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NEWS Wednesday 15 May 2019
DAY 2

ALL RIGHTS CANNES Q&A:

GETS ANIMATED
ALL RIGHTS Entertainment, the Hong Kong,
Paris and Los Angeles-based film sales agency, DAVID GARETT
is presenting two high-profile animation films
at the market — White Snake and Jack Blue.
White Snake, directed by Amp Wong and Zhao FOUNDER OF MISTER SMITH ENTERTAINMENT
Ji, and produced by Light Chaser in association
with Warner Bros., did well at the Chinese What are your hopes for Cannes The Language Of Flowers too
2019?
has a life outside of the cinema.
box-office in January and February of this I hope to see the Terrence Malick movie, How does this new movie
year, overtaking such animation hits as Spider- A Hidden Life, garner the recognition it celebrate the Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Incredibles deserves. It is truly a magnificent piece of novel?
2, with more than 450M RMB ($67 million in filmmaking. Other than that, plenty of What is interesting about all of our new
box office). The film will have its international sunshine and goodwill, and to sell out on slate in Cannes is that they all have a
premiere at the Annecy Film Festival next all my movies! brand and/or a strong literary
June, followed by an Asian premiere at the provenance. We are already working
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Does the changing nature on another project, The Pecan Man, David Garett © DR
in July. Jack Blue, a Turkish project from of the audience for film affect with the same producer, Claude Dal
Digiflame Productions, is produced by Binnur how you do business, or do the Farra, and as soon as he told us about
Karaevli, and written by Raymond Singer and old rules still work in the new The Language Of Flowers we were What’s your view on
Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, the writers of world? hooked. Aside from having been on the future of the international
Disney’s classic Mulan. It will be completed in Absolutely we have to bear in mind the NYT best-seller list for a staggering market for feature films?
Do you expect further seismic
69 weeks, this has a huge worldwide
all of the changes and adapt. Some
early 2020. Following several deals with high- of the old rules still apply, but, as with following having sold over two changes?
profile distributors (Roadshow Films, Sandrew the music industry and many other million copies and been translated Strong narrative is always going to be at
Metronome, KMBO, Viva Productions, and businesses, digital disruption has into over 40 languages. That kind of the heart of anything that demands our
more), the Golden Horse-winning animation radically changed the business speaks for itself. But what I also love eyeballs’ attention. I think the earthquake
film Cats, which holds the all-time box-office model for everyone in the food about this is that it has a very unique has happened already and we are now
record for a Chinese animation film in Russia, chain and we must be nimble and concept. It is kind of like Chocolat but experiencing the aftershocks. If we have
is still available for a few countries. Also in the understand and react to the demands with flowers. And we have a superb cast survived this far, our job is now to adapt
line-up are three martial-arts films from China of the new order. to go with it. and rebuild the model in a future-proof
and Hong Kong: The Fatal Raid, starring way.
Patrick Tam, Jade Leung and Kristy Yeung; A re-imagining of Black Beauty. Your current line-up of movies has
Undercover, starring Philip Ng, Andy On and What particularly attracted you to a striking range of big names in What else from Mister Smith
Vanness Wu; and Crazy Fist, starring Huang this project? front of, and behind, the camera. Is Entertainment in Cannes?
Xiaoming, Zhao Wei and Collin Chou . At the heart of Black Beauty is an this always important? Aside from having A Hidden Life in
emotional love story and a reminder to all
competition, we are also launching a
I still believe that the script and
All Rights Entertainment is also presenting of us as to how important it is to keep a provenance is key, but then all the other theatrical re-boot of the horror franchise
the feature debut of French director Benjamin sense of humanity and respect for the elements are the building blocks for the Wrong Turn. This has been an
Goalabré, Trunk, a thriller starring Michael world around us. But this is also one of master plan, and having strong elements extraordinarily successful franchise,
Madsen (who appears in Quentin Tarantino’s the most widely read books of all time attached both gives reassurance to the which has around 2.5 million followers
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in and it has a universal appeal particularly distributors and exhibitors, but also gives on Facebook. This new version will be
competition at the Festival) and William to young girls and women of all ages. It is you the ammunition to market and going back to the strengths of the original
Baldwin (now in Nicholas Winding Refn’s TV something that has a super-broad reach publicise and create maximum awareness. theatrical movie from the same writer. It
series Too Old to Die Young). ✦ Liza Foreman and longevity. That is so important. promises to be a blast.✦ Julian Newby

Benetone Films finds Thai flavours in Cannes

ENETONE Films is introducing a network of film professionals. The group 2030, in a world at the edge of a natural
range of Thai content, set to has produced nine feature films and also catastrophe. Ju Long is a socially awkward
shoot in Thailand and other offers full services to foreign productions 12-year-old Chinese boy who lives with his
Asian countries, at this year’s who shoot their films, series and TV environmental scientist mother and Jiang,
B Marché du Film. commercials in Thailand. Benetone Films is his sassy and rebellious cousin. He embarks
“Thailand’s cinematography industry has on a mission to evolve Thai content and on a journey to rescue an artefact found in
grown so much in the past few years, and make it accessible on an international their home that belongs to the mythical
we are very excited to present original slate. Qilin. It is hoped it can rebalance the
stories made by talented filmmakers that This year’s films include Tokyo Fantasy, a natural order of the Earth and save the
Thailand and South-East Asia includes,” love story between two imperfect people dying world. While on their quest, the two
Rachvin Narula, CEO of Benetone Films, who heal the emptiness in each other’s kids — joined by their neighbour Bai Cong
said. lives. The film tells the story of a dreamy, who would do anything to catch Jiang’s
Benetone Films’ 2019 line-up includes a imaginative Thai woman who comes to attention — must escape villainous Ms
Thai/Japanese romantic-comedy drama, a share an apartment with a handsome Wei Min and Mr Fang who plan to
Chinese family-adventure feature and a Japanese man in Tokyo, her newly jeopardise their mission.
horror story, among other projects, all adopted city. As their relationship evolves Benetone Films, together with the
available for co-production deals. from acrimonious, to accepting, to Ministry of Commerce, Royal Thai
A Marché du Film regular since 2013, amorous, secrets emerge that profoundly Government, will be exhibiting at booth
Benetone Films has 17 years of experience affect how they perceive each other. number eight at the Thailand Cinema
in the Thai and foreign audiovisual Another title, Ju Long - The Quest for the stand, 22.01, in the Palais, Level 01.✦
industries, and a strong international Qilin’s Lost Island, is set in the Bangkok of Liza Foreman

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