EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Amenta, whose debut feature Soft just had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, has signed with M88 for representation.
09.09.2022 - 18:33 / variety.com
Carson Burton Finnish director Jalmari Helander aims to show TIFF audiences a new kind of action film. For the director behind “Big Game” and “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale,” his new film, “Sisu,” takes action to the next level, placing a Rambo-like character in the bitter wilderness of Finland during World War II. By Carson Burton Finnish director Jalmari Helander aims to show TIFF audiences a new kind of action film. For the director behind “Big Game” and “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale,” his new film, “Sisu,” takes action to the next level, placing a Rambo-like character in the bitter wilderness of Finland during World War II.
“I’ve always loved action films,” Helander says. “When I saw ‘First Blood’ for the first time when I was a kid, that’s one of the biggest influences I have ever had. Of course, I live in Finland. And Finland is a place where you don’t make an action film because we have something like 5 million people, and it’s really difficult to get money to be able to do an action film. So that’s been a big dream of mine. And now I was in a place that I actually could do it.”
Set in 1945, “Sisu” follows a Finnish ex-soldier named Aatami Korpi, played by Jorma Tommila. After Aatami discovers gold deep in Finland’s wilderness, he must venture into the city to cash in his treasure. Things take a bloody turn for the worst, though, when a group of Nazis becomes intent on killing the man and taking his gold. The film, which can be described as a combination between “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “John Wick,” features little dialogue yet intense action. From hurling landmines, underwater throat slits and a man intentionally lighting himself on fire, “Sisu” isn’t afraid of being outrageous. Its simple plot and short
EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Amenta, whose debut feature Soft just had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, has signed with M88 for representation.
Ed Meza @edmezavar “Becoming an Astronaut,” an ambitious documentary that will focus on four new astronauts who will be announced by the European Space Agency (ESA) this November, has won the Focal Audience & Market Strategies pitching event at the Zurich Film Festival. Organized by Focal, the Lausanne-based foundation for film and audiovisual media training, Audience & Market Strategies is a three-part training program that helps producers promote their projects at an early stage. This year’s event showcased eight Swiss projects in various states of development. The program culminated with the pitching event, in which the producers presented their projects to sales company representatives, industry experts and an international jury comprising Stephen Kelliher of Bankside Films, Netflix’s Lars Wiebe, Olivier Tournaud of Cinephil, Sven Wälti, head of film at Swiss pubcaster SRG SSR, and Deadline’s Diana Lodderhose.
Nick Frost and Lena Headey first synced up in the 2019 wrestling biopic “Fighting With My Family.” Now, Deadline reports, they’ll do so again but in a much different kind of movie: as a couple fending off a serial killer on a remote island with a dark past, and where the locals have no interest in helping them escape. READ MORE: Lena Headey’s Cut ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Role Revealed In New Lawsuit The two stars will start shooting “Svalta” in Finland next year.
EXCLUSIVE: Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) and Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones) have been cast as the leads in comedic thriller Svalta, which will reteam the two actors after they starred together in Fighting With My Family.
Marta Balaga LevelK has boarded Icelandic thriller “Natatorium,” directed by Helena Stefánsdóttir Magneudóttir. The film started shooting on Sept. 14, and is expected to bow locally next year. Produced by Sunna Gudnadóttir for Bjarstýn Films, marking the company’s first feature film, it’s financed with the support from the Icelandic Film Center and the Finnish Film Foundation. Scanbox, Sena and RUV YLE are behind the project as well. “I am mostly interested in working on films with female directors and/or scriptwriters, [projects] with high artistic integrity and universal appeal,” says Gudnadóttir, who previously worked on “A White, White Day,” and Iceland’s Oscar submission “Beautiful Beings.” She adds that “Natatorium” has three complex female leads, and 60% of the crew is female as well.
Wilson Chapman editorAlejandro González Iñárritu has released the first trailer for his Netflix Oscar contender “Bardo” — and the entire movie is now 22 minutes shorter.The Mexican filmmaker and two-time best director winner’s eighth film, “Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths),” premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival. After screening at Venice and Telluride, Iñárritu went back into the edit room and cut down 22 minutes from the film, bringing its runtime to two hours and 32 minutes, without credits.“The first time I saw my film was with 2,000 people in Venice,” Iñárritu told IndieWire. “That was a nice opportunity to see it and learn about things that could benefit from being tied up a bit, add one scene that never arrived on time, and move the order of one or two things. Little by little, I tightened it, and I am very excited about it.”
Zentropa Entertainments today announced that production has begun on Nikolaj Arcel’s new epic historical drama The Bastard, starring Mads Mikkelsen.
“The Midnight Club” series, and death abounds in the next show from “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and “Midnight Mass” creator Mike Flanagan.The show is based on the beloved Christopher Pike novel of the same name and takes place at a hospice with a mysterious history, where the eight members of the Midnight Club (all of whom are terminally ill) meet each night at midnight to tell sinister stories – and to look for signs of the supernatural from the beyond.Mike Flanagan executive produces and directs the show alongside Trevor Macy through their Intrepid Pictures and Leah Fong. Flanagan and Fong are the show’s creators, while Pike serves as an executive producer.The first season spans 10 one-hour episodes and stars Iman Benson, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Annarah Cymone, Chris Sumpter, Adia, Aya Furukawa, Sauriyan Sapkota, Matt Biedel, Samantha Sloyan, with Zach Gilford and Heather Langenkamp.This is the latest horror-tinged Netflix series from Flanagan, who also directed the Warner Bros.
Mike Flanagan has built an impressive recent resume with his horror miniseries on Netflix. It all started with 2018’s “The Haunting Of Hill House,” with its follow-up, “The Haunting Of Bly Manor” coming two years later.
Glenn Close will no longer be at the helm of the jury at the San Sebastian Film Festival after canceling her highly anticipated appearance due to a family emergency.In a statement provided to ET, the festival says Argentinian producer Matías Mosteirín will be the president of the jury. The last-minute change in the lineup comes a week after the and star posted a video on social media expressing enthusiasm about presiding over the jury.
EXCLUSIVE: Director Ti West tonight unveiled to Toronto viewers at the Midnight Madness premiere of Pearl that there will be a third installment of his hit cult favorite franchise that began with X. Deadline sniffed out that there was a third movie, that will be called MaXXXIne from A24. We are able to give Deadline readers an exclusive look at the teaser unveiled moments ago to attendees of the premiere of Pearl. The teaser played at the end of the movie.
Jennie Punter As Toronto director Clement Virgo and the cast of “Brother” took the stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre on the night of Sept. 9 to soak in the hometown standing ovation after film’s world premiere, a delegation of Black producers from across Canada was settling in for a week of networking ops curated by the Black Screen Office (BSO). This year has seen Black-led CBC and BET+ historical drama series “The Porter” (recently renewed for Season two) connect with audiences and critical kudos beyond Canada; Black talent empowerment and training organizations extend their reach; and the BSO forge platforms and alliances to strengthen and amplify its advocacy, research and funding development work.
Brent Lang Executive Editor It was supposed to be all about the movies. But even here at the Toronto International Film Festival, an ocean away from the United Kingdom, the death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II has loomed large. It has provided an opportunity for festival organizers, filmmakers and talent to reflect on the life and legacy of a monarch whose 70-year reign ranks as the longest in her country’s history. That’s partly due to Canada’s status as a member of the British Commonwealth, but it’s also because the festival is such an international A-list affair, one that attracts movie stars and directors who have often had personal encounters with the queen.
The Cult have shared a new single, ‘A Cut Inside’ from their upcoming album ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ which is set for release on October 7 via Black Hill Records. View the album artwork and tracklisting, and hear the new single below.In the distorted guitar track, lead singer Ian Astbury suspiciously points at the community around him as he sings, “No heathens in heaven/ No sweet surrender/ Outsiders forever/ Ghosts of our lives.”Astbury has previously said that walking the grounds of Provinssirock Festival in Finland inspired the subject matter of the upcoming album. “It’s three in the morning, the sun’s up, and there’s all these beautiful people in this halcyon moment,” he said.Astubury continued: “People are laying on the grass, making out, drinking, smoking. There were rows of flowers at the front of the stage from the performances earlier that evening.
Canadian distributor Sphere Film has signed a multi-picture deal with A24 under which it will handle the release of nine of its titles in Canada.
Anna Marie de la Fuente Miami-based international sales agent FiGa Films has swooped on worldwide rights to satirical comedy “Love & Mathematics” by Claudia Sainte-Luce ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. In February, the busy Sainte-Luce debuted her previous film, “The Realm of God” (“El Reino de Dios”), at the Berlinale. Produced by Christian Kegel of Jaqueca Films, “Love & Mathematics” turns on the ambitions and aspirations of upper-middle-class Mexican society and stars Roberto Quijano, Diana Bovio and Daniela Salinas. Penned by playwright and screenwriter Adriana Pelusi, “Love & Mathematics” marks the first time Sainte-Luce has directed from someone else’s screenplay. This is her fifth feature. Set in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, the wry comedy follows Billy Lozano, who’s suffering from an existential crisis as his glory years in a hit boy band are now past him. In his late 30s and miserable in his marriage, his daily routine consists of taking care of his infant son and tolerating his wife’s annoying lap dog. His life takes a turn when he meets Monica, once an uber fan of the band, who moves in next door. She inspires him to pick up the guitar again and find meaning in life once more.
Jennie Punter By Jennie Punter From icons and industry veterans to emerging directors and new faces, the stories and creative power of Indigenous women are featured at the 2022 Toronto festival. Buffy Sainte-Marie alighted opening night Sept. 8 to launch Toronto’s streetfest, just an hour before the premiere of Madison Thomas’ “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On,” The doc explores the artistry and activism of the Cree singer-songwriter — the only Indigenous person to win an Oscar (for song “Up Where We Belong” from “An Officer and a Gentleman” in 1983).
How great does Martika Ramirez Escobar’s surreal, award-winning film “Leonor Must Die” sound? This first feature transports a retired screenwriter of Filipino action films into the story of one of her own unfinished scripts. The film is the official Midnight Madness closing night Film of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s already won a ton of awards, including the Special Jury Prize for Innovative Spirit at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
The harrowing new trailer for “All Quiet on the Western Front” has been released ahead of the movie’s premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
EXCLUSIVE: Well Go USA Entertainment has picked up North American rights to Korean action-thriller Project Wolf Hunting, which will bow in TIFF’s Midnight Madness section next week.