DAILY BERLIN FEB. , № THR.COMBERLIN Czech Films in Official Selection We Are Never Alone I, Olga Hepnarova In Your Dreams! by Petr Vaclav by Tomáš Weinreb & Petr Kazda by Petr Oukropec Meet us at MGB, Stand No. 139 FEBRUARY , THR.COMBERLIN B E R L I N № BERLIN TODAY TOMORROW WEATHER AND HIGH ° F ° F TEMPS ° C ° C Rudd, Coogan Say ‘I Do’ for An Ideal Home By Rebecca Ford aul Rudd and Steve Coogan will couple P up for the dramedy An Ideal Home, written and directed by Andrew Fleming. Rudd and Coogan, who worked together on 2011’s Our Idiot Brother , will play a troubled married couple with an extravagant lifestyle, with Coogan a celebrity and Rudd his more hesitant partner and sidekick. But when the CONTINUED ON PAGE Focus Falls for The Face of Things to Come Nichols’ Loving French art house icon Isabelle Huppert arrives for the premiere of her new drama directed by Mia Hansen-Love. By Rebecca Ford Read THR’s review of the Berlinale competition title on page . he day aer the pre- miere for his latest Tfilm, Midnight Special , Jeff Nichols’ next project, China Warms Up to Indie Titles Loving , was picked up by An emerging niche market for mid-budget releases could be a game-changer for independent Focus for North America and producers hoping to get a slice of the Chinese movie boom By Patrick Brzeski and Scott Roxborough for several other international territories including the U.K., hina’s booming box office — the country films could be emerging. Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke Germany and Latin America. is on pace to pass North America to had his first-ever local release last year with The film, based on a true C become the world’s largest theatrical Mountains May Depart , which grossed a healthy story, stars Joel market sometime next year — has independent $5 million. Diao Yinan’s noir thriller Black Coal, Thin Edgerton (who filmmakers around the globe wondering how Ice, winner of the Berlin Festival’s Silver Bear in also stars in they can get a piece. 2014, grossed a stunning $16.5 million in China. S E Midnight Special ) Until now, however, the China boom has been “There’s a younger generation growing up in G A I M Y as Richard fueled by, and benefited, Chinese and Hollywood China, and while, right now, they might want big T Nichols T E G Loving, whose blockbusters, with few indie or alternative films blockbusters and broad local comedies, their tastes P F A L L interracial marriage to even getting into the country, much less making are changing. An audience for films outside the A G U O Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga) any money. Hollywood mold is starting to emerge, ” says Rikke D C A M caused them to be sentenced But the Chinese film sector is changing fast, and Ennis of Danish art house specialists Zentropa, N H O J C O N T I N U EDO N PA G E C O N T I N U EDO N PAG E : there are signs that a niche market for art house T R E P P U H THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 1 i i i i ..ii theREPORT China HEAT INDEX CONTINUED FROM PAGE home to Lars von Trier, which has set up a Chinese division to develop co-productions with, and for, the Middle Kingdom. “There is no doubt that a strong desire for quality inde- pendent films does exist in the market,” seconds Elizabeth Yang, YES, THERE IS A MARKET FOR INDIE FILM IN CHINA managing director of China MICHAEL SHANNON ↑ MOUNTAINS MAY BLACK COAL, MR. SIX The actor is receiving rave reviews for film sales group DDDream DEPART THIN ICE MILLION his performance as a father trying to International Media, which spe- MILLION . MILLION Although backed by protect his young son with superpowers in After years of foreign festival Director Diao Yinan’s China’s leading studio, Midnight Special, his fourth collaboration cializes in indie productions. acclaim — his Touch of art house thriller achieved Huayi Brothers, Guan Hu’s with director Jeff Nichols. What still doesn’t exist in Sin won the Cannes best the impossible: It won over dramedy was positioned screenplay award in — foreign critics with its noirish more like a festival title China, however, is an art house but zero theatrical exposure take on contemporary after it made its world infrastructure. China has just back home, Chinese auteur China, passed the test at premiere at Venice. A star Jia Zhangke finally scored Beijing’s censorship turn from Feng Xiaogang one dedicated art house cin- a domestic release with bureau and received a helped confer blockbuster ema in the entire country: the this feature, which earned mainstream embrace from status on this thematically an estimated $ million. domestic moviegoers. nuanced movie. Broadway Cinematheque MOMA in Beijing. From the perspective of indie films, China permit to exhibit imported for- make it easier to import smaller is all flyover country. eign titles on this network, with films into China,” Wang says. But a source close to SAPPRFT, an initial 70-30 programming “[Then] we should be able to show China’s state authority that reg- split between Chinese and inter- more foreign arthouse movies — THE WEINSTEIN CO. Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s sales ulates the country’s film sector, national art-house titles. as long as they pass censorship.” team, usually a festival staple, pulled tells THR that there are plans to Wang Yu, whose Ray Production And the sheer size of China out of this year’s Berlin market at the th hour, canceling rooms at the develop just such an indie theater produced Berlin competition title means even incremental change Grand Hyatt days before the start amid network in China’s so-called “first Crosscurrent , is spearheading an can have a major impact on the a lack of big projects to sell. tier” cities — Beijing, Shanghai, even larger art house circuit, with indie market. Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The plans to link up existing college Says Italian director Cristiano project, expected to roll out in movie theaters into an indie Bortone, co-founder of European/ the first half of 2016, would bring exhibition network of 200 screens Chinese film association Bridging together private and public cin- spanning the country. the Dragon, “Even if the niche emas in a network totaling some “The understanding in the market gets a very thin layer [of 50 screens. THR’s sources say that industry is that there will be a total screens], it can still amount SAPPRFT will provide the China huge change to the quota system to substantial box office for inde- Film Archive with a distribution at the start of 2017, which will pendent films.” Ideal Home Nichols ARIANNE FRASER CONTINUED FROM PAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE FOUNDING PARTNER & CEO, HIGHLAND FILM GROUP grandson who Coogan’s character never knew he to prison in Virginia in 1958. They were later Fraser unveiled Margot Robbie’s hot new project Terminal, which HFG will had shows up at their home with nowhere else to banished from the state, but the couple took their finance and sell in Berlin, and brought the go, the couple reluctantly decides to take him in. case, Loving v. Virginia, all the way to the Supreme Suicide Squad star to town to meet with buyers. Plus, she’s selling Scott Mann’s Remstar Studios and National Bank of Canada Court, which reaffirmed their right to marry. thriller Final Score, The Trust with are co-financing An Ideal Home, which Fortitude The film, inspired by Nancy Buirski’s documen- Nicolas Cage and Blink with Jamie Foxx. International is selling in Berlin. UTA Independent tary The Loving Story, also stars Nichols’ longtime Film Group is handling domestic rights. collaborator Michael Shannon and Nick Kroll. MEANWHILE, IN THE REAL WORLD … Gabriella Tana, Maria Theresa Loving was financed by Big Beach and developed Arida, Maxime Remillard and by Raindog Films. • Michael B. Jordan, Patricia Aaron Ryder are producing, and CAA repped domestic rights and showed footage Arquette, Eddie Redmayne Clark Peterson and Lisa Wolofsky to buyers Friday. and Common have joined the will executive produce. Loving , now in postproduction, is produced list of presenters at the Oscars “Comedy stalwarts Paul by Buirski, Ged Doherty and Colin Firth, Sarah ceremony on Feb. Rudd and Steve Coogan are Green and Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf . Brian • NBC picked up Maya and Marty Rudd in Manhattan, a variety show reuniting on the big screen as a Kavanaugh-Jones is executive producing. starring Maya Rudolph and squabbling married couple Loving marks Focus’ first big buy aer the Feb. 4 Martin Short. It will be executive in Andrew’s endearing and hilar- reshuffle that saw Peter Schlessel ousted and Focus produced by Lorne Michaels. ious script about modern merged with Universal International Pictures • Stephen Chow’sMermaid has grossed . million, becoming family, and we are delighted to Productions. The company is undergoing another the fastest film to cross the present this charming film to course correction and once again will concentrate million mark in China. buyers at EFM,” said Fortitude’s on the sort of specialty films that were its Nadine De Barros. Coogan hallmark when it was run by James Schamus. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 2 SCREENINGS TODAY / Feb 14th / 12:00 pm / Berlinale Palast / PRESS TODAY / Feb 14th / 7:00 pm / Berlinale Palast / PREMIERE TOMORROW / Feb 15th / 10:00 am / Haus der Berliner Festspiele TOMORROW / Feb 15th / 11:30 am / CinemaxX 10 TOMORROW / Feb 15th / 12:15 pm / Friedrichstadt-Palast TOMORROW / Feb 15th / 6:00 pm / Zoo Palast 1 SUNDAY / Feb 21st / 10:00 pm / Haus der Berliner Festspiele EFM OFFICE Martin-Gropius-Bau / Stand Number 27 / Phone +49 30 400425 – 404 HEAD OFFICE Gruenwalder Weg 28d / D-82041 Oberhaching / Phone +49 89 673469 - 828 / [email protected] / www.betacinema.com theREPORT Alec Baldwin.