16/11/2006

Last Wednesday, international sales outfit Beta Cinema announced its results from the American Film Market (AFM). Approximately 30 contracts were signed, with two titles heading the list: The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile] and Four Minutes [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s debut feature The Lives of Others (see Focus) continues to charm not only festival juries but also world sales agents thanks to actor Ulrich Mühe’s fine and subtle performance. The film was sold to a strong handful of Asian territories (South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong) as well as Portugal’s Ecofilmes at the AFM.

"Like Downfall, The Lives of Others will be shown in theatres all over the world," said Dirk Schürhoff and Andreas Rothbauer (Beta Cinema) in response to its success at the market. An agreement with Russia is currently being finalised. The only country where the film will not be released is China, due to censorship.

Chris Kraus’s second feature Four Minutes – a recent winner at Braunschweig (see news) – which is about an unlikely relationship that develops in a prison between a pianist (Monica Bleibtreu) and her pupil, has already been snapped up by several Latin American territories as well as Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia (countries covered by distributor Prooptiki) and the US, who are in the final stages of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Constantin production Hui Buh – The Goofy Ghost [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Bully Herbig, presented for the first time at the AFM, was acquired by Brazil (Europa Filmes) and Russia (Beliven). Deals with several Eastern European countries and Spain are expected to follow very shortly. To make up for not having already sold rights in Germany, Salvador [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], starring Daniel Brühl, has added Italy to its list of European buyers – which already includes Hungary and the Benelux countries – where it will be released by Istituto Luce.

Two films still in post-production – The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Florian Baxmeyer (see news) and The Counterfeiter [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Stefan Ruzowitzky – were acquired by Brazilian outfit Europa Filmes and Thailand. Baxmeyer’s film was also for by the Middle East.

(Translated from French)