Leo Barraclough-Senior Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentM-Appeal has taken world distribution rights to Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” which has its world premiere In Competition at the Berlin Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentPrinc Films has taken international rights to Slávek Horák’s “Havel,” a biopic about the Czech playwright, dissident and his country’s president Vaclav Havel, and will launch sales at the European Film Market. The film recently received 14 nominations for the Czech Lion Awards, the leading Czech film awards, across all major categories including film, director, screenplay, and all acting categories.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentARRI Media Intl. has signed a deal with Faktura Film to handle the international sales for the Marxist vampire comedy “Bloodsuckers.” The film has been selected to world premiere in the Berlin Film Festival’s Encounters section, which aims to “foster aesthetically and structurally daring works from independent, innovative filmmakers.” Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer.ARRI Media Intl.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentSales agency Global Screen, part of Will Smith and Marc Forster’s Telepool, has picked up global distribution rights to $24 million family adventure movie “Jim Button and the Wild 13.”The pic, which is the second most expensive German movie of all times, according to Global Screen, will be launched at the European Film Market (March 1-5).

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentPicture Tree International has acquired international rights to “Mission Ulja Funk,” which has been selected for Berlin Film Festival’s youth-centric Generation KPlus competition.The film, which is the debut feature of German writer/director Barbara Kronenberg, is about the 12 year old girl Ulja, who sets out on a road trip in a stolen hearse to Eastern Europe to witness the impact of an asteroid she discovered.Kronenberg studied at the Academy

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentGeneration, the Berlin Film Festival’s section for youth-centric movies, has unveiled its lineup, with a majority of its films directed by women.Sixty per cent of the films are directed by women, and many of them feature “strong willed” female protagonists, the festival said, such as “Ninjababy,” in which Rakel is six months pregnant, but doesn’t want to become a mother.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentMatthijs Wouter Knol took over as director of the European Film Academy at the start of the year, having served as director of the European Film Market since 2014.

Leo Barraclough Senior International Correspondent“Sweat,” which is screening at the Rotterdam Film Festival and the Göteborg Film Festival this week, has attracted additional sales, New Europe Film Sales has reported. The film, which was selected by Cannes last year, had been previously been sold widely.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentBerlin film sales agent M-Appeal has struck deals with leading German distributors for rock music drama “The Night of the Beast” and family adventure film “Sisters: The Summer We Found Our Superpowers.”Alamode, the distributor of specialty titles such as “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Les Misérables,” has acquired “The Night of the Beast,” which centers on two fans of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentThe European Film Market, which is being staged as a virtual event from March 1-5, is to arrange screenings of films selected as part of the Berlin Film Festival lineup in movie theaters in four cities around the world.The initiative, running under the banner “EFM Goes Global,” will see physical screenings for distributors in Tokyo for the Asian market, Melbourne for Oceania, São Paulo for South America, and Mexico City for Central America.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentSpeaking to Variety from his home in London, Asa Butterfield – on a short break from filming Season 3 of “Sex Education,” before returning to South Wales, where the Netflix comedy shoots – expresses his gratitude for being able to work during the pandemic.Filming was meant to begin in spring, but – thanks to you-know-what – was pushed back to autumn.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentThe Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the International Jury for its 71st edition.The jury will comprise Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, Israeli director Nadav Lapid, Romania director Adina Pintilie, Hungary director Ildikó Enyedi, Italian director Gianfranco Rosi and Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić.As previously announced, the festival will take place in two stages this year, due to the pandemic.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentSony Pictures Classics has acquired all worldwide rights to the film “Jockey,” which will premiere on Sunday in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the Sundance Film Festival.Directed by Clint Bentley and written by Bentley and Greg Kwedar, the film stars Clifton Collins, Jr., Molly Parker, Moises Arias, Logan Cormier and Colleen Hartnett.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentPicture Tree International has acquired international rights to Danish director Lisa Jespersen’s feature debut, the comedy drama “Persona Non Grata” (Hvor Kragerne Vender), and will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Nordic Film Market, after its launch in Nordic Competition during the online edition of Goteborg Film Festival this week.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentPrano Bailey-Bond’s psychological horror “Censor,” which opens Sundance’s Midnight section Friday, is a twisted, bloody love letter to the low-budget horror films of the 1980s.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentVariety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Itonje Søimer Guttormsen’s feature debut “Gritt,” which has its world premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival on Feb. 2, and then goes straight to Göteborg, where it plays in the Dragon competition.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentEuropean Film Promotion, a network of film agencies and institutes from 37 European countries, and the Sundance Film Festival have kicked off their first ever collaboration. The partners have launched an online showcase, Europe! Hub at Sundance, that puts the spotlight on the European films premiering in competition at the festival (Jan.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentRiz Ahmed, a leading awards contender this year with “Sound of Metal,” and “Game of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau have joined the Danish animated documentary “Flee,” which plays at Sundance, as executive producers.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentThe world’s press has reacted to the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris with relief and cautious optimism, with many borrowing a line from the President’s speech for their headlines, “Democracy Has Prevailed.”London’s Evening Standard is breathless. “Wow, what a speech,” it comments.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentAltered Innocence has picked up U.S. rights to Fabrice du Welz’s dark contemporary fairytale “Adoration,” which premiered at Locarno Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentJohnny Flynn’s star has been on the rise in recent years, and will be propelled a little higher on Jan. 29 with the release of period drama “The Dig” on Netflix, in which he appears alongside Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan and Lily James.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentAgnieszka Holland’s “Charlatan,” the Czech Republic’s official entry in the International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards, has been acquired for distribution in the U.K. and Ireland by AX1 from international sales agency Films Boutique.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentFrédéric Corvez’s Urban Distribution International, which is taking part in this week’s 23rd Rendez-vous With French Cinema international film market, is launching world sales on action drama “La Civil.” The film has been produced with the assistance of a heavyweight team of arthouse filmmakers, including Palme d’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Cristian Mungiu, also a Palme d’Or winner, and Michel Franco, winner of the Grand Jury Prize

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentEuropean Film Promotion has revealed the 10 actors who will take part in the 24th edition of European Shooting Stars.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentEuropean Film Promotion’s flagship program, European Shooting Stars, which helps launch emerging actors onto the world stage, and has boosted the careers of actors like Carey Mulligan, Alicia Vikander, Riz Ahmed and George MacKay, has had to transform into an entirely digital format this year.Instead of being presented to the industry, press and public in person at a series of events during the Berlin Film Festival, as in previous editions

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentIzabela Kiszka’s boutique sales agency IKH Pictures Promotion has boarded hostage thriller “Prime Time,” which will have its world premiere in Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition section.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentProlific British songwriter Geoff Stephens has died at the age of 86, his family confirmed to Variety Sunday. His songs include Grammy winner “Winchester Cathedral,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” and “The Crying Game,” which was the theme song of Neil Jordan’s Oscar-winning film of the same title.London-born Stephens, who died on Dec.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentAnders Thomas Jensen’s action comedy “Riders of Justice,” starring Mads Mikkelsen, will open the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam. The festival will be staged in two parts this year: the first, in a hybrid format, running Feb.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentRussian Film Week USA, which runs Jan. 23-29, is expanding its reach as it pivots to an online format, allowing audiences across the U.S.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentTelepool’s Munich-based sales outfit Global Screen has closed deals to major territories for “Plan A,” a true World War II story, starring August Diehl (“A Hidden Life,” “Inglourious Basterds”) and Sylvia Hoeks (“Blade Runner 2049,” “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”).Signature Entertainment has acquired all rights for the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, while Twelve Oaks Pictures picked up the film in Spain.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentChristian Petzold’s “Undine,” for which Paula Beer won the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlin Film Festival, has won the Arab Critics’ Award for European Films. Petzold received the award virtually at the Cairo Film Festival, which is running physically until Thursday.The award, which was launched by European Film Promotion and Arab Cinema Center last year, was voted for by 56 film critics from 14 Arab countries.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentRupert Everett, Derek Jacobi and Tom Felton have joined the ensemble cast of “Lead Heads,” described as a “drama about greed and the repercussions it has on the soul.” Also in the cast are Luke Newberry, Mark Williams and Olatunji Ayofe. Giles Borg directs.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentWhile some international film and TV production professionals are simply relieved that they were able to return to filming this year, in spite of the pandemic, many are looking ahead to see what can be improved in the sector.This positive mindset has been adopted by the folks behind Focus, the international production show that runs Dec. 15-17 online from London.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentBerlin-based Picture Tree International has picked up global sales rights to Mexican director Raúl López Echeverría’s feature debut, the socially conscious soccer comedy “Domingo,” and will introduce the film, in final postproduction, to buyers at Latin American film market Ventana Sur this week.The film tells the story of Domingo, a man of 55 living in a poor suburb of Guadalajara.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentTopic, the fast-growing streaming service from First Look Media, has acquired North American streaming rights to Anabel Rodriguez Rios’ documentary feature debut, “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela.” The film, which explores the decline of the Venezuelan fishing village of Congo Mirador and, more broadly, the country’s complicated current political and social climate, made its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentLeading documentary specialist Dogwoof has acquired world sales rights to Miguel Eek’s feature debut “The First Woman,” following its world premiere in the First Appearance Competition section of documentary film festival IDFA, which runs Nov. 18-Dec.