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Jeremy Thomas with Anne-Katrin Titze on his next mission, Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Jonathan Coe’s Mr. Wilder and Me to be directed by Stephen Frears and starring Christoph Waltz as Billy Wilder: “We’ve got all the locations in Corfu and Paris where the drama is set. Now I’m looking for eight million dollars more …”

In the first instalment with producer extraordinaire Jeremy Thomas we discuss his work and admiration for Nicolas Roeg, Wim Wenders, and Matteo Garrone.

Jeremy Thomas with Glenn Kenny and Michael Almereyda at the Posteritati Gallery reception Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Karel Reisz’s Everybody Wins (written by Arthur Miller) came to Jeremy’s mind; the connection between Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (winning nine Oscars), Paul Bowles and The Sheltering Sky; Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) plus Glazer’s Martin Amis adaption of The Zone Of Interest (a Main Slate selection of...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Afterschool, Christine, and Simon Killer (Antonio Campos)

Before his star-studded gothic drama The Devil All the Time lands on Netflix in a few weeks, Antonio Campos’ first three features arrive on the streaming platform this week. Each a fascinating career study in isolation and loneliness, captured with a formally controlled eye, it’ll be curious in comparison to see how Campos tackles his first true ensemble film. For now, it’s the perfect time to revisit this trio of impressive indies. – Jordan R.

Where to Stream: Netflix

The August Virgin (Jonás Trueba)

In the new movie The August Virgin, a young woman named Eva wanders the sidewalks and watering...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

All These Sleepless Nights (Michal Marczak)

Blurring the line between documentary and fiction like few films before it, Michal Marczak‘s All These Sleepless Nights is a music-filled ode to the ever-shifting bliss and angst of youth set mostly in the wee hours of the day in Warsaw, Poland. Marczak himself, who also plays cinematographer, is wary to delineate the line between narrative and nonfiction, and part of the...

Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This August will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.

To sign up for a free two-week trial here.

Tuesday, August 1

Tuesday’s Short + Feature: These Boots and Mystery Train

Music is at the heart of this program, which pairs a zany music video by Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki with a tune-filled career highlight from American independent-film pioneer Jim Jarmusch. In the 1993 These Boots, Kaurismäki’s band of pompadoured “Finnish Elvis” rockers, the Leningrad Cowboys, cover a Nancy Sinatra classic in their signature deadpan style. It’s the perfect prelude to Jarmusch’s 1989 Mystery Train, a homage to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the musical legacy of Memphis, featuring appearances by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Joe Strummer.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

The Boy and the Beast (Mamoru Hosoda)

Two worlds collide once young Kyuta (Shôta Sometani) and warrior Kumatetsu (Kôji Yakusho) meet in Mamoru Hosoda‘s The Boy and the Beast. The former was recently orphaned after his mother’s death (she had divorced his father years ago and her family refuses to get in touch with him), currently working his way towards becoming a solitary street...

Competition titles include Nicolas Windng Refn’s The Neon Demon [pictured], Jeff Nichols’ Loving and Xavier Dolan It’s Only The End Of The World.

The Cannes Film Festival unveiled the Official Selection for its 69th edition today at a packed press conference in Paris.

European heavyweights Pedro Almodovar, the Dardenne brothers and Ken Loach are among 20 filmmakers set to compete for the Palme d’Or.

There were few surprises in Competition – aside from the inclusion of Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, the first German film in Competition since Wim Wenders’s Palermo Shooting in 2008 – and the news that this year’s Palme d’Or winner will be the closing film.

The more exploratory Un Certain Regard section, however, welcomed a number of newcomers including Romanian director Bogdan Mirica’s Dogs, Us filmmaker Michael O’Shea’s The Transfiguration, and Personal Affairs (Omor Shakhsiya) by Maha Haj, a Palestinian citizen of Israel.

Cannes Film Festival general...

The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez

Director: Wim Wenders

Writers: Peter Handke, Wim Wenders

Although we weren’t very enthusiastic about Wenders’ 2015 3D Canadian set narrative Everything Will Be Fine, which premiered at Berlin, the auteur has lined up his next two features already. We’re intrigued about his adaptation of Peter Handke’s play The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez. Wenders has a long collaborative history with Handke (he produced 1978’s The Left Handed Woman, which was Handke’s directorial debut, premiering at Cannes). Handke’s play consists of a dialogue between a man and woman one summer night as they share their feelings on all sorts of subjects. The play has been described as ‘investigating how and what we talk about when we talk about love.” We’re excited to see Alfama Films producing, a production company which usually backs exciting cinema from some of the world’s best auteurs.

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

Every Thing Will Be Fine (Wim Wenders)

A three-hankie weepie that harks back in its melodramatic rhythms and constantly moves forward (or so it at least thinks) with its use of digital 3D, Every Thing Will Be Fine, Wim Wenders‘ first narrative feature since Palermo Shooting, is always flirting with being a white elephant. It would only require, say, two more bad scenes — more bizarre choices with regard to the performances,...

A three-hankie weepie that harks back in its melodramatic rhythms and constantly moves forward (or so it at least thinks) with its use of digital 3D, Every Thing Will Be Fine, Wim Wenders‘ first narrative feature since Palermo Shooting, is always flirting with being a white elephant. It would only require, say, two more bad scenes — more bizarre choices with regard to the performances, more bits of dialogue that get to the heart of a character’s grief with the grace of a drunk lumberjack, or at least fewer pretty images — to teeter into chaos. And this is what ultimately makes the picture most worthwhile: even those moments that raise the eyebrows sky-high still have a weird integrity and determination skating under the surface.

Approximately half the things you need to know about this movie are contained in its first few minutes, where treacly music and wistful snowflakes — all dancing...

After seven years of making short segments and documentaries, filmmaker Wim Wenders is returning to features once again in his next film.

Titled Every Thing Will Be Fine, the film now has a new trailer. Wenders takes on only directorial duties for the feature, working from a screenplay by Norwegian screenwriter Bjørn Olaf Johannessen. The German director works with a cast that includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rachel McAdams, Marie-Josée Croze, James Franco, and Peter Stormare.

The film’s synopsis is as follows:

While driving aimlessly after a quarrel with his girlfriend, a writer accidentally runs over and kills a child. The accident and its aftermath deeply traumatizes him. Over the next 12 years, he struggles to make sense of what happened and continue on with life, but when he looks in the mirror, he sees a murderer.

This will mark Wenders’ first feature film since 2008’s Palermo Shooting. Wenders, however, has been...

Every Thing Will Be Fine

Director: Wim Wenders // Writers: Bjorn Olaf Johannssen

New German Wave auteur Wim Wenders has lately been focusing on documentaries, both 2011’s Pina and 2013’s The Salt of the Earth visually resplendent explorations of their subject matters, providing the filmmaker with some of his most worthwhile titles in years. Wenders’ last feature was the poorly received Palermo Shooting in 2008 and he hasn’t had a universally celebrated fiction film in quite some time. Though sharing the same title as a 2010 Cristoffer Boe film, Wenders is again revisiting 3D (which he utilized for Pina) and an intriguing cast that consists of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Rachel McAdams promises to be an energetic new direction for Wenders, described as a family drama about a man who accidentally hits and kills a child while driving aimlessly around the outskirts of town after a trivial domestic quarrel.

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Charlotte Gainsbourg,...

Everything Will Be Fine

Director: Wim Wenders

Writer: Bjorn Olaff Johanessenn

Producers: Gian-Piero Ringel, Erwin M. Schmidt

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Rachel McAdams, James Franco, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marie-Josée Croze

Initially, Sarah Polley had been attached in the role that went to McAdams (we’re hoping it’s because Polley is hard at work on her adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace), but even still, for Wim Wender’s first fiction feature since 2008′s Palermo Shooting, it’s got quite the exciting cast (and yes, it bears the same title as a 2010 film from Danish filmmaker Cristoffer Boe). The 2011 documentary Pina apparently gave Wenders the 3D bug, so we are curious to see how that technology will further influence the art house auteur.

Gist: While driving aimlessly after a quarrel with his girlfriend, a writer accidentally runs over and kills a child. The accident and its aftermath deeply traumatizes him.

Hunger Games DoP Tom Stern and 12 Years a Slave cinematographer Sean Bobbitt among those chosen for jury duty.

The 21st Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography (Nov 16-23), has revealed the competition jurors who will judge entries at this year’s event in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Jury members of the main competition jury are:

Tom Stern, cinematographer (Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, The Hunger Games);Ed Lachman, cinematographer (Erin Brockovich, The Virgin Suicides, I’m Not There);Todd McCarthy, journalist and film critic;Denis Lenoir, cinematographer (Paris, je t’aime, Righteous Kill, 88 Minutes);Adam Holender, cinematographer (Midnight Cowboy, Smoke, Fresh);Timo Salminen, cinematographer (The Man Without a Past, La Havre, The Match Factory Girl);Franz Lustig, cinematographer (Don’t Come Knocking, Land of Plenty, Palermo Shooting);Jeffrey Kimball, cinematographer (Top Gun, Mission: Impossible II, The Expendables).Polish Films Competition

Jost Vacano, the cinematographer behind several Paul Verhoeven films including Total Recall, RoboCop and [link...

Pina’s director Wim Wenders continues to push the artistic and technical boundaries of 3D with his new 3D project, Every Thing Will Be Fine. The ever-busy, ever-Franco-centric James Franco has taken on the lead role in the upcoming drama. The celebrated German filmmaker’s (best known for the movies Wings of Desire and Paris, Texas) return to form on the narrative front always bubbles just below the surface. Every Thing Will Be Fine will mark his first dramatic feature since Palermo Shooting in 2008. Franco will portray Tomas, a writer, who accidentally finds himself implicated in the death of a child. Over the next twelve years, he...

Click to continue reading James Franco To Star In Wenders’ Every Thing Will Be Fine on www.filmofilia.com...

#98. Shade & Light

Gist: Co-directed with Juliano Salgado (the subject’s son), Shade & Light focuses on photographer and explorer Sebastião Salgado’s latest work an eight-year project (called Genesis) which discovers parts of the world still untouched by modern civilization. What we have here is also a layered docu – not only an exposé in far away places of the world, but a strained father and son alongside the presence of Wenders who returns to his first love: photography.

Prediction: Special Screenings category. Since the festival starting making a concerted effort in the last decade or so to include global/environmental issue documentaries, this could easily slide into a spot and considering that in the line-up and Wenders made the trip out to the Croisette on sixteen occasions (his last presence was for 2008′s Palermo Shooting) and in the naughts, he landed an Out of Competition slot on three separate occasions for...

Marco Mehlitz has joined Fox International Productions Germany as Head of Development and Production and will report directly to Sanford Panitch, President of Fox International Productions (Fip) in Los Angeles. Mehlitz’s new role will see him working closely with Managing Director, Fox Germany, Vincent de La Tour, and Senior Product Manager Local Productions and Acquisitions, Germar Tetzlaff in the development and production of German language movies. “Marco’s experience in both local German production and international coproduction will be a great asset for us”, said Panitch. De La Tour added: “In Marco Mehlitz we are delighted to have found an experienced personality of the film industry who will drive the production of local Fox projects forward.” Mehlitz, who grew up in Berlin and the USA, has over 15 years’ experience as a producer and co-producer of German and international films. He recently co-produced David Cronenberg’s film A Dangerous Method...

With her latest, excellent directorial effort "Take This Waltz" headed to theaters this summer, writer/director/actress Sarah Polley is going to step back in front of the camera for Wim Wenders' first narrative feature film since 2008's little seen and not particularly well received "Palermo Shooting."

Titled "Everything Will Be Fine," Wenders is taking his love of 3D, utilized on his celebrated dance doc "Pina" last year, into the drama penned by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen that, according to THR, is about a German magician who disappears in the wilds of Norway. But it seems their intel might be a bit off (either that, or the project has changed dramatically) as according to Wenders' production company Neue Road Movies, it's quite a different story. Here's their synopsis:

One day, driving aimlessly around the outskirts of town after a trivial domestic quarrel, Tomas accidentally hits and kills a child. The...

Peter Przygodda, the renowned editor who worked with Wim Wenders, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, Volker Schlöndorff, Hans W Geissendörfer, Reinhard Hauff, Klaus Lemke, Peter Handke and Romuald Karmakar, has died at the age of 70. He was, as Ekkehard Knörer writes in die taz, the most important editor — a term he preferred over another commonly used in Germany, "Cutter" — of the New German Cinema of the 70s and early 80s.

Though he'd originally intended to become an architect, Przygodda founded a small theater with Rolf Zacher and shot his first short film in 1969, Der Besuch auf dem Lande (The Visit to the Country), with Zacher taking on the lead role. Later that same year, he began working with Wenders on Summer in the City, striking up a friendship and professional partnership that would see them all the way through Palermo Shooting in 2008. Przygodda won the German Film Prize (Gold) for his work on...

"Apples and oranges" was my off-the-cuff reply to a critic I admire as we rose from our seats following a screening of Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams. He'd just muttered something to the effect of "sure beats Pina" and, while comparisons will be nearly impossible to resist — two giants of the New German Cinema have each made their first films in 3D, both of them documentaries, and, on that day in February, the Berlinale had just screened them back to back — I'm sticking with my initial verdict: apples and oranges.

Now Wim Wenders's Pina is playing in the UK and a few European countries, while Places, strange and quiet, an exhibition of nearly 40 large-scale photographs taken between 1983 and the present, is on view at Haunch of Venison in London through May 14 — the cover of the current issue of Sight & Sound, by the way, reads "The Third Coming...

Sundance Selects is acquiring the domestic rights to "Pina," director Wim Wenders' 3D documentary about dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. Wenders ("Wings of Desire," "Buena Vista Social Club") also wrote the screenplay and, with Gian-Piero Ringel ("Palermo Shooting," "Orly"), produced the movie. In its first four weeks in Germany, the movie grossed more than $4 million. It is set to premiere in France on April 6 and the U.K. April 12. HanWay Films licensed the movie in more than 40 international territories. Arianna Bocco, senior VP acquisitions & productions at Sundance negotiated the deal...

Music legend David Byrne was tapped last year to score an upcoming film starring Sean Penn, but it now seems that he will be joined on the project by Will Oldham, the bearded songwriter perhaps best known as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Both talents have had their share of experiences with composing for the screen in the past. Byrne has produced work for the HBO-series Big Love, the David Mackenzie film, Young Adam, as well as both Wall Street films. Songs by Oldham have been featured in films such as An Injury to One, The Broken Giant and Palermo Shooting....

The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia announces its complete program. There are still a few surprises to be confirmed, like the closing gala, but they have already put together the final list of films that will be screened at Sitges 09. Below you’ll find the titles of each film and their sections as well as links for the films that we have already reviewed here on Sound On Sight. Opening Film [Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009. Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009. Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009. The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008. [1] Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009. The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009. Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009. Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009. Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009. Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009. Grace. Paul Solet. 2009. [2] Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009. Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009. La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher. 2009. Ingrid. Eduard Cortés. 2009. Kinatay. Brillante Mendoza. 2009. Metropia. Tarik Saleh. 2009. Moon.

The full lineup has been announced, and among the load of genre fare that's been running the fest circuit are the world premiers of:

Vincenzo Natali's latest, Splice, which we're all excited about.

Simon Fellows twisted adaptation Malice in Wonderland (trailer)

Along some of our personal favorites:

Black Dynamite (friggin awesome)

Swiss scifi flick Cargo (trailer)

Pater Sparrow's incredible Stanislaw Lem adaptation 1 (review)

The Mo Brothers Indonesian slasher Macabre (review)

Atm (get it?) horror-comedy The Human Centipede (review)

Full list after the break.

Opening Film

[Rec]2. Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró. 2009.

Official FANTÀSTIC In Competition Section

Accident. Soi Cheang. 2009.

Accidents Happen. Andrew Lancaster. 2009.

The Children. Tom Shankland. 2008.

Cold Souls. Sophie Bartes. 2009.

The Countess. Julie Delpy. 2009.

Les Derniers Jours Du Monde. Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu. 2009.

Dogtooth (Kynodontas). Yorgos Lanthimos. 2009.

Dorian Gray. Oliver Parker. 2009.

Enter The Void. Gaspar Noé. 2009.

Grace. Paul Solet. 2009.

Heartless. Philip Ridley. 2009.

Hierro. Gabe Ibáñez. 2009.

La Horde. Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher.

Our correspondent Rosengje caught 22 films during her Cannes trip. Before Isabelle Huppert's jury bestows the coveted Palme D'Or, I thought we'd let Rosengje offer up her own jury-of-one highlights. She had to miss Precious, Broken Embraces and Un Prophète due to time constraints.

Her five favorite films were...

Marco Bellochio's Vincere. More on this further down.

Alejandro Amenábar's Agora (previous post)

Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank. This family drama was a major hit with the critics and could be up for prizes today. If Andrea Arnold sounds familiar just think Wasp, Oscar's 2004 short film winner about an irresponsible mother (Natalie Press) and her brood of babies. That was a stunning 26 minutes of film so I'm eager to see this one.

Quentin Tarantino's "kosher revenge porn" Inglourious BasterdsJane Campion's Bright Star (previous post)

She also wanted to name '10 things that stuck with me most' with honorable mentions...

Cannes -- Palme d'Or winner and digital film enthusiast Wim Wenders' next project is "Pina," a collaboration with avant-garde choreographer Pina Bausch on what is being called the first 3-D dance feature.

Shooting is set to begin in September, with Wenders' Neue Road Movies shingle producing in collaboration with Bausch's dance theater in Wuppertal, Germany.

"Only mainstream 3-D films have been available so far," Neue Road producer Gian-Piero Ringel said. "With 'Pina,' we (will) offer the first highly artistic 3-D film. We will set a new benchmark for 3-D."

Bausch, whose unique choreography is credited with revolutionizing the language of modern dance, will act as choreographer for the dance performance Wenders plans to capture on film.

French cinematographer Alain Derobe will lens the film.

Wenders' longtime sales partners Hanway Films will handle international rights.

The director's last feature, "Palermo Shooting," premiered last year In Competition at Cannes.

Berlin – "John Rabe," an historic biopic about the German business man who saved 200,000 Chinese civilians from the Nanking massacre, is the front runner for this year's German Film Awards – or Lolas – with seven nominations.

The film's nominations include best film, best director for Florian Gallenberger and a best actor for star Ulrich Tukur as Rabe.

Steve Buscemi also picked up a nomination as best supporting actor for his role as an idealistic American doctor who helps Rabe. It was one of the few Lola nominations ever given to a non-German actor.

Uli Edel's Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated terrorist drama "The Baader Meinhof Complex" picked up four Lola noms, including best film and best actress for Johanna Wokalek.

"Chiko," a gangster movie by first time director Ozgur Yildirim, surprised many by also nabbing a best film nom along with ones for Yildirim's screenplay, for lead actor Denis Moschitto and for editor Sebastian Thumler.

When Palermo Shooting debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last year, it was considered the emo kid of the competition. It was mopey, it was pretentious, and everyone hated it. The Cannes crowd gleefully laughed, booed and viciously panned the film, calling it the worst of the fest. Now it’s making its Us premiere Tuesday at Berlin Beyond, in the midst of this year’s Wim Wenders tribute that awards him a Lifetime Achievement in Directing. Also on the schedule are a screening of Kings of the Road and a documentary about Wenders’ early years by Marcel Wehn called One Who Set Forth.

Calling Wim Wenders an important filmmaker is a no-brainer. His fascinating filmography features an impressive number of undeniable classics. Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire and The State of Things are modern masterpieces that offer a unique and linear vision of cinema and our century. Over the years, those movies became somekind of a responsability for Wenders. His followers always expect from him a new American Friend and the German director can’t seem to pull it off. His recent films are either forgettable exercices in social comment (Land of Plenty, The End of Violence) or musical documentaries where the subject gets all the credits (Buena Vista Social Club). The release of Don’t Come Knocking in 2005 showed a sign of a certain return in form from Wenders. Some of the magic was back on the screen. Palermo Shooting, his newest film, carries the same energy and, even known it’s...

The European Film Promotion (EFP) and the San Sebastian International Film Festival (September 18-27) launched a new promotion initiative entitled "European Distributors: Up Next".

Ten independent distributors from Central and Eastern Europe attending the festival discussed the possibilities of theatrical distribution on a European level. Since the majority of European producers do not cross national borders, the meetings in San Sebastian were aimed to create possible platform and networking opportunities to improve the circulation of European productions.

• From Slovenia, Natasa Bucar, project manager of the cultural center Cankarjev Dom, a public institution that organizes many events promoting film, including the Ljubljana International Film Festival has been in art film distribution for the last 15 years. They distribute five to six titles every year to fill the gap in theatrical distribution of European high-profile films in Slovenia. Priority is given to established and not always well-known European and other international filmmakers. Their last distributed titles were Neil Jordan’s ‘Breakfast on Pluto’, Tony Gatlif’s ‘Transylvania’, Bent Hamer’s ‘Factotum’, Dagur Kari’s ‘Dark Horse’, Corneliu Porumboiu’s ‘12:08 East of Bucharest’, Roy Andersson’s ‘You, the Living’, Pascale Ferran’s ‘Lady Chatterley’, Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ and Shane Meadows’ ‘This Is England’.

Besides Cankarjev Dom, there are only four arthouse cinemas in Slovenia. They need more along with arthouse cinema networks to enable better film promotion. In Slovenia, like everywhere in Europe, the number of cinema viewers has fallen drastically. Audiences focus on fewer films, the top 20 films take up to almost 50% of the market in Slovenia.

• From Hungary, Rita Linda Potyondi of Cirko Film - Másképp Foundation, the only Hungarian distributor to operate as a non-profit-foundation, they also own one theater in Budapest. Working on a showstring budget, they are guided by personal tastes and focus on international and particularly European ‘difficult’ auteur films with targeted or limited audiences, especially those that explore themes related to discriminated groups: homosexuals, handicapped people, ethnic or religious minorities and victims of family abuse. Their last releases include films by Robert Guédiguian, Bruno Dumont, Fernando Leon de Aranoa, Baltasar Kormakur, Alain Corneau, Bruno Podalydès, Bertrand Bonello, Claire Denis, Ferzan Ozpetek, Catalin Mitulescu and Oskar Roehler. A recent surprise success was Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘Adam's Apples’ which became a sort of cult film. They also did well with Palme d’Or-winner ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’, and ‘Persepolis’, Susanne Bier’s ‘After the Wedding, ‘Red Road’, ‘My Brother Is An Only Child’, ‘A Soap’, ‘Our Daily Bread’. Upcoming are the Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's ‘Lorna’s Silence’, Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Belepine’s ‘Louise Michel’, Nic Balthazar’s ‘Ben X’, Simon Staho’s ‘Heaven’s Heart’, Ole Christian Madsen’s ‘Kira’s Reason’, Josef Fares’ ‘Leo’, Anders Thomas Jensen’s ‘The Green Butchers’ and ‘Flickering Lights’, and Ole Bornedal’s ‘Just Another Love Story’.

• Czech distributor Artcam’s Managing Director Premysl Martinek knows he is fighting an uphill battle. In 2007 combined total admissions for Artcam's films were under 50,000 — 0.4 percent of the national total. By comparison, leading distributor Falcon drew more than 4,000,000 viewers with its films, nearly a third of the market. However Martinek is convinced there is room in the market for small distributors and is interested in the shared challenges, from the opportunities offered by digital distribution and video-on-demand to how to negotiate with producers on minimum guarantees. The main problem is cultivating an audience. “It's very different from in Holland or Germany, where there are audiences for arthouse films,” he says.

Most of Artcam's target market is in Prague, home to roughly 1,000,000 people where European film is largely restricted to a handful of single-screen theatres, while the city's 14 multiplexes focus primarily on Hollywood imports and successful local films.

Artcam has distributed some of the most widely heralded European films of recent years, including Ole Madsen's drama ‘Prague’, ‘Persepolis’ and ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. The international success of such films has attracted the attention of larger distributors who are now crowding the arena. This year in Cannes when they tried to acquire ‘Waltz with Bashir’, there was greater competition. Martinek says arthouse is an important part of any film culture, and lack of access to European films is hurting Czech cinema because if they lack exposure to the cinema of other countries, from new ways of narration, they cannot develop their own cinema. The Czech Ministry of Education has introduced media studies to secondary school curricula to show young people that film is “not just fun and popcorn. It's also art.”

• Polish distribution company Gutek’s Jakub Duszyński, artistic director and head of programming (along with Roman Gutek) at the Muranow movie theater also programs for the different festivals held at the theatre and for Poland’s largest film event, the Era New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw. A lawyer by training and a fan of Asian genre films, Duszynski has also set up a distribution company (Blink) specializing in this type of film.

Gutek Film has always been a launching pad for auteur films and has released films by Lars Von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Jim Jarmush and Wong Kar-Wai. Every year, they distribute two or three films not aimed solely at auteur film enthusiasts, but also at multiplex audiences. Among such titles are Tom Tykwer’s ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer’ and ‘Control’. Coming up are Polish features including Jerzy Skolimowski’s ‘Four Nights With Anna’, Piotr Lazarkiewicz’s ‘0_1_0’ and Katarzyna Adamik’s ‘Boisko bezdomnych’. They distribute almost exclusively European films. The box office is certainly dominated by US films, but by only a few titles which often have, interestingly, something European about them, for example they may be inspired by European literature.

• Slovakia’s Michal Drobny is marketing manager for Slovak distributor Continental Film. Slovakia sees 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 admissions in a year. A successful film for Continental is 10,000 to 15,000 admissions, as compared to one of the Harry Potter films which will have 200,000 admissions.

Continental releases 30 to 40 films a year and, thanks largely to its partnership with Warner Bros, enjoys a market share of 20%–30%. Continental also serve as Slovak distribution partners for Hollywood Classic Entertainment, which often buys rights to European and arthouse titles for several Eastern European territories at once. Continental acquires other titles through direct negotiation with the producers, usually from the Czech Republic. Drobny seldom attends festivals other than Berlin. This year is his first visit to San Sebastian.

Margins are tight for Continental, which is the second or third largest distributor in Slovakia. Continental is also a 30% shareholder in Slovak multiplex chain Cinemax, which owns nine cinemas countrywide. Continental also operated Bratislava's only arthouse cinema until it was turned into a congress hall.

Continental counts on public money for a small portion of its operating budget. The Slovak Ministry of Culture gives support up to a maximum of SKK 160,000 (€5,500) for the distribution of European films which covers the cost of two or three prints. Continental also receives funding through the MEDIA automatic support scheme, typically receiving 40 to 60 cents per admission for European films.

Drobny says this public support is welcome but it's seldom enough to make a real difference to distributors. “A print for a US title costs $300 [€210]. For a European title, the cost is $1,000–1500 [€700–1,000] for the print, plus I still need to pay for the all the marketing materials and the cost of subtitles,” he says. “We can't be surprised that American films are everywhere.”

Not surprisingly few European films secure distribution in Slovakia. Cinemax promotes European and arthouse film through its Artmax program and screens independent films once a week, sometimes for free. Current titles in the selection include ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’, ‘The Secret Life of Words’, ‘The Science of Sleep’, ‘Volver’ and ‘Angel’. In cooperation with the Embassy of Spain, Continental and Cinemax are creating a Spanish Days celebration of Spanish cinema at Cinemax locations in November.

Drobny has hopes that digital cinema will help small distributors, but believes it will be five to ten years before the major studios settle on a common format. Even then, the costs of converting screens will be challenging for the private sector. “To install one 2K digital system costs SKK 3m–4m [€100,000–132,000] and we have 37 screens, so it's a lot of money,” he says. “We'd like to invest but it will take a long time to see a return on that investment.”

• From Romania, Transilvania Film, founded by Tudor Giurgiu and currently run by Stefan Bradea is one of the successful pioneers of arthouse film distribution in Romania. At first they distributed mainly British, German and Scandinavian features but gradually turned to quality Romanian films, genre pictures, even some mainstream American movies. Their eclectic selection is targeted to the highly educated public, basically university graduates under 35. Their latest premiere was ‘Non pensarci’ by Gianni Zanasi, an Italian comedy. Coming up are Gus Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’ and a few Romanian films: Horatiu Malaele’s ‘Silent Wedding’, Adrian Sitaru’s ‘Hooked’ and Anca Damian’s debut, ‘Crossing Dates’. Their most profitable film was Tudor Giurgiu’s ‘Love Sick’ with 20,800 admissions and a box office gross of over €50,000. Other successful features were Neil Burger’s ‘The Illusionist’, with 11,500 admissions, and ‘Paris Je T’Aime’, with 9,715 admissions.

Film distribution business in Romania is rather unstable. There are eight active distributors bringing 150-160 features every year to 40-50 screens around the country. The number of distributors is growing and it is becoming a overserved field.

The Romanian mainstream public has little interest in European arthouse film and there are very few available screens, no arthouse cinemas and a poor DVD and TV arthouse market. And there is competition among distributors.

• Stefan Kitanov is the founder of the most important annual film event in Bulgaria, the Sofia International Film Festival. In 2001 he founded ART FEST Ltd., the company behind Sofia IFF. The same company is one of the key European film distributors in Bulgaria. ART FEST Ltd. has three components: production, distribution and exhibition.

Most recent releases include Fatih Akin’s ‘The Edge of Heaven’, ‘The Palermo Shooting ‘by Wim Wenders and ‘Delta’ by Kornel Mundruczo. The most successful releases were Francois Ozon’s ‘Swimming Pool’ and ‘Crossing the Bridge’ by Fatih Akin with 8,000 to 10,000 admissions.

Such a distribution business is not profitable. Festival audiences like European films but the general audience likes Hollywood films. Festival audiences don’t go to regular cinemas. The general audience goes to regular cinemas, therefore European films don’t go regularly to mainstream cinemas. There need to be events around the distribution of European films so that they be seen, such as a traveling package going to different towns, whether it is with 35mm or video screenings. There are less than 30 towns in Bulgaria with cinemas.

• From Estonia, Katrin Rajaare of Tallinnfilm, a state-owned company that used to produce the majority of Estonian films during the Soviet era has stopped production and sold its studio and now focuses on restoration of its archives. In 2004, Tallinnfilm began operating as an arthouse cinema and a year later started a distribution operation to ensure continuous programming for the cinema. Tallinnfilm acquires the rights to 12-16 films a year, mostly European films, with some titles from Asia and the US. As a state-owned company, Tallinnfilm buys mostly Estonian theatrical rights only. It is the second largest distribution company in Estonia, with a market share of 2.6%. In the Baltic countries, all rights are acquired for smaller films and shared with Lithuania’s Skalvija and Latvia’s Kino Riga. Their biggest hit in 2007 was ‘La Vie en Rose’ with 9,606 paid admissions. This film was number 43 in the 2007 national box office chart. Only US and Estonian films were at the top of the chart. Recent acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ and ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ to be released around Christmas and the beginning of 2009.

There is a small, steady market for arthouse titles in the capital city of Tallinn, but the recent opening of a five-screen miniplex in the second city, Tartu (96,000 inhabitants), has brought hope from the outskirts as well. There are very few towns where you can screen European films, although the cinemas have received public support for technical equipment and should screen arthouse titles, but the reality is that you can’t force cinemas to screen certain films that won’t bring in audiences.

• From Lithuania Skalvija, an exhibitor since 1962 under the name of Planeta became the only arthouse in Lithuania in 1992. It has only one screen and 88 seats and is subsidized by the Vilnius Municipality. Located in the city center; it promotes quality cinema and pays special attention to young audiences and education. Its market share as an exhibitor is 1.11%. Two major multiplex theatres share 70 % of the entire Lithuanian exhibition market. Greta Akcijonaite heads its recent arthouse film distribution activity. Over the last two years they have released 10 films theatrically, and another 5 have been acquired for Lithuania and/or all the Baltic States. As a very small and specialized distributor, Skalvija has a market share of 0.64%. Most recent releases were the Danish film ‘Adam's Apples’, with almost 8,000 admissions and the Spanish film ‘Dark Blue Almost Black’ with over 6000 admissions. Recent acquisitions include Sam Garbarski’s ‘Irina Palm’ (Belgium/UK), Kornel Mundruczo’s ‘Delta’ (Hungary), the Palme d’Or winner ‘The Class’ (France) by Laurent Cantet, Thomas Clay’s ‘Soy Cowboy’ (Thailand/UK), Ruben Östlund’s’ Involuntary’ (Sweden), and Ilmar Raag’s ‘The Class’ (Estonia).

The market share of the European films released theatrically was 25% in 2007 although the share of admissions to European films was only 11%. There is definitely a lack of venues for screening European and quality films.

• Latvia’s Oskars Killo heads Acme Film Sia the leading independent film distributor in Latvia, established in 2004 and owned by Acme, a Lithuanian based company. The rights for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are bought by the mother company in Lithuania. In 2007, Acme Film had 62 theatrical releases and a 25% market share. In 2008, the number of films released will be the same, but the revenue is expected to be higher. In 2008, Acme Film has had such European successes as French films ‘99 Francs’ and ‘Asterix at the Olympic Games’, and Spain’s ‘The Orphanage’. The last European hit was ‘2 Days in Paris’, released on one print on July 4, 2008 and still in release with 12,500 admissions thus far. ‘Cash’ was released on one print on August 1 and has 8,500 admissions so far. The results for ‘2 Days in Paris’ and ‘Cash’ are comparable to recent US releases in Latvia such as ‘The X-Files 2’, and ‘Disaster Movie’. Recent European acquisitions include ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, ‘Paris’, ‘JCVD’, ‘The Duchess’, ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’, ‘Vinyan’, ‘Ne te retourne pas’ among others.

In 2007, European films had a 18.3% market share, US films a 66% market share, the rest of the world 10.1% and national films a 5.5% market share.

Autumn has just begun and Montreal is about to end its annual film festival frenzy with the 37th edition of the Festival du Nouveau Cinema (New Cinema Festival). The popular event has the reputation of offering to its audience the best cinema has to offer over the year and the line-up this year is phenomenal. All the big hits from TIFF are there (Tokyo Sonata, Synecdoche, New York, Martyrs, JCVD and many more) along with some titles that were surprisingly absent from this year’s line-up, including Philippe Garrel’s La Frontière de l’aube, a new cut of Wim Wender’s Palermo Shooting and Laurent Cantet’s Entre les murs, the winner of the 2008 Palme d’or. Quebecois cinema will be as usual well represented with new work from the province’s key authors, including Robert Morin, Denis Côte, Rodrigue Jean and Rafael Ouellet. The icing on the cake...

• When do the organizers of the Cannes film festival revoke the VIP card? When does the red carpet become off limits to folks who've worn out their welcome. Thus should be the case for German filmmaker Wim Wenders who received a Cannes main competition invite for his latest feature - a road movie that Variety described as "pretentious and inconsequential", and that many colleagues of mine walked out during the mid way mark of the official screening. With the exception of the Ry Cooder motivated docu film on Cuban musicians Buena Vista Social Club, many would argue that we haven't had anything to cheer about in the Wenders camp since 1987's Wings of Desire. Among the five or so pictures that I did not bother with in the competition titles at Cannes this year is The Palermo Shooting - a drama with wheels about a successful photographer Finn

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• Here is the complete 2008 Cannes Line Up. Main Competition: Nuri Bilge Ceylan - Three Monkeys (Turkey-France-Italy) Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne - Le Silence De Lorna (France-Belgium)Arnaud Desplechin - A Christmas Story (France) Clint Eastwood - Changeling (Us)Atom Egoyan - Adoration (Canada) Ari Folman - Waltz With Bashir (Israel) Philippe Garrel - La Frontiere De L'Aube (France) Matteo Garrone - Gomorra (Italy)Charlie Kaufman - Synecdoche, New York (Us) Eric Khoo - My Magic (Singapore) Lucretia Martel - La Mujer Sin Cabeza (Argentina-Spain) Brillante Mendoza - Serbis (The Philippines) Kornel Mondruczo - Delta (Hungary-Germany) Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas - Linha de Passe (Brazil) Paolo Sorrentino - Il Divo (Italy) Pablo Trapero - Lion's Den (Argentina-South Korea) Wim Wenders - The Palermo Shooting (Germany) Jia Zhangke - 24 City (China)Steven Soderbergh - Che (Us-Spain-France) -- one four-hour competion title comprised of The Argentine and Guerrilla Out of competitionSteven Spielberg -

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• The heavyweights category (main comp) this year has a slew of great filmmakers - but it is the last experienced filmmakers that might make more of a splash. I'm guessing that the below five will send the buyers and critics into a frenzy...as well as get a sure shot at the Palme D'or... . Adoration (Atom Egoyan)Egoyan continues exploring themes of identity with a coming-of-age film in the age of the internet. Adoration may just be his best work since The Sweet Hereafter. La Mujer Sin Cabeza (The Headless Woman) (Lucrecia Martel) Remaining with the theme of identity (a device found in her last picture Holy Girl, Argentinean director Lucrecia Martel brings a dramatic character study about a woman who believes to be guilty of something – but she is not sure what. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)The only directorial debut given a slot in the prestigious section

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• Surprise, surprise! Last week’s misleading speculations of titles pulling out and the odd closer for the 61st edition of the Cannes film festival were indeed debunked. Soderbergh's pair of Che films (The Argentine and Guerrilla) come as a possible four-hour epic (hopefully with at least one pee break), Woody Allen takes another out of comp slot with Vicky Cristina Barcelona and so far, there are no opening or closing titles announced. Unlike last year’s edition, this is a loaded with world preems year with the exception being Marina Zenovich's Roman Polanski docu. Films that were to be expected were confirmed, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s comes with a differently titled film that will take some getting used to from the former "Daydreams" to Three Monkeys, Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York was a shoe-in since it was first introduced at last year’s Cannes, native Arnaud Desplechin

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• After some maligned soul searching journeys in contemporary America (Land of Plenty and Don't Come Knocking), it appears that Wim Wenders is officially headed back to his euro-roots, carrying some American friends in his luggage. Screen Daily reports that Dennis Hopper (The American Friend) and musical vets who have contributed to Wender's work ion the past in Lou Reed and Patti Smith are joining his German produced romantic travelogue.   Originally titled Lisbon Story, Palermo Shooting has began shooting in Duesseldorf yesterday. Starring a slew of German actors and the lead singer of German punk band Die Toten Hosen, this is about a photographer Finn who is experiencing an existential crisis. Finn's quest for an answer to the meaning of life sends him on a journey from Duesseldorf to Palermo - and along the way he finds a new love. The production by Wenders' own outfit Wenders Images in collaboration with broadcasters Zdf and Arte,

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MILAN -- Award-winning German director Wim Wenders on Monday said that he is beginning work on Palermo Story, a drama based on a Sicilian love affair between a middle-aged German man and a younger local girl.

Wenders, an Oscar nominee for his 2000 documentary Buena Vista Social Club, announced the plans for the film in Palermo, his first visit to the city in nearly 40 years. His announcement was short on details, but he did say that the story was only partially written and the cast has not yet been selected. He plans to start shooting in September or October.

Funded partially with cash from the Sicilian Regional Film Commission along with the regional government and tourist boards, Wenders said that the story will strongly reflect its location.

"I want this city (Palermo) to tell me its story," Wenders said, adding that the cast will be comprised of a mix of local and foreign actors.

The municipal government in Palermo issued a statement Monday saying it considered the filming of the new Wenders film the "cultural highlight" of the year for the city.