Since co-founding Moscow-based production house Hype Film in 2011, Ilya Stewart and partner Murad Osmann – Variety Producers to Watch in 2018 – have grown the company from an award-winning commercial and music video producer into one of the most successful film production outfits in the country, thanks in no small part to their partnership with arthouse director and provocateur Kirill Serebrennikov.
After collaborating on his 2016 Un Certain Regard prize winner “The Student,” Serebrennikov and Stewart teamed up again on “Leto,” a rock drama which played in competition on the Croisette in 2018. Last year they competed again with “Petrov’s Flu,” a hallucinatory romp through a post-Soviet Russia in the grips of a mysterious flu pandemic.
Serebrennikov, however, was forced to sit out both premieres in the wake of his house arrest – and a subsequent travel ban – stemming from a 2017 charge of embezzlement that his supporters say was fabricated. Walking the red carpet ahead of the “Petrov’s Flu” debut,...
After collaborating on his 2016 Un Certain Regard prize winner “The Student,” Serebrennikov and Stewart teamed up again on “Leto,” a rock drama which played in competition on the Croisette in 2018. Last year they competed again with “Petrov’s Flu,” a hallucinatory romp through a post-Soviet Russia in the grips of a mysterious flu pandemic.
Serebrennikov, however, was forced to sit out both premieres in the wake of his house arrest – and a subsequent travel ban – stemming from a 2017 charge of embezzlement that his supporters say was fabricated. Walking the red carpet ahead of the “Petrov’s Flu” debut,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Moscow-based Ilya Stewart is one of the international film industry’s rising stars. After founding production co Hype in 2011 with Murad Osmann, the pair have rapidly grown the outfit into one of the hottest names in Russia across commercials, music videos, and feature films. Unsurprisingly, TV is also now in the company’s sights.
Hype has amassed an impressive number of credits over its first decade of operation, but Stewart is largely recognized for his work with Kirill Serebrennikov. Their first film together, 2016’s The Student, won the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes, and they returned two years later with Leto, which was selected to screen in Competition.
Their latest collaboration is Petrov’s Flu, the surreal and engaging story tracking a day in the life of a comic book artist suffering from the flu, which causes him to drift between fantasy and reality. The film, which is adapted...
Hype has amassed an impressive number of credits over its first decade of operation, but Stewart is largely recognized for his work with Kirill Serebrennikov. Their first film together, 2016’s The Student, won the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes, and they returned two years later with Leto, which was selected to screen in Competition.
Their latest collaboration is Petrov’s Flu, the surreal and engaging story tracking a day in the life of a comic book artist suffering from the flu, which causes him to drift between fantasy and reality. The film, which is adapted...
- 7/8/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Matrix and Joker co-producer Village Roadshow Pictures is teaming with Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho (The Batman) and XYZ Films (Mandy) for the English-language remake of recently-released Russian sci-fi-thriller Sputnik.
Set in the Soviet Union in the 1980s during the Cold War, the film follows a young female doctor who is recruited by the military to assess a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous organism living inside him. The English-language remake is currently in development.
Producers for the remake include Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan and Rafi Crohn for 6th & Idaho, Mikhail Vrubel and Alexander Andryushenko for Vodorod Pictures, Fedor Bondarchuk for Art Pictures and Ilya Stewart for Hype Film.
Egor Abramenko, Murad Osmann, Pavel Burya, Alina Tyazhlova and Mila Rozanova are executive producers. XYZ Films also serves as executive producers. Jillian Apfelbaum (Late Night) will oversee for Village Roadshow Pictures.
The...
Set in the Soviet Union in the 1980s during the Cold War, the film follows a young female doctor who is recruited by the military to assess a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous organism living inside him. The English-language remake is currently in development.
Producers for the remake include Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan and Rafi Crohn for 6th & Idaho, Mikhail Vrubel and Alexander Andryushenko for Vodorod Pictures, Fedor Bondarchuk for Art Pictures and Ilya Stewart for Hype Film.
Egor Abramenko, Murad Osmann, Pavel Burya, Alina Tyazhlova and Mila Rozanova are executive producers. XYZ Films also serves as executive producers. Jillian Apfelbaum (Late Night) will oversee for Village Roadshow Pictures.
The...
- 3/29/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Moscow-based company is looking for partners at EFM.
Moscow’s Hype Film, whose credits include Mona Fastvold’s Venice Competition contender The World To Come and Kirill Serebrennikov’s buzzy Petrov’s Flu (sold by Charades), is lining up a project exploring the lives of contemporary Russians with disabilities.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
Moscow’s Hype Film, whose credits include Mona Fastvold’s Venice Competition contender The World To Come and Kirill Serebrennikov’s buzzy Petrov’s Flu (sold by Charades), is lining up a project exploring the lives of contemporary Russians with disabilities.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
- 3/4/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Moscow’s Hype Film, whose credits include Mona Fastvold’s Venice Competition contender The World To Come and Kirill Serebrennikov’s buzzy Petrov’s Flu (sold by Charades), is lining up a project exploring the lives of contemporary Russians with disabilities.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
Smirnova co-wrote the screenplay with novelist/screenwriter Marina Stepnova.
The Carpenter is to be directed by Avdotya (Dunya) Smirnova, whose previous filmmaker credits include Two Days (2011) starring Fedor Bondarchuk, and Andrei Konchalovsky’s 2007 comedy drama Gloss, which she co-wrote.
Smirnova’s drama will look at the experiences of parents who make huge sacrifices to give their disabled child a comfortable life.
Smirnova co-wrote the screenplay with novelist/screenwriter Marina Stepnova.
- 3/4/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The Owner
Russian director Yury Bykov continues a prolific streak with sixth feature The Owner, a Russian-Swiss-uk co-pro with Ilya Stewart, Pavel Buria and Murad Osmann of Moscow’s Hype Film on board. The new project is a welcome continuation, especially considering Bykov had announced his retirement from cinema after 2018’s The Factory due to critiques and misinterpretation of his intentions directing the television series “Sleepers” in 2017, which many saw as a defense of Russia’s tyrannical regime and a betrayal from Bykov, whose films are social commentaries about contemporary Russian life. Bykov has increasingly become one of Russia’s most well-traveled and internationally recognized directors over the past decade.…...
Russian director Yury Bykov continues a prolific streak with sixth feature The Owner, a Russian-Swiss-uk co-pro with Ilya Stewart, Pavel Buria and Murad Osmann of Moscow’s Hype Film on board. The new project is a welcome continuation, especially considering Bykov had announced his retirement from cinema after 2018’s The Factory due to critiques and misinterpretation of his intentions directing the television series “Sleepers” in 2017, which many saw as a defense of Russia’s tyrannical regime and a betrayal from Bykov, whose films are social commentaries about contemporary Russian life. Bykov has increasingly become one of Russia’s most well-traveled and internationally recognized directors over the past decade.…...
- 1/4/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Vadim Perelman’s “Persian Lessons” will represent Belarus in the best international feature film race at the 2021 Oscars, Variety has learned.
The WWII drama, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this year, stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“Beats Per Minute”) as a Belgian Jew who narrowly avoids execution by a Nazi firing squad when he claims to be Persian. Desperate to save himself, he offers to teach Farsi — a language he does not know — to the head of the camp, played by German star Lars Eidinger (“Clouds of Sils Maria”).
Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog”) directed from a script by Ilya Zofin, based on the story “Erfindung Einer Sprache” by Wolfgang Kohlhaase. “Persian Lessons” is produced by Moscow-based Hype Film (“Leto”) and co-produced by Berlin-based Lm Media and One Two Films in association with Belarusfilm. Memento Films International is handling world sales.
“The film is especially important and relevant in our time,...
The WWII drama, which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this year, stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“Beats Per Minute”) as a Belgian Jew who narrowly avoids execution by a Nazi firing squad when he claims to be Persian. Desperate to save himself, he offers to teach Farsi — a language he does not know — to the head of the camp, played by German star Lars Eidinger (“Clouds of Sils Maria”).
Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog”) directed from a script by Ilya Zofin, based on the story “Erfindung Einer Sprache” by Wolfgang Kohlhaase. “Persian Lessons” is produced by Moscow-based Hype Film (“Leto”) and co-produced by Berlin-based Lm Media and One Two Films in association with Belarusfilm. Memento Films International is handling world sales.
“The film is especially important and relevant in our time,...
- 12/1/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Bleecker Street has acquired the North American rights to “The World to Come,” a period drama and romance starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby that made its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
“The World to Come” is directed by Mona Fastvold and won the Queer Lion Award at the festival and the Fanheart3 Award. Bleecker Street has yet to set release plans.
“The World to Come” is set in the mid-19th century along the frontier of America’s Eastern shorlines and follows Waterston and Kirby as two farm wives who form an intense love affair apart from their husbands, even as they battle hardship, isolation from the outside world and are challenged both mentally and physically.
Casey Affleck and Christopher Abbott co-star in the film. Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard wrote the screenplay. Affleck is also a producer on the film along with Whitaker Lader, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa,...
“The World to Come” is directed by Mona Fastvold and won the Queer Lion Award at the festival and the Fanheart3 Award. Bleecker Street has yet to set release plans.
“The World to Come” is set in the mid-19th century along the frontier of America’s Eastern shorlines and follows Waterston and Kirby as two farm wives who form an intense love affair apart from their husbands, even as they battle hardship, isolation from the outside world and are challenged both mentally and physically.
Casey Affleck and Christopher Abbott co-star in the film. Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard wrote the screenplay. Affleck is also a producer on the film along with Whitaker Lader, Pamela Koffler, David Hinojosa,...
- 9/17/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Bleecker Street has bought U.S. rights to Mona Fastvold’s “The World to Come,” a period romance with Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, rolling off its critically acclaimed premiere in competition at the 77th Venice Film Festival.
Repped in the U.S. by UTA Independent Film Group, Endeavor Content and ICM Partners, the Venice breakout was being circled by four bidders beginning the night of its premiere on Sept. 6.
Based on the stellar reviews and strong buzz that “The World to Come” garnered in Venice, it will likely be a serious Oscar contender if Bleecker Street is able to release it on time. There is no release date planned yet.
Kirby, whose performance has been unanimously praised, was on double duty at Venice where she starred in another competition film, Kornél Mundruczó’s “Pieces of a Woman.”
“The World to Come” marks the sophomore outing of actress-turned-filmmaker Mona Fastvold,...
Repped in the U.S. by UTA Independent Film Group, Endeavor Content and ICM Partners, the Venice breakout was being circled by four bidders beginning the night of its premiere on Sept. 6.
Based on the stellar reviews and strong buzz that “The World to Come” garnered in Venice, it will likely be a serious Oscar contender if Bleecker Street is able to release it on time. There is no release date planned yet.
Kirby, whose performance has been unanimously praised, was on double duty at Venice where she starred in another competition film, Kornél Mundruczó’s “Pieces of a Woman.”
“The World to Come” marks the sophomore outing of actress-turned-filmmaker Mona Fastvold,...
- 9/17/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Principal shooting is set to begin next month on the latest feature from critically acclaimed Russian director Yury Bykov, whose sophomore film “The Major” played in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, Variety has learned.
“The Owner” is produced by Ilya Stewart, Pavel Buria, and Murad Osmann of Moscow-based Hype Film, in their first collaboration with Kinopoisk, Russia’s leading streaming platform. Olga Filipuk is producing for Kinopoisk, which is owned by search engine Yandex.
Also co-producing are Dan Wechsler and Jamal Zeinal Zade of Switzerland’s Bord Cadre Films and Andreas Roald of the U.K.’s Sovereign Films, who are both co-producers on Cannes Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund’s upcoming feature “Triangle of Sadness.” Mexico’s Pimienta Films headed by Nicolas Celis (“Roma”), and Jim Stark are on board as executive producers.
Handling world sales and boarding the film as co-producers are Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, and Pierre Mazars of Paris-based Charades.
“The Owner” is produced by Ilya Stewart, Pavel Buria, and Murad Osmann of Moscow-based Hype Film, in their first collaboration with Kinopoisk, Russia’s leading streaming platform. Olga Filipuk is producing for Kinopoisk, which is owned by search engine Yandex.
Also co-producing are Dan Wechsler and Jamal Zeinal Zade of Switzerland’s Bord Cadre Films and Andreas Roald of the U.K.’s Sovereign Films, who are both co-producers on Cannes Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund’s upcoming feature “Triangle of Sadness.” Mexico’s Pimienta Films headed by Nicolas Celis (“Roma”), and Jim Stark are on board as executive producers.
Handling world sales and boarding the film as co-producers are Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, and Pierre Mazars of Paris-based Charades.
- 9/15/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
You may have heard his name uttered by Kanye West or Migos in songs but Martin Margiela isn’t necessarily a household name when it comes to fashion — but it should be. One of the most elusive designers in the fashion industry, there are barely any photos of him on the internet, but his work speaks for itself. In the Oscilloscope documentary, Martin Margiela: In His Own Words, filmmaker Reiner Holzemer takes us behind the scenes of the career of the titular avant-garde.
With the docu, Margiela breaks his no-interview policy and aversion to being in the public eye as Holzemer puts the spotlight on the “Banksy of fashion”. He worked as Jean Paul Gaultier’s assistant and was the creative director at Hermès before he started his own fashion house. For the first time, Margiela reveals his drawings, notes, and personal items in this intimate profile of his vision...
With the docu, Margiela breaks his no-interview policy and aversion to being in the public eye as Holzemer puts the spotlight on the “Banksy of fashion”. He worked as Jean Paul Gaultier’s assistant and was the creative director at Hermès before he started his own fashion house. For the first time, Margiela reveals his drawings, notes, and personal items in this intimate profile of his vision...
- 8/14/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Classic cinephiles are in for a treat with two new projects coming to screens. The life of legendary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky is getting the limited series treatment, as revealed with the announcement of a new project out of the ongoing Cannes virtual marketplace. Meanwhile, Pulse Films has partnered with the Sergio Leone estate to mount a documentary in tribute to the late, great pioneer of Spaghetti Westerns.
As first reported by Variety, Kirill Serebrennikov will write and direct the series about Tarkovsky, and it will be produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann, and Pavel Burya of the Moscow-based company Hype Film. Tarkovsky’s film career in the Soviet Union yielded seven features, all considered masterpieces by most, including “Ivan’s Childhood,” “Andrei Rublev,” “Solaris,” “The Mirror,” “Stalker,” “Nostalghia,” and “The Sacrifice.” Tarkovsky died in 1986. Hype Film previously repped Kirill Serebrennikov’s films “Leto,” a 2018 Cannes competition title about an underground rock music scene,...
As first reported by Variety, Kirill Serebrennikov will write and direct the series about Tarkovsky, and it will be produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann, and Pavel Burya of the Moscow-based company Hype Film. Tarkovsky’s film career in the Soviet Union yielded seven features, all considered masterpieces by most, including “Ivan’s Childhood,” “Andrei Rublev,” “Solaris,” “The Mirror,” “Stalker,” “Nostalghia,” and “The Sacrifice.” Tarkovsky died in 1986. Hype Film previously repped Kirill Serebrennikov’s films “Leto,” a 2018 Cannes competition title about an underground rock music scene,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Classic cinephiles are in for a treat with two new projects coming to screens. The life of legendary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky is getting the limited series treatment, as revealed with the announcement of a new project out of the ongoing Cannes virtual marketplace. Meanwhile, Pulse Films has partnered with the Sergio Leone estate to mount a documentary in tribute to the late, great pioneer of Spaghetti Westerns.
As first reported by Variety, Kirill Serebrennikov will write and direct the series about Tarkovsky, and it will be produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann, and Pavel Burya of the Moscow-based company Hype Film. Tarkovsky’s film career in the Soviet Union yielded seven features, all considered masterpieces by most, including “Ivan’s Childhood,” “Andrei Rublev,” “Solaris,” “The Mirror,” “Stalker,” “Nostalghia,” and “The Sacrifice.” Tarkovsky died in 1986. Hype Film previously repped Kirill Serebrennikov’s films “Leto,” a 2018 Cannes competition title about an underground rock music scene,...
As first reported by Variety, Kirill Serebrennikov will write and direct the series about Tarkovsky, and it will be produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann, and Pavel Burya of the Moscow-based company Hype Film. Tarkovsky’s film career in the Soviet Union yielded seven features, all considered masterpieces by most, including “Ivan’s Childhood,” “Andrei Rublev,” “Solaris,” “The Mirror,” “Stalker,” “Nostalghia,” and “The Sacrifice.” Tarkovsky died in 1986. Hype Film previously repped Kirill Serebrennikov’s films “Leto,” a 2018 Cannes competition title about an underground rock music scene,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov is developing a limited series based on the life of legendary Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, Variety has learned exclusively.
The series will be written and directed by Serebrennikov, and produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann and Pavel Burya of Moscow-based Hype Film.
“Andrei Tarkovsky and his iconic masterpieces greatly influenced world cinema and continue to be a source of endless inspiration for filmmakers of all generations,” says Stewart. “It is a privilege and an honor to continue our collaboration with Kirill Serebrennikov, a writer and director with a truly unique vision, which we look forward to bringing to life together.”
It’s the first foray into dramatic series for both Serebrennikov and Hype Film, which produced the director’s previous features, “The Student” and the 2018 Cannes competition selection “Leto,” as well as his upcoming film “Petrov’s Flu,” which is currently in post-production.
“We couldn’t...
The series will be written and directed by Serebrennikov, and produced by Ilya Stewart, Murad Osmann and Pavel Burya of Moscow-based Hype Film.
“Andrei Tarkovsky and his iconic masterpieces greatly influenced world cinema and continue to be a source of endless inspiration for filmmakers of all generations,” says Stewart. “It is a privilege and an honor to continue our collaboration with Kirill Serebrennikov, a writer and director with a truly unique vision, which we look forward to bringing to life together.”
It’s the first foray into dramatic series for both Serebrennikov and Hype Film, which produced the director’s previous features, “The Student” and the 2018 Cannes competition selection “Leto,” as well as his upcoming film “Petrov’s Flu,” which is currently in post-production.
“We couldn’t...
- 6/17/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
IFC Midnight has secured the North American rights to Egor Abramenko’s directorial debut feature Sputnik, a sci-thriller set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, which has been postponed due to the current global health crisis. Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov, and Anton Vasilev star in the film, which IFC will release on August 14.
Inspired by Abramenko’s short film The Passenger, the plot takes place at the height of the Cold War when a Soviet spacecraft crash lands after a mission gone awry, leaving the commander as its only survivor. After a renowned Russian psychologist is brought in to evaluate the commander’s mental state, it becomes clear that something dangerous may have come back to Earth with him.
More from DeadlineIFC Picks Up North American Rights To Contained Arctic Chiller 'Centigrade' Based On True StoryIFC Midnight Takes North American Rights To Fantasia Horror 'The Wretched'ifc Midnight...
Inspired by Abramenko’s short film The Passenger, the plot takes place at the height of the Cold War when a Soviet spacecraft crash lands after a mission gone awry, leaving the commander as its only survivor. After a renowned Russian psychologist is brought in to evaluate the commander’s mental state, it becomes clear that something dangerous may have come back to Earth with him.
More from DeadlineIFC Picks Up North American Rights To Contained Arctic Chiller 'Centigrade' Based On True StoryIFC Midnight Takes North American Rights To Fantasia Horror 'The Wretched'ifc Midnight...
- 4/3/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
As evidenced in Stephen King's short story "I Am the Doorway," sometimes it's not what you encounter in space that's scary, but what you bring back with you. Such is the case in Egor Abramenko’s feature-length debut Sputnik, which has been acquired for North American distribution by IFC Midnight, with a release planned for August 14th:
Press Release: New York, NY – IFC Midnight announced today that it is acquiring North American rights to Egor Abramenko’s directorial debut Sputnik from Xyz Films. Abramenko’s sci-fi thriller short film The Passenger played in the 2017 Fantastic Film Festival in Austin, and was the inspiration for his feature debut. The film stars Oksana Akinshina who debuted in Lukas Moodysson’s award-winning film Lilya 4-ever, alongside Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov, and Anton Vasilev. The script was written by Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev. Producing is Vodorod Pictures, Art Pictures Studio, Hype Film,...
Press Release: New York, NY – IFC Midnight announced today that it is acquiring North American rights to Egor Abramenko’s directorial debut Sputnik from Xyz Films. Abramenko’s sci-fi thriller short film The Passenger played in the 2017 Fantastic Film Festival in Austin, and was the inspiration for his feature debut. The film stars Oksana Akinshina who debuted in Lukas Moodysson’s award-winning film Lilya 4-ever, alongside Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov, and Anton Vasilev. The script was written by Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev. Producing is Vodorod Pictures, Art Pictures Studio, Hype Film,...
- 4/3/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Art Pictures Distribution handles international sales.
IFC Midnight has acquired North American rights from Xyz Films to Russian sci-fi thriller Sputnik, which was set to receive its world premiere in Tribeca Film Festival’s Midnight section later this month.
Oksana Akinshina from Lilya-4-Ever stars alongside Fedor Bondarchuk in Egor Abramenko’s directorial debut based on his acclaimed 2017 Fantastic Film Festival short The Passenger. Art Pictures Distribution handles international sales.
The story takes place at the height of the Cold War as a Russian psychologist is assigned to treat a cosmonaut whose Soviet spaceship has crashed-landed on Earth. As the...
IFC Midnight has acquired North American rights from Xyz Films to Russian sci-fi thriller Sputnik, which was set to receive its world premiere in Tribeca Film Festival’s Midnight section later this month.
Oksana Akinshina from Lilya-4-Ever stars alongside Fedor Bondarchuk in Egor Abramenko’s directorial debut based on his acclaimed 2017 Fantastic Film Festival short The Passenger. Art Pictures Distribution handles international sales.
The story takes place at the height of the Cold War as a Russian psychologist is assigned to treat a cosmonaut whose Soviet spaceship has crashed-landed on Earth. As the...
- 4/3/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Cohen Media Group has acquired North American rights to the Holocaust drama “Persian Lessons,” following its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where it has become a buzz title. The film was produced after the lead producers met at a Variety “10 Producers to Watch” event in Cannes in 2018, and decided to work together on the project.
Cmg plans to release the film in late 2020. “Persian Lessons” is directed by “House of Sand and Fog” director Vadim Perelman from a script by Ilya Zofin, based on the story “Erfindung Einer Sprache” by Wolfgang Kohlhaase.
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (“If You Saw His Heart”) plays a Belgian Jew who claims to be Persian when he is rounded up and about to face the firing squad. The terrified prisoner desperately tries to save himself by agreeing to teach Farsi – a language he does not know and thus makes up – to an eager-to-learn Nazi transit camp commandant,...
Cmg plans to release the film in late 2020. “Persian Lessons” is directed by “House of Sand and Fog” director Vadim Perelman from a script by Ilya Zofin, based on the story “Erfindung Einer Sprache” by Wolfgang Kohlhaase.
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (“If You Saw His Heart”) plays a Belgian Jew who claims to be Persian when he is rounded up and about to face the firing squad. The terrified prisoner desperately tries to save himself by agreeing to teach Farsi – a language he does not know and thus makes up – to an eager-to-learn Nazi transit camp commandant,...
- 2/26/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Variety’s “10 Europeans to Watch” were feted Saturday night at a party held by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg at Berlin’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Co-hosting the evening were Kirsten Niehuus and Helge Jürgens, managing directors of Medienboard, the regional film, TV and digital-media funding body.
Pictured above are U.K. filmmaker and rapper Andrew Onwubolu, known by his alias Rapman, Irish producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Italian director Carlo Sironi (“Sole”), German director Leonie Krippendorff (“Cocoon”), Estonian director Tanel Toom, Germany-based Kosovan director Visar Morina (“Exile”), and Hungarian actor Abigél Szõke (“Those Who Remained”).
Before welcoming to the stage some of Europe’s most promising stars of tomorrow, Variety executive VP of content Steven Gaydos noted: “Variety is celebrating our 115th year covering international entertainment, before people were watching movies.”
He also shared the story of local producer Sol Bondy, who met Russian producers Ilya Stewart and Murad Osmann at Variety’s “10 Producers to...
Pictured above are U.K. filmmaker and rapper Andrew Onwubolu, known by his alias Rapman, Irish producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Italian director Carlo Sironi (“Sole”), German director Leonie Krippendorff (“Cocoon”), Estonian director Tanel Toom, Germany-based Kosovan director Visar Morina (“Exile”), and Hungarian actor Abigél Szõke (“Those Who Remained”).
Before welcoming to the stage some of Europe’s most promising stars of tomorrow, Variety executive VP of content Steven Gaydos noted: “Variety is celebrating our 115th year covering international entertainment, before people were watching movies.”
He also shared the story of local producer Sol Bondy, who met Russian producers Ilya Stewart and Murad Osmann at Variety’s “10 Producers to...
- 2/23/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Jamila Wenske and Sol Bondy’s Berlin-based One Two Films, co-producer of this year’s Efm buzz title “Persian Lessons,” has scored another early winner with comedy-drama “Franky Five Star.”
The project, from writer-director Birgit Möller, won the Junior Entertainment Talent Slate (Jets) pitching competition at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday, securing it industry support from a broad range of international participants.
“Franky Five Star” stars Jella Haase, who shot to fame in the “Fack ju Göhte” franchise, as a young woman dealing with her often meddling multiple personalities as she navigates a blossoming romance.
The Jets initiative, organized by William Peschek’s German-u.K. group Wep Films, unites up-and-coming filmmakers and their feature film projects with producers, sales agents, financing companies and distributors from Germany, Canada, Ireland, Britain, Finland, Norway and the U.S.
This year the 13-member Jets jury, which included Sophie Green of Bankside Films; Antonio Exacoustos of Arri Media Intl.
The project, from writer-director Birgit Möller, won the Junior Entertainment Talent Slate (Jets) pitching competition at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday, securing it industry support from a broad range of international participants.
“Franky Five Star” stars Jella Haase, who shot to fame in the “Fack ju Göhte” franchise, as a young woman dealing with her often meddling multiple personalities as she navigates a blossoming romance.
The Jets initiative, organized by William Peschek’s German-u.K. group Wep Films, unites up-and-coming filmmakers and their feature film projects with producers, sales agents, financing companies and distributors from Germany, Canada, Ireland, Britain, Finland, Norway and the U.S.
This year the 13-member Jets jury, which included Sophie Green of Bankside Films; Antonio Exacoustos of Arri Media Intl.
- 2/14/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Memento Films Intl. has scored a flurry of pre-sales to major territories on “Persian Lessons,” the drama directed by Vadim Perelman.
After unveiling a promo reel of the film at the European Film Market, “Persian Lessons” has sold to Spain (Avalon), Latin America (Sun), Japan (Kino Films), Italy (Academy Two), Benelux (Splendid), Scandinavia (Scanbox), Greece (Spentzos), former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), South Africa (Forefront) and Israel (Lev Films).
Set in Occupied France in 1942, “Persian Lessons” toplines Nahuel Perez Biscayart as Gilles, a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. He is then enlisted to teach Farsi to the head of the camp, played by German star Lars Eidinger, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. The particular relationship...
After unveiling a promo reel of the film at the European Film Market, “Persian Lessons” has sold to Spain (Avalon), Latin America (Sun), Japan (Kino Films), Italy (Academy Two), Benelux (Splendid), Scandinavia (Scanbox), Greece (Spentzos), former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), South Africa (Forefront) and Israel (Lev Films).
Set in Occupied France in 1942, “Persian Lessons” toplines Nahuel Perez Biscayart as Gilles, a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. He is then enlisted to teach Farsi to the head of the camp, played by German star Lars Eidinger, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. The particular relationship...
- 2/12/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Memento Films Intl. (“Call Me By Your Name”) has come on board “Persian Lessons,” a drama directed by “House of Sand and Fog” helmer Vadim Perelman.
Set in Occupied France in 1942, “Persian Lessons” toplines Nahuel Perez Biscayart as Gilles, a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. He is then enlisted to teach Farsi to the head of the camp played by German star Lars Eidinger, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. The particular relationship between the two men sparks the jealousy of other prisoners and SS guards, threatening Gilles, who understands that he will not be able to keep his secret very long.
Memento will launch “Persian Lessons” sales at the European Film Market this week.
Set in Occupied France in 1942, “Persian Lessons” toplines Nahuel Perez Biscayart as Gilles, a man who is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. He is then enlisted to teach Farsi to the head of the camp played by German star Lars Eidinger, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. The particular relationship between the two men sparks the jealousy of other prisoners and SS guards, threatening Gilles, who understands that he will not be able to keep his secret very long.
Memento will launch “Persian Lessons” sales at the European Film Market this week.
- 2/7/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Variety honored its 10 Producers to Watch for 2018 at a breakfast on Monday morning on Cannes’ Nespresso Beach.
First launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, the event celebrates an eclectic mix of producers from the U.S. and the international film community, who are united in their commitment to bold and original storytelling.
The films produced by this year’s honorees have played festivals including Berlin, Sundance and Venice, with a number screening at Cannes. “As well as they’re doing, as exciting as they are right now, there’s even greater things ahead,” said Variety’s VP and executive editor Steven Gaydos.
Victor Loewy was also honored with a lifetime achievement award for his long and distinguished career. “You can’t tell the story of Cannes, you can’t tell the story of international cinema, you can’t tell the story of Canadian business in cinema, without knowing who...
First launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, the event celebrates an eclectic mix of producers from the U.S. and the international film community, who are united in their commitment to bold and original storytelling.
The films produced by this year’s honorees have played festivals including Berlin, Sundance and Venice, with a number screening at Cannes. “As well as they’re doing, as exciting as they are right now, there’s even greater things ahead,” said Variety’s VP and executive editor Steven Gaydos.
Victor Loewy was also honored with a lifetime achievement award for his long and distinguished career. “You can’t tell the story of Cannes, you can’t tell the story of international cinema, you can’t tell the story of Canadian business in cinema, without knowing who...
- 5/14/2018
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The original 3D alien invasion movie was a box-office success in Russia last year.
Russian production and sales outfit Art Pictures Studios is beginning pre-sales in Cannes on the sequel to Fedor Bondarchuk’s sci-fi blockbuster Attraction.
The original 3D alien invasion movie was a box-office success in Russia last year. Art Pictures Studio’s head of sales Anna Strunevskaya has confirmed that the script for the second film is complete and that shooting will begin this summer. Bondarchuk is again set to direct and some of the original cast members including Irina Starshenbaum and Oleg Menshikov are set to return.
Russian production and sales outfit Art Pictures Studios is beginning pre-sales in Cannes on the sequel to Fedor Bondarchuk’s sci-fi blockbuster Attraction.
The original 3D alien invasion movie was a box-office success in Russia last year. Art Pictures Studio’s head of sales Anna Strunevskaya has confirmed that the script for the second film is complete and that shooting will begin this summer. Bondarchuk is again set to direct and some of the original cast members including Irina Starshenbaum and Oleg Menshikov are set to return.
- 5/8/2018
- ScreenDaily
The original 3D alien invasion movie was a box-office success in Russia last year.
Russian production and sales outfit Art Pictures Studios is beginning pre-sales in Cannes on the sequel to Fedor Bondarchuk’s sci-fi blockbuster Attraction.
The original 3D alien invasion movie was a box-office success in Russia last year. Art Pictures Studio’s head of sales Anna Strunevskaya has confirmed that the script for the second film is complete and that shooting will begin this summer. Bondarchuk is again set to direct and some of the original cast members including Irina Starshenbaum and Oleg Menshikov are set to return.
Russian production and sales outfit Art Pictures Studios is beginning pre-sales in Cannes on the sequel to Fedor Bondarchuk’s sci-fi blockbuster Attraction.
The original 3D alien invasion movie was a box-office success in Russia last year. Art Pictures Studio’s head of sales Anna Strunevskaya has confirmed that the script for the second film is complete and that shooting will begin this summer. Bondarchuk is again set to direct and some of the original cast members including Irina Starshenbaum and Oleg Menshikov are set to return.
- 5/8/2018
- ScreenDaily
Variety has been given the exclusive first clip from Cannes competition film “Leto” (Summer), about real-life rock musician Viktor Tsoi. The film’s director, Kirill Serebrennikov, is under house arrest in Russia.
The producers are Ilya Stewart and Murad Osmann, who have been selected for Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch” program. The duo also produced Serebrennikov’s drama about a teenage religious fanatic, “The Student,” which played in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard two years ago.
“Leto” follows the story of Viktor, Mike and his wife Natasha during one summer in the early 80s in Leningrad. But it also tells the story of the birth of the underground rock scene in the Soviet Union, about friendship, first love and freedom.
“Kirill Serebrennikov invites the viewer into the atmospheric, careless world of our heroes and the youth of the 80s, despite the constraints of the world around them. They dream of freedom,...
The producers are Ilya Stewart and Murad Osmann, who have been selected for Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch” program. The duo also produced Serebrennikov’s drama about a teenage religious fanatic, “The Student,” which played in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard two years ago.
“Leto” follows the story of Viktor, Mike and his wife Natasha during one summer in the early 80s in Leningrad. But it also tells the story of the birth of the underground rock scene in the Soviet Union, about friendship, first love and freedom.
“Kirill Serebrennikov invites the viewer into the atmospheric, careless world of our heroes and the youth of the 80s, despite the constraints of the world around them. They dream of freedom,...
- 5/4/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Variety has selected its 10 Producers to Watch for 2018, a diverse mix of producers from the U.S. and the thriving international film scene. Variety Producers to Watch, which was originally launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, returned to the Croisette last year and will once again be presented there this year.
Regardless of their home base, these producers all share a fierce commitment to storytelling. Their films have played festivals including Berlin, Sundance and Venice, and a number are screening at Cannes.
Producer Dina Emam’s her first narrative feature, “Yomeddine,” was selected for competition. It will vie alongside Russian-made “Leto,” a music filled biopic that Murad Osmann and Ilya Stewart produced for director Kirill Serebrennikov, now under house arrest in that country.
Variety has also selected the forces behind “I, Tonya,” an Oscar winner for Allison Janney (Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara), and Rachel Song, who brought two...
Regardless of their home base, these producers all share a fierce commitment to storytelling. Their films have played festivals including Berlin, Sundance and Venice, and a number are screening at Cannes.
Producer Dina Emam’s her first narrative feature, “Yomeddine,” was selected for competition. It will vie alongside Russian-made “Leto,” a music filled biopic that Murad Osmann and Ilya Stewart produced for director Kirill Serebrennikov, now under house arrest in that country.
Variety has also selected the forces behind “I, Tonya,” an Oscar winner for Allison Janney (Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara), and Rachel Song, who brought two...
- 4/24/2018
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
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