Berlin: Neon Takes Celine Sciamma's 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Follow-Up for North America

Amazon is taking German coming-of-age drama We Children From Bahnhof Zoo global. The coming-of-age series, a modern-day update of the bestselling Berlin-set memoir Christiane F., is produced by Constantin Television and Amazon Studios in Germany.

Ed Meza @edmezavarDavid Hasselhoff is heading to Germany to star in a comedy spy series produced by Christian Alvart’s Berlin-based Syrreal Entertainment in what will be the first project from the company’s new international first-look deal with CBS Studios.A straight-to-series order for Mediengruppe RTL’s SVOD platform TVNow, “Ze Network” sees Hasselhoff playing himself as he travels to Germany to headline a stage production in what he believes is a major theater in East Berlin, only to

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorARRI Media has closed a deal with Crescendo House – a new boutique distribution company – for North American rights on Marxist vampire comedy “Bloodsuckers,” following its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.The film, which screened as part of the Berlinale’s Encounters section, was written and directed by Julian Radlmaier.Radlmaier’s script was praised by the jury as being “extravagant, bizarre, and hilarious” when he was presented with the

Sparks will be released in US and Canadian cinemas later this year.The Sparks Brothers takes a deep dive into the careers of Ron and Russell Mael over five decades, complete with an archive of TV and concert clips. A string of musical guests were interviewed for the documentary, including Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.The Sparks Brothers premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s well-received documentary Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA North American rights deal for mainland Chinese fantasy action film ‘God of War II, was one of several film sales deals struck by Hong Kong’s Media Asia at the recent European Film Market and the ongoing FilMart.Directed by Cai Cong, and starring Charles Lin, Liu Yuxi and David Wu, the film was completed in 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: We have learned that motion picture industry distribution vet Jim Zak has been named the SVP, North America of Vista Group’s Numero and Maccs. 

Neon's boutique label Super LTD has picked up the North American rights to Tony Stone’s true crime dramaTed K. The dramatic thriller written and directed by Stone — where Sharlto Copley plays the Rocky Mountains wilderness recluse who became known to the world as the Unabomber — bowed as part of the Panorama section at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Ted K, the true crime drama that premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, has been snapped up for North American distribution by Neon’s boutique label Super Ltd.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSamuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to “The Drover’s Wife,” an Australian revenge tale written, directed and starring Leah Purcell. Sold by Memento International, the film is an adaptation of Purcell’s successful Australian stage play.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFilm Movement has acquired North American rights to Cathy Yan’s feature debut “Dead Pigs” which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2018. Film Movement will release the film in North America in theaters, virtual cinema, home entertainment and digital platforms in June.“Dead Pigs” is social satire about the trials and tribulations connecting a disparate group of people in the midst of a baffling nationwide mystery.

Mubi, the arthouse streaming platform, and theatrical distributor has signed a deal for Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman, picking up all rights in the U.K., Ireland and Turkey for the new French-language drama from the director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Petite Maman premiered in competition at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival last week.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentU.S indie distributor Film Movement has acquired North American rights from Italian sales company True Colours to Palestinian director Ameen Nayfeh’s drama “200 Meters,” about a Palestinian construction worker who takes huge risks to cross the West Bank wall to reach his hospitalized son.In September, “200 Meters,” which marks Nayfeh’s debut, launched from the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section, where it won the audience award.

Arthouse streamer and distributor Mubi has acquired all rights for Céline Sciamma’s well-received Berlin Film Festival title Petite Maman for the UK, Ireland and Turkey.

Emilio Mayorga Breathing in its deadly gases, Yono works for a few dollars a day at an East Java sulfur mine. When unexpectedly abandoned by his wife, he turns to animism, Islamism and finally capitalism­­ to try to find an answer to life.

Saban Films has picked up the horror-thriller Hide and Seek forNorth America, the U.K. and Ireland.

Petite Maman, Céline Sciamma's follow-up to her 2019 international breakthrough Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a more intimate affair. The acclaimed French filmmaker has switched the erotic charge and sexual politics of her 18th century period drama for a more personal story of love and loss in a tale of an eight-year-old girl trying to connect with her mother.

Laetitia Eido, the French actress known to fans of Netflix's Israeli drama Fauda as Dr. Shirin El Abed, has signed on to co-star in Nhiem, a new high-end television series set during the Vietnam War from New Zealand director Roger Donaldson (The World's Fastest Indian) and German production group Carte Blanche International.

Amazon Prime Video has swooped on the critically acclaimed Chilean LGBTQ+ drama My Tender Matador for Latin America. The film —which first bowed in the Venice Days sidebar of the 2020 Venice Film Festival —won the audience award in the Open Horizons section of the 2020 Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorSaban Films has acquired North American rights to “Long Story Short,” written by, directed by and co-starring Josh Lawson. The romantic comedy also stars Rafe Spall, Zahra Newman, Ronny Chieng and Dena Kaplan.