17/02/2010

London-based Protagonist Pictures had a successful 20-minute marketing presentation at the European Film Market of the first 3D dance film, Streetdance, attended by the international distributors who had pre-bought the film at the last American Film Market.

Produced by Vertigo Films in the UK with BBC Films, Streedance by music video directors Max and Dania was a huge hit at the last AFM and pre-sold to several territories including France (Metropolitan Films), Italy (Eagle Pictures) and Scandinavia (Scanbox Entertainment).

Sitting at her booth at the Martin Gropius Bau, Bridget Pedgrift, Protagonist’s head of marketing, was very pleased with the distributors’ reaction to the first full reel of Streetdance shown in Berlin, and discussed with them the trailer and UK poster, international positioning and talent availability. “Even for us, working on a 3D movie is a learning curve, but it is so exciting,” said Pedgrift. The film will be released in the UK on May 21 and several European distributors are planning a day and date release to maximise press opportunities, using the UK press junket.

The other major title on Protagonist Pictures’ EFM slate is the period film Bel Ami, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. The screen adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s eponymous novel started shooting a week ago in London and Budapest. Again, Pedgrift is discussing marketing strategies with distributors such as Optimum Releasing in the UK, Kinowelt in Germany, Studio Canal in France, Independent in Benelux, and Impuls in Switzerland who pre-bought the film produced by Redwave Films.

Two titles are screening at the market: Jonathan Lynn’s Wild Target [+see also:
trailer
film profile], starring Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt, and Debbie Isitt’s Nativity, one of the UK’s biggest hits of 2009.

Pedgrift is already thinking of the next market in Cannes, where she will present a show reel of Submarine, the feature debut of comic music video director Richard Ayoade, produced by Warp Films and executive produced by Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films in the US.