Todd Brown Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Naman Ramachandran Zarrar Kahn‘s acclaimed psychological thriller film “In Flames” has unveiled a trailer ahead of its North American theatrical release. The film bowed at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2023 and played at several global festivals including Toronto, Pingyao and Red Sea, where it won the top prize. It was Pakistan‘s entry to the Oscars’ international category.

EXCLUSIVE: United Talent Agency has signed Zarrar Kahn, director of Pakistan’s Oscar entry In Flames, for representation in all areas. 

Naman Ramachandran XYZ Films will represent documentary “London Recruits” for North American sales, it was revealed at the ongoing Durban FilmMart. Directed by Gordon Main, the film sheds light on a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history. In 1970, the struggle against the apartheid government in South Africa developed a new secret weapon. Oliver Tambo hatched a plan to infiltrate young British activists into the country, posing as tourists. Their mission, in the face of brutal lockdown by the racist regime, was to help inspire ordinary South Africans to join a liberation movement that would never give up till freedom was won. To mark the partnership, Ronnie Kasrils, now 86, the former underground African National Congress (ANC) freedom fighter at the heart of the story, participated in detonating a bucket “leaflet bomb” outside the market hotel. These were the devices deployed in 1970 by amateur secret agents that Kasrils recruited in London on orders from Tambo. The devices brought messages of hope from the banned ANC to the South African population at large.

Naman Ramachandran XYZ Films has unveiled New Visions, an initiative designed to spotlight bold new voices alongside established talent striking a new path in the international cinema space. The initiative will serve as a curated collection of films that “exists to discover and support the next generation of great filmmakers at the inception of their career, and to give established talents room to do something smaller, more intimate, or challenging outside of the usual box of independent filmmaking,” XYZ said in a statement. The slate will launch in Cannes with Directors’ Fortnight selection “In Flames,” a Pakistani-Canadian horror film directed by Zarrar Kahn and executive produced by Shant Joshi. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year. In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

Ed Meza @edmezavar The new genre-focused Fantastic Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film has unveiled plans for a series of six yet-to-be-announced special market screenings as well as an original logo that promises to unlock the imagination. Due to the strong response and interest from independent producers, sales agents and distributors – seen again at Berlin’s European Film Market — Fantastic Pavilion organizers are presenting the Fantastic Pavilion Galas. Offering a prime example of what participating sales companies will be offering to worldwide buyers at the Marché du Film, the six special market screenings will serve “as a magnifying glass, giving them a wide promotion to stand out among the crop of content available at the market,” organizers said. The Galas’ six films will be announced prior the Cannes market. Interested parties may contact Fantastic Pavilion organizers via their website.

Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone & Kevin Connolly To Star In Dark Comedy ‘Krazy House’Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, and Kevin Connolly have signed on to star in the dark comedy Krazy House from writer-directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil. Production on the pic has just been completed in Amsterdam. The cast is rounded out by Gaite Jansen, Walt Klink, Jan Bijvoet, Chris Peters, and Matti Stooker. Maarten Swart will produce the film for Kaap Holland Film, in a co-production with Haars and van der Kuil. Kaap Holland Film’s Jorn Baars and XYZ’s Todd Brown are executive producers. Splendid Films is handling distribution in the Benelux. XYZ has North American sales rights.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone and Kevin Connolly will star in the dark comedy “Krazy House” from writers-directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil, marking the first English-language film by the duo. Dutch Gaite Jansen, Walt Klink, Jan Bijvoet, Chris Peters and Matti Stooker round out the cast. Production on the film has just been completed in Amsterdam. Set in the 90s, “Krazy House” is about religious homemaker Bernie (Frost) and his sitcom family. When Russian workers in Bernie’s house turn out to be wanted criminals, they make Bernie and his family tear the place up in search of some old hidden loot. In order to free himself, Bernie has to man up and save his imprisoned family, while slowly going crazy.

By Tom Grater