DAILY FEBRUARY 8 , BERLIN 2014 №3 THR.COM/BERLIN Stealth Media D3 020814.indd 1 2/4/14 11:58 AM The Crossing D?_02??14.indd 1 1/29/14 10:57 AM FEBRUARY 08, 2014 THR.COM/BERLIN BERLIN №3 BERLIN TODAY TOMORROW WEATHER AND HIGH 49° F 46° F TEMPS 9° C 8° C Herzog’s God Lures Tyson, Anderson By Stuart Kemp ike Tyson is in talks to star as an axe M murderer in Werner Herzog’s adaptation of DBC Pierre’s Booker Prize-winning coming-of-age novel Vernon God Little. Producers also are in talks with Pamela Anderson and Russell Brand to join the cast of the project which has Austin Abrams in the title role opposite Sasha Pieterse. The book tells the story of a teenager whose world falls Activists set up camp at Potsdamer Platz apart when his best friend, in protest of Russia’s anti-gay law Feb. 7, Jesus Navarro, murders their lighting an Olympic-style “rainbow flame” that will burn for the next 16 days classmates in the schoolyard, while the Sochi games take place. and Vernon is taken in for questioning. The story unfolds with Vernon existing in a hyper-real world of accusation Bum’s Rush! Sinclair and East Out? and betrayal. After six years at Exclusive Media, the veteran indie film execs likely will be bought out as a result Producer Katya Eichinger, of disappointing box office from Ron Howard’s racing pic By Pamela McClintock and Stuart Kemp CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 dramatic showdown is underway at Exclusive released the movie. KEVIN Media, where co-chairmen Nigel Sinclair and It doesn’t appear that Dasym is pulling out of AGuy East are being forced out following a Exclusive but instead has decided to replace East SMITH’S major financial hit incurred because of Ron Howard’s and Sinclair. Formula One drama Rush. Shipper, Exclusive’s COO, and Oakes, vice chair- TUSK SELLS Dasym Investment Strategies, the multibillion- man of Exclusive, both have ties to Botman. By Pamela McClintock dollar Dutch investment fund that has a majority In 2007, Oakes and Shipper bought iconic British arking the biggest stake in the leading production, financing and sales horror label Hammer Films with backing from Hollywood studio company, are in exit discussions with East and Cryte Investments, a predecessor to Dasym. A year M deal so far at Berlin’s Sinclair, according to insiders. The duo, with long- later, again with Cryte’s help, they bought East and film market, Sony Pictures time ties to the independent film business, formed Sinclair’s Spitfire Pictures, which led to the forma- Worldwide Acquisitions has Exclusive in 2008 with Mark Shipper and Simon tion of Exclusive. Today Oakes serves as CEO and snapped up director Kevin Oakes. Dasym invests on behalf of media tycoon president of Hammer. Smith’s modern-day monster John De Mol, among others. Sinclair and East each have a stake in Exclusive pic Tusk for much of the There’s been conflict between East, Sinclair and and will have to be bought out. It’s possible they will world. The deal was struck Dasym higher-ups, including founder and CEO transition into a producing deal. Representatives with XYZ Films. Frank Botman, since Rush underperformed at the from Dasym, including Mark Ramakers, who has A24 Films already had U.S. box office last fall, taking in only $26.9 million. taken over a lot of the oversight of Exclusive from scooped up domestic rights, It did better overseas, earning $63.3 million, but Botman, have been in Exclusive’s Los Angeles and will release Tusk in the- that wasn’t enough to stem a loss, which sources say offices for the past two weeks, according to sources. aters this fall. is in the $10 million range. Exclusive declined specific comment, but SPWA has bought Tusk for Exclusive co-financed the $50 million film — issued a statement addressing the possibility of the U.K., Canada, Australia, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl — with new management. “Exclusive Media’s management New Zealand, Latin America, Brian Oliver’s Cross Creek Pictures, but ended up is engaged in collaborative discussions with our part- Italy, Benelux, Scandinavia, putting up between $20 million and $30 million ners from Dasym Investment Strategies BV regard- CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 to market the film in the U.S., where Universal CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 JOEL RYAN/INVISION/AP THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 1 day3_newsE.indd 1 2/7/14 8:19 PM theREPORT HEAT INDEX Silver Bear Winner Turns Asylum Seeker ‘Bosnia betrayed me,’ says the star of An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker By Scott Roxborough azif Mujic was the toast of the Berlin festival last year, winning the Silver Bear for Danis N Tanovic’s An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker. A year on, the Romani man from Bosnia is back in the German capital, this time seeking asylum for himself and his family. A nonprofessional actor, Mujic played himself in Tanovic’s drama, which recounts his real-life strug- CARL WOEBCKEN The Babelsberg CEO has three gles as a scrap-iron collector whose wife suffered films in the lineup, The Grand a miscarriage. When the family sought medical Budapest Hotel, The Monuments Men Mujic and his family help, they were turned away from Bosnian hospitals showed off his and Beauty and the Beast, a record Silver Bear at home for the German studio. because they belong to the Roma ethnic minority. in Bosnia last year. Iron Picker won two Silver Bears at the 2013 Berlinale — one for Mujic as best actor and another want an ordinary job, a chance to feed my family,” for the film itself. The film also made the Oscar Mujic said. “I would give them my Silver Bear if long list in the foreign-language category. that is what it costs to be able to stay.” But when Mujic returned to Bosnia, he was The Berlin festival says it has been inundated with ostracized. His former colleagues, reportedly offers to help — and several job offers for Mujic — convinced he was a big star, pushed him out of since his plight became known. For the moment he is his old job and he was reduced to going through the surreal experience collecting garbage. A back injury FOR NONPROFESSIONAL of getting the red-carpet treatment forced him to leave that job. His ACTORS, ESCAPING THE during the day, before returning to a VLADIMIR PUTIN PAST CAN BE A CHALLENGE During the Sochi Olympics opening family was so poor, “we couldn’t refugee shelter to sleep. ceremony Feb. 7, Potsdamer Platz is taken even buy food,” Mujic told journal- HAING S. NGOR The Khmer “The opening-night gala was over by hundreds protesting the Rouge survivor, who won a ists at a press conference Feb. 7. supporting actor Oscar in amazing. I felt like I was walking Russian president’s anti-gay stance. 1985 for The Killing Fields, What’s more: There’s not a single Russian That’s when he decided to return to was murdered by members of on clouds,” said Mujic, recalling film in this year’s Berlinale. Berlin. Germany rejected his asy- a Cambodian gang in L.A. in 1996. the Feb. 6 premiere of Wes lum application, but the Berlinale AZHARUDDIN MOHAMMED Anderson’s The Grand Budapest ISMAIL The then-10-year- has stepped in to help, taking up a old went from the slums of Hotel. His mood soon darkened. collection to pay for an immigra- India to 2009 Oscar winner If his petition for residency is Slumdog Millionaire — and tion lawyer and inviting the entire then back to the slums. rejected, Mujic said he would seek family to attend this year’s festival. asylum in other European coun- FELICIA “SNOOP” PEARSON Mujic’s lawyer has filed a petition to Born a crack baby, Pearson tries. But he vows never to return served time for second- grant him residency status, which is degree murder before home. “Bosnia betrayed me,” he under review. earning raves in HBO’s The said. “I will not go back. I would Wire. In 2011 she pled guilty to “I don’t want to be rich, I just conspiring to distribute heroin. rather hang myself.” BRADLEY COOPER The American Hustle star’s Feb. 6 visit to the offices of tabloid Bild, In Cell, based on the novel by Stephen Germany’s most-read daily, pays off: King, a mobile phone signal starts “Global Star! Comedy King! World’s reprogramming minds. John Cusack Exclusive Sexiest Man!” gushes the tabloid. (second from right, with Isabelle First Look Fuhrman, Samuel L. Jackson and Owen Teague) is joined by a group of survivors trying to fend off the know your dealmaker bloodthirsty “phoners.” International Film Trust is selling the film at EFM. Suh Young-joo Finecut The CEO of the South Korean company has been a very busy woman at the Berlinale, snapping up international rights to the drama Night Flight and pre-selling the thriller Sea Fog (Haemoo) to France’s Wild Side Films and to Twin Company for Japan. She also pre-sold Rough Play, produced by Kim Ki-duk, to Klockworx in Japan and Hwa Yea Multimedia in Malaysia. To top it off, Finecut signed up Red Family, also produced by Kim, to Gaga Corporation in Japan. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 2 day3_news2C.indd 2 2/7/14 6:59 PM Cairo Film Fest D3 020814.indd 1 2/7/14 9:45 AM theREPORT Salma Hayek Boards Shiraz THE 2014 BERLIN POSTER AWARDS By Borys Kit Huh? alma Hayek and Shohreh THR pays tribute to the most amusing and over-the-top Edition Aghdashloo are attached promotional materials at the European Film Market S to star in Septembers of Shiraz, Millennium’s adapta- tion of a novel by Dalia Sofer.