2020-11-06 Variety

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AFM 2020



AFM 2020

PANDEMIC TESTS INDIE MODELS

AS AFM OPENS, MARKET PARTICIPANTS TRY NEW WAYS TO KEEP THE GLOBAL BIZ HEALTHY

By Elsa Keslassy

PULSAR CONTENT/STX WITH THE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19 THRILLER by many industry players as a one-off ard Lorber at Kino Lorber. “We know we
global meltdown earlier this year, the can’t really count on the theatrical box
crushing hopes of an imminent strong French sales coronavirus crisis now seems like a far office to be the winning hand.”
and global restart for the entertain- house Pulsar longer-term pandemic that the industry
ment industry, the resilience of the inde- Content has will have to learn to live with. The New-York based distributor han-
pendent movie business will be tested genre film “The dles many prestige films that have won
during AFM’s virtual edition. Deep House” on “Before we take on a project we want prizes at festivals, notably Mohammad
its AFM slate. to know what’s the production time- Rasoulof’s Berlin Golden Bear-winning
The first major market to unfold since line and the finance plan,” says High- movie “There Is No Evil.”
the virtual Cannes Marché du Film in land Films CEO Arianne Fraser. “And the
June, the AFM was expected to host the number one most important question is As theaters are still shut down in
launch of a flood of new product, but when are these actors available to shoot many places, including in Los Angeles
many companies are now planning to and where are they willing to travel to?” and New York, the digital consumption
hold back some of their projects for early of movies has been skyrocketing around
next year due to the volatile climate Arthouse distributors are also being the world, whether transactional VOD
brought on by the pandemic. more cautious and will ing to splurge or subscription-based streaming. Many
only on the gems. “Before this, we would independent sales companies have been
As cameras are still not rolling every- go into negotiation after a major festi- building a slate of genre and/or family
where, sellers and buyers won’t board val to pick up a film, we had some belief movies to thrive in the new landscape
projects unless they have a firm produc- of [what it could gross] at the arthouse and feed the demand from streaming
tion start date, so more than ever this box office, so now if we estimate that it’s services and tap into ancillary markets.
year, the AFM will showcase finished about one-third of that, we have to gauge
product, and movies that are either film- our energies accordingly,” says Rich- At the AFM, Highland Film Group will
ing or are in post. Initially regarded launch sales on two thrillers directed

VARIETY 3

AFM 2020 said, we sales agents can’t afford to cut theaters; and will kick off pre-sales on
budgets for marketing and promotion Jean-Patrick Benes’ body-exchange com-
by Randall Emmett, “Midnight in the because distributors need these to give edy “Family Swap” with Frank Dubosc
Switchgrass” with Megan Fox, which them movies some visibility.” Garrett and Alexandra Lamy; and the Foen-
just wrapped production, and “Wash says the company was only selling mov- kinos brothers’ “Fantasies,” a French
Me in the River,” which will start ies that will be delivered soon. star-studded omnibus comedy (now in
shooting soon in Puerto Rico with post) with Monica Bellucci, Karin Viard,
John Malkovich and Robert De Niro; SND, the commercial arm of the Carole Bouquet and Nicolas Bedos, pro-
Mark Neveldine’s action thriller “Pan- French network group M6, meanwhile, duced by Mandarin Production.
ama,” set to begin shooting in Decem- will launch sales on Jerome Salle’s
ber in Colombia with Mel Gibson and romance thriller “Kompromat,” which “It’s definitely not an easy market
Cole Hauser; and Mike Burns’ “Out just started shooting in Lithuania with for pre-sales, but we believe that these
of Death,” shooting this fall in Puerto Gilles Lellouche and Joanna Kulig, and kinds of quality arthouse films with
Rico with Bruce Willis and Jaime King, Julien Fournier’s animated adventure strong concepts, cast and producers
among others. film “Pil’s Adventures.” attached, we can strike deals with both
traditional distributors and stream-
“Consumers are really looking “Family films are a safe pick for 2021; ing services,” says Gaumont’s head of
for escapism and that’s certainly the it’s the type of movies that will always international sales Alexis Cassanet, who
kind of content that we provide,” says work in theaters and distributors will be adds that the company was able to shoot
Highland Films COO Delphine Per- able to sell to TV channels and platforms four films since this summer. “Produc-
rier. “Genre and action films that play — same with high-concept thriller,” says tion in France has restarted in a big way
really well on streaming services and Charlotte Boucon, head of international thanks to the €100 million [$118.5 mil-
TV channels, and as consumers are sales at SND. lion] indemnity fund that covers shoots
now watching more content at home during the pandemic.”
than they were pre-COVID, we’ve been Gaumont, meanwhile, will be selling a
filling that pipeline.” wide range of completed movies, includ- Even though theaters are still shut-
ing the Celine Dion-inspired film “Aline, tered in key markets, a handful of
French sales banners, notably Pul- the Voice of Love”; Albert Dupontel’s indie U.S. distributors have been fairly
sar Content, are also banking on social satire “Bye Bye Morons,” which active during the pandemic, includ-
genre. The Paris-based banner, which just had a successful opening in French
is collaborating with the L.A.-based
company XYZ Films on sales, will host WIDE WORLD OF
the virtual market screening of its CONTENT
Russian sci-fi thriller “Superdeep,”
as well as unveil the first images of Pulsar is banking
Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Mau- on genre with
ry’s horror film “The Deep House,” its Russian-
and “The Execution,” Lado Kvataniya’s
Russian-language serial killer crime language serial
thriller that started shooting in Russia killer thriller
on September. “The Execution”
(right) while SND
“We’re still interested in festi- touts toon “Pil’s
val-friendly auteur films and we have
a few lined up for next year, but our Adventure.”
focus now are tightly budgeted genre
films with a strong concept that are THE EXECUTION: PULSAR CONTENT/STX; PIL’S ADVENTURE: SND/GROUPE M6
cinematic and mainstream enough to
work on streaming services and poten-
tially in theaters,” says Marie Garrett,
co-founder of the 1-year-old sales out-
fit Pulsar Content. “Before the pan-
demic we used to say movies needed
to open in theaters to ‘exist,’ but that
has changed because of the crisis; that

“It’s been a very busy
summer. I have not
been that person
baking bread and
binge-watching TV.”

ARIANNA BOCCO

4 VARIETY



AFM 2020

ing IFC Films, which released more IN THEATERS launched virtual theatrical exhibition says George Hamilton, the head of
than 10 movies between Memorial Day initiative, Kino Marquee, and has been sales at London-based Protagonist who
and Labor Day, including “The Rental,” Sony Pictures satisfied with the results, even if they will unveil exclusive footage on a new
which topped the box office and was Classics hopes “don’t match the box-office level of a genre film during the AFM.
also a hit on Apple, and “Relic.” “The Father” physical release.”
will draw The bottom line, says Cécile Gaget,
“It’s been a very busy summer. I have audiences back One of the positive trends that have who recently joined the London-based
not been that person baking bread and to theaters. emerged during the pandemic is the financier and producer Anton as pres-
binge-watching TV,” says Arianna Bocco, uptick in physical video business, says ident of international production and
the executive vice president of acqui- Lorber, who adds that it has been up by distribution, is that “buyers need films SEAN GLEASON/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
sitions and production at Sundance almost 30% in 2020. for 2022 and they’re looking for strong
Selects and IFC Films. The 20-year-old scripts with cast attached which will
distribution recently launched IFC Films “Film lovers want to watch and own start shooting during the first quarter
Unlimited, its own subscription vid- these DVD collectors at home because of 2021.” The banner’s roster includes
eo-on-demand platform, and operates they know that they might disappear STX’s “Greenland,” starring Gerard
different successful labels, notably the from Netflix or Amazon at some point and Butler; “The Night House,” starring
genre-focused IFC Midnight. The com- never surface again on any device. ... And Rebecca Hall, acquired by Searchlight
pany has been making acquisitions at a a third of the U.S. population does not Pictures for worldwide distribution;
steady pace and is planning several day- have adequate bandwidth to stream mov- and the animated “Fireheart” from the
and-date releases, notably “My Salinger ies. That’s a little-known reality,” he says. creators of “Ballerina” (aka “Leap!”).
Year,” whose roll-out is being planned
for the first quarter of 2021. Dylan Leiner at Sony Pictures Clas- As the industry prepares for the vir-
sics, meanwhile, says the company is tual AFM, many companies will con-
“Right now the plan [with ‘My Salin- “sticking with its theatrical-first model” duct Zoom meetings without getting an
ger Year’] is to go in theaters and on VOD and adds that he believes audiences will accreditation for the formal market.
simultaneously. We obviously don’t want to return to theaters to see “big “Even before COVID, the AFM was
know what the theatrical situation will event movies but also films that have already rife for a transition because it’s
be like in March but we’re monitoring a real emotional honesty and authen- a very old-fashioned model and buyers
it,” says Bocco. ticity.” Leiner cites “The Father,” Flo- and sellers were looking for a different,
rian Zeller’s movie with Anthony Hop- more interactive and dynamic experi-
Beyond the COVID issue, Bocco says kins and Olivia Colman, as a drama that ence,” she says.
the biggest challenge for independent will likely strike a chord with audiences.
distributors right now is how competi- “The Father” is one of SPC’s three mov- Although he looks forward to the
tive the market is. “It’s a very competi- ies, along with “The Climb” and “The return of physical markets, Leiner says
tive buyers’ market out there, so we’re Truffle Hunters,” set for a theatrical roll- the “silver lining to this online version of
looking at getting in a little bit earlier out during the fourth quarter of 2020. a market is that it gives an opportunity
on things, and we are trying to think for more members of the team to have
outside of the box in terms of the kinds While the pandemic has challenged engagement between them, both from
of films that are working,” says Bocco, the independent distribution model, the seller side and for the buyer side,
who cites global services including Net- sales agents are feeling optimistic people who wouldn’t normally travel to
flix and Amazon, as well as indie out- about the prospects. “In the short term a place have an opportunity to become
fits Neon, Bleecker Street, Magnolia and it has been a shock wave, but the mar- involved and to build relationships.”
Sony Pictures Classics as competitors. ket has been reassuringly buoyant,”

“It’s clear that some of the genre
films have really worked well for us this
summer, and I think we’re not straying
far from what our core business, which
has always been about releasing quality
auteur-driven, and a mix of great narra-
tives, foreign-language documentaries
and genre,” says Bocco.

Indeed, the rise in digital business
doesn’t only profit genre or family films,
but also critically acclaimed arthouse
movies, points out Lorber.

Lorber says the sales on its 1-year-
old transactional VOD service, Kino Now,
has grown over 300% over the past six
months. He says the kinds of movies that
perform best on the platform are well-re-
viewed festival films that won top prizes
in all the international festivals. After
waiting in vain for theaters to reopen
to distribute his recent award-winning
acquisitions, such as “There Is No Evil”
and Pietro Marcello’s Venice- and Toron-
to-winning “Martin Eden,” Lorber opted
to release them through its recently

6 VARIETY

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AFM 2020

INDIE MAVENS Anton’s “Greenland,” starring Gerard Butler, offers big thrills as it follows a
SEE PATH family trying to escape a deadly meteor shower.
FORWARD

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE MARKET
LOOK LIKE? THERE’S NOT ONE ANSWER
EXCEPT THAT CONTENT IS STILL KING

By Gregg Goldstein

I F 2 0 2 0 H A S P R OV E N A N Y T H I N G, it’s that nothing is
certain — and that’s never been truer in the film
business. Variety spoke with five industry leaders
at AFM — Megan Colligan, Cécile Gaget, Mark Gill,
Franklin Leonard and Celine Rattray — to get their
predictions and hopes for how things will unfold
in the first quarter of 2021 and 2022.

MEGAN COLLIGAN movie theaters where there’s event CECILE GAGET early with you as an equity partner and GREENLAND: STX ENTERTAINMENT; COLLIGAN: RICHARD POLK/GETTY IMAGES FOR IMAX; GAGET: SACHA LENORMAND
The former worldwide president of cinema and where it’s safe. The former head of international pro- pre-buy, because we don’t have access
marketing and distribution at Para- duction and distribution at Gaumont is to all the materials we used to get.’
mount Pictures is president of Imax “What’s incredible with the the president of international produc- There’s a big opportunity for Anton as
Entertainment and executive VP of schedule next year, [or] when we’re tion and distribution at Anton. The a bridge between Europe and the U.S.
Imax Corp. through all of this, is that you’re Europe-based company produced and
going to have blockbuster after block- financed the hit “Greenland” and “There will be more of a focus on
“Many studios are developing buster. So thinking about how to Searchlight’s Sundance pickup “The Europe for creative talent. Regulations
streaming platforms [to reduce] a reli- draw audiences and distinguish your Night House.” Anton will debut the first will start to apply in Europe next year,
ance on classic windowing strategies. film is going to be the name of the footage from the animated film “Fire- [forcing] all the streamers to negotiate
That’s really disruptive in terms of game — to make events out of those heart” at AFM. with local authorities towards reinvest-
how they think about the post-theatri- moments. It would be insane to ing 25%-30% of their local turnover
cal ancillary marketplace. I think the think we’ll be coming out of this “It’s not going to be easy to package into local content. This will also drive
first quarter of 2021 will bring some after a year as the same business we films next year, especially U.S. indies. the guilds and unions to push for a
experimentation, as we will still likely were when this all started. Casting will be very competitive and new-media chronology, especially in
be emerging from the pandemic. That specific locations, crew and studios are France, where SVOD can’t start before
will allow for creativity and not having “I think people are going to want to going to be very busy. Europe may be a 36 months after the theatrical release,
to commit to one model or another. feel like they’re going to far away, bit easier in that regard. Shooting has which no longer really works.
[But] we’re going to need to be sup- immersive, exciting places with the restarted here, and there are COVID
portive of theaters as they’re opening. comfort of being relatively safe and insurance policies in some territories. “[Pre-sales are more of] a bet in this
close to home. Our exhibition part- environment of COVID. But I think with
“Toho and Aniplex released ‘Demon ners have invested millions of dollars “On the positive side, there’s still a big the right package, a clear target audi-
Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train’ [on in filtration systems and increased appetite for projects among indepen- ence, an A-list cast and the right bud-
Oct. 16] — it was our biggest Imax protocols in the U.S. through NATO’s dent distributors. I had a conversation get, the presale model can still prevail.
weekend in Japan of all time. It shows CinemaSafe program. This is going with a major European producer/distrib- Independents need projects for their
that people are anxious to be in to be a very fluid situation for some utor [who said], ‘Can we come on board 2022 slate.
amount of time. Hopefully we’ll start
to develop better policy, we’ll get a “I hear there’s a 40%-50% drop in
vaccine and we’ll begin to get a han- minimum guarantees for European
dle on everything. This will not last films. Companies are struggling and
forever, even though some days it want to keep buying with less risk,
feels like it will.” but it doesn’t mean things won’t go
back to normal soon.”

10 VARIETY

AFM 2020

LEONARD: NICHOLAS HUNT/GETTY IMAGES FOR WRITERS GUILD; RATTRAY: MEAGAN HOOPER MARK GILL cause the West to be doing as well as FRANKLIN LEONARD with that reality if it has any hope to
The former president of Warner Inde- Asia is now. This idea that the dooms- The founder of the unfilmed screenplay chart a path forward wherein it
pendent Pictures, Miramax Films and dayers have that this is the death knell bible the Black List is producing the remains relevant. And I hope that we
Millennium Films is president and CEO of theaters ... I’ve heard that one about drama-comedy “Breaking News in Yuba as an industry, rather than prioritizing
of indie producer/distrib Solstice Stu- seven times before and it’s still not County” (out in January) and an self-protection, can focus on a com-
dios. Its summer thriller “Unhinged” true. People need to get out of the upcoming feature in London. munitarian impulse. The industry
was the first wide domestic release house. The dirtiest words in the English doesn’t have the best track record for
since the start of the pandemic. language to me are ‘the couch.’ “First and foremost, I hope for the financially compensating all the peo-
Solstice is selling international rights health and safety of my colleagues, ple lowest on the totem pole. It’s my
to the drama “Good Joe Bell,” an “The biggest crisis in independent and that we can allow as many people hope that those who have a lot will
awards-season hopeful it picked up for production now is: How do you afford to continue to work in as safe an envi- bear a greater sacrifice than those
a reported $20 million in Toronto. to make a movie when you’ve got an ronment as possible. Writers are one who don’t have as much.”
additional 15% in [safety-related] costs, of the few groups who can continue to
“I wish I was in South Korea [laugh- at a time when everything is tighten- do what they do right now at home, so CELINE RATTRAY
ter]. It’s a tale of two worlds, isn’t it? ing? It will depend on whether you I’m hopeful that we’ll see a ton of new, The co-founder of film, TV and digital
Asia looks reasonably promising, the have to buy insurance that the private extraordinary material that tries to content company Maven Screen Media
rest of the world looks deeply troubled, equity people have on the market. Let’s reckon with the moment in human his- is the producer of the upcoming
and winter doesn’t look like it’s going to say you can either self-insure or have tory that we find ourselves in. Obvi- “Silent Night” with Keira Knightley.
be helpful. We’re developing and put- another way around it, which we do. ously there’s a substantial financial
ting movies together in the hope that Then it’s about a 5% increase in the impact on writers in this time of great “One short-term priority for our
by the second quarter of next year, it’ll budget. But if you have to buy the uncertainty. Hopefully the industry existing and new projects: Is it COVID-
be easier to film them. Home entertain- so-called COVID insurance, it’s an addi- will need a lot more material now, so friendly? Is this a production that’s
ment looks fairly robust. Otherwise, it’s tional 10%. It’s insane. All insurance is perhaps writers will get better com- easy to mount, can it be shot some-
sort of a day at a time. If you had said to usually less than 1% of the budget. pensation than they otherwise would where easy and can the budget with-
me [in early October] that Italy would because people can finally turn their stand COVID-related costs — around
be closing its cinemas [Oct. 26], I “Obviously a lot of the major studios focus to exceptional work. 20%-30% [of the budget]. We have a
would not have been prepared to agree are pivoting toward a hybrid model: few projects that have already been
with you, but it just happened. some movies for streaming and some “I also hope, in the middle of this fast-tracked — one is a movie with one
for theaters. That was already under- racial reckoning we’re going through, woman at the top of a mountain for
“I’m much more optimistic in the lon- way — COVID just accelerated it. I that people are starting to take a sec- the majority of the film.
ger term. Sooner or later, some form believe that means there will be fewer ond and third look at the work of Black
of vaccine or better therapeutics will movies in theaters, so each film will writers specifically, and writers of color “We want to make movies with
have a bit more time finding an audi- in general. And if members of the strong social messages that support
ence. In the long run, we’re commit- industry are rational actors looking at women and diverse voices. This last
ted to theatrical. the information and data that they have year has shown that we’re in an envi-
available to them, being confronted ronmental crisis, and the pandemic
“I think for the short term, surviving with the reality that the industry has has really highlighted social inequality.
is the new winning. You just have historically undervalued writers’ work, We also think about escapism: Can our
to get through this tough period.” it should happen. But history has pieces have humor and an interesting
shown that [this is very unlikely, so] I’ll backdrop, and what other ways can
remain skeptical until I see evidence of we pull people out of the difficulties in
long-term change. their lives right now? We’re launching
a TV division, so a high priority is hir-
“My biggest concern, and my big- ing the right exec to run it and build-
gest hope for a year from now, is that ing a television slate.
the industry begins to reckon with the
extent to which it is responsible for the “My sense is that none of the theat-
moment in which we find ourselves. rical distributors are looking for prod-
By undervaluing the work of women ucts to release ahead of this summer.
and people of color, by perpetuating I don’t think that I can predict what
white supremacist myths [going back the world will look like in a year.
to the first Hollywood blockbuster, There’s a lot that’s shooting right now,
“The Birth of a Nation”] and continuing but a lot of productions have to shut
to underrepresent the diversity of the down, for three days or two weeks.
U.S. and the world in images that are I’m planning to film in upstate New
piped into every hand, home and the- York early next year, and if that’s not
ater, we have created the perceptions possible, I need to be prepared to
and biases that have resulted in the shoot in Australia or Europe. My job is
moment in which we find ourselves. to be safe, nimble and adapt in the
The industry needs to begin to grapple smartest possible way.”

VARIETY 11





AFM 2020

HOW TO SHOOT BIG-BUDGET STUDIO features like “The GREG STARR/BUGEATER FILMS
AN INDIE IN Batman” or enormous Netflix series
A PANDEMIC are able to self-insure against COVID
and manage to shoot during the pan-
FILMMAKER DAN MIRVISH DID, AND demic, even when cast or crew do test
OFFERS INSIGHT INTO CHALLENGES positive. But how are indies manag-
SMALLER BUDGET PICS ARE FACING ing to cope with all the new union and
various local safety protocols? With-
By Dan Mirvish out liability protection, COVID insur-
ance coverage or confident investors,
BACK IN THE DAY it’s difficult to get a bond or secure
Director Dan Mirvish directs “18½” mask-free before the bank financing. For any film in the
coronavirus pandemic forced the shutdown of production. $1 million-$10 million range, this can
be an intractable situation right now.
12 VARIETY Ironically, movies made for well-un-
der $1 million — the true microbudget
indies — are having a little easier time
of it. I know, because I just shot one.

AFM 2020

Last spring, I started shooting my new before we shot, as well as the local hospi- was more likely the case, test results
film, “18½,” a ’70s-era Watergate thriller/ tal in Greenport during the shoot, which came back late and delayed the shoot by
dark comedy in Greenport, N.Y., which is both had their own in-house labs with hours or days.)
on the far northeastern tip of Long Island. 24-hour (or so) turnaround times. We
Our cast and crew were all staying at a had to bring actors out to our location via For us, we planned that if our lead
remote 30-acre motel and cottage com- individual COVID-safe car services. We actors couldn’t come to set, we’d shoot
plex on the beach. Production was going rigorously sanitized everyone’s rooms, those scenes as POVs and add voice-
smoothly until it came to a screeching catered individual meals, hired an on-set over remotely. If a supporting character
halt in mid-March. We took our “pandemic health safety supervisor and abided by dropped out, we’d give their lines to
pause” with about 80% of the film in the strict social distancing and PPE require- a different character, or recast using crew
can, but still had four days left to shoot. ments. Luckily for us, we’d already shot members already tested and on site. We
Our amazing cast on-set included Willa our kissing, dancing and fighting scenes also made sure that every single person on
Fitzgerald, John Magaro, Cathy Curtin and (and like most small indies, never had the crew had at least one backup in case
the legendary Vondie Curtis-Hall. They any crowd scenes anyway), so unlike we had to send them home or quarantine
would have been joined by the likes of some productions, we didn’t have to do them until their tests came back. So, the
Richard Kind, Sullivan Jones and Lloyd major rewrites or resort to using blow-up 1st AC became our backup cinematogra-
Kaufman for our final days. Meanwhile, we dolls or CGI extras. pher; the 1st AD became my backup direc-
had an impressive lineup of voice actors tor; and I was the backup sound recordist
waiting in the wings for post-production to As for COVID liability, the biggest and and DIT. Thankfully we never had to act
record the prominent 18½-minute tape in only protection was just to be as safety on these plans, but it did give us peace of
the movie, including Jon Cryer, Ted Raimi conscious and conscientious as possible: mind knowing that the show would go on
and Bruce Campbell as President Nixon. Don’t do anything stupid, and have con- no matter what.
tingency plans and built-in redundancy
For six months during lockdown, we in case anyone did test positive. (Or, as “COVID increased our budget about
worked on editing, voice-actor recording 20%,” says my writing-producing part-
and got a head start on our original music
score and soundtrack. In mid-September,
we opened a window of opportunity to
shoot our four remaining pickup days on
location, with all our cast and crew avail-
able and unanimously eager to film. By
then, the DGA, SAG-AFTRA and New York
State all had protocols in place, and a few
other shoots had already started. But it
wasn’t easy and definitely wasn’t cheap to
shoot during the pandemic. Luckily, most
of the cast and crew were based in New
York — I was the only one coming in from
California, so I packed up my sourdough
starter and spent a 14-day quarantine
locked in a cabin.

The guilds’ COVID rules require PCR
lab-based testing for everyone on the
cast and crew, once every 72 hours. The
quickie 15-minute antigen tests don’t
cut it, and this was at a time when nor-
mal test results in New York were tak-
ing upward of seven to 10 days. Between
our budget and our remote location, an
expensive Netflix-esque boutique lab or
testing service wasn’t going to be feasible.
Fortunately, we were able to work directly
with Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan

DAN MIRVISH/BUGEATER FILMS (2) “I packed up my sourdough SAFETY FIRST
starter and spent a 14-day
quarantine locked in a cabin.” John Magaro (top left) and DP Elle Schneider on the COVID-protocols
set of Dan Mirvish’s “18½.” Willa Fitzgerald (bottom left) prepares to
DAN MIRVISH shoot a scene on “18½’s” safe set.

VARIETY 13

AFM 2020

“Indie filmmakers already know what that isn’t covering COVID.) Because the
it’s like to work with local communities financing isn’t based on the pre-sales/
to help find solutions to problems.” bank/bond/cast insurance paradigm,
that means the whole shoot doesn’t shut
AVRIL SPEAKS down if an actor drops out for COVID or
any other reasons.
ner Daniel Moya, echoing what many We were far from the only small indie
other productions are finding. “There shooting this fall. Producer Avril Speaks Bigger-budget indies are running into
is no question that it is a serious budget (“Jinn”) had a similar “pandemic pause” much different challenges. “The insur-
consideration, on top of the challenges on her new Adam Saunders film “Dotty ance companies are bleeding so hard, so
of shooting an indie ensemble period and Soul.” They shot in Oklahoma City they’re restricting coverage and charging
film on location. That said, we absolutely last spring, and picked up part of the a lot more than they ever did. It’s a terri-
wouldn’t have shot if we didn’t feel we remainder of the film in September. “Indie ble combination,” says New York-based
could pull it off without sacrificing any- filmmakers already know what it’s like Peter Marshall, managing director at
thing safety-related.” to work with local communities to help DeWitt Stern/Risk Strategies, which bro-
find solutions to problems,” she says. kers film insurance.
Most productions don’t have the same “And because we have smaller crews and
protocols for everyone on crew, breaking infrastructure, we’re able to be nimble Marshall adds that even if your financ-
them into Zones A, B and C. But with a and flexible when it comes to making the ing is entirely from equity sources, the
crew of barely 20 people, it made sense necessary adjustments for shooting in insurance companies are requiring far
to test everyone. “Because of our unique this COVID world.” more information about where that mon-
set-up, everyone was Zone A. We stayed ey’s actually coming from, and if it’ll still
on location, so the motel itself became Her production wound up working be there if you have to shut down. “They
a kind of set,” adds Moya. “As soon as yo closely with an Oklahoma State Univer- don’t want a show to fall apart and invent
left your individual room, you were sity lab for PCR testing for the cast and a reason for a claim.”
masking up.” crew. “In order to keep our cast and crew
safe, we’ve had to come up with clever He adds that the real problem is for
What struck me were the little changes ways to shoot actors out of certain scenes the $1 million-$5 million films. “Over $5
and nuances that made shooting in these because we didn’t have the luxury of million, you’ve got more money to throw
circumstances so different. On a normal throwing money at the problem.” at safety and schedule. There’s not a
production, if you’re directing, you can whole lot of banks that want to lend on
and should have discreet, whispered con- In central Minnesota, the indie film small movies now.”
versations with actors between takes, “Paulie Go” similarly worked with local
and with your cinematographer, 1st AC or clinic Essentia Health on a shoot where Finding equity investors isn’t exactly
script supervisor even in the middle of the cast and crew stayed at a self-quar- easy now either. “The wealthy people
a take. But between social- distancing antined lakeside resort. Some produc- have all left New York and L.A.!” exclaims
rules, masks, face shields and ventilation tions are using mail-in PCR tests, which veteran indie producer Isen Robbins
fans running between takes, it’s impossible the guilds allow for all but the first (“Tesla”). “They’re all hiding out in
to whisper anything. You wind up shout- COVID test of a shoot. compounds and enclaves.”
ing direction across the room to actors.
In the middle of takes, someone would “18½” is the type of low-budget indie And even if you’ve got the money,
shout “Boom in the shot!” or I’d yell at my that raised its financing through a combi- it doesn’t mean you can get name actors
DP, “Zoom in now!!” or from a disem- nation of private equity investors, dona- to commit to filming. “They’re very
bodied voice halfway through a shot I’d tions and crowd-funding. Individuals uncomfortable to shoot right now. Every-
hear, “Have we started rolling yet!?!” around the world came together to finance body is ‘available,’ but agents don’t want
All the subtle, quiet nuances you nor- the film based on the concept, my own to tie them up either,” adds Robbins. “It’s
mally have on-set to keep things running track record and the level of cast and crew harder than ever to get actors to leave
smoothly and without bruising egos are we were getting along the way. Yes, their house, and there are some actors
yelled out loud for everyone to hear. And famous actors were important to get the who’ve just stopped working.”
because the face shields bounce sound film financed, and ultimately to get it
waves from behind, I was constantly turn- into festivals and secure distribution, but It’s not easy or cheap to shoot during
ing around wondering who was talking at this level, it doesn’t matter as much the pandemic. At least for us — and for
to me. It’s a complete recipe for paranoia which famous actors we get: Indies like many other indie filmmakers — we got
and dysfunction on a set. The upside? I ours can set a start date and shoot the our footage in the can, maintained cre-
was able to find time enough during all our movie. Which also means even in non- ative integrity and everyone walked away
COVID-mandated breaks to bake individ- COVID years, we don’t typically get cast safe and sound. Now I can relax and get
ual sourdough buns and cinnamon rolls insurance. (Of course, we get workers back to the normal stresses of post-pro-
for the cast and crew. comp and production insurance, but duction, ongoing fund raising, festivals
it’s the basic kind with limited coverage and distribution. The good news is if
social distancing and quarantine have
taught us anything this year, filmed enter-
tainment is a unique and vital art form.
If we can keep making movies safely, then
we should.

Director-producer-writer Dan Mirvish is
the co-founder of the Slamdance Film
Festival. His latest film is “18½.” He is also
the author of “The Cheerful Subversive’s
Guide to Independent Filmmaking” (Focal
Press/Routledge).

14 VARIETY

AFM 2020

MARKET PREPS FOR THE NEW NORMAL

By DAVE MCNARY

THE INDEPENDENT FILM AND TELEVISION GETTING IT DONE
Alliance is forging ahead on Nov. 9 with the
41st edition of the American Film Market Family film “Father
with a full slate of 300 exhibitors and 200 Christmas Is Back”
speakers for conferences, panels, conversa- (top) and horror pic
tions, workshops and podcasts. “A Banquet” both
shot during the pan-
John Cena, SAG-AFTRA president Gabri- demic and will be
elle Carteris, John Sloss, Jeffrey Greenstein for sale at the Amer-
and Megan Colligan are among the high- ican Film Market.
profile participants. But the glamour is gone
FATHER CHRISTMAS: MSR MEDIA; A BANQUET: HANWAY FILMS along with the glitzy parties and the use the event to create focus during the mar- “If you have high-quality footage, there is
impromptu meetings at restaurants and ket for a title with competitive bidding. business to be done,” she adds.
bars, and get-togethers by the pool and
in the hallways of the Loews Santa Monica, “That process creates value and awareness Behr agrees, noting that MSR has a pair of
Le Merigot and the Casa Del Mar hotels. for independent films,” he notes. “It is a recently completed films shot in the U.K. —
challenge now, but you can still do business “Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookstore”
Karinne Behr, CEO of MSR Intl., puts it and you save a lot of money by not having with Nathalie Cox and “Father Christmas Is
bluntly: “I’m going to miss the pier party.” to rent space at the Loews and not taking Back” with Kelsey Grammer, John Cleese and
people to dinner.” Elizabeth Hurley.
That sentiment is echoed by David Garrett,
CEO of Mister Smith Entertainment: “I’m Delphine Perrier, co-founder of Highland “We’re not going to be in beautiful Santa
very much going to miss the conviviality. I’m Film Group, admits that going through the vir- Monica, but we’ve been very lucky to stay
not missing the travel and the exhaustion tual Cannes was “eye-opening” in that she was busy during the pandemic,” she adds.
that come with it, but it is incredibly import- able conduct business effectively if not quite “There’s a big appetite for content.”
ant to stay in touch. You have to work very as efficiently. “I miss the glamour,” she adds.
hard to do that.” Jean Prewitt, IFTA president and CEO, says
Highland’s other co-founder, Arianne Fraser, the indie business has remained resilient. “It’s
AFM is one of the independent film indus- says the pandemic has forced everyone to be been an unending series of hard knocks at
try’s key sales markets along with the Euro- far more attentive to coordinating schedules. every level. It’s difficult to produce, distribute
pean Film Market at the Berlin Film Festival “And there’s no drink time,” she notes. and get insurance amid all this uncertainty.
in February and Marché du Film at the Cannes
Film Festival in May. The Cannes Market Tatyana Joffe, president of international “Cannes provided a strong signal that peo-
shifted to a virtual platform in June due to sales and distribution for XYZ Films, says ple in the business can still sell and pitch 12
the coronavirus pandemic. the new normal at AFM doesn’t seem that hours a day,” she says. “It shows that the peo-
novel any more. ple in this business have outstanding flexibil-
AFM 2020 Online is touting an interactive ity and are fleet of foot.”
market experience featuring eight dedicated “The good news is that we already had
areas — including a networking pavilion Cannes and Toronto so we kind of know what Mister Smith’s Garrett concurs that being
experience for attendees where they can to expect,” she says. “So it’s not as scary able to offer finished films such as thriller
explore and join more than 100 video discus- in this environment. We learned that a lot of “Lakewood,” directed by Phillip Noyce and
sions with small groups every hour offering buyers are more cautious and selective.” starring Naomi Watts, which began filming
“face-to-face” meetings and connections that Sept. 16 in Ontario under strict COVID-19 pro-
happen organically on the AFM floor. Amid the ongoing uncertainty over produc- tocols, when getting productions insured is
tion in an era of extensive safety protocols, difficult will be a plus at AFM. “People are
IFTA announced in mid-July that it was a heightened focus on completed films has focusing on things that are real,” he adds.
abandoning a physical AFM and following emerged, Joffe notes.
in the footsteps of the Cannes Virtual
Market. It also shifted its schedule so as
not to overlap with Election Day on Nov. 3
in the United States. It announced in
August that accredited buyers will receive
complimentary credentials — buyers usu-
ally pay $495 for a credential.

Jonathan Wolf, AFM managing director,
says one lesson learned from Cannes was
that participants were flummoxed by the
festival’s proprietary system for screenings
— leading to the decision to let sellers use
their own technology.

“We asked other trade fairs in other indus-
tries what was working,” he says.

Brian O’Shea, CEO of the Exchange, says
AFM has been hugely important for indepen-
dent films because sellers have been able to

VARIETY 15



AFM 2020

The hospitality group has taken chal- reviewed quickly, a lifeline for some busi- THE FAIRMONT
lenges head on — refining menus for more nesses and eateries, says Santa Monica’s
to-go offerings and expanding dining seat- Travel and Tourism exec Kerns. “We’re try- MIRAMAR
ing outdoors — with different levels of suc- ing to figure out: how do we adjust?” She
cess, admits Loeb. The Payroll Protection continues to encourage the city to make GETS REVAMP
Plan loans were a safety net, too, allowing streetside outdoor dining more permanent.
the group to keep staff. ONE OF THE AFM CENTERPIECES
General manager Younes Atallah of the PREPARES FOR A NEW LOOK
For event planners and those who rely 347-room Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
on the AFM for event-related income, (AFM’s core venue since 1991) says the By Kathy A. McDonald
the trickle-down impact is substantial. hotel is doing its best to adjust to the new
Samantha Sackler, CEO of event design reality and is “hopeful that the AFM comes EXPECT A MASSIVE DO -OVER at the
and production company the Firm, says back next year and we’re prepared for next 4.5-acre Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bun-
there’s a lengthy call sheet of event per- year.” Renovations moved the hotel’s Ocean galows property in the coming years: in
sonnel taking a financial hit. & Vine restaurant into the soaring atrium September, the Santa Monica City
while its former location was repurposed Council approved redevelopment plans
“First off, the city is impacted because into a social and meeting space with floor- after more than a decade of review.
there are no permitting fees or taxes col- to-ceiling ocean views. Further review by the California Coastal
lected,” says the veteran event planner. Commission is imminent.
“Then everyone from security officers, to Some production personnel and busi-
additional service staff, planners, produc- ness guests have trickled back to Loews; As it is now, much of the hotel and
tion designers, furniture rental compa- a new hotel room package (Work/Learn/ outlying bungalows will be razed —
nies, printers [and all the people who cre- Lounge) is designed to appeal to families except for the historic Palisades Build-
ate print materials from AFM banners to with a connecting room 50% off to entice ing — and replaced by a new curving
ancillary materials], to caterers, busers, family work and school staycations. structure with open spaces facing
tech people and A/V personnel are all not Ocean Avenue, extensive terraces, 312
hired. It’s unreal,” she says. “We’ve had to be creative in creat- hotel rooms and a separate 60-unit
ing activities and activating the property,” condo building (condos are tentatively
COVID-19’s crushing effect on Holly- says Atallah, pointing to the hotel’s priced from $10 million and up). Pelli
wood’s event industry has prompted her upcoming Miracle on Ocean Avenue Clarke Pelli Architects proposes a new
to speak out and advocate for increased event, featuring poolside igloos for orientation for the entire property and
government support. (Eligibility for PPP socially distanced dining and other will set back the new structures to
loans is complicated for those in the imaginative holiday programming. encompass ocean views. The hotel’s
events biz because so many suppliers famed centerpiece Moreton Bay fig tree
and vendors are independent businesses The Viceroy Santa Monica recently com- (also a historic landmark) will be pre-
rather than employees). She’s also uti- pleted a lobby makeover in celebration of served and the popular Bungalow
lized her entrepreneurial skills to imple- its 20th anniversary, adding natural mate- lounge will move to an upper floor
ment recommended health protocols and rials throughout, original art and a soon- location within the hotel.
produce sanctioned private events (50 to-come espresso bar, bakery and new sig-
or fewer people) that meet city and state nature restaurant Sugar Palm.
health guidelines for capacity and sat-
isfy clients who are eager to socialize The newly renovated Backyard pool
safely. Prior event testing via a RAPID test deck and dining patio offers a full bar and
of all participants (staff and guests) and socially distanced, outdoor dining Thurs-
day-of event testing via a registered nurse day through Sunday. Bungalows allow for
(often covered by health insurance) are relaxed separation. Guests these days are
key steps to safe event production. “Life almost entirely leisure travelers who book
has changed, but does not need to be shut at the last moment.
down,” says Sackler.
“The travel, hospitality and service
Santa Monica’s recovery task force industry is in dire straits right now,”
is addressing the issues surrounding Anawati says.
safe re-opening. To that end, permits for
expanded restaurant outdoor dining are He forecasts the hotel’s past rates and
occupancy trends won’t be realized again
fully for another four or five years, with or
without the AFM.

VARIETY 17

AFM 2020

BUZZ TITLES ACROSS THE RIVER AND shady investor is their only way out. MERRICK MORTON/HANWAY FILMS
AT THE INTO THE TREES Director: Ian Edelman
MARKET The story of Col. Richard Cantwell, a semi-auto- Producers: STXFilms, Kevin Hart, Chris Paul,
biographical character partially based on Ernest Jake Stein
FAMILY ACT Hemingway’s friend Col. Charles T. Lanham. Key cast: Pete Davidson, O’Shea Jackson
Singer-songwriter Sia makes her Director: Paula Ortiz Sales: STXIntl. (international)
feature film directing debut with Producers: Robert K. MacLean, John Small-
“Music,” starring Maddie Ziegler comble, Ken Gord THE BIKE THIEF
(left) and Kate Hudson. HanWay Key cast: Liev Schreiber, Matilda De Angelis, The timely movie explores the question of
Films is selling at the AFM. Laura Morante, Javier Cámara, Giancarlo how far a father would go in present-day Lon-
Giannini don to support his family when his only
18 VARIETY Sales agent: The Exchange (international), means to earn a living, his bike, is stolen.
UTA (domestic) Director: Matt Chambers
Key cast: Alec Secareanu, Anamaria Marinca
THE ALMOND AND THE SEA HORSE Sales: Beta Cinema
Story follows two couples in which one part-
ner has survived traumatic brain injury and THE BILLION DOLLAR SPY
its impact on their lives together. Classic Cold War thriller is based on a true
Directors: Tom Stern and Celyn Jones story; film will go into production 2021 in
Producer: Mad as Birds Eastern Europe.
Key cast: Rebel Wilson, Janet McTeer, Director: Amma Asante
Celyn Jones Producers: Walden Media, Akiva Goldsman
Sales: Bankside Films and Greg Lessans through Weed Road Pictures.
Key cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Armie Hammer
AMERICAN SOLE Sales: HanWay Films (international sales); CAA
Two 20-somethings with mountains of college Media Finance and Endeavor Content (U.S.)
debt use the fast cash of after-market sneaker
reselling to achieve their American dream. DIABOLIK
But they run out of money and find that a The ruthless thief Diabolik evades the police

AFM 2020

yet again and plots to steal a priceless HOW TO DETER A ROBBER Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway)
jewel. But when he is enchanted by the A stubborn young woman and her naïve both live an idyllic, traditional lifestyle but
owner’s irresistible charm, he puts his life in boyfriend face off against a pair of amateur life is suddenly shattered after a tragic
danger. Based on the comic-book series, house burglars. accident. Based on the novel “Derrière la
which sold more than 150 million copies. Director: Maria Bissell Haine” by Barbara Abel.
Director: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti Producers: Maria Bissell, Joshua Adam Fu, Director: Olivier Masset-Depasse
Sales: Beta Cinema Max Silver and Stephen Tringali Producers: Freckle Films’ Jessica Chastain
Key cast: Vanessa Marano, Benjamin Papac, and Kelly Carmichael, Mosaic’s Paul Nelson
EVERY NOTE PLAYED Abbie Cobb, Sonny Valicenti, Gabrielle and Jacques-Henri Bronckart
Accomplished concert pianist Richard Carteris and Chris Mulkey Key cast: Jessica Chastain and
is diagnosed with ALS. As the disease Sales: XYZ Films Anne Hathaway
worsens and Richard can no longer Sales: Anton (international);
play the piano or live on his own, his KARNAWAL Anton and CAA (U.S.)
ex-wife Karina reluctantly steps in to During carnival, a young malambo dancer
be his caregiver. prepares for the most important competi- MUSIC
Director: Michael Sucsy tion of his life. When his ex-convict father Kate Hudson plays Zu, a free spirit
Producers: STXFilms, Monet Clayton, Rich- returns, he jeopardizes everything by drag- estranged from her family, who suddenly
ard Barton Lewis, Gabrielle Jerou-Tabak ging his son into his criminal world. finds herself the sole guardian of her
Key cast: Angelina Jolie, Christoph Waltz Screened at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. half-sister, Music (Maddie Ziegler) a teen-
Sales: STXIntl. Director: Juan Pablo Félix ager on the autism spectrum whose whole
Key cast: Alfredo Castro, Martin López world order had been beautifully crafted
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE Lacci, Mónica Lairana by her late grandmother.
In this comedy, Thompson plays a widow Sales: Beta Cinema Director: Sia
who hires the services of 20-something Key cast: Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr.,
Leo Grande, a sex worker (or “sex thera- LAKEWOOD Maddie Ziegler
pist” as he prefers it), for a night of bliss. In the drama, a mother desperately races Producers: Sia, Vincent Landay
Director: Sophie Hyde against time to save her child as authorities Sales: HanWay Films (international);
Key cast: Emma Thompson pursue an active shooter in her small town. CAA Media Finance (U.S.)
Producer: Genesius Pictures, Director: Phillip Noyce
Debbie Gray producing Producers: Andrew Corkin, Zack Schiller, NEW ORDER (NUEVO ORDEN)
Sales: Cornerstone (international); CAA Dylan Sellers, Chris Parker, David Boies In this suspenseful dystopian drama, a
Media Finance and Cornerstone (U.S.) Key cast: Naomi Watts lavish upper-class wedding goes awry in
Sales: Mister Smith Entertainment (interna- an unexpected uprising of class warfare
GTOWN tional); UTA Independent Film Group, that gives way to a violent coup d’état.
Documentary is a deep dive into the Endeavor Content, CAA Media Finance (U.S.) Director: Michel Franco
culture of Georgetown University during Key cast: Naian González Norvind, Diego
the coach John Thompson era. THE LAST RIFLEMAN Boneta, Mónica del Carmen
Director: Kirk Fraser Inspired by true events, the drama is about Sales: The Match Factory
Producers: May 3rd Films, Kirk Fraser, a widower World War II veteran. On the 75th
Jimmy Jenkins, Ronny Thompson anniversary of the D-Day landings in Nor- THE PEASANTS
Sales: RTG Features mandy, he decides to leave his care home in Animated drama from Dorota Kobiela
Northern Ireland to journey to France. He based on the novel from Nobel Prize-
HELLO AGAIN — A WEDDING A DAY aims to pay his final respects to his best winning Wladyslaw Reymont will be pro-
This female-driven romantic comedy — friend and find the courage to face the duced with the same hand-painted tech-
“Groundhog Day” meets “My Best Friend’s ghosts of his past. nique that brought the canvases of Vin-
Wedding” — opened in the top five in Director: Terry Loane cent van Gogh to life in Oscar-nominated
Germany as a Warner Bros release. Key cast: Pierce Brosnan “Loving Vincent,” the film Kobiela co-di-
Director-writer: Maggie Peren Producers: Katy Jackson, John Leslie rected with Welchman.
Cast: Alicia von Rittberg, Edin Hasanovic, Sales: WestEnd Films Director: Dorota Kobiela
Emilia Schüle, Samuel Schneider Producers: Sean Bobbitt and Hugh Welch-
Sales: Beta Cinema LIVING man for BreakThru Films
In 1952 London, a government employee Sales: New Europe Film Sales
HINTERLAND learns he has a fatal illness and begins a
In 1920s Vienna, a former police detective quest to find some meaning to his life LA VERONICA
is drawn back into a serial killer case. The before it slips away. As the wife of a famous soccer player,
film, helmed by Oscar winner Ruzowitzky, Director: Oliver Hermanus Veronica wants to be the new face of a
marries the mood of classic German Producers: Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth beauty campaign, but she needs more
expressionist filmmaking of a “Dr. Caligari” Karlsen’s Number 9 Films than 2 million social-media followers.
with a modern take on “Sin City.” Key cast: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood Chilean film premiered at San Sebastian.
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky Sales: Rocket Science Director: Leonardo Medel
Key cast: Murathan Muslu, Max von der Cast: Mariana Di Girolamo, Patricia
Groeben, Liv Lisa Fries, Marc Limpach MOTHER’S INSTINCT Rivadeneira, Ariel Mateluna
Sales: Beta Cinema In the early ‘60s, best friends and neighbors Sales: Films Boutique

VARIETY 19

AFM 2020

NIGERIA BIZ TARGETS REBOUND

LOCAL PRODUCERS AND FILMS DRIVE RECOVERY 2019. “It’s been a tough, tough, tough
IN BUSY FALL SEASON AFTER COVID LOCKDOWN year,” says Joy Odiete, CEO of Blue Pic-
tures Distribution. Industry groups have
By Christopher Vourlias called on the government for support, but
despite the dire situation, Nigerian offi-
W H E N N I G E R I A N C I N E M AS reopened in unit with a long record of brutality, cials “did not understand the importance
September after a months-long lock- eventually leading to wider demonstra- of getting the cinemas up and running.”
down, Moses Babatope, co-founder of tions against corruption and police vio-
the distributor and production company lence. Security forces turned on peace- Since the September restart, local
FilmOne Entertainment, began looking ful protesters, killing at least 56 people. exhibitors have been scrambling to fill
ahead to a busy fall season that could get During the ensuing unrest, three state- screening slots, as Hollywood studios
the local industry back on track. of-the-art cinemas owned by Film- push back the release dates of tentpoles
One’s sister company, Filmhouse, were including Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman
“We were just beginning to see a destroyed by looters. 1984” and Disney’s “Black Widow.”
recovery,” Babatope says, with “Fate
of Alakada” — the third installment in Babatope estimates the compa- Following the success of “Fate of
Kayode Kasum’s blockbuster Nollywood ny’s losses at around $1.5 million. “It’s Alakada,” the beleaguered cinema
franchise — bursting out of the gate really painful,” he says. “It was the year industry is hoping that Nollywood can
after an Oct. 1 Nigerian Independence that we were going to see a lot of capi- extend it a lifeline. “We used to be a
Day release. A slew of highly antici- tal attracted to the sector. It was a year market that depended solely on Holly-
pated titles were to follow. “Local films where cinema operators were going to wood,” says Babatope. “But … this is a
started driving our recovery. Whereas expand their frontiers. Unfortunately, real opportunity for high-quality Nige-
everybody was concerned about Hol- it’s been anything but.” rian films to stand up.”
lywood films, we started seeing local
films driving the return of cinemas.” After a string of record-setting years With COVID-19 protocols in place, the
at the box office, the Nigerian industry cameras have been rolling on a host of
But days later, Nigeria erupted in has taken a hit of up to 8 billion naira hotly anticipated titles, including Kemi
nationwide protests against the Special ($21 million) during the six-month pan- Adetiba’s Netflix Original “King of Boys
Anti-Robbery Squad, a notorious police demic lockdown, a 60%-70% drop from 2” — the sequel to her 2018 blockbuster
crime thriller — and superstar multi-
BLING RING hyphenate Ramsey Nouah’s remake of FILMONE PRODUCTION
“Fate of Alakada,” the third installment of the blockbuster franchise, energized the Nigerian B.O. the ’90s Nollywood cult classic “Rattle
Snake,” which is slated for a mid-Novem-
ber theatrical release.

But with movie theaters in much of
the country capped at 33% capacity, it
remains to be seen if even a series of
blockbusters can offset the downturn
from a year of unprecedented setbacks.

“Yes, we have Nollywood content
that could fill the gap,” says Odiete,

“but there’s [only] so much you can
take as a business, as a distributor, in
terms of losses.”

In a famously stoic country, however,
the industry continues to soldier on. Mo
Abudu, CEO of lifestyle network and pro-
duction company EbonyLife, says she was
encouraged by the success of the compa-
ny’s human-trafficking drama “Oloture,”
a Netflix Original, and the growing appe-
tite from streaming services for Nigerian
content. “We’re capturing audiences even
beyond Nigeria.”

EbonyLife is developing about 20 proj-
ects with international partners, includ-
ing Netflix, AMC Networks and Sony Pic-
tures Television. With 2020 all but in the
books, Abudu is already looking ahead
to the new year, when EbonyLife will go
into production on at least four proj-
ects. “That’s the thing about Nigeria,” she
says. “We’re so resilient. We just get up
and face the next day.”

20 VARIETY

TRUE COLOURS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY FOCUS

FOCUS

UNCORK’D ENTERTAINMENT ITALIAN SHINGLE W H E N I TA L I A N SA L E S C O M PA N Y True
SPREADS LOCAL Colours launched from Rome’s MIA
FILMS ABROAD market five years ago, international
prospects for cinema Italiano titles that
FOR FIVE YEARS TRUE COLOURS HAS BEEN were not directed by a handful of name
SHOWING OFF NON-AUTEUR TITLES auteurs, such as Nanni Moretti, Matteo
Garrone and Paolo Sorrentino, had got-
By NICK VIVARELLI ten rather dim.

EARLY OFFERING Italian cinema was being sold
One of True Colours first films, “The Confessions,” starring Toni Servillo, still brings in revenue. around the world mostly by foreign
sales outfits that had become the
preferred global channel for many of
Italy’s producers, partly because they
provided minimum guarantees that
helped close their budgets and that
local sellers could not afford. The prob-
lem was that lots of exportable Italian
product was being overlooked.

“There was a gap,” says veteran dis-
tributor-producer Andrea Occhip-
inti, head of Lucky Red. As a producer,
Occhipinti adds, he was unhappy with
how his movies were being handled
internationally by non-Italian compa-
nies. So in 2015 Lucky Red joined forces
with production company Indigo Film
(“The Great Beauty”) and they formed
True Colours. They have been reversing
that trend ever since.

Gaetano Maiorino, True Colours’ man-
aging director, says from day one the
goal was clearly to have in their lineup
“a wide-range of Italian films that were
not being exploited commercially on the
international market,” though distribu-
tion of some non-Italian product was also
part of the plan from the start.

The other key to its success is that it is
an outlet for films made by all Italian pro-
ducers, not just Lucky Red and Indigo.

The company’s rapid growth is cred-
ited to the reputation and connections
of the founders, including veteran sales
agent Catia Rossi (she parted amicably
roughly a year ago to start another Italian
sales outfit). “Lots of producers had faith
in us,” says Maiorino.

Maiorino, who works closely with the
company’s head of sales Giulia Casavec-
chia, considers the first True Colours

VARIETY 21

FOCUS TRUE COLOURS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

lineup at MIA in 2015 a blueprint for TRUE COLOURS LINEUP AT AFM
what was to come.
By NICK VIVARELLI
The first four pics on the slate were
Roberto Ando’s “The Confessions,” a THE TRUE S I N C E T R U E C O LO U R S launched in 2015, it “Freaks Out” is a new genre-bender by
high-profile drama on power as per- COLOURS TEAM has rapidly doubled the size of its lineups to Gabriele Mainetti, whose offbeat hit, the 2016
ceived by the mind of a monk, played roughly 20 titles per year, while continuing to superhero pic “They Call Me Jeeg,” sold
by Italian star Toni Servillo and boast- Gaetano Maiorino carefully curate distribution strategies for widely. Among Italy’s hottest upcoming titles,
ing a top international cast; Maria Sole Managing director/ each film and made lots of global inroads. it is set in 1943 Rome where four “freaks” who
Tognazzi’s “Me Myself and Her,” a rom- head of acquisitions work in a circus are left to their own devices
com about a middle-aged lesbian cou- The company is known among Italian when the Eternal City is bombed by Allied
ple; teen pic “One Kiss,” by Ivan Cotro- Giulia Casavecchia producers for transparency and providing Forces. True Colours is handling China, Latin
neo, which dealt with homophobia and Head of sales rapid sales reports, while foreign buyers like America, Spain and festivals on this title.
bullying; and innovative anti-Semi- working with execs “because they always
tism-themed mockumentary “Pecore Francesca Tiberi make things easy,” says Nicolas Zumaglini, Psychological thriller “The Guest Room” is
in Erba” (“Burning Love”) by first-timer Sales and acquisitions head of content at prominent Latin American an elevated genre pic directed by Stefano
Alberto Caviglia. manager distributor Telefilms, who notes that “they Lodovichi, who recently helmed legal thriller
have definitely helped spread Italian cinema “The Trial” streaming on Netflix.
“The Confessions,” “Me Myself and Fabio Tucci in the region.”
Her” and “One Kiss” all went on to Festival manager “I am Santa Claus” is a Christmas comedy, a
sell in a dozen territories. “We still get As for True Colours giving cinema Italiano sub-genre that are the company’s specialties.
revenue from them,” Maiorino says. Irene Panizzi more global reach, the most poignant In the title role is the late great Gigi Proietti.
“Burning Love” also got some love. Accounting manager recent example is “Il Testimone Invisibile”
And True Colours continues to distrib- (“The Invisible Witness”), a remake of “Love Under House Arrest” is among the lat-
ute a mix of auteur and more commer- Devid Nelfi Spanish thriller (“Contratiempo”), directed est Italian comedies handled by True Colours
cial fare with special attention dedi- Print traffic assistant by Italy’s Stefano Mordini. “Invisible Witness” that have made this genre its strong suit.
cated to first-time helmers. is the European title that’s scored the highest
LOVE SELLS gross at the Chinese box office, roughly $5 “Puntasacra” doc about a shantytown near
Milestone movies during True True Colours’ million, since movie theaters re-opened in Rome won top prizes at the Visions du Réel
Colours’ first five years have included “A Bookshop China post-pandemic. and Annecy Cinema Italien fests. True Colours
Sergio Castellitto’s “Fortunata,” the first in Paris,” reteams with director Francesca Mazzoleni
film it launched from Cannes where the starring Sergio The True Colours lineup at AFM shows the whose 2017 fiction feature debut, “That’s Life”
pic won the 2017 Un Certain Regard act- Castellitto range of shades in their palette, including (“Succede”), was also sold by the company.
ing prize for Jasmine Trinca’s tour-de- and Berenice some promising non-Italian pics. “We’ve believed in her from her first work,”
force as a hairdresser with a turbulent Bejo, has says Casavecchia, noting that sometimes
life, and Valeria Golino’s “Euphoria,” already sold to “A Bookshop in Paris” is a Paris-set drama “there is this misconception that True Colours
which also premiered on the Croisette. 15 countries. about a rare books dealer with a paraplegic only handles Italian comedies.”
daughter and an exuberant young woman
In the more commercial sphere there who bursts into his shop one day. It is based “Superheroes” is from “Perfect Strangers’”
is Paolo Genovese’s “Perfect Strangers,” on a screenplay by Italian master Ettore Scola writer-director Paolo Genovese, who has
the high-concept dramedy that was sold and stars Berenice Bejo and Sergio Castel- come up with a strong concept for his latest
in more than 40 territories, and com- litto, who also directed. The aim is to pre- film: “What superpowers must a couple have
edy “Like a Cat on a Highway” that did miere at a major 2021 fest. It’s also been pre- to stay together and love each other for a life-
gangbuster business at home, but is the sold to 15 countries based on a promo. time?” Presold to 21 territories ahead of its
type of Italian film “that in the past had early 2021 Italian release.
always been considered too local and “Fortuna — The Girl and the Giants” is a
would not have travelled,” says Maiorino. dark fable directed by Neapolitan first-timer Drama/road movie “200 Meters” marks the
Instead, “thanks to our work,” it been Nicolangelo Gelormini, starring Valeria Golino debut of Palestinian helmer Ameen Nayfeh
sold to 15 territories and had some the- as the mother of a 6-year-old girl in a high- and is about a Palestinian construction worker
atrical outings abroad. rise on Naples’ outskirts. Due to trauma she who, due to a red tape issue, must take huge
lives in a fantasy world where she is an alien risks to find a way to cross the West Bank wall
The documentary “Deliver Us,” by princess chased by giants. “One of our mis- to reach his hospitalized son. Casavecchia
Federica Di Giacomo, about two Sicil- sions is to discover new talents — sometimes notes they took the pic before it went to Ven-
ian priests who do exorcisms, also even with commercially challenging works — ice where it landed the audience prize in the
holds a special place in the True and take them to audiences around the Venice Days section. “We’ve been increas-
Colours library. It’s the title that, along world,” says Giulia Casavecchia, head of sales ingly dipping our toes in non-Italian films,”
with auteur Edoardo De Angelis’ debut at True Colours. Pic, which has a distinctive she says, “and consider this a key aspect of
“Indivisible,” about Neapolitan teenage visual style, just premiered at the Rome Film our evolution going forward.”
conjoined-twin sisters, has landed the Festival’s Alice in the City sidebar and will
most festival slots, and drew theatrical likely soon surface at other fests. “Why Not You” is one of nearly 10 LBGTQ
releases in important territories such titles in the catalog. “We like that color,” says
as the U.S., U.K. and Japan. Casavecchia. This one is an Austrian/Belgian TRUE COLOURS
co-production by writer-director Evi Romen
So within just five years, True that premiered in Zurich, where it won a prize,
Colours has become “a really good part- and explores the tragic consequences of a
ner for all Italian filmmakers,” says deadly attack in a gay club in Rome. It’s a
Indigo Film co-founder Carlotta Calori. project they boarded at the script stage.
The company can now invest in new tal-
ents and thanks to Italy’s new distribu- “Zanka Contact” is an edgy romancer by
tion incentives are able to offer Italian Moroccan first-timer Ismaël El Iraki, pairing
producers minimum guarantees. a faded rock star with a drug problem and
a musically gifted prostitute, played by
Khansa Batma, who won a Venice Horizons
prize for her performance. It also testifies to
True Colours’ increasing expansion beyond
Italian confines “a key aspect of our evolu-
tion going forward,” says Casavecchia, who
calls this pic “’A Star Is Born’ meets Tarantino
in ‘Casablanca.’ ”

22 VARIETY

RUSSIA FOCUS

RUSSIAN
PRODUCERS
HIT AFM
WITH EYES
ON GLOBAL
MARKET

INDUSTRY LEARNS TO OVERCOME
DOMESTIC PROBLEMS

By Christopher Vourlias

W H I L E C I N E M A S WO R L DW I D E have spent CONJURING SALES
the better part of this year shuttered or
operating at limited capacity, few film Fantasy feature “The Last Warrior: Root of Evil,” the sequel to the 2017 Russian smash hit “The Last
industries have felt the pain quite like Rus- Warrior,” should entice international buyers at AFM.
sia’s, which generates roughly 80% of its
ALL MEDIA revenues from theatrical receipts, accord- “Attraction” — and lensed by cinematog- Palchikova, “Masha” is the story of a
ing to Evgenia Markova, head of the Rus- rapher Maxim Zhukov, who photographed 13-year-old girl growing up between the
sian film promotion body Roskino. the sci-fi hit “Sputnik.” boxing ring and the streets of her rough-
and-tumble provincial town during the
But while local profits have plummeted, Mila Rozanova, VP of sales for Bub- collapse of the Soviet Union. After mak-
Russian producers continue to find grow- ble Studios, called “Major Grom” “a per- ing it to Moscow in an effort to start a
ing interest from foreign buyers, with fect commercial foreign-language title new life, however, the past catches up
Markova pointing to strong sales at Mip- for the global marketplace.” “We believe with her, and she’s forced to return to her
com and at the Key Buyers Event, a virtual that ‘Major Grom’ is exactly what inter- hometown to set things right.
showcase for domestic productions that national buyers are looking for,” she says.
took place this summer. “It’s an action-driven story from a vision- “Masha” is produced by 1-2-3 Produc-
ary director based on a bestselling comic tion. It stars Maksim Sukhanov (“Country
“The Russian industry has learned book that is yet very authentic.” The $10 of the Deaf,” “Viking”), Anna Chipovskaya
to adapt to all the new circumstances,” million action-superhero movie, she adds, (“The Road to Calvary,” “The Thaw”) and
she says. “It became more flexible, and “speaks in the storytelling language of Polina Gukhman, with cinematography
more responsive to the needs of the today in terms of charismatic characters, by Gleb Filatov (“The Bull,” “Dead Moun-
global market.” mandatory sense of humor, VFX, pacing.” tain. The Dyatlov Pass Incident”). Nadiia
Zaionchkovska, sales and co-production
A number of high-profile Russian proj- “The Last Warrior: Root of Evil,” the executive at 1-2-3 Production, says that
ects will be introduced to foreign buyers follow-up to the 2017 smash hit “The “there is universality in a girl’s [coming-
during AFM, beginning with “Major Grom Last Warrior,” is directed by Dmitriy of-age story] …, which will allow viewers
and the Plague Doctor,” a big-screen adap- Dyachenko and produced by the Walt Dis- to connect with it all over the world.”
tation of the hit comic-book franchise ney Co. CIS, Yellow, Black and White, and
from Bubble Comics. Bubble Studios is Russia-1. All Media, which is owned by The venerable Soyuzmultfilm anima-
handling international sales for a film that Yellow, Black and White, is handling inter- tion studio, meanwhile, will present three
will be released in Russia by Walt Disney national sales. new animated features at AFM. “The
Studios in April. Alpine Campaign” is the story of Gri-
In “Root of Evil,” the ancient evil that sha, who is conscripted into the Russian
Filmed in St. Petersburg, “Major Grom” was defeated in the first film of the fran- army on the eve of a treacherous cam-
is the story of a police officer on the hunt chise rises again, and the existence of the paign in the Alps. Determined to survive
for a mysterious, masked vigilante who magic world Belogorie is endangered. All and return to the woman he loves, Grisha
goes on a killing spree in order to cleanse Media is in talks with a number of dis- must overcome his self-doubt and accom-
a world he declares to be “plagued by tributors, says Zhanna Shakhshaeva, the plish a single heroic act. The CGI-an-
injustice.” Directed by Oleg Trofim (“Ice”), company’s head of international, who imated feature is set for delivery next
the film is produced by Artyom Gabrel- expects to close deals on all international spring. Two other features are in develop-
yanov and Mikhail Kitaev — the produc- territories during AFM. ment and slated for a 2023 release.
ers behind blockbuster hits “T-34” and
Directed and written by Anastasiya

VARIETY 23

FOCUS GERMANY

TROUBLED TIMES PLAY a young Romanian immigrant in London
who loses the ability to provide for his fam-

OUT IN TEUTONIC SLATE ily when his motorbike is stolen.
Beta Cinema’s lineup also includes Peter

Bebjak’s “The Auschwitz Report,” the true

P OV E R T Y, I M M I G R AT I O N M I N G L E W I T H A R T, R O M A N C E I N F I L M S AT A F M story of two Jews who escape from Aus-
chwitz in 1944 with the hope of presenting

By Ed Meza evidence of their ordeal in order to save the
lives of other inmates.

Oskar Roehler’s Cannes’ 2020 Official

E X P LO R I N G W I D E - R A N G I N G global Selection “Enfant Terrible,” about legend-

themes, from poverty, migration, politi- ary filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder,

cal strife and fascism to art and romance, is among Picture Tree Intl.’s highlights, as

German sales companies are presenting is Ziyang Zhou’s San Sebastian screener

an eclectic offering of local and interna- “Wuhai,” the sales company’s first Chi-

tional cinematic works at this year’s AFM. nese title. PTI is likewise offering Charlotte

Social dramas and political thrill- Blom’s comedy “Diana’s Wedding,” which

ers reflect both the current zeitgeist and chronicles the life of a young woman whose

historical parallels of similarly troubled parents celebrated their wedding in a small

times. In Marcus Lenz’s “Rival,” a 9-year- Norwegian town on the same day Lady

old Ukrainian boy travels to Germany to Diana married Prince Charles in 1981.

be with his mother, who has been forced In Arri Media Intl.’s “Cortex,” actor-di-

to leave her country to work as an undoc- rector Moritz Bleibtreu stars as a troubled

umented caretaker for an old man. man haunted by recurring dreams. Moritz

Producers Gunter Hanfgarn and Hemminger, Arri’s deputy head of sales

Andrea Ufer of Berlin-based Hanfgarn and acquisitions, describes the psycholog-

& Ufer say they were intrigued by Lenz’s ical thriller as “mind-bending and visually

story from the start, noting that it is “set stunning.” The company is also present-

against the backdrop of two problems we ing Christian Lerch’s “Dear Mr. Führer,”

see in a lot of Western countries — the based on the childhood memories of

nursing crisis and poverty emigration.” scriptwriter Josef Einwanger. Set in Ger-

Sold internationally by Pluto Film, many toward the end of World War II, the

“Rival” is screening at AFM following its story follows a mother and her young son

world premiere at this year’s Busan Film who seek refuge in a small village, only for

Festival. Pluto Film is also presenting CONTEMPORARY STORY the boy to become indoctrinated by still

Martina Saková’s children’s film “Sum- Pluto Film is selling immigrant drama “Rival” at AFM 2020. devout Nazis.

mer Rebels” and Sonia Liza Kenterman’s

Athens-set romantic drama “Tailor.”

In Yoav and Doron Paz’s fact-based

postwar drama “Plan A,” a group of

revenge-seeking Jewish Holocaust sur- SALES AGENTS DRAW ON TOONS
vivors set out to poison Germany’s water

system and kill some six million Ger- ADAPTATIONS, ORIGINALS AND FRANCHISES ON GERMAN SLATES
mans as payback. The Global Screen title

stars August Diehl (“A Hidden Life”) and By Ed Meza

Sylvia Hoeks (“Blade Runner 2049”). GERMAN AND EUROPEAN anima- series about the young girl Mia and Baking a Difference,” which follows
Global Screen is also presenting tion features remain plentiful on the inhabitants of a magical land, three young magical Elfkins who
the slates of German sales agents are among the highlights on offer leave their underground home to
another thriller based on a true story, at this year’s AFM, with adapta- from Studio 100 Film. explore the surface world and end
Juan Ignacio Sabatini’s “Kill Pinochet,” tions, original works and new up helping a pastry chef in need.
about a group of communist guerril- installments of popular fran- The popular Maya has also Other new Sola Media pics include
las who plan to assassinate the Chilean wchises set to attract buyers. become an ambassador for bees “Two Buddies and a Badger — The
dictator in 1986. and insects in Germany, where Stu-

Julia von Heinz’s Venice screener “And Arri Media Intl. is presenting a dio 100 has joined forces with Great Big Beast,” a follow-up to

Tomorrow the Entire World” is among 10-minute preview of “The Ogglies,” nature conservation org NABU to 2015’s “Two Buddies and a Badger,”

a number of politically charged pics on an adaptation of the hit German promote the protection of bugs and “The Scary House.” MILA TESHAIEVA/PLUTO FILM
offer from Films Boutique. The company children’s book series about a through the Maya the Bee — Project In the works is Global Screen’s
is also presenting Andrei Konchalovsky’s group of creatures with unusual Poppy Meadow initiative, which
Venice title “Dear Comrades!” about a eating habits looking for a new educates kids about the impor- “The Amazing Maurice,” based on
devout Communist Party official in the home. The pic is set to hit German tance bees and other insects play one of one of Terry Pratchett’s “Dis-
Soviet Union who is forced to come to theaters in March. in the pollination of plants. cworld” novels about a streetwise
terms with state violence during a strike tomcat and his money-making
in 1962. “Maya the Bee 3 — The Golden Sola Media is showcasing a copi- scam. Global Screen also offers “The
Orb,” which continues the adven- ous offering of toon titles that Journey of the Elephant Soliman,”
The immigrant experience is show- tures of the famous and headstrong includes “Moon Bound,” about a which follows the adventures of a
little bee, and “Mia and Me — The boy who sets out on a magical jour- spice-merchant’s son, a wise Indian

cased in Matt Chambers’ “The Bike Hero of Centopia,” based on the ney to the moon in order to rescue elephant and a spunky Austrian prin-

Thief” from Beta Cinema. The pic follows popular ZDF animated fantasy his younger sister; “The Elfkins — cess in 16th century India.

24 VARIETY

POLAND FOCUS

PROLIFIC INDUSTRY KEEPS CAMERAS
ROLLING AMID PANDEMIC WOES

POLISH FILMMAKERS FORGE AHEAD UNDER STRICT COVID The industry is soldiering on. Prin-
PROTOCOLS AS SALES AGENTS SET SIGHTS ON AFM cipal photography recently wrapped on
“Lipstick on the Glass,” the English-lan-
By Christopher Vourlias guage debut of acclaimed director Kuba
Czekaj (“Baby Bump”), which depicts
TVN DISCOVERY W H E N T H E C O R O N AV I R U S pandemic August, with the producer expecting to PANDEMIC HIT a dystopian vision of reality in which a
arrived in Poland earlier this year, pro- deliver by February. woman is induced to abandon her gang-
ducer Jakub Razowski, of Watchout Stu- Jan Holoubek’s ster husband to join a feminist sect. The
dio (“The Coldest Game”), was already The Polish industry has been quick to drama “25 Years film’s producer, Centrala Film, is also
prepping a summer shoot for “Prime learn the hard lessons of the pandemic of Innocence” prepping “The Root Crown,” the feature
Time,” a thriller starring Bartosz Bielenia, on the fly. has been a hit in debut of director Katarzyna Gondek,
fresh off his breakout role in Jan Koma- Poland for TVN whose two previous short films pre-
sa’s Oscar-nominated “Corpus Christi.” “Any break costs money, and any Discovery, which miered at Sundance.
break causes a domino effect if you stop is selling the
Razowski and first-time director one production,” says Oscar-winning film at AFM. Opus Film, which won a foreign-lan-
Jakub Piątek had cast from a deep pool producer Ewa Puszczyńska (“Ida”), who guage Oscar in 2015 for Paweł Paw-
of veteran stage actors, whose availabil- had to postpone production on “The likowski’s “Ida,” is prepping “Anato-
ity was limited to the summer months Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer’s mia,” a female-centered film that marks
when Polish theaters traditionally go Holocaust drama. Principal shooting on the directorial debut of Ola Jankow-
dark. If the production didn’t move for- the film, which is being co-produced and ska. The Poland-France co-production
ward, Razowski says, “we knew that the distributed in the U.S. by A24, has been tells the story of a woman who returns to
next possibility to book our cast would pushed back until next year. her home country to visit her estranged
be the summer of 2021.” father. While in the hospital he has forgot-
In the meantime, Puszczyńska is ten the past 20 years of his life, sending
The cameras rolled, with cast and wrapping post-production on “Fools,” her on an emotional journey into the past.
crew using a rigorous set of corona- the latest film from arthouse favorite
virus protocols introduced by the Tomasz Wasilewski (“United States of Principal photography is meanwhile
Polish Film Institute. Love”), while prepping “Night Butter- under way on “The Peasants,” the latest
flies,” a psychological drama from direc- feature from BreakThru Films, the ani-
“The COVID situation made everything tor Marta Prus (“Over the Limit”), one of mation studio behind the Oscar-nom-
a bit more expensive — tests, masks, liters Variety’s 10 Europeans to Watch in 2018. inated “Loving Vincent.” The film is
of sanitizers, extra time for tempera- directed by Academy Award nominee
ture checkups, consequences of working “You can’t stop living,” Puszczyńska Dorota Kobiela and will be produced
in social-distancing regime — but those says. “Nobody’s going to give us back with the same hand-painted technique
costs were nothing compared to moving this year. I think that we have to be very that brought the canvases of Vincent
our shoot to 2021,” Razowski says. careful, but still go on working within van Gogh to life in “Loving Vincent,” the
the limits … and all the difficulties that’s film she co-directed with Hugh Welch-
Principal photography wrapped in been imposed on us.” man. Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based
New Europe Film Sales will handle
international sales during AFM.

Polish broadcaster TVN Discovery,
meanwhile, will launch international
sales on Jan Holoubek’s “25 Years of
Innocence,” a pulled-from-the-head-
lines drama about a man who served
18 years in prison for a crime he didn’t
commit. The film has been a break-
away hit in Poland, where it’s racked up
more than 650,000 admissions in the
midst of the pandemic.

Producer Anna Waśniewska-Gill says
despite the harsh subject matter, “25
Years” has struck a chord with Polish
audiences because “the final outcome
does bring hope,” especially in these
challenging times.

“After watching the film the viewer
feels that despite the severe brutality in
the main character’s life, righteousness
has won,” she says.

VARIETY 25

FACETIME

Gary Hamilton
‘There’s more focus on
diversity, which I love.’

By Dave McNary

GA RY H A M I LTO N , longtime managing director of Los Angeles-based Arclight How are you dealing with AFM being online ARCLIGHT FILMS
Films, is preparing for his 36th American Film Market amid the profound only in the wake of the Cannes Virtual Mar-
changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. ¶His credits include ket in June and the Toronto Intl. Film Festi-
“Hotel Mumbai,” “First Reformed,” “Triple Threat,” “Predestination,” “Dog val in September being a hybrid of virtual
Eat Dog” and “Jungle” starring Daniel Radcliffe. ¶Arclight's AFM sales slate and in-person events?
includes Australian historical drama “The Furnace”; coming-of-age story Unfortunately, this is going to be the new
“Chasing Wonders,” starring Paz Vega and Edward James Olmos; martial-arts normal. The virtual market can be effective
film “The Foggy Mountain”; thrillers “Bloody Hell” and “Let It Snow”; “The because you still have the people there. But
King’s Daughter,” starring Pierce Brosnan and Kaya Scodelario; “Twist,” star- having the one-on-one interaction and the
ring Michael Caine, Lena Headey and Rita Ora; “Here Are the Young Men,” socializing that you have at a real in-person
starring Travis Fimmel, Dean-Charles Chapman, Finn Cole and Anya Tay- market are more conducive to making deals.
lor-Joy; “Possessor,” starring Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Sean It is a lot less expensive to do it this way.
Bean and Jennifer Jason Leigh; and the horror-thriller “The Devil to Pay,”
starring Danielle Deadwyler, Catherine Dyer and Jayson Warner Smith. ¶ He Is this going to change how the markets are
talked with Variety about Arclight and AFM, which runs from Nov. 9-13. done, such as AFM reducing the number of
days from seven to five this year?
GLOBAL INTRIGUE It's possible. We may fewer days at the four big
Director Francis Annan with stars Daniel markets — AFM, Berlin, Cannes and Toronto
Radcliffe and Daniel Webber on location for the — in the future, but we're not in a position to
Arclight’s thriller “Escape From Pretoria.” make those changes. But it does not outweigh
the business that you can do face to face.
26 VARIETY
What has changed significantly?
There's more focus on diversity, which I love.
We've always been very aware of it and that's
reflected in our slate.

How would you be approaching AFM this
year if there were no health crisis?
If things were different, we would be doing a
lot more pre-sales but now there's so much
uncertainty. The big challenge is getting films
into production. We are producing films in Aus-
tralia and New Zealand. We're probably going
to be doing more in Asia. Right now, there's a
lot of difficulty in getting a film bonded and
getting insurance, particularly in the U.S.

What have you been focusing on during the
past seven months on the production side
since the pandemic started?
We've been very active in developing COVID-
friendly movies — very contained with limited
casts and great casts.

How are buyers different this time?
Buyers have not changed at all. They're always
going to want more. When you tell them you've
got Brad Pitt, they're always going to say, "Yes,
but I want Leonardo DiCaprio too." I did my
first Cannes Market in 1985 and I don't think
that's changed at all.

What else is the same now as then?
The most important thing is that you have
passion and commitment. You can't sell your
movie unless you believe that your movie is
really good. And that has not changed at all.

We’ve Got AFM Covered.

HOME > FILM > GLOBAL Aug 25, 2020 10:59am PT

American Film Market Offering

Free Credentials to Buyers

AMERICAN
FILM MARKET

DAY

1

WEDNESDAY,
NOV. 6, 2019

CONSUMER HOTLINE Shower Power EXCLUSIVE

Alibaba Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan star in “Wild Mountain Thyme,” John Patrick Shanley’s adaptation of his Maverix
Touts Online Broadway hit “Outside Mullingar.” Bleecker Street has U.S. distribution rights. HanWay Films negotiated Launches Into
Advantages the deal with Lionsgate U.K. and has closed pacts major territories including Pathé (Switzerland), A Global Pic Biz
Contracorriente (Spain), IDC (Latin America), Madman (Australia and NZ) and Nordisk (Scandinavia).
By PATRICK FRATER By PATRICK FRATER
MARKET OPENS
FORMER FOX EXECUTIVE THE CHINA-U.S. film relation-
Zhang Wei heads the Los Ange- Indies Grab Opportunity ship is set for a much-needed
les office of Alibaba Pictures, in Tense Times at AFM shot in the arm from the
the filmmaking arm of Chinese launch of Maverix Pictures. The
e-commerce giant Alibaba. By DAVE MCNARY referred to fires in the ‘Santa Monica company is a Hong Kong entity
With China’s digital economy Mountains.’ This mountain range is actu- set up to finance and produce
developing so fast, the com- AMID MASSIVE NERVOUSNESS about the ally in Los Angeles, miles from Santa major international pictures
pany has expanded to become future of movies, the American Film Mar- Monica. There is no threat to the Santa on both sides of the Pacific.
a major player in film distri- ket opens its 40th edition today at the Monica business area.”
bution and marketing, as well Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. The Maverix is backed by
as investment. She spoke to market runs through Nov. 13. However reassuring that message may Michael Lechner von Leheneck,
Variety ahead of her presenta- have been, it probably did little to soothe an Austrian-born, Hong Kong-
tion Tuesday at the Asia Soci- Southern California weather will the nerves of an industry that’s seen Dis- based billionaire, who has sig-
ety’s U.S.-Asia Entertainment deliver sunshine for the 7,000-plus ney devour 21st Century Fox, laying off nificant interests in mainland
Summit. attendees. And organizers of the AFM — hundreds; high-profile films “Termina- Chinese real estate develop-
→ ALIBABA CONTINUED P.6 the Independent Film and Television Alli- tor: Dark Fate” flopping to become a $100 ment. Maverix Pictures, an
ance — sent out a message last week that million loser; the Le Merigot Hotel is no affiliated company of the par-
EXCLUSIVE Santa Monica was far away from the wild- longer offering AFM sales offices; and the ent, Maverix Group Holding,
fires that hit Southern California during ongoing angst over streaming services was co-founded with Ian Jes-
Raybaud’s the last week of October. like Netflix gaining traction is pervasive. sel, who takes on the roles of
Anton Tunes president and CEO. Jessel is
Up ‘Record’ “We would like to assure you that Brian O’Shea, who heads The Exchange, the Los Angeles-based former
there are no fires in Santa Monica,” AFM has opted to ditch the traditional room president of Spelling Films and
By LEO BARRACLOUGH said in a message.“Some media have → INDIES CONTINUED P.14 Miramax Intl.
→ MAVERIX CONTINUED P.14
SEBASTIEN R AYBAUD’S
production, finance and sales EXCLUSIVE
house Anton has picked up
worldwide sales rights to Pulsar Boards
music documentary “Laurent Thriller ‘Enemy’
Garnier: Off the Record,”
and is presenting the proj- By ELSA KESLASSY
ect to buyers at the American
Film Market. POPULAR SPANISH filmmaker
Kike Maíllo (“Eva,”“Toro”) is
The documentary looks at set to direct “A Perfect Enemy,”
the life of one of the godfathers a psychological thriller based
of house music, the pioneering on Amelie Nothomb’s bestsell-
DJ Laurent Garnier, from his ing novel “The Enemy’s Cos-
emergence on the music scene metique” with “Cold War” star
in the 1980s to the present day, Tomasz Kot and “The Good
and follows him on his 2018- Liar” actress Athena Strates set
2019 global tour. to headline.

The film, currently in Pulsar Content, the newly
post-production, is directed launched Paris sales company,
by Gabin Rivoire (“Violence has boarded the project and
With Benefits”), with whom will represent the film in inter-
Garnier collaborates on the national markets, kicking off
Yeah! Festival. with the AFM. UTA Indepen-
→ RAYBAUD CONTINUED P.14 dent Film Group will co-
→ PULSAR CONTINUED P.6

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