23/04/2003

Pathé International will start pre-selling Danny Boyle’s new film, Millions, as well as Gurindha Chada’s Bollywood musical, Pride and Prejudice at the forthcoming Cannes Film Market (14-25 May) where no less than 15 titles will be offered to international buyers by Pathe's head of sales, Alison Thompson.
After his successful zombie horror film, 28 Days Later, Boyle decided to try his hand at comedy. Millions was written by Franck Cottrell Boyce and produced by Graham Broadent, Boyle's partners on Welcome to Sarajevo. The Millions of the title refer to a bag full of stolen money that accidentally ends up in the hands of two young boys aged 7 and 9. They have one week to spend it all before the robbers and the school authorities catch up with them. Millions is currently in pre-production and is available to all territories except for Benelux, France, Israel, Switzerland and the UK.

Chadha’s musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, “Pride and Prejudice”, will star Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai (a member of this year's Cannes jury) and New Zealand's rising star, Martin Henderson (The Ring). The project will start shooting this summer on location in India, Los Angeles and the UK.

Although a number of eagerly awaited Pathe titles, including Jane Campion’s In the Cut, Walter Salles’ Motorcycle Diaries, Ric Cantor’s Suzie Gold, Peter Webber’s Girl With A Pearl Earring [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Kevin MacDonald’s new documentary, Touching the Void, are still in post-production and won’t be ready in time for Cannes, Pathè will screen four titles at the Marché. Wondrous Oblivion, by Oscar-nominated director Paul Morrison (Solomon & Gaenor), will have its world premiere on Friday 16 May. Set in the 1960s, this film about cricket stars Delroy Lindo (The Cider House Rules) and Emily Woolf (The Full Monty). Wondrous Oblivion was produced by Jonny Stewart (The Full Monty) and executive produced by Michael Kuhn (the former president of PolyGram) and Kevin Loader (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin).

The other market screenings are three feature film debuts: Simon Pummell’s feature documentary. Bodysong and Penny Woolcock’s The Principles of Lust both screened in competition at the last Rotterdam Film Festival, and Israeli Nir Bergman’s Broken Wings, which won the Audience Award at the Berlin Panorama 2003.