See what is happening in film & TV industries around the world...
Tribeca: Winners Announced and ‘The Canal’ Sells
After running from April 16th to 27th, the winners of the Tribeca film Festival have been announced. Israeli film ‘Zero Motivation’ won the Founder’s Award for Best Narrative Feature while Marshall Curry’s ‘Point and Shoot’ won Best Documentary Feature. Josef Wladyka won Best New Narrative Director for his film ‘Manos Succias’.
Other winners included Jon Favreau’s ‘Chef’ (see the trailer here) and Alan Hicks’ ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’, which claimed the Narrative and Documentary Heineken Audience Awards respectively, and the latter film also saw Hicks win Best New Documentary Director. Best Actor and Actress in a Narrative Feature went to Paul Schneider (‘Goodbye to All That’) and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (‘Human Capital’). Damian García won the cinematography prize for ‘Güeros’ and Guillaume Nicloux the screenplay award for ‘The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq’.
Also announced at Tribeca, XYZ Films has sold North American rights for Irish co-production ‘The Canal’. Ivan Kavanagh’s horror was sold to The Orchard in a rare on-site acquisition at the film festival following rave reviews. ‘The Canal’ premiered at Tribeca, and will be distributed through The Orchard’s horror label, Shock Till You Drop. The feature is produced by AnneMarie Naughton through Park Films, and stars Rupert Evans and IFTA nominee Antonia Campbell-Hughes.
Zack Snyder to direct ‘Justice League’ Movie
Zack Snyder has signed on to direct a film on the Justice League to follow ‘Batman VS Superman’, which Snyder is scheduled to commence work on shortly. According to reports, the new project is in development but is unlikely to emerge before 2018. ‘Batman VS Superman’ and the Justice League film will be shot back-to-back.
Snyder’s previous directorial credits include ‘300’, ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Man of Steel’, which was the first film in the Justice League reboot. Henry Cavill played Superman in ‘Man of Steel’. He will reprise the role in ‘Batman VS Superman’ and is understood to be returning to the role in the Justice League project. Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot are to play Batman and Wonder Woman respectively in the upcoming films.
Mark Burnett and Roma Downey Board ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake’
Mark Burnett and Roma Downey have joined MGM-Paramount’s remake of ‘Ben-Hur’ as producers. The film, which focuses on events in the years prior to the 1959 film, is set for release in February 2016. Burnett will join Sean Daniels, best-known for ‘The Mummy’ franchise, and Joni Levi as producer. Downey, who originates from Co. Derry, will executive produce.
The husband and wife team executive produced the award-winning TV series ‘The Bible’, which was also successfully adapted for the big screen. The pair stated, “what an honour it will be to help bring this epic film back to the big screen.” Timur Bekmambetov (‘Wanted’) is directing the ‘Ben-Hur’ film from a screenplay originally written by Keith Clarke with revisions by John Ridley (’12 Years a Slave’, ‘Jimi: All is By My Side’).
