Notícias

New series from Michael Kinirons, Mika Kaurismäki and Ofir Raul Graizer are among the ten projects selected for the third edition of Series Mania’s Seriesmakers initiative designed for feature directors moving into series.

The director-producer or director-writer teams selected are closely mentored by experienced and successful drama series creatives while working on their series and developing a full pitch deck.

They are eligible for a €50,000 Beta & Kirch Foundation award in collaboration with Hff Munich with the prize-winning team announced on March 26 during Series Mania Forum (March 25-27). The winning team will have a chance to work with Beta’s...

Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, will release season two of the hit fantasy/sci-fi drama series A Discovery of Witches on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 17, 2021.The series originally aired on the AMC streaming platforms Sundance Now and Shudder earlier this year and is currently airing linearly on AMC. Check out this trailer:

Now you can win the Win the Blu-ray of A Discovery Of Witches Season Two. We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away (and one DVD set) Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite fantasy/sci-fi drama series is (I’d say Game Of Thrones. It’s so easy!)

1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.

2. Winner Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary

A Discovery of Witches Season 2 isbased on the “All Souls” trilogy by Deborah Harkness.

While the other streaming services set up recurring franchises, Hulu has opted to get a bit more experimental with its original offerings in August 2021.

Hulu’s list of new releases this month is highlighted by three original series concepts with promise. Reservation Dogs premieres on August 9. Co-created by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), this story will follow four indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma as they stave off boredom and adulthood. Next up is Nine Perfect Strangers on August 18. This miniseries, based on a book of the same name, is produced by David E. Kelley and features staggering cast of Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, and more.

Only Murders in the Building is likely the biggest thing to look forward to in August though. Premiering on August 31, this comedy stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as three true crime-obsessed friends who stumble into a true crime of their own.

In addition to a jam-packed January of new releases, the horror streaming service Shudder has plenty of scares in store for viewers in February, including Jeremy Gardner and Christian Stella's After Midnight, Padraig Reynolds' Open 24 Hours, Jennifer Harrington's Shook, the Nicolas Cage-starring Vampire's Kiss, the practical effects wizardry of Basket Case, Takashi Miike's One Missed Call, and much more!

Below, you can check out the full list of titles coming to Shudder in the U.S. in February, and be sure to visit Shudder's website to learn more about the streaming service and their scary good lineup!

A Nightmare Wakes — premieres February 4

While composing her famous novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley descends into an opium-fueled fever dream while carrying on a torrid love affair with Percy Shelley. As she writes, the characters of her novel come to life and begin to plague her relationship with Percy.

Shudder is looking to kick off a new year with a jam-packed January release schedule that includes the Peter Cushing collection, Hunted, The Queen of Black Magic, Super Dark Times, Clive Barker's Nightbreed, the entire first season of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, and more!

Below, you can check out the full list of titles coming to Shudder in the U.S. in January, and be sure to visit Shudder's website to learn more about the streaming service and their scary good lineup!

New Shudder Original/Exclusive Movies

Hunted — January 14

What started as a flirtatious encounter at a bar turns into a life-or-death struggle as Eve becomes the unknowing target of a misogynistic plot against her. Forced to flee as two men pursue her through the forest, she’s pushed to her extremes while fighting to survive—but survival isn’t enough for Eve. She will have revenge. A...

Next month, Hulu will ring in Valentine’s Day with some counterprogramming. The streaming service will debut its original series “High Fidelity,” a gender-swapped reimagining of Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name. Previously, the book was adapted into a 2000 movie from Stephen Frears starring John Cusack. Zoë Kravitz stars as Rob Brooks, a music-obsessive record store owner in Brooklyn re-examining her previous romantic relationships to figure out what went wrong.

On the film front, the “Bridget Jones” trilogy, “Buffalo ’66,” “The Fugitive,” “Ghost” and “When Harry Met Sally” are among the new selections being offered in February. Releases from last year, like “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral,” are also making their way onto the platform.

New seasons of reality series like “The Voice” and “American Idol” will also be available to stream later in the month.

See the complete list below.

Hulu is out with its list of all the content that’s coming and going to the streaming service in February.

Highlights include the series premiere of Zoë Kravitz’s “High Fidelity” reboot, coming on Valentine’s Day, in which she stars as a record store owner in a gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood, revisiting past relationships through music and trying to get over her one true love. Her character was played by John Cusack in the 2000 film, and both are based on Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel of the same name.

There is also a new episode of “Into the Dark” titled “My Valentine,” which will be released on Feb. 7, in which a pop singer’s ex-boyfriend and manager steals her songs and gives them to his new protégé.

Also Read: Why Hulu Programming Chief Is Ok Sharing Classic Content Like 'Svu' With Rival Streamers

Season 1 of Hulu Original “Utopia Falls” comes out Feb.

Victoria star Tom Hughes is joining the cast of Sky and AMC Networks drama A Discovery of Witches.

Hughes will star as Kit Marlowe, an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era, for the show’s second season. Hughes, who also starred in BBC Cold War drama The Game, is the first name revealed to join the cast after the British pay-broadcaster made a bumper two-season order for the supernatural series.

Downton Abbey and The Good Wife star Matthew Goode stars as vampire Matthew Clairmont in the Bad Wolf-produced show, while Hacksaw Ridge‘s Teresa Palmer plays heroine Diana Bishop in the series.

A Discovery Of Witches is the first installment of Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy, which has sold more than 3.5M copies worldwide. Originally published in 2011, Discovery is the story of Diana, a young scholar at Oxford who is a descendant of the Salem witches. When she accidentally unlocks an enchanted manuscript,...

AMC will introduce viewers to a magical new world when A Discovery of Witches comes to the Sundance Now and Shudder streaming services this January, and ahead of the first season's premiere, they've already acquired the second and third seasons of the Sky One UK series:

Press Release: New York, NY – November 5, 2018 – On heels of Sky UK’s greenlight announcement for second and third seasons of the captivating series “A Discovery of Witches,” Sundance Now, AMC Networks’ direct-to-consumer Svod service curated with high-quality dramas and crime thrillers, and Shudder, the leading premium streaming service for thriller, suspense and horror, has confirmed the acquisition of both seasons. The first season is set to premiere on both the services in U.S. and Canada on January 17, 2019.

Adapted from Deborah Harkness’s critically-acclaimed and bestselling All Souls trilogy, the Sky original production launched in September in the U.K. and was produced by Bad Wolf,...

Sky is doubling down on A Discovery of Witches – hanging the supernatural drama a bumper two season order.

The British pay-tv giant has ordered seasons two and three of the Bad Wolf-produced series after the first season become the biggest drama on Sky One this year.

Downton Abbey and The Good Wife star Goode stars as vampire Matthew Clairmont, while Hacksaw Ridge‘s Teresa Palmer plays heroine Diana Bishop in the series.

A Discovery Of Witches is the first installment of Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy, which has sold more than 3.5M copies worldwide. Originally published in 2011, Discovery is the story of Diana, a young scholar at Oxford who is a descendant of the Salem witches. When she accidentally unlocks an enchanted manuscript, she is compelled to embrace the magic in her blood and enters a forbidden romance with charming 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew. The second All Souls novel, Shadow Of Night,...

First image released from film, which shot in Finland and will shoot in China in October.

The Yellow Affair has boarded international sales for Mika Kaurismaki’s new film Master Cheng, and will discuss the film with buyers in Toronto.

Kaurismaki has wrapped the Finnish portion of the shoot for Master Cheng, which he also produces for his own Marianna Films. The co-production companies are Huang Yaqui’s QianJi Culture Co. Ltd (China) and Iain Brown’s By Media (China/UK).

The film shot July 16 to Aug 23 in Finnish Lapland, including Raattama, Kittilä, Muonio, Ylläs and Sodankylä. In October, it...

Turner Asia Pacific has agreed a licensing partnership with Indonesian real-estate and hospitality investment company, The Maj Group, to develop a 4.3-hectare entertainment park in Bali. The family destination will feature the island’s largest waterpark and an indoor entertainment centre splashed with Cartoon Network theming. Slated to open in 2020, the development will be part of The Maj Nusa Dua resort. There will be characters from shows including Ben 10, We Bare Bears, The Powerpuff Girls and Adventure Time. Other Cartoon Network-branded projects already licensed by Turner International include Cartoon Network Amazone in Thailand, Img Worlds of Adventures in Dubai, Amaazia in India and Cartoon Network Wave cruise liner in Asia Pacific.

Lionsgate has inked a new deal with Australian streaming service Stan, which will house Lionsgate series and Stars originals. Stars titles set for the Svod service include Sweetbitter, Vida and doc series Wrong Man. The deal also covers upcoming...

One of the more engaging elements of the period drama, and a notion prevalent in popular TV series Downton Abbey and features such as the recent Whit Stillman endeavour Love & Friendship, is to have a window into an era where humanity is just as flawed as we are now, with a myriad of […]

The post The Girl King Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.

BFI Flare | Glasgow Short Film Festival

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Lgbt festival now waves its freak flag in an altered landscape: one where transgender movies are Oscar material and gay people can get married and sing terrible Bond themes just like straight people. Where does that leave Flare? With multiple battles still to fight but also a much better choice of films, especially British ones. On that front, opening gala The Pass follows two friends through the Premier League; Departure roots for a British teen on a life-changing French holiday; and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? joins the uplifting London Gay Men’s Chorus. International highlights include a Mexican murder-mystery (Carmin Tropical); a gay drama stirring Islam and the FBI into the mix (Naz & Maalik); and a visit to the court of Sweden’s sexually ambivalent Queen Kristina (The Girl King). Not forgetting a good ol’ sing-along screening of Calamity Jane,...

Alec Bojalad Jan 16, 2020

We have a list of the new Hulu movies and shows arriving in February 2020.

February is a month for love and Hulu knows exactly what to do with it. For its February 2020 new releases, Hulu is introducing an original series fit for Valentine's Day. High Fidelity premieres on Valentine's Day and this modern adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel and Stephen Frears film will bring some love and music to the mid-February doldrums.

Hulu's only $5.99/month now, grab the deal here!

Another original arriving in February is Utopia Falls (also premiering on February 14), which looks to be teenage-oriented series combining Harry Potter, The Expanse, and music. That sound like something that might interest you?

February 1 sees the arrival of plenty of films to enjoy like 300, When Harry Met Sally, The Fugitive, and 28 Days Later. That's about as diverse an array of genre films as you'll get.

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The 23rd Mardi Gras Film Festival has added 20 additional screenings, 4 new venues and an increased cash prize.

Running from February 18 - March 3, the festival will feature 75 screenings.

Screenings will take place at Event Cinemas, George Street as well as new-to-festival venues: the Hayden Orpheum Cremorne, the Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Surry Hills and The Harbour.

From mid-March to early April, the Festival will travel to the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta and, for the first time, the Carrington Hotel in the Blue Mountains.

.Every year we aim to be bigger and better than before and this year we have nailed it,. said Festival Director Paul Struthers. .We have more diversified content including a lot more lesbian films, more transgender films, more documentaries, more international guests, more masterclasses and more screenings at more venues including two free community screenings. There is absolutely something for everyone in this year.s line-up...

Sarah Gadon as Ebba and Malin Buska as Kristina in The Girl King

It's not often that a Finnish director's take on a Swedish historical figure makes an international splash, but The Girl King is fast becoming a festival hit, winning praise from audiences and critics alike. After my recent interview with Malin Buska I spoke with director Mika Kaurismäki to get his take on how it all happened.

"I was asked to direct this film in 2009 in a bar in Rio de Janeiro," says Mika. "A German producer asked me if I would be interested in doing a film about Kristina. I remembered when I was young, my teacher telling me about Kristina. I knew she was a very strong character with interesting ideas, and a very modern person for the time."

Mika Kaurismäki Photo: Soppakanuuna

In the past, he's specialised in documentaries. Was he process of making this film similar,...

Read More: Watch: First Trailer For 'A Royal Night Out' Starring Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Jack Reynor, And More Immortalized by Greta Garbo in 1933's "Queen Christina," the legendary Swedish monarch will once again grace the screen in "The Girl King." Malin Buska plays the young Queen who, after assuming the throne at a young age, leads Sweden into a new age of enlightenment. In "The Girl King," she buts heads with temperamental statesmen and vassals as they oppose her plans to modernize the Nordic kingdom and try to suppress her sexuality.  In the exclusive clip above, Kristina gives a rousing speech to the court before her. Knowing she has inherited a land of scattered villages and uneducated peasants, her highness refuses to back down and promises she will build Sweden up to the glory it deserves. "The Girl King" is currently playing in select theaters and will...

Malin Buska in The Girl King

Nobody really expected much of Kristina of Sweden when she came to the throne. She was, after all, a girl, and an unconventional one at that. In the 22 years of her reign, however, she revolutionised her country, ending its reliance of expansionism and setting it on course to become the sophisticated, intellectually focused nation we know today. Her story has been told on screen three times, most recently in Mika Kaurismäki's The Girl King. We asked its star, Mallin Buska, how she felt about following in the footsteps of Greta Garbo and Liv Ullmann.

"You know, Greta Garbo did a really great interpretation but I needed to make my own version of her," she says. "I needed to find her spirit and her heart and take Kristina into myself. Of course it was scary because she was a fantastic person. I knew a...

The Throne of Loneliness: Kaurismaki Cartoons Christina

Considering it’s been forty years since her last notable on screen incarnation, the time has come for a new biopic on that other famous ‘virgin’ queen, Christina of Sweden. Iconically portrayed by Great Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina, and then again in 1974 by Liv Ullmann in The Abdication, these are significant footsteps to follow, especially considering these productions are best remembered for their female leads and not their directors (Rouben Mamoulian and Anthony Harvey, respectively). Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki, the brother to world renowned auteur Aki Kaurismaki, aims to resuscitate her provocative legacy with The Girl King, though its use of archaic language concepts (such as ‘girl’ and ‘virgin’) hint at a certain ignorance of both femininity and lesbianism despite a screenplay penned by Michel Marc Brousard (Lilies; Tom at the Farm). A handsome costume drama, this international co-production is more often distracting than relevant,...

Mika Kaurismäki has had a long film career, but he still may be best known to film fans in the shadow of his brother, Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre). The Girl King, his next film, may change that reputation though given the pedigree of both the cast and writers, and its possibility to tell the story of a feminist icon and eccentric historical footnote.

Written by Michel Marc Bouchard, who most recently adapted Xavier Dolan’s Tom at the Farm, and starring Michael Nyqvist, Sarah Gadon, and stateside unknown Malin Buska in the lead role, The Girl King, is the story of Christina of Sweden.

Ruler of Sweden for eighteen years in the 17th century beginning at age 6, Christina worked to modernize Sweden against the wishes of a conservative country. She was a cultural revolutionary who prided herself on various forms of sexual and gender ambiguity, and views that could be considered proto-feminist.

The German festival will screen Grimur Hákonarson’s Rams, Tobias Lindholm’s A War and Klaus Harö’s The Fencer in its 2015 programme.

Denmark and Iceland dominate the main competition line-up at Germany’s 57th Nordic Film Days Lübeck, which will open on November 4 with Icelandic director Grimur Hákonarson’s Rams.

Speaking about the choice of opening film, featival director Linde Fröhlich described Rams as “a human drama filled with empathy for the protagonists as well as odd situations and comic moments, all set in a spectacular landscape.”

Denmark is represented in the Feature Film Competition with five titles, including Tobias Lindholm’s A War - Denmark’s submission for the Foreign Language Oscar - Martin Peter Zandvliet’s Land Of Mine, Chrisitina Rosendahl’s The Idealist and Frederikke Aspöck’s Rosita.

Three Icelandic titles have been selected: Rúnar Rúnarsson’s coming of age drama Sparrows, made as a co-production with Denmark and Croatia, and Dágur Kari...

Exclusive: Sales outfit inks deals on Kaurismaki biopic and comedy The Grump.

Scandinavian sales company The Yellow Affair has inked deals on Mika Kaurismaki’s The Girl King and Dome Karukoski’s The Grump.

Film Buro has bought Spanish rights to Kaurismaki’s English-language biopic The Girl King, in which rising Swedish actress Malin Buska stars as 17th century Swedish Queen Kristina alongside Sarah Gadon and Michael Nyqvist.

Wolfe Releasing acquired the film for the Us during Cannes.

Meanwhile, Binci Media has picked up Chinese rights to 2014 Finnish comedy The Grump, about a cranky old man who must spend time with his family

The deals come two days after Yellow Affair sealed a Us deal with Breaking Glass Pictures for Tali Shalom Ezer’s drama, Princess.

Philippe Ramos’ Mad Love was awarded the top prize at the Montreal World Film Festival.

The Montreal World Film Festival (Aug 27 - Sept 7) has revealed the award winners for its 2015 edition.

Philippe Ramos’ Mad Love took the top prize, the grand prize of the Americas, while the best director prize was shared between Mikko Kuparinen for 2 Nights Till Morning and Georgi Balabanov for The Petrov File.

Alongside its main awards, the festival presented British producer Lord Puttname with a special grand prize of the Americas for his “exceptional contribution to the world of cinema”.

Full list:

Competition awards:

Grand Prize of the Americas: Mad Love, dir. Philippe Ramos (France)Special Grand Jury Award: Misafir (The Visitor/La Visiteuse), dir. Mehmet Eryilmaz (Turkey)Best director: 2 nights til morning, dir. Mikko Kuparinen (Finland / Luthania) and The Petrov File (Le Dossier Petrov), dir. Georgi Balabanov (Bulgaria / Germany)Best Actress: Malin Buska for The Girl King, dir. [link...

Sneak Peek new images of Canadian film actress Sarah Gadon ("Cosmopolis") in the October 2015 issue of "Fashion" magazine, photographed by Max Abadian:

Gadon's big break was getting cast alongside Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen in 2011's "A Dangerous Method", followed by "Cosmopolis" and "Hollywood Maps to the Stars".

She then signed her first major beauty contract with 'Giorgio Armani Beauty'.

Her next films include "The Girl King" and "The 9th Life of Louis Drax".

"The whole discussion surrounding gender is something I have been fascinated with since I was in university taking womens' studies," said Gadon. "I think that is what really drives a lot of my work as an actress—especially those questions about identity: Who are we? How do we form ourselves?

"How a character moves in a garment is an external expression of their psyche. I’ve learned that I have so much to learn...I...

The biggest deals of this year’s Cannes Marché du Film and how the Competition titles sold throughout the festival.

Behind the glamour of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, business was booming at the Marché du Film (May 13-22), with representatives from 120 countries in attendance - up four on 2014.

A total 3,300 films were on offer this year, around 1,000 at the project stage, with an estimated 11,000 film professionals in attendance, in line with last year.

In the opening days, Marché chief Jérôme Paillard told Screen: “Acquisition agents are telling me that it’s the first time in a number of years that there are so many big projects. I’ve been told there are around 50 high profile projects on offer.”

North AmericaHOT Projects

Universal Pictures and Focus Features took worldwide rights to Tom Ford’s upcoming thriller Nocturnal Animals, starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, in a deal reportedly worth $20m. [Story]

Open Road paid...

Mika Kaurismaki’s costume epic is set in 1633.

Us distributor Wolfe Releasing has snapped up all rights to Mika Kaurismaki’s costume epic The Girl King. A theatrical release is planned for the autumn of 2015 followed by VOD, DVD, and Svod dates.

The film is a co-production between Finland, Canada, Germany, and Sweden. It is scripted by Canadian writer Michel Marc Bouchard (Tom at the Farm, Lilies). The film stars Malin Buska (Easy Money) in the title role alongside Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Lucas Bryant, Laura Birnand Martina Gedeck.

The Girl King is the story of Queen Christina of Sweden. Crowned in 1633 at the age of six and raised as a prince, Queen Christina was an enigmatic and brilliant young leader who fought conservative forces to revolutionize Sweden while falling in love and exploring her awakening sexuality.

The deal was negotiated by Jim Stephens, president of Wolfe Releasing, and Miira Paasilinna, CEO of international...

The Girl King

Director: Mika Kaurismaki // Writer: Michel Marc Bouchardt

Swedish director Mika Kaurismaki, brother of famed auteur Aki Kaurismaki, has often resided in the shadows of his sibling. Directing a steady output of films since the late 1980s, he doesn’t seem to snag international distribution, but his latest is a profile international co-production, The Girl King, penned by award winning Canadian writer Bouchard. German and Swedish backers also explain the presence of names like Nyqvist and Gedeck, plus throw in some French faces, such as Hippolyte Girardot. Swedish actress Malin Buska will bear the brunt of expectation, as the film revisits the tale of Swedish Queen Christina, portrayed famously in 1933 by Greta Garbo in the Rouben Mammoulien directed film. Here’s to openly being able to discuss her sexuality in this version, famously coded in the Garbo picture often championed as one of the first defiant examples of acknowledged homosexuality in the cinema.

10 European actors to be celebrated by Efp in Berlin.

The UK’s Maisie Williams and Denmark’s Joachim Fjelstrup are among ten European acting talents to watch who have been selected for the line-up of European Film Promotion’s (Efp) Shooting Stars showcase at the 65th Berlinale (Feb 5-15).

An international jury of film professionals comprising Slovenian producer Danijel Hocevar, Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska, Swedish actress Eva Röse, UK film journalist Damon Wise, and French casting director Nathalie Cheron made its selection of six actresses and four actors from 23 nominations submitted by Efp member organisations.

The line-up for the 18th edition of Shooting Stars - with their nominated films - is as follows:

- Denmark: Joachim Fjelstrup (Itsi Bitsi)

- Finland: Emmi Parviainen (The Princess Of Egypt)

- Germany: Jannis Niewöhner (Sapphire Blue)

- Iceland: Hera Hilmer (Life In A Fishbowl)

- Ireland: Moe Dunford (Patrick’s Day)

- Lithuania: Aistė Diržiūtė (The Summer Of Sangaile)

- Spain:...

Exclusive: Canadian actress Sarah Gadon has landed the female lead in The 9th Life Of Louis Drax, the adaptation of Liz Jensen’s best selling novel that Alexandre Aja (Horns) is directing for Miramax. The thriller centers on Louis Drax, a young boy who suffers a near-fatal fall on his ninth birthday. A psychologist probing into the accident is drawn into a mystery that tests the boundaries of fantasy and reality. Gadon has emerged in recent years with striking back-to-back roles in Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral and David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, and won the role of Louis’ mother Natalie in a competitive casting search. She’ll star opposite Fifty Shades of Grey‘s Jamie Dornan as Dr. Allan Pascal and Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul, who is set to play the boy’s father.

Gadon also recently appeared in Enemy, Belle, and the animated feature The Nut Job and next...

Coverage of International Sales Agents (ISAs) has resumed for the Toronto International Film Festival. This segment covers inspirational companies that have officially selected films in the festival. SydneysBuzz features ISAs, as they play an instrumental and necessary role in helping filmmakers to share their visions and voices with the world.

The Yellow Affair, based in Stockholm and Helsinki, will be at the Toronto International Film Festival with two official selections: "They Have Escaped" (Vanguard Selection) and "The Grump" (Contemporary World Cinema). The company has two additional new films including Big News From Grand Rock" and "Fell".

The Yellow Affair has been around for nearly five years, and 2014 was its fifth year at the Cannes Film Festival as well. The Yellow Affair's CEO and International Sales Agent Miira Paasilinna started the company with Aleksi Bardy, a producer at Helsinki Filmi, a Finnish production company.

Miira shares her company’s nontraditional 50/50 profit model, her background, and her views on changes in the industry:

How did you start The Yellow Affair?

I founded the company together with the chairman of the board, Aleksi Bardy, who’s a producer at Helsinki Filmi. From the beginning, we’ve worked very closely with them. Before that, I was working at Non-Stop Sales, a Swedish sales outfit.

When I was working with Aleksi, he proposed this new type of business plan for international sales. I thought it was appealing, as it benefitted the producers much more than the traditional model. That was the reason we started the company.

How is your model different?

Basically, we call it the 50/50 model. The idea is that the producers get money from the first penny, so there’s no cost off the top. There’s no hidden cost, and things that can be allocated to films without producers having any control. They immediately get 50% of everything. As the sales agent, we get 50% up to a certain level. Let’s say the film does really well - we can’t demand 50% of sales forever. We don’t play with costs as other sales agents do, so that’s been a very important principle for us. Our producers really like that, because it’s a transparent model. We are proud to work with our producers and work very closely with them, rather than just doing it on our own.

We do work with the traditional model with some of our bigger films. It's often up to the producers and what they’re most comfortable with, but once they look at the numbers, they really like the 50/50 model.

Were you always in sales?

I have a background in TV production. I’ve been a producer and a director, and I had a small production company while doing that. I'm also an economist, so I actually have a business background. I have a masters degree in economics, and a bachelor’s degree in media. Sales is a good way to combine creativity with business. That’s one reason why I wanted to do film sales. I first was kind of geared more to becoming a producer, but then I realized that I like the marketing, selling and pitching of films. The tempo is a bit faster, and instead of handling just a few films, you have a big slate of films. I really enjoy that part.

What types of films do you represent?

Our catalog is mostly art house, festival driven films of high production quality. We carry films from about twenty countries, so we’re not just geared up with Scandinavian films, even though we’re based in Helsinki and Stockholm. The combination of good quality film that we can also sell and bring to festivals is important for us.

We’re getting into the bigger budget films at the moment. Our first larger scale film is "The Girl King", an English language period piece by Mika Kaurismäki. Its world-class cast includes Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Hippolyte Girardot and Martina Gedeck. It's in postproduction at the moment.

How do you feel about the changes of business in the industry?

Looking at all my years in sales, the prices have definitely gone down for art house films. I see that it’s difficult for distributors; they're making less money, and so we are making less money as well. From our point of view, it’s important to be really selective and know what type of films to really take in. I think it’s a very difficult market, but I’m happy to say that we’ve been getting income from VOD sales. When there was a drop in DVD sales, VOD sales started to pick up, and there are now some ok deals out there for digital rights.

I think there’s a bit of a lull now, and things are changing. There are some incentives that have been negatively affected in the European film business, and we could already see the reflection of this at Berlin and Cannes this year, as sales for smaller films were more difficult.

The award winning festival films do have a place in the market, and they can have nice theatrical release. The windows are just getting shorter at the same time. It’s an interesting challenge, but one has to be awake and alert all the time to move with the market.

Telefilm Canada has confirmed its financial support of nearly $13 million of Canadian tax payers' money towards the production of nine English-language feature films through the 'Canada Feature Film Fund', although there doesn't seem to be anything culturally 'Canadian' about most of their selections, other than the crews that will be working on them.

Among the films receiving money include a psycho horror with a demonic 'Santa Claus', a bio pic about a former Queen of Sweden, the 'relationship' between 'James Dean' and a photographer, a thriller involving a Satanic child abuse sex ring, and an inflatable Sex Doll drug smuggling story:

The films are "After the Ball" (Sean Garrity), "A Christmas Horror Story" (Steven Hoban, Grant Harvey, Brett Sullivan), "Aloft" (Claudia Llosa), "A Worthy Companion" (Jason Sanchez, Carlos Sanchez), "Life" (Anton Corbijn), "Regression" (Alejandro Amenabar), "Rest Home" (Michael Rowe), "The Girl King" (Mika Kaurismäki) and "Zoom" (Pedro Morelli...

Read Screen International’s latest daily magazine from the 67th Cannes Film Festival here.

Click on the pages below to read the digital editions…

Features - Honouring the Spirit of Sarajevo, David Robert Mitchell (It Follows)

Reviews - Maps to the Stars, Foxcatcher, Force Majeure, A Girl at my Door, Love at First Fight

Deals - Winter Sleep wakes up Cannes buyers, Glacier mints $100m fund, Little Introduces Debut Slate from Genesius, Visit strikes Critics Week Deals, Rumble Fish arrives with Dealer, First Paris Coproduction Village Readies Projects, Mad to cross borders with 10 Arab Features, Almeida’s film scoops Doc Alliance prize,

Features - Dean Dublois (How to train Your Dragon 2), Jonas Cuaron (Forsaken), On the Frontline, Call of the Capitol (Film London’s 10th anniversary - promotional features)

Reviews - The Wonders, The Homesman, It Follows, The Salvation, A Hard Day, Self Made, The Go-Go Boys

Deals - Sorrentino’s Youth Draws a Crowd, Hanway...

After over three years in development and several cast changes along the way, Girl's Night Out, the fictionalised story of of when a teenage Princess Margaret and her sister Elizabeth sneak out of Buckingham Palace to join the mammoth crowds gathered along the Mall and outside the palace to celebrate Ve Day, is finally set to start shooting this month.

Where once Dakota Fanning, Juno Temple and Alexandra Roach were attached to play the young princesses, the roles are now to be played by Sarah Gadon as Elizabeth and Bel Powley as Margaret.

27 year old Canadian actress Gadon, seems an unlikely choice to play our future queen, but she has just finished filming on another international co-production The Girl King, the story of Sweden’s 17th century Queen Kristina.

21 year old Bel Powley (represented by Bwh), who has recently filmed the lead role in coming-of-age feature The Diary Of A Teenage Girl,...

Canadian actress Sarah Gadon leads an international cast in Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki’s 17th Century historical drama “The Girl King,” which began production this week in Finland, and we’ve got the first photo of Gadon and Swedish actress Malin Buska in the title role. Additionally, Gadon has joined the cast of 1950s set romantic drama [...]

The post Sarah Gadon Joins Historical Dramas “Brooklyn” and “The Girl King” (First Look Photo) appeared first on Up and Comers.

Sarah Gadon (Countess Ebba Sparre) and Malin Buska (Queen Kristina) appear in the first image from Mika Kaurismaki’s The Girl King.

The film, which starts shooting in Turku, Finland on Tuesday, will continue its shoot in Sweden and Germany. The project is an international co-production between Finland (Marianna Films), Canada (Triptych Media and Galafilm), Germany (Starhaus) and Sweden (Anagram).

The Yellow Affair handles international sales.

Distributors already on board are Equinoxe of Canada, Sf Svensk for the Nordic territories and Nfp for Germany.

The story of Sweden’s 17th century Queen Kristina is written by Michel Marc Bouchard (Tom At The Farm) with the English-language version by Linda Gaboriau. The cast also features Michael Nygvist, Hippolyte Girardot and Martina Gedeck.

Kaurismaki said: “The Girl King is not intended as a traditional epic costume film but as an intense, actor-centered, psychological drama about one of the most interesting and mysterious personalities of all time, the 17th century...

Sarah Gadon (Countess Ebba Sparre) and Malin Buska (Queen Kristina) appear in the first image from Mika Kaurismaki’s The Girl King.

The Girl King

The film, which starts shooting in Turku, Finland on Tuesday, will continue its shoot in Sweden and Germany. The project is an international co-production between Finland (Marianna Films), Canada (Triptych Media and Galafilm), Germany (Starhaus) and Sweden (Anagram).

The Yellow Affair handles international sales.

Distributors already on board are Equinoxe of Canada, Sf Svensk for the Nordic territories and Nfp for Germany.

The story of Sweden’s 17th century Queen Kristina is written by Michel Marc Bouchard (Tom At The Farm) with the English-language version by Linda Gaboriau. The cast also features Michael Nygvist, Hippolyte Girardot and Martina Gedeck.

Kaurismaki said: “The Girl King is not intended as a traditional epic costume film but as an intense, actor-centered, psychological drama about one of the most interesting and mysterious personalities of all time...

Fund awards a total of $8.3m to new titles from Susanne Bier, Miguel Gomes and Yorgos Lanthimos among others.

The Board of Management of the Council of Europe’s Eurimages Fund has agreed to support 20 projects of feature films, animations and documentaries for a total amount of $8.3m (€6.1m). The meeting ran from Oct 15-17 inVilnius.

Titles to benefit include:

Kosac - Zvonimir Juric (Croatia)

(Croatia, Slovenia)

Another Day of Life - Raul de la Fuente (Spain), Nenow Damian (Poland)

(Poland, Spain, Belgium, Germany) Animation

As Mil e uma Noites - Miguel Gomes (Portugal)

(Portugal, France, Germany)

FRANCOØNIA, le Louvre sous l’occupation - Alexandre Sokourov (Russia)

(France, Germany, Netherlands) Documentary

The Girl King - Mika Kaurismaki (Finland)

(Germany, Canada, Finland, Sweden)

Druga strana svega - Mila Turajlic (Serbia) Documentary

(Serbia, France)

Onder het hart - Nicole Van Kilsdonk (Netherlands)

(Netherlands, Belgium)

Melody - Bernard Bellefroid (Belgium)

(Belgium, Luxembourg, France)

Le Portail - Régis Wargnier (France)

(France...

Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund has revealed the list of upcoming films that will get financial support through its Script Development Program and Equity Investment Program.

The list reveals all the 27 films (chosen out of 139 applications), which are either in production or pre-production period, that will get some financial backing.

Story Optioning

The Flying Troutmans

Four Seasons Productions Inc.

Screenwriters: Semi Chellas and Miriam Toews

King Leary

Verite Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Paul Quarrington

The Outlander

Strada Films Inc. and Triptych Media Inc.

Screenwriter: Tbd

First Draft

Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet

Hand Picked Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Richard Bell

The Diary of Laura’s Twin

pUNK Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Laura Phillips

Don’t Talk To Irene

Alyson Richards Productions Inc.

Screenwriter: Pat Mills

King Leary

Verite Films Inc.

Screenwriter: Paul Quarrington

The Lizard Cage

Sienna Films Inc.

Screenwriter: David Vainola

Queen Kristina

Triptych Media Inc.

Screenwriter: Michel Marc Bouchard

Second...

Canadian film actress Sarah Polley will star as the 17th century Queen of Sweden in the dramatic feature Queen Kristina, to be directed by Mika "The House Of Branching Love" Kaurismäki. The film is a co-production with Anna Stratton and Robin Cass of Toronto's Triptych Media, Kaurismäki through his Marianna Films and Hank "City Of God" Levine of Berlin's Hank Levine Film. The real Kristina, born into Swedish royalty in 1626, was her father.s only heir, raised as a Prince and educated as a boy. Upon her father's death she took the oath as a king, not a queen and was nicknamed 'Girl King'. The film will lense in Canada and Sweden, winter/spring of 2011 for a Canadian release by Union Pictures...

Okay, Sarah Polley and Anton Yelchin are only kids in the sense that, heck, I'm an old man but I'll stick by that 'cool' label. They've each just been cast in an interesting upcoming project - Yelchin in Jodie Foster's The Beaver, Polley in Mika Kaurismaki's Queen Kristina. The screenplay for The Beaver is absolutely fantastic and, I'm pretty convinced, going to make for a really great film that should easily outpace the rest of Ms. Foster's directorial oeuvre. I reported on it last when Jim Carrey was eying the lead role, but since then Peter got to tell us that Mel Gibson was taking the part. That's right - Jim Carrey out, Mel Gibson in. Not quite as extreme a change as when Eddie Murphy replaced Sylvester Stallone in Beverly Hills Cop, but still a bit of a jump. Yelchin's place in the cast is as the son of Gibson.

Toronto -- Sarah Polley ("Dawn of the Dead") is to play the Queen of Sweden in Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki's historical drama "Queen Kristina," it was announced Thursday.

The Canada-Nordic co-production comes from Toronto-based Triptych Media, Kaurismaki's Marianna Films in Helsinki and Berlin-based Hank Levine Film Eleven.

Canadian screenwriter Michel Marc Bouchard will pen the script for "Queen Kristina," a portrait of the 17th century Swedish queen who ascended to the throne at age six years and became an eccentric political and military leader who eventually abdicated her throne to pursue artistic and scientific interests.

The picture will shoot in Canada and Sweden in early 2011. Union Pictures has picked up the Canadian rights.

Mika Kaurismaki's latest film, "The House of Branching Love," will have its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, after earlier opening on theatrical release in Finland.

Polley's latest film, Jaco van Dormael's "Mr Nobody,...