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NEWS Tuesday 15May 2018
DAY 8

CANNES Q&A:

CHRIS EVANS MARIA PULERA
HEADS TO

GREENLAND DIRECTOR / PRODUCTER, IN BETWEEN WORLDS
CHRIS Evans (The Avengers, Captain
America franchises) will lead blockbuster
director Neill Blomkamp’s (Elysium, What was your first Cannes and There are several very powerful scenes
District 9) next film, Greenland, what were you doing then? between Nicolas and Penelope that are so © JOSEPH CHEN STUDIO.
about one family’s fight for survival This is the first time I have been to sorrowful and moving throughout
in the face of a major natural disaster. Cannes. Really excited to be part of the Between Worlds.
Greenland is produced by Thunder market this year! I also met David Hillary (our producer)
Road Picture’s Basil Iwanyk. Anton is during Between Worlds. David is a king of fund and we are looking forward to
co-financing with Riverstone Pictures. What is your focus this year? independent film-making going back to meeting with distributors as well as
CAA Media Finance has arranged This year, we are introducing Rise Up, Muse Productions with Virgin Suicides, possible collaborators during the market.
the film’s financing and will represent which is our film production and sales Spun, and American Psycho. Recently,
the project’s domestic rights alongside company. As well, we are having an Hillary also produced Peel and Charlie How does Cannes help your
Endeavor Content. international premiere of our feature, Says. Together with my partner Eric business?
Thunder Road developed the picture Between Worlds on May 16th. We are in Banoun, we joined forces with David to Cannes has a reputation for being
with Riverstone and UK financier pre-production on our latest feature, El form Rise Up. Rise Up produced Between the biggest international marketplace,
Ingenious Media. Matador which begins production July Worlds, but now we are formally so we are very much looking forward to
STXinternational, a division of STX this year in Marbella, Spain. launching during the Cannes Market, meeting buyers and collaborators from
Entertainment, is handling international Between Worlds stars Nicolas Cage, our production as well as distribution around the world.
distribution, and directly distributing Penelope Mitchell, and Franka Potente. company. This year we aim to produce
the film in the UK and Ireland. It is an erotic thriller told through a and distribute three to four additional What other markets/festivals
The company is presenting the project surrealistic prism. I wanted to cast films. The first is a project called El do you attend?
to buyers in Cannes. Nicolas Cage in the lead role from day Matador, which I am directing, slated to Berlin.
“When we read Greenland, we knew it one, as I loved him in films like Zandalee shoot mid-July. It is a Spanish neo-noir
was exactly the sort of film we wanted and Wild at Heart. Between Worlds is a about an assassin who goes on a dark trail Best and worst Festival memories?
to make as we build the Anton brand — throwback to old-school Nicolas Cage. of discovery after completing his final Seeing that this is my first time at
smart, character-driven genre with action As well, Angelo Badalamenti joined us to job. And then we have the story of punk Cannes, I look forward to making some
and heart. We are very excited to work compose an original theme and musician Johnny Thunders, which will be of the very best memories here.
alongside our friends at STX with such additional music, which was a huge directed by Jonas Akerlund. We also have
exceptional talent as Neill Blomkamp, honour. an American taut-noir, called The Something you want to add to
Chris Evans and Basil Iwanyk,” said Penelope Mitchell was amazing to work Cleanup, directed by Alex Turner, and support the piece.
Sébastien Raybaud, CEO of Anton. with. Before casting Penelope, I met so finally a film called No-No Boy which is Cannes is known as a home for avante
“Greenland is the kind of highly many talented young actresses, but when based on a Japanese historical novel, garde film-makers, so I am really looking
commercial genre fare that sees Neill I met Penleope, she blew me away. She written by John Okada. I guess you can forward to seeing some interesting films
Blomkamp doing what he does best, was able to discuss with me the spiritual say we shoot and distribute globally and meeting the people behind them.
delivering a smart, fresh, high concept elements of crossing over to the other diverse stories told through a range of A huge welcome to everyone to drop
narrative in a world we can easily side with such grace and familiarity. At different voices. by our booth for a coffee or glass of
recognise,” said David Kosse, that moment, I knew she was the one. Rise Up has a Spanish-Israeli finance champagne! ✦ LF
President of STXinternational.
Neill Blomkamp co-wrote and directed
District 9, for which he was nominated
for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Latvia’s centennial film fund
Screenplay. His follow-up films Elysium talents of 96-year-old Latvian director
and Chappie made over $388m Rolands Kalnins, whose previously
cumulatively at the worldwide brings growth to the industry banned 1967 nouvelle-vague film Four
box-office. White Shirts (1967) is screening in the
Evans is best-known for the Captain Cannes Classics selection. “For me, this is
America films. The three Evans-led ATVIA’S National 10 local films produced the missing link in our relationship with
Captain America films have grossed Film Centre thanks to Latvia 100, an the Cannes film festival,” Rietuma said.
over $2bn worldwide. His upcoming films is hosting €8m programme that was “Before the early 1990s we were part of
include Gideon Raff’s The Red Sea Diving the Latvia created to celebrate the the Soviet Union and none of the Cannes
Resort. He is currently appearing L Pavilion country’s 100 years as an programmers knew that we had a local
on Broadway in Lobby Hero. in Cannes this year. independent state, and industry. In the early 1990s the Soviet
Since its launch in 2016, Kosse at STX Year-round, the Centre’s which has resulted in the influence receded, and now we are
has crafted a powerful slate that includes role is to administer state © DR production of six feature happy to be on their radar with our
the upcoming productions Mile 22 from funds intended for film Dita Rietuma, films, two full-length specific film culture, which is rich in
Peter Berg starring Mark Wahlberg, production; to promote the director of the National Film animation films and eight poetic documentaries and animation.”
Adrift starring Shailene Woodley and development and Centre of Latvia docu-dramas since its A number of events have been
Sam Claflin (also co-financed by competitiveness of the Latvia film inception. scheduled to mark Latvia’s centennial,
Ingenious) and The Happytime Murders industry; to promote film production And 2018 has seen the biggest market including a retrospective of the new
starring Melissa McCarthy. The company’s in Latvia and distribution and around share for Latvian films since the 1990s. wave of Baltic documentary film-making
slate also includes, Peppermint starring the world; and to co-ordinate the “In 2016 and 2017 it was around 7.5%, from the 1960s, at the Czech Republic’s
Jennifer Garner, Second Act starring participation of Latvia’s film industry but this year it’s over 30%,” Dita Karlovy Vary Film Festival. “We will also
Jennifer Lopez and Vanessa Hudgens, in European audiovisual support Rietuma, director of the National Film be part of the New York Baltic Film
and the animated feature Uglydolls programmes. Centre of Latvia, said. Festival (Oct 11-14), the first of its kind
from director Kelly Asbury. ✦ The country produces around six to Cannes 2018 is an opportunity for Latvia in New York,” Rietuma said. ✦
Liza Foreman seven films a year but 2018 will see to remind the world’s industry of the Julian Newby

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