic, world and Us, premieres and competitive. In that sense, there was one big winner: Nate Parker’s The Birth Of A Nation, which won the Grand Jury Prize in the Us Dramatic section and also walked away with the Audience Award and a record-breaking $17.5m deal from Fox Searchlight.
Netflix had actually offered more for the confrontational, provocative, agenda-changing film which will be pushed for next year’s awards to put a halt to Oscars-being-so-white. In fact, Netflix and Amazon were active throughout Sundance, chasing down quality, prestige English-language projects as opposed to bulk-buying. (This isn’t cable programming; this is taste-making. If a film...
- 1/31/2016
- by finn.halligan@screendaily.com (Fionnuala Halligan)
- ScreenDaily
Nate Parker's racial drama "The Birth of a Nation" took both the top honors of the grand jury prize and the audience award at this year's Sundance Film Festival which held its ceremony tonight.
The film, a drama about the life of Nat Turner and the slave rebellion he led in antebellum Virginia, made headlines several days ago when it was acquired by Fox Searchlight for a record-shattering $17.5 million.
It also marks the fourth year in a row where one film has taken the top two prizes in U.S. dramatic competition following 2013's "Fruitvale Station," 2014's "Whiplash" and last year's "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". The U.S. documentary grand jury prize was awarded to "Weiner," a behind-the-scenes portrayal of disgraced politician Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign.
In the World Cinema dramatic competition the grand jury prize went to Elite Ziker's "Sand Storm" which deals with...
The film, a drama about the life of Nat Turner and the slave rebellion he led in antebellum Virginia, made headlines several days ago when it was acquired by Fox Searchlight for a record-shattering $17.5 million.
It also marks the fourth year in a row where one film has taken the top two prizes in U.S. dramatic competition following 2013's "Fruitvale Station," 2014's "Whiplash" and last year's "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". The U.S. documentary grand jury prize was awarded to "Weiner," a behind-the-scenes portrayal of disgraced politician Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign.
In the World Cinema dramatic competition the grand jury prize went to Elite Ziker's "Sand Storm" which deals with...
- 1/31/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Nate Parker’s directorial debut claimed the Us Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and corresponding audience award at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, capping off a barnstorming week for the slave revolt drama.
Last week The Birth Of A Nation sparked a bidding frenzy that resulted in the biggest on-site deal in the festival’s history as Fox Searchlight paid $17.5m for worldwide rights.
Sonita, Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s film about a rapping Afghan teenager opposed to arranged marriage, earned similar double honours as it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and audience awards.
The Us Grand Jury Prize: Documentary award went to Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s Weiner, while the audience voted for Brian Oakes’ Jim: The James Foley Story.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic went to Elite Zexer’s Sand Story and the audience choice was Carlos del Castillo’s Between Land And Sea.
In other winners:...
Last week The Birth Of A Nation sparked a bidding frenzy that resulted in the biggest on-site deal in the festival’s history as Fox Searchlight paid $17.5m for worldwide rights.
Sonita, Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s film about a rapping Afghan teenager opposed to arranged marriage, earned similar double honours as it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and audience awards.
The Us Grand Jury Prize: Documentary award went to Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s Weiner, while the audience voted for Brian Oakes’ Jim: The James Foley Story.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic went to Elite Zexer’s Sand Story and the audience choice was Carlos del Castillo’s Between Land And Sea.
In other winners:...
- 1/30/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
All the news, reviews and interviews coming out of Park City.News
The Birth of a Nation
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
Interviews
The Lure
Babak Anvari, ‘Under The Shadow’Agnieszka Smoczynska, ‘The Lure’Alejandro Fernández Almendras, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’Elite Zexer, ‘Sand Storm’Felix van Groeningen, ‘Belgica’Mirjana Karanovic, ‘A Good Wife’Rebecca Daly, ‘Mammal’Yao Huang, ‘Pleasure. Love.’Doron Weber, The Sloan FoundationFEATURES
Source: Jemal Countess
Sundance 2016: the year starts hereSundance 2016: World Cinema film profilesNew Frontier strand...
The Birth of a Nation
Fox Searchlight in record $17.5m deal for ‘Birth Of A Nation’
The Orchard snaps up ‘Wilderpeople’
Sundance unveils shorts winners
‘Indignation’, ‘Equity’ find Us homes
Amazon strikes $10m deal for ‘Manchester By The Sea’
Sundance director lambasts Chilean film support
Partners unite on ‘Under The Shadow’
Spc takes world on Frank Zappa doc
Mongrel International boards ‘Little Men’
Brainstorm Media sparks to ‘Resilience’
Buyers circle hot ‘Manchester’
Robert Redford addresses diversity
Curzon Artificial Eye acquires Whit Stillman’s ‘Love & Friendship’
Interviews
The Lure
Babak Anvari, ‘Under The Shadow’Agnieszka Smoczynska, ‘The Lure’Alejandro Fernández Almendras, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’Elite Zexer, ‘Sand Storm’Felix van Groeningen, ‘Belgica’Mirjana Karanovic, ‘A Good Wife’Rebecca Daly, ‘Mammal’Yao Huang, ‘Pleasure. Love.’Doron Weber, The Sloan FoundationFEATURES
Source: Jemal Countess
Sundance 2016: the year starts hereSundance 2016: World Cinema film profilesNew Frontier strand...
- 1/27/2016
- ScreenDaily
Sex, Drugs and Rock n’Roll! That seems to be the overarching theme of the movie Belgica by Felix van Groeningen. The movie is about a good guy named Jo who manages a bar, and his brother Frank, who helps him make it the hottest place in all of…Belgium? I think? It’s a European place, anyway. As Belgica (that’s the bar’s name) gets more popular, the brothers have to start dealing with the ups and downs of success.
This movie was a fun foreign film that wasn’t as heavy as some of the other films at Sundance this year. It had some solid acting with fun character roles. All the characters seemed like family, and you cared when they started making mistakes. However, the film moves very quickly into those mistakes. And despite rushing much of the plot along, the movie still managed to drag in parts.
This movie was a fun foreign film that wasn’t as heavy as some of the other films at Sundance this year. It had some solid acting with fun character roles. All the characters seemed like family, and you cared when they started making mistakes. However, the film moves very quickly into those mistakes. And despite rushing much of the plot along, the movie still managed to drag in parts.
- 1/26/2016
- by Bryam Dayley
- GeekTyrant
We're indexing our entries gathering reviews of films premiering at Sundance. Updates are ongoing. Titles so far include Chad Hartigan's Morris from America, Chris Kelly's Other People, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's Swiss Army Man, Andrew Neel's Goat, Felix van Groeningen's Belgica, Kevin Macdonald's Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea, Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women, Todd Solondz's Wiener-Dog, Whit Stillman's Love & Friendship, Werner Herzog's Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World and Matt Johnson's Operation Avalanche. » - David Hudson...
- 1/25/2016
- Keyframe
We're indexing our entries gathering reviews of films premiering at Sundance. Updates are ongoing. Titles so far include Chad Hartigan's Morris from America, Chris Kelly's Other People, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's Swiss Army Man, Andrew Neel's Goat, Felix van Groeningen's Belgica, Kevin Macdonald's Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea, Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women, Todd Solondz's Wiener-Dog, Whit Stillman's Love & Friendship, Werner Herzog's Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World and Matt Johnson's Operation Avalanche. » - David Hudson...
- 1/25/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
Exclusive: Paris-based sales outfit adds Rotterdam premieres and sales manager.
Matteo Lovadina’s Paris-based sales outfit Reel Suspects has added two titles to its slate, both set to premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) later this week.
The first is Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito’s debut feature, Out Of Love, screening in Iffr’s Bright Future strand.
The film is the latest production from Dutch outfit Topkapi and is produced by company principals Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld and Laurette Schillings.
The psycho-drama, about an intense relationship, is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, Mediafund, CoBO, Ntr (part of De Oversteek), Netherlands Film Production Incentive, Media Programme of the European Union. Pim Hermeling’s September will release in the Netherlands.
Dutch-Chilean writer-director Valdebenito was nominated for best short film at the European Film Awards for her 2009 short Stay Away.
Topkapi are also the Dutch producers on Felix van Groeningen’s Sundance entry Belgica and partnered on van...
Matteo Lovadina’s Paris-based sales outfit Reel Suspects has added two titles to its slate, both set to premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) later this week.
The first is Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito’s debut feature, Out Of Love, screening in Iffr’s Bright Future strand.
The film is the latest production from Dutch outfit Topkapi and is produced by company principals Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld and Laurette Schillings.
The psycho-drama, about an intense relationship, is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, Mediafund, CoBO, Ntr (part of De Oversteek), Netherlands Film Production Incentive, Media Programme of the European Union. Pim Hermeling’s September will release in the Netherlands.
Dutch-Chilean writer-director Valdebenito was nominated for best short film at the European Film Awards for her 2009 short Stay Away.
Topkapi are also the Dutch producers on Felix van Groeningen’s Sundance entry Belgica and partnered on van...
- 1/25/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
In "Belgica," co-writer/director Felix van Groeningen ("The Broken Circle Breakdown") focuses on the chaotic pulse of a successful bar/nightclub, and on the character clashes and personal failures that drive the rise and fall of a "scene." The effect is significantly less compelling than in his last film, however. The best facets of "Belgica" are a captivating sense of place and an intriguing and unpredictable soundtrack, as too-familiar characters and situations swirl through the rooms of the ever-expanding club. Brothers Jo and Frank run the titular bar — well, Jo opens Belgica as little more than a smelly neighborhood watering hole known for an omnipresent bunch of locals and a perpetually overflowing toilet. Frank gets wind of Jo's new gig and, unsatisfied with his own job and the sluggish pace of domestic living with his wife and child, offers to help run the place. Soon Jo and Frank are expanding...
- 1/22/2016
- by Russ Fischer
- The Playlist
Writer/director Felix van Groeningen based Belgica’s script on his father’s experiences running a nightclub in Ghent. How closely the story hews to the real events is anyone’s guess, though the boilerplate “though inspired by true events, all persons depicted are fictitious” title card which opens the film suggests that it might hit too close to home for more than a few real-life people. There are no bad guys in the movie, but no one comes off particularly well, either. A pair of brothers’ effort to build a successful disco pulls both of them into a draining swill of drugs and greed. That trajectory, and how the film goes through it, is disappointingly cliched — although maybe in this case, life was imitating (bland) art, and van Groeningen is just telling it as he saw it as a child.
The two brothers in question are Jo (Stef Aerts...
The two brothers in question are Jo (Stef Aerts...
- 1/22/2016
- by Daniel Schindel
- The Film Stage
"Blending raw emotion with a rowdy musical sensibility," begins Variety's Peter Debruge, "Belgica doubles down on the qualities that made director Felix van Groeningen’s The Broken Circle Breakdown such an international sensation, but loses the hook, resulting in a louder, rock-drenched melodrama lacking much of the earlier film’s gut-punch potential." Belgica, starring Stef Aerts and Tom Vermeir and featuring a pumping soundtrack by Soulwax, has opened the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance. We've got the trailer and we're gathering a first round of reviews. » - David Hudson...
- 1/22/2016
- Keyframe
"Blending raw emotion with a rowdy musical sensibility," begins Variety's Peter Debruge, "Belgica doubles down on the qualities that made director Felix van Groeningen’s The Broken Circle Breakdown such an international sensation, but loses the hook, resulting in a louder, rock-drenched melodrama lacking much of the earlier film’s gut-punch potential." Belgica, starring Stef Aerts and Tom Vermeir and featuring a pumping soundtrack by Soulwax, has opened the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance. We've got the trailer and we're gathering a first round of reviews. » - David Hudson...
- 1/22/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
Behind the joyful nihilism of messy nights out and a great Soulwax soundtrack, Felix van Groeningen’s Sundance-premiered drama is an accurate portrayal of all those ‘wtf’ moments
Felix van Groeningen’s Belgica is essentially a tale of two brothers who don’t know when the party is over. There’s Jo (Stef Aerts) the self-effacing, quietly confident bar manager, and his older brother Frank (Tom Vermeir), who’s reminiscent of an over-excited character from a Eugene O’Neill play: a middle-aged white man who is constantly banging on about pipe dreams and drinking far too much booze.
Frank’s bored of his home life, which consists of working at a used car lot and helping his wife out at the kennels, and wants some ‘rock’n’roll’ in his life. He decides Jo’s bar is the place to find that and, even though he can’t pour a pint,...
Felix van Groeningen’s Belgica is essentially a tale of two brothers who don’t know when the party is over. There’s Jo (Stef Aerts) the self-effacing, quietly confident bar manager, and his older brother Frank (Tom Vermeir), who’s reminiscent of an over-excited character from a Eugene O’Neill play: a middle-aged white man who is constantly banging on about pipe dreams and drinking far too much booze.
Frank’s bored of his home life, which consists of working at a used car lot and helping his wife out at the kennels, and wants some ‘rock’n’roll’ in his life. He decides Jo’s bar is the place to find that and, even though he can’t pour a pint,...
- 1/22/2016
- by Lanre Bakare
- The Guardian - Film News
Follow all of our Sundance 2016 coverage. Director Felix van Groeningen is no stranger to films about people whose closeness becomes a liability when conflict begins to drive them apart. His 2012 film, the Academy Award-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown, focused on a married couple who found their pure and tangible love for each other unable to withstand the pressure of a sick child. His latest complicates things further by making his protagonists bonded by blood not choice. Jo (Stef Aerts) has faced his share of troubles including a right eye that he hasn’t been able to open since a childhood illness damaged it beyond repair, but he’s found a comfortable routine running a small, nondescript club called Cafe Belgica. His older brother, Frank (Tom Vermeir), is married with a young son, but his fear of complacency and growing stale in middle age leads him to suggest a partnership with Jo and ultimately, an...
- 1/22/2016
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The high and lows of the club life as a way of life serve as the nostalgic focal point of Belgica. Director-co-writer Felix van Groeningen's follow-up to his excellent 2012 domestic drama The Broken Circle Breakdown is neither as ambitious nor as satisfying as that best foreign film Oscar nominee, but its fleeting intoxications momentarily provide suggestions—and, for some, memories—of how the highest highs can sometimes make the drudgery of the rest of life worth it. This boisterous music-fueled drama looks to carve a modest career on the domestic specialty circuit. The story of the Cafe
read more...
read more...
- 1/22/2016
- by Todd McCarthy
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bar None: Van Groeningen Returns to Musical Inclinations for Vibrant Sibling Portrait
Belgian auteur Felix Van Groeningen, the front runner of the Belgian New Wave, returns with his fifth feature, Belgica, a portrait of two estranged brothers reuniting to open a successful night club, an experience forcing them to reexamine both their shortcomings and sometimes toxic enabling of each other’s worst tendencies. The film follows a career high for Van Groeningen, who scored an international breakout with 2013’s The Broken Circle Breakdown, another musically inclined drama which netted him an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film. Though his latest still includes unpredictable emotional highs and lows within a familiar set of family and friends, his latest is more sobering by comparison. With a killer soundtrack this is a well-proportioned character piece for its two leads, requiring a bit of patience for the film’s rather lofty running time...
Belgian auteur Felix Van Groeningen, the front runner of the Belgian New Wave, returns with his fifth feature, Belgica, a portrait of two estranged brothers reuniting to open a successful night club, an experience forcing them to reexamine both their shortcomings and sometimes toxic enabling of each other’s worst tendencies. The film follows a career high for Van Groeningen, who scored an international breakout with 2013’s The Broken Circle Breakdown, another musically inclined drama which netted him an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film. Though his latest still includes unpredictable emotional highs and lows within a familiar set of family and friends, his latest is more sobering by comparison. With a killer soundtrack this is a well-proportioned character piece for its two leads, requiring a bit of patience for the film’s rather lofty running time...
- 1/22/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
When choosing Thursday's opening night features in Park City, Utah —World Cinema's "Belgica" (Felix van Groeningen), comedy writer-director Chris Kelly’s semi-autobiographical "Other People" and Kevin Macdonald's documentary "Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang" —Sundance director John Cooper and chief programmer Trevor Groth were looking for diverse movies that would "inspire inspire and excite audiences, that were different," Cooper told Indiewire. Read More: The Best Things Robert Redford Said on the Opening Day of Sundance 2016 The programmers work long and hard figuring out which sections to place the films each year. And always, they reflect a range of changes and shifts going on in the independent marketplace. They were impressed this year with the innovative storytelling, such as competition titles "Swiss Army Man," starring unlikely duo Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe ("It's a wild film, creating both...
- 1/21/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Promotional campaigns for six European films are being boosted with Films Sales Support (Fss) from European Film Promotion (Efp) at this year’s Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31).
A total of $27,000 (€25,000) towards sales companies’ campaigns has been earmarked by Efp in total to facilitate sales of European films to North America and to strengthen networking with buyers at the festival. Fss is backed by the Creative Europe - Media Programme of the European Union.
French sales company Films Distribution premieres Agnus Dei by Anne Fontaine, who will attend Sundance to present her film that is set in Poland 1945.
German sales company Films Boutique has two films at the festival: documentary Land Of The Enlightened by Pieter-Jan De Pue and Mirjana Karanovic’s feature A Good Wife.
The Match Factory focusses on Wild, a feature by Nicolette Krebitz, and on Felix van Groeningen’s new film Belgica (Belgium).
All of the films are screening in Competition as well...
A total of $27,000 (€25,000) towards sales companies’ campaigns has been earmarked by Efp in total to facilitate sales of European films to North America and to strengthen networking with buyers at the festival. Fss is backed by the Creative Europe - Media Programme of the European Union.
French sales company Films Distribution premieres Agnus Dei by Anne Fontaine, who will attend Sundance to present her film that is set in Poland 1945.
German sales company Films Boutique has two films at the festival: documentary Land Of The Enlightened by Pieter-Jan De Pue and Mirjana Karanovic’s feature A Good Wife.
The Match Factory focusses on Wild, a feature by Nicolette Krebitz, and on Felix van Groeningen’s new film Belgica (Belgium).
All of the films are screening in Competition as well...
- 1/19/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
As Sundance and Slamdance prepare to kick off this week some insiders have predicted there could be a surge of activity from digital platforms besides Netflix and Amazon Studios.
The latter two are expected to be active – and indeed have already taken a few Park City titles off the table – yet there is talk of other well-capitalised companies mulling over a splashy entry into the acquisitions arena.
The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 21-31.
Nimble digital platforms challenge traditional buyers
Faced with sharp digital rivals unencumbered by the need to spend on costly P&A and plugged into transactional data that enables them to target audiences with forensic precision, theatrical buyers will need to be on their toes.
The distribution landscape is crowded and unforgiving, yet creative marketing campaigns can pave the way to success.
Among others, A24 did it with Ex Machina and Fox Searchlight reaped rewards with its 2015 Sundance pick-up Brooklyn, earning Oscar nods...
The latter two are expected to be active – and indeed have already taken a few Park City titles off the table – yet there is talk of other well-capitalised companies mulling over a splashy entry into the acquisitions arena.
The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 21-31.
Nimble digital platforms challenge traditional buyers
Faced with sharp digital rivals unencumbered by the need to spend on costly P&A and plugged into transactional data that enables them to target audiences with forensic precision, theatrical buyers will need to be on their toes.
The distribution landscape is crowded and unforgiving, yet creative marketing campaigns can pave the way to success.
Among others, A24 did it with Ex Machina and Fox Searchlight reaped rewards with its 2015 Sundance pick-up Brooklyn, earning Oscar nods...
- 1/18/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
As Sundance and Slamdance prepare to kick off this week some insiders have predicted there could be a surge of activity from digital platforms besides Netflix and Amazon Studios.
The latter two are expected to be active – and indeed have already taken a few Park City titles off the table – yet there is talk of other well-capitalised companies mulling over a splashy entry into the acquisitions arena. The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 21-31.
Nimble digital platforms challenge traditional buyers
Faced with sharp digital rivals unencumbered by the need to spend on costly P&A and plugged into transactional data that enables them to target audiences with forensic precision, theatrical buyers will need to be on their toes.
The distribution landscape is crowded and unforgiving, yet creative marketing campaigns can pave the way to success.
Among others, A24 did it with Ex Machina and Fox Searchlight reaped rewards with its 2015 Sundance pick-up Brooklyn, earning Oscar nods...
The latter two are expected to be active – and indeed have already taken a few Park City titles off the table – yet there is talk of other well-capitalised companies mulling over a splashy entry into the acquisitions arena. The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 21-31.
Nimble digital platforms challenge traditional buyers
Faced with sharp digital rivals unencumbered by the need to spend on costly P&A and plugged into transactional data that enables them to target audiences with forensic precision, theatrical buyers will need to be on their toes.
The distribution landscape is crowded and unforgiving, yet creative marketing campaigns can pave the way to success.
Among others, A24 did it with Ex Machina and Fox Searchlight reaped rewards with its 2015 Sundance pick-up Brooklyn, earning Oscar nods...
- 1/18/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Belgica
Director: Felix van Groeningen
Writers: Felix van Groeningen, Arne Sierens
Belgian director Felix van Groeningen has received numerous critical applause over the past decade, beginning with his 2004 debut Steve+Sky. 2009’s The Misfortunates received an award out of the Directors’ Fortnight, while he received considerable international success with 2012’s The Broken Circle Breakdown, which picked up awards at Berlin, Tribeca and nabbed a Cesar for Best Foreign Language Film. He’s been working on his fifth title, Belgica, since 2014, a story about two brothers who open a bar in Belgium and get swept up in the city’s nightlife.
Cast: Stef Aerts, Tom Vermeir, Stefaan De Winter, Charlotte Vandermeersch
Production Co./Producers: Menuet’s Dirk Impens, Pyramide Productions, Topkapi Films
U.S. Distributor: Rights available Tbd (domestic/international).
Release Date: Belgica will be competing in the World Dramatic category in January at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Director: Felix van Groeningen
Writers: Felix van Groeningen, Arne Sierens
Belgian director Felix van Groeningen has received numerous critical applause over the past decade, beginning with his 2004 debut Steve+Sky. 2009’s The Misfortunates received an award out of the Directors’ Fortnight, while he received considerable international success with 2012’s The Broken Circle Breakdown, which picked up awards at Berlin, Tribeca and nabbed a Cesar for Best Foreign Language Film. He’s been working on his fifth title, Belgica, since 2014, a story about two brothers who open a bar in Belgium and get swept up in the city’s nightlife.
Cast: Stef Aerts, Tom Vermeir, Stefaan De Winter, Charlotte Vandermeersch
Production Co./Producers: Menuet’s Dirk Impens, Pyramide Productions, Topkapi Films
U.S. Distributor: Rights available Tbd (domestic/international).
Release Date: Belgica will be competing in the World Dramatic category in January at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
- 1/8/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The Sundance Film institute has released the line-up of film for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Going to Sundance is one of my favorite events of the year. I love going because you never know what kind of movies you're going to see. Sometimes they are great films that amaze and entertain, other times they completely suck ass, but that's all part of the fun of going to the festival. It's an awesome experience for any hardcore movie geek, and if you ever get a chance to go, you need to.
The event takes place in Park City, Utah next year from January 21st to the 31st. It looks like there's a great line-up of movies at next year's event. My favorite portion of the event is the Midnight section because it deals more with geeky genre type movies, but I also enjoy the various sections of other line-ups.
Some of...
The event takes place in Park City, Utah next year from January 21st to the 31st. It looks like there's a great line-up of movies at next year's event. My favorite portion of the event is the Midnight section because it deals more with geeky genre type movies, but I also enjoy the various sections of other line-ups.
Some of...
- 12/6/2015
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Royalty Hightower as Toni in The Fits. 'Even when we went outside, we wanted to keep her enclosed' Photo: Tayarisha Poe The Sundance Institute has announced the 65 films selected for the Us Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next category set to screen at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 21-31 in Utah.
The Us Competition line-up includes Christine, the latest film from Simon Killer director Antonio Campos, Andrew Neel's Goat (co-written with David Gordon Green) and This Is Martin Bonner helmer Chad Hartigan's Morris From America. Us documentaries competing, include Holy Hell, by an undisclosed director documenting 20 years in a secret, spiritual community that was torn apart and Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk's exploration of Bullying Audrie & Daisy.
The World Dramatic Competition titles include UK/Indian co-production Brahman Naman, directed by Q, about an Indian quiz team's alcohol-fuelled trip to a national contest, Irish co-production Mammal,...
The Us Competition line-up includes Christine, the latest film from Simon Killer director Antonio Campos, Andrew Neel's Goat (co-written with David Gordon Green) and This Is Martin Bonner helmer Chad Hartigan's Morris From America. Us documentaries competing, include Holy Hell, by an undisclosed director documenting 20 years in a secret, spiritual community that was torn apart and Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk's exploration of Bullying Audrie & Daisy.
The World Dramatic Competition titles include UK/Indian co-production Brahman Naman, directed by Q, about an Indian quiz team's alcohol-fuelled trip to a national contest, Irish co-production Mammal,...
- 12/3/2015
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In last year’s section which included Ariel Kleiman’s Partisan and Anne Sewitsky’s Homesick, it was John Maclean’s debut Slow West claimed the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Alanté Kavaïté’s The Summer of Sangailé landed the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Umrika was the audience’s won the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic. In this year’s dozen offerings we have names we normally associate with Cannes in The Misfortunates‘ Felix van Groeningen (Belgica), The Other Side of Sleep‘s Rebecca Daly (Mammal – see pic above) and A Stray Girlfriend‘s Ana Katz (Mi Amiga del Parque). Here are the selections.
Belgica / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Director: Felix van Groeningen, Screenwriters: Felix van Groeningen, Arne Sierens) — In the midst of Belgium’s nightlife scene, two brothers start a bar and get swept up in its success.Cast: Stef Aerts, Tom Vermeir, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Hélène De Vos. World Premiere.
Belgica / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Director: Felix van Groeningen, Screenwriters: Felix van Groeningen, Arne Sierens) — In the midst of Belgium’s nightlife scene, two brothers start a bar and get swept up in its success.Cast: Stef Aerts, Tom Vermeir, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Hélène De Vos. World Premiere.
- 12/2/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
What will be the movies to break out and grab headlines in 2016? It seems like a silly question to ask but that's just what will be on the lips of many when they flock to Park City next month for the Sundance Film Festival. And organizers have unveiled a big chunk of their slate today with U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and Next lineups. And as always, there's lots of promise. Read More: 2016 Slamdance Film Festival Unveils Narrative And Documentary Competition Lineup New pictures by Antonio Campos ("Christine"), So Yong Kim ("Lovesong"), Felix van Groeningen ("Belgica"), and Bahman Ghobadi ("A Flag Without A Country") are slated to unspool. Meanwhile, the stars will be out in force too. Ellen Page leads "Tallulah"; Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, and Jackie Earle Haley are among those for "The Birth Of A...
- 12/2/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival's U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Dramatic, World Documentary, and Next lineups are now set, featuring 65 films from 29 countries. (As usual, pending decisions from the Berlin International Film festival, more films may be added.) For the 2016 Festival, 120 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 48 first-time filmmakers (including 28 in competition). These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, up from last year, including 4,081 feature-length films and 8,712 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,972 were from the U.S. and 2,109 were international. 98 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres. For the opening day movies, World Cinema's "Belgica" (Felix van Groeningen), Chris Kelly’s "Other People" and Kevin Macdonald's documentary "Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang," Sundance director John Cooper and chief programmer Trevor...
- 12/2/2015
- by Anne Thompson and Matt Brennan
- Thompson on Hollywood
Titles include Tallulah starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney, and Chad Hartigan’s Morris From America (pictured); Next strand also announced.Scroll down for full list
Sundance Institute has announced the 65 films selected for the Us Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next categories set to screen at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31) in Park City.
Us Dramatic Competition selections include Sian Heder’s Tallulah with Ellen Page and Allison Janney; Antonio Campos’ Christine; Clea DuVall’s feature directorial debut The Intervention; and Richard Tanne’s Southside With You, about Barack Obama’s first date with the First Lady.
Among the Us Documentary Competition selections are: Holy Hell by undisclosed; Jeff Feuerzeig’s Author: The Jt LeRoy Story; and Sara Jordenö’s Kiki.
The World Cinema Dramatic Competition entries include: Belgica (Belgium-France-Netherlands), Felix van Groeningen’s follow-up to The Broken Circle Breakdown; Manolo Cruz and Carlos del Castillo’s Between Sea And Land (Colombia); and Nicolette Krebitz’s Wild...
Sundance Institute has announced the 65 films selected for the Us Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next categories set to screen at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31) in Park City.
Us Dramatic Competition selections include Sian Heder’s Tallulah with Ellen Page and Allison Janney; Antonio Campos’ Christine; Clea DuVall’s feature directorial debut The Intervention; and Richard Tanne’s Southside With You, about Barack Obama’s first date with the First Lady.
Among the Us Documentary Competition selections are: Holy Hell by undisclosed; Jeff Feuerzeig’s Author: The Jt LeRoy Story; and Sara Jordenö’s Kiki.
The World Cinema Dramatic Competition entries include: Belgica (Belgium-France-Netherlands), Felix van Groeningen’s follow-up to The Broken Circle Breakdown; Manolo Cruz and Carlos del Castillo’s Between Sea And Land (Colombia); and Nicolette Krebitz’s Wild...
- 12/2/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Over the past few years, there have been a number of films focusing on the personal toll of music making. This year saw Eden, the lightly fictionalized story of a failed DJ, which dominated the festival circuit, and the Edm story, We Are Your Friends, which attracted a small but vocal fanbase. And though they took markedly different approaches in tone and presentation, they both provided a snapshot into the coexisting destructive and wondrous effects of music.
Belgica, the next from from the Oscar-nominated Broken Circle Breakdown helmer Felix van Groeningen, looks to mine similar emotional terrain with its story of two brothers, Jo (Stef Aerts) and Frank (Tom Vermeir), who start a bar and become subsequently immersed in the Belgium club scene.
The first trailer emerged today, and it looks both exhausting and thrilling, shifting back and forth between the strained home life and frenzied work life of the two characters.
Belgica, the next from from the Oscar-nominated Broken Circle Breakdown helmer Felix van Groeningen, looks to mine similar emotional terrain with its story of two brothers, Jo (Stef Aerts) and Frank (Tom Vermeir), who start a bar and become subsequently immersed in the Belgium club scene.
The first trailer emerged today, and it looks both exhausting and thrilling, shifting back and forth between the strained home life and frenzied work life of the two characters.
- 11/24/2015
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
When it comes to stories of families on the fringes, it's hard to do it better than Belgian director Felix van Groeningen. The writer-director won huge acclaim around the world for previous efforts The Misfortunates and Broken Circle Breakdown and he returns to his favorite topic with upcoming effort Belgica. As was the case with Broken Circle, there's a strong musical element here with the film telling the story of brothers who open a bar and are swept up in the Belgian nightlife but that summary doesn't even begin to do justice to the artistry and energy on display in the film's official trailer. Check it out below, English subtitles included....
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- 11/24/2015
- Screen Anarchy
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