Locarno Selection ‘A Piece of Sky’ Nabbed by New Europe Film Sales (EXCLUSIVE)

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentVariety has been given exclusive access to the trailer of family drama “God You’re Such a P—k,” starring Heike Makatsch and Til Schweiger. Sales agent Picture Tree Intl.

NEW YORK -- This year's New York Film Festival will be held largely virtually and in outdoor screenings, organizers said Thursday while unveiling a lineup featuring new films from Chloe Zhao, Steve McQueen and Azazel Jacobs. The major fall film festivals, which often jockey for the chance to premiere the season's top films, have this year worked in concert to salvage what they can from a more limited array of films and a drastic reduction in attendees.

Jamie Lang Locarno SwissBiz panel, a round-table featuring five local industry professionals that takes an often critical and always self aware look at the state of affairs in Switzerland’s film industry, was always going to be a bit different this year.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentSwitzerland’s Tristan Aymon, director of short film “Black Hole” (“Trou Noir”), the only title to win two prizes at the 2020 Locarno Festival – a Pardino d’Argento in Swiss Competition and a Youth Jury best Swiss short – is preparing “Skate,” his feature debut.Written by Aymon and Marianne Brun, his co-screenwriter on “Black Hole,” “Skate” will tap into the same context, themes and, above all, emotions of “Black Hole,” a low key and laid-back but

Moments ago, the 2020 New York Film Festival announced their Main Slate, coming after the big three announcements recently. NYFF will be different, obviously, given the pandemic, but there’s still 25 movies that will make up the fest.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorThe New York Film Festival has finalized its main slate of 25 films and expanded the dates of this year’s event in order to accommodate drive-in screenings.The 58th edition of the festival will start a week earlier than it had planned, on September 17, and run through October 11.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineThe New York Film Festival unveiled the main slate for its 58th edition on Thursday.This year’s selections showcases titles from 19 different countries and spotlights both emerging and veteran talent.

The New York Film Festival just now unveiled the final selection of their annual big three titles, naming Azazel Jacobs’ French Exit as the 2020 incarnation of the fest’s Closing Night pick. We now know the festival’s Opener in Lovers Rock, Centerpiece in Nomadland, and Closer, so all that’s left is the Main Slate, which should be headed our way shortly.

Also Read: Steve McQueen's 'Lovers Rock' Set as New York Film Festival Opening Night Film“We’ve been watching New York filmmaker Azazel Jacobs for more than a decade, since his film ‘Momma’s Man’ screened in our New Directors/New Films festival in 2008,” New York Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez said in a statement.

The Zurich Film Festival has unveiled further details of its inaugural Zurich Market, a pop-up film market created to provide independent movies that would have screened at a major film festival an opportunity to present to international buyers. Zurich and Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival are collaborating on the event, which will see around 20 new indie titles screen in local cinemas during the Swiss festival from Sept.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAzazel Jacobs’s “French Exit,” the story of a New York socialite who jettisons her old life for a new one in Paris, has been selected as the closing night feature of the 58th New York Film Festival.The film, which stars Oscar-nominees Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges, will make its world premiere at the festival, which is expected to be a mixture of physical and virtual events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorFrench Exit, which stars Michelle Pfieffer and Lucas Hedges and has Tracy Letts voicing a cat named Small Frank, will have its world premiere as the closing night entry in this fall’s New York Film Festival.Film at Lincoln Center hasn’t set final details for the 58th annual edition of the festival, which runs September 25 to October 11.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentThe Zurich Film Festival has revealed more details of its first Zurich Market, an on-site event organized in collaboration with Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival that will see the Swiss event hosting screenings in local cinema theaters for about 20 new independent titles.Described by the festival in a press statement as “highly anticipated titles,” the movies will be screened from Sept.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentZurich-Berlin based Tellfilm, producer of “Blue My Mind” from “Killing Eve” director Lisa Brühlmann, is set to go into production on Aug.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentLetterbox Filmproduktion, producer of ZDF-Arte hit “Bad Banks” – and part of the Studio Hamburg Production Group that backed Netflix’s “Unorthodox” – has boarded “Davos,” a high-end drama series from Zurich-based film producer Content Film, producer of “Wonderland.”“Davos,” a period espionage thriller, is being written by Germany’s Julia Penner, head writer on seasons 3, 4 and 5 of “Druck,” Germany’s adaptation of “Skam,” and Switzerland’s Adrian

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAmka Films, the Swiss indie shingle founded by prominent producer Tiziana Soudani – who sadly passed away in January – is carrying on its activities under a trio of women led by her daughter Amel Soudani.The company is known for its involvement in prizewinning films by prominent directors from nearby Italy, such as Alice Rohrwacher (“The Wonders”), Silvio Soldini (“Bread and Tulips) and Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo (“Bad Tales”) as well as by emerging

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentAndreas Fontana’s “Azor,” the latest production between Switzerland’s Alina Film and Argentina’s Ruda Cine, partners on Locarno Golden Leopard winner “Back to Stay,” has scored a world sales deal from Brussels-based Be For Films.A scathing take on Swiss banks’ shady dealings during Argentina’s Junta dictatorship, “Azor” is one of the 10 Swiss titles featured in Locarno’s The Films After Tomorrow, a competition for movies whose preparation or

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentFollowing a two-year absence, France will be back among the partner countries of Locarno Pro’s Alliance 4 Development platform that facilitates cooperation between existing co-development funds in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and – well – France, once again.Launched by the Locarno fest’s industry side in 2014, the initiative aims to test market potential and to form creative alliances and foster European co-productions at early stages of development.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentBindu de Stoppani, the India-born but Switzerland-raised multi-hyphenate who directed Swiss films “Jump” and “Finding Camille,” is set to direct her third feature, a female-driven dramedy titled “40 & Climbing” set in an Alpine valley and featuring a strong Italian cast.Italy’ s Anna Ferzetti, tapped this year as Venice Film Festival MC – after scooping multiple local prizes for her role in dramedy “Domani è un altro giorno” – is set to star in “40”

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentSounding a note of hope for the 20 titles selected for Locarno Festival’s highest-profile competition, The Films After Tomorrow, Helena Wittmann’s entry, the sensuous sea odyssey “Human Flowers of Flesh,” is scheduled to go into production on Aug.