Locarno Bad Ass Action Comedy ‘Cop Secret’ Swooped on by Alief (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentHulu has acquired U.S.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorBerlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has kicked off sales for action biopic “Chasing the Line,” about the Austrian skiing champion Franz Klammer, which will make its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival.PTI has closed its first deal on the film with Praesens Film taking rights for Switzerland, and will launch its international campaign with an exclusive work-in-progress buyer screening at the Toronto Film Festival.

Comedic actor Randall Park (“Always Be My Maybe,” “Ant-Man & The Wasp“) is coming off a popular supporting role in Marvel Studios‘ first canonical entry into the world of television with “WandaVision,” reprising his MCU role of FBI Agent Jimmy Woo. It looks like he’ll be teaming up with another Marvel actor for an untitled action-comedy at Amazon Studios.

Sterling K. Brown and Randall Park have a new project in the works!

A former police officer, who rapper Lil Wayne has credited with saving his life after a suicide attempt at age 12, said Wayne offered to provide financial assistance for him should he ever need it – all he has to do is just ask. Robert Hoobler, whom the now-38-year-old "Lollipop" emcee calls his "Uncle Bob," told TMZ that he hasn’t taken Wayne up on the offer yet, but has been in communication with his team about potentially joining the artist's team in an administrative capacity.

Jay Weissberg There are two ways to watch “Cop Secret,” a wild-ride Icelandic satire of Hollywood action films. One is the classic “switch off your brain” strategy, which allows for an easy digestion of the non-stop parody elements in which each line and every situation is lifted wholesale from any number of cop thrillers.

Shortcomings” for Roadside Attractions that’s based on a graphic novel, and he was most recently seen in Marvel’s Disney+ series “WandaVision.” Brown stars on “This Is Us,” and he recently signed on to star in “Coyote Blue,” another action thriller from “John Wick” writer Derek Kolstad. Sterling K.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorLondon-based sales agency Alief has come on board “Runner,” directed by Andrius Blaževičius, which world premieres in the East of the West Competition at the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival.The film stars Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, who was selected for Shooting Stars, European Film Promotion’s prestigious program for rising European actors, at this year’s Berlinale.

Emiliano Granada Directed by Elene Naveriani and written alongside brother Sandro Naveriani, “Wet Sand” world premieres today in the Cineasti del Presente competition at Switzerland’s Locarno Festival.Very much in line with the section’s mission statement, the Swiss-Georgian co-production is a vibrant example of emerging talent that has quickly grown into versatile auteurs with a striking control of their craft.“Wet Sand” is Naveriani’s second feature and, beyond its craft and structure,

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentBuenos Aires-based Compañía de Cine has swooped on sales rights to “Mostro,” a trenchant take on one consequence of violence in Mexico: Its thousands of women who suddenly join the ranks of Mexico’s “disappeared.”The boutique sales company is introducing the feature to buyers at this week’s Locarno Film Festival where it world premiered Wednesday in the Swiss Fest’s Cineasti del Presente section.The first feature of Mexico’s José Pablo Escamilla,

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentA force on Europe’s film archive scene, the Cinémathèque Suisse is near to finishing a restoration of “The Written Face,” regarded as one of the best films by one of Switzerland’s most prominent filmmakers, Daniel Schmid.News of the reissue comes as heritage becomes an ever more familiar part of the major festival landscape – as a promotion agency, the Cinémathèque Suisse is at Locarno with six titles, far more than any sales agent.Switzerland,

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentValentin Merz’s “De Noche los Gatos Son Pardos” scooped the biggest prize, the Cinegrell First Look Award, at this year’s Locarno Festival First Look pix-in-post competition, one of its industry centerpieces.Now in its tenth edition, First Look’s focus this year was Switzerland with a jury and industry audience given the chance to preview six upcoming Swiss feature films at various stages of rough or final cut.The Cinegrell First Look Award

Will Thorne Staff WriterIt’s been a challenging year-and-a-half for co-productions between Switzerland the U.K., but there appears to be cause for optimism.Directors of media funds from both countries, as well as a pair of producers, gathered at a Locarno Film Festival panel to discuss co-financing and co-production opportunities between the two countries, and to try and entice the room to share in that positive outlook.Neil Peplow, BFI director of industry and international affairs, was at the

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentFast emerging as a go-to company for high-profile Chilean and women director titles, Buenos Aires boutique agency Meikincine has swooped on “My Brothers Dream Awake,” ahead of its world premiere at Switzerland’s Locarno Festival on Saturday.Competing in Cineasti del Presente, a section reserved for emerging filmmakers from around the world, “My Brothers Dream Awake” marks the second feature outing for young Chilean Mapuche cineaste Claudia

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentNew Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, who is the former head of the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, is starting to put his stamp on the Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema with a lineup comprising comedies and genre films alongside more straightforward auteur cinema, driven by a desire to make the selection “more audience friendly,” as he puts it.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentHigh-flying Spanish outfit Filmika Galaika has boarded Gabriel Azorín’s poetic, time-blending “Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes”(“Anoche conquisté Tebas”), a buzz title at the Locarno Festival Match Me forum.A networking platform for up-and-coming producers, and a few who have pretty much arrived, Match Me runs on-site at Switzerland’s Locarno Festival over Aug.

Will Thorne Staff WriterAt this year’s edition of Locarno’s Alliance 4 Development, both the future of the selected nine projects, and the co-production market as a whole, will be on the table.The Locarno Film Festival program, which facilitates international co-production for projects from France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, skipped a year due to COVID-19, but is back stronger than ever.“We received more than 70 submissions from the four countries,” says program manager Francesca

Will Thorne Staff Writer“Succession” has added another intriguing piece to the Season 3 puzzle.Swiss actor Ella Rumpf, best known for her leading role in Julia Ducournau’s fleshy horror pic “Raw,” is set to play a guest starring role in the HBO drama’s upcoming third outing, Variety has learned exclusively.Although the exact nature of her role is being kept under wraps, sources say Rumpf already finished shooting the part in Italy, where Season 3 production has been ongoing since June.A role in

Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is the last character you’d play in a video game. A teller at a bank that’s consistently robbed, he gets the same coffee every day (a medium, cream, and two sugars), wears the same clothes (a blue button-up and khakis), and every morning joyfully greets his pet goldfish.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIceland’s Pegasus Pictures and sales agent Alief have just dropped a first trailer for “Cop Secret,” a full-on pulse pounding cop actioner that world premieres in main competition at the 74th Locarno Film Festival.Alief President Brett Walker will introduce the propulsive, high testosterone movie to buyers at Locarno Pro, the Swiss festival’s robust industry program which kicks off Friday.The movie tips its hat to ‘80s and ‘90s buddy cop action