Page 18 - LEFILMFRANCAIS_3954_2021_02_26

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suite de la page 17 BERLIN 2021 MARKET REPORT

EUROPEAN
FILM MARKET
71
TH
© JULIAN EEIRICH/EFM BERLINALE

Central Partnership unveils
a bunch of hot titles

Central Partnership, one of the major Russian film distributors, brings © IRMELA SCHAUTZ/EFM
a slate of brand-new projects for the upcoming EFM. This includes
The World Champion, December, The Pilot. A Battle for Survival which
have not been announced at the global market yet, as well as The Ice
Demon, Row 19, White Snow, Zoya and the high-budget blockbusters
Chernobyl and Fire. “Film business in Russia is coming back to life, SND - Groupe M6 launches
despite the pandemic-related restrictions. Most of the productions four new projects
have resumed and we are boosting our international sales and digital
distribution. At EFM, we announce new titles based on high-quality The French sales company introduces four new hot titles to buyers
genre storytelling: powerful female characters, real-life events, at this year’s virtual EFM, including Maigret and the Mysterious Dead
thrillers and more… This year, it’s still our main focus to bring national Girl, the upcoming thriller by Patrice Leconte and starring world-
productions to a global audience”, says Central Partnership’s CEO, renowned Gérard Depardieu. Currently shooting, the film is based
Vadim Vereschagin. Big-budget action drama Chernobyl by Danila on Simenon’s masterpiece. It tells the story of the famous French lieutenant
Kozlovsky will premiere in Russia this April, on the anniversary month who investigates the death of a young girl. Nothing to identify the body,
of the nuclear disaster it tells about. In addition to directing and nobody seems to have known her, or even seen her. During his inquiry,
producing the film, Kozlovsky stars in it along with Oksana Akinshina Maigret encounters Betty, a young offender. She reminds him of the dead
and Philipp Avdeev. The producers list also includes Oscar-nominated girl and of an older and far more intimate passing. SND also launches
Alexander Rodnyansky and Sergey Melkumov (Loveless, Leviathan, through a promo reel Fabrice Maruca’s Song Express starring Jérémy
Stalingrad), Rafael Minasbekyan (Furious, Frontier) and Vadim Lopez, Clovis Cornillac and Alice Pol. Currently in post-production,
Vereschagin (Billion, Text, Son of a Rich). The movie has been sold the comedy is about a company delivering songs like Amazon delivers
to North America and a number of other territories, including Spain, items or Uber delivers food. The two other titles are Liza Azuelos’s The Book
Latin America, South Korea, Japan, Israel and the Baltics. of Wonders (starring Alexandra Lamy, Muriel Robin and Olga Kurylenko,
One of the highlights also includes The World Champion, co-produced by the producers of La famille Bélier and Two Is a Family, currently
by Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe and Russia 1 – a story where shooting; and Olivier Treiner’s Julia, starring Lou De Laâge, Grégory
a chess board becomes the battlefield for human brightest minds. Gadebois, Isabelle Carré and Denis Podalydès (from La Comédie-
The title centers around a legendary match of 1978 between Anatoly Française). Currently shooting, Julia is a fresh take on the importance
Karpov, the Soviet world champion at the time, and Soviet dissident of karma and circumstances by the director of L’accordeur (César 2012
Viktor Korchnoi fighting for the world’s highest title. Based on true for best short film) and produced by WY Productions.
events, it is not simply a chess story, but a personal one: SND’s upcoming titles also include: Julien Fournet’s Pil’s Adventures
a competition of two genius minds and strong characters (animation, French release: October 13th); Jérôme Salle’s Kompromat
in the complicated historical context, due to Korchnoi’s emigration (starring Gilles Lellouche and Joana Kulig) expected to be delivered
from USSR. Directed by Alexey Sidorov, the film features Konstantin by the end of 2021; and Jérôme Commandeur’s Employee of the Month
Khabensky, Vladimir Vdovichenkov and rising national star (starring Commandeur, Laetitia Dosch, Pascale Arbillot, Gérard Darmon,
Ivan Yankovsky. V. L. L.
Christian Clavier and Valérie Lemercier) with a French release date
of December, 8th. Finally, SND has two virtual market screenings: Éric
The World Champion by Alexey Sidorov.
Besnard’s Délicieux
and Émilie Therond’s
Teach me if you Can.
Completed titles are:
Nicolas Vanier’s Poly,
Benjamin Euvrard’s
All Aboard! and
Alexandre Bustillo
© TORGUSHNIKOVA ALEKSANDRA © JÉRÔME PRÉBOIS/NORD-OUEST FILMS and Julien Maury’s
Kandisha.
V. L. L.

Délicieux
d’Éric Besnard.

All Rights travels with “Gulliver Returns”

All Rights Entertainment, the Hong Kong, Paris and Los the film takes the classic, world-renowned literary work and Michael Wong (Skiptrace). It has been sold
Angeles-based film sales agency, which will celebrate in a fresh new direction, and is being promoted starting to Magnolia (US), Splendid Film (Germany), Program
its 12 anniversary in March, is attending the EFM from EFM in a partnership with Reface, the A.I. face- Store (France), Blue Swan (Italy), Dazzler Media (UK),
th
with a varied line-up, which includes Gulliver Returns, swapping app that has recently shared the top 3 Phars Film (MENA), Chantier Films (Turkey), Sine Qua
a Ukrainian animation title completed in February 2021 on the Apple AppStore alongside TikTok and Instagram. Non Pictures (South Korea), Rialto (Australia, New
and now having its market premiere. Written by Emmy- A handful of territories remain available for Li Liming’s Zealand), Happinet Corporation (Japan)… The film is still
nominated Michael Ryan (All Hail King Julien, Teenage martial arts action film IP Man: Kung Fu Master, available for Russia, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia,
Mutant Ninja Turtles), and with animation director Tony exploring the youth of Bruce Lee’s legendary master, Hong Kong and Macau, Mongolia, Vietnam, Israel,
Bonilla (Zootopia, Big Hero 6, Ralph Breaks the Internet). and starring Dennis To (IP Man: the Legend Is Born) Greece and most of Eastern Europe. V. L. L.

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