Singapore and India-based Mumba Devi Motion Pictures is screening two films at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM) and has unveiled a slate of future titles. The company, headed by producer Sweta Chhabria and producer-director Aditya Kripalani, makes issue-based films focusing on stories that are mostly to do with gender and burning topics like suicide prevention…
Austria Changes the Game With New Incentives
With two new funding programs that could cover as much as 60% of costs for international feature film productions and the new state-of-the-art HQ7 Studios set to open in Vienna next year, Austria is stepping up its game in the film and TV sector in a major way. Approved by the government last year and…
Austrian Co-Productions on a Winning Streak
After a hugely successful year for domestic films, Austria’s movie industry is looking forward to another impressive crop of titles, including many international co-productions that reflect not only cultural and historical ties with neighboring countries but also the sector’s strong cross-border partnerships. Highly anticipated films this year include Hans Steinbichler’s “A Whole Life,” the story…
Elon Musk’s Twitter Will Start Charging You to Verify Logins Using Text Messages
Here is Elon Musk’s latest cash-generating idea for Twitter, or at least an attempt to incrementally reduce operating expenses: Next month, the service will restrict access to the simplest form of two-factor authentication — which provides a second layer of security to confirm a user’s login credentials — to Twitter Blue subscribers. Twitter on Friday…
Filmmaker Jenna Hasse on Her Berlinale Generation Title ‘L’Amour du Monde’
Making its world premiere in the Generation Kplus program at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 19, “L’Amour du monde” (“Longing for the World”) is the feature debut from filmmaker Jenna Hasse. Latido Films manage international sales and will be looking to add to their haul from the previous two years at Berlinale, having won…
How Adrien Brody Played a ‘Relatable’ Masculinity Cult Leader in ‘Manodrome’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Adrien Brody is not interested in the culture wars. It’s fascinating, he admits, “but it’s really tragic.” “We see how fractured our world is. Look around: It’s not hard to see,” says the Oscar-winning actor from his home in New York. Brody had to dive into these dark corners when preparing for “Manodrome,” in which…
Berlinale Selection ‘Tomorrow is a Long Time’ Producer Potocol Reveals Diverse Slate (EXCLUSIVE)
Singapore-based film production outfit Potocol, whose “Tomorrow is a Long Time,” by Jow Zhi Wei bowed at the Berlin Film Festival’s Generation 14plus competition, has revealed a diverse Asian slate. Potocol’s recent triumphs include Bangladeshi filmmaker Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s Cannes selection “Rehana Maryam Noor” and Indonesian director Makbul Mubarak’s Venice winner “Autobiography.” The company, led…
World War II Adventure Film ‘War Blade’ Picked Up by 101 Films Intl. (EXCLUSIVE)
101 Films Intl. has secured worldwide distribution rights for World War II adventure film “War Blade,” starring Joseph Millson (“Casino Royale,” “The Last Kingdom”), Paul Marlon (“Trigger Point”), Michael McKell (“Murder Investigation Team,” “Doctors”) and Rebecca Scott (“The Capture,” “Transhuman”). The sales company is presenting the film to buyers at the European Film Market in…
‘There’s a Crisis With Men and Violence’: Trump, Culture Wars and the Toxic Masculinity Behind Jesse Eisenberg-Starring Berlin Title ‘Manodrome’
Five years ago, South African director John Trengove’s feature debut, “The Wound,” scored coveted berths at Sundance and Berlin before being short-listed for an Academy Award — even as the powerful gay drama set in the secretive world of Xhosa initiation ceremonies faced angry protests in his home country. His sophomore effort, “Manodrome,” which plays…
‘Jack’s Drive’ Director Susana Nobre talks about Berlinale Forum title ‘Cidade Rabat’
Portuguese director Susana Nobre’s first scripted fiction film, “Cidade Rabat,” is about a producer who grew up in the Cidade Rabat neighborhood in Lisbon, and who suddenly has to come to terms with the death of her mother. The title is partly inspired by her own life, since she grew up in the “Cidade Rabat”…