2009 is not exactly a year that horror fans remember fondly. What came out that year? Off the top of the head, not much comes up. A quick search gives us The Unborn, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and Drag Me to Hell. Depending on who you ask, these range from ok movies to Drag Me to Hell, but not exactly memorable overall. Something happened at the end of the 2000s and horror didn’t give us much to work with for some reason. If we dig, we get better titles like The Collector, Laid to Rest, and Paranormal Activity, but their box office ranged from amazing in the case of Paranormal Activity to almost nonexistent for the others, so it was completely hit or miss, like studios didn’t know what to push and what to keep for the home video market. Another movie that had a lot of potential...
- 3/13/2024
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
Retribution is a thriller drama film directed by Nimród Antal from a screenplay by Chris Salmanpour. Based on a Spanish film named El desconocido (also known as Retribution) by Alberto Marini, the film follows the story of Matt Turner, a financier, who is suddenly threatened by a mysterious bomber while driving his kids to school. Retribution stars Liam Neeson in the lead role with Noma Dumezweni, Lilly Aspell, Jack Champion, and Matthew Modine. So, if you loved Retribution here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Retribution (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Warner Bros. Spain
Synopsis: A bank executive receives an anonymous phone call informing him he has just a few hours to obtain a large amount of money or a bomb under his seat will explode.
Phone Booth (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a somewhat sleazy publicist who...
Retribution (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Warner Bros. Spain
Synopsis: A bank executive receives an anonymous phone call informing him he has just a few hours to obtain a large amount of money or a bomb under his seat will explode.
Phone Booth (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: Stuart Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a somewhat sleazy publicist who...
- 8/25/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Veteran media executive Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann took over as CEO of Telepool in January, barely a year after Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook took full control, in December 2021, of the German rights giant.
The appointment was a bit of a coup. The Japan-born, Germany-educated Higuchi-Zitzmann has more than a quarter century of experience in some of Europe’s biggest media companies. She was an acquisitions exec for Constantin Film — scoring Olivier Dahan’s Oscar winner La Vie En Rose for the German market among other deals — and producer at renowned German groups Ziegler Cinema — where she delivered sleeper hit My Blind Date With Life, a romantic comedy that earned more than $5 million at the German box office for distributor StudioCanal — and Studio Hamburg, where her hits included Herzogpark, a Desperate Housewives-style series for leading German network Rtl. She joined Telepool from Matthias Schweighöfer’s production outfit Pantaleon Films...
The appointment was a bit of a coup. The Japan-born, Germany-educated Higuchi-Zitzmann has more than a quarter century of experience in some of Europe’s biggest media companies. She was an acquisitions exec for Constantin Film — scoring Olivier Dahan’s Oscar winner La Vie En Rose for the German market among other deals — and producer at renowned German groups Ziegler Cinema — where she delivered sleeper hit My Blind Date With Life, a romantic comedy that earned more than $5 million at the German box office for distributor StudioCanal — and Studio Hamburg, where her hits included Herzogpark, a Desperate Housewives-style series for leading German network Rtl. She joined Telepool from Matthias Schweighöfer’s production outfit Pantaleon Films...
- 5/19/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannibalism has emerged as the genre du jour in horror. With the success of last year’s Fresh and Bones and All as well as the second season of Yellowjackets finally digging into the human flesh, everyone seems to be exploring this taboo topic. From nightmare survival scenarios to narcissistic serial killers, these films follow humans or humanoid monsters who consume human flesh in one way or another. Some butcher and cook the meat, while others eat it from the bone, but all cannibal films offer a window into a world of depravity and a fascinating blend of horror and revulsion. We not only fear being eaten ourselves, but we often find ourselves imagining what the meat would taste like should we dare (or be forced) to take a bite.
Films about cannibals may seem like a rare delicacy, but a closer look reveals that the pickens are not so slim.
Films about cannibals may seem like a rare delicacy, but a closer look reveals that the pickens are not so slim.
- 5/5/2023
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you’re already experiencing The Last of Us withdrawals after the finale, let Screambox fill the post-apocalyptic void in your life with The Island.
Known internationally as Sløborn, the series combines elements of disaster thriller, coming-of-age drama, dystopian sci-fi, and survival horror. The German-Danish co-production was created by filmmaker Christian Alvart, who directed the genre films Pandorum, Case 39, and Antibodies before creating Netflix’s Dogs of Berlin.
It’s never been easy to be a teenager, but it’s particularly difficult for Gen Z, who are doomed to reckon with fears of the future — or lack thereof. As 15-year-old Evelin Kern (Emily Kusche) puts it in The Island‘s opening voice over, “Ever since I can remember, the world has been ending. Species extinction, deforestation, economic crises, environmental pollution, terrorism, and climate change. Happy days. Somewhere there is always the next crisis, the next war, and mankind has...
Known internationally as Sløborn, the series combines elements of disaster thriller, coming-of-age drama, dystopian sci-fi, and survival horror. The German-Danish co-production was created by filmmaker Christian Alvart, who directed the genre films Pandorum, Case 39, and Antibodies before creating Netflix’s Dogs of Berlin.
It’s never been easy to be a teenager, but it’s particularly difficult for Gen Z, who are doomed to reckon with fears of the future — or lack thereof. As 15-year-old Evelin Kern (Emily Kusche) puts it in The Island‘s opening voice over, “Ever since I can remember, the world has been ending. Species extinction, deforestation, economic crises, environmental pollution, terrorism, and climate change. Happy days. Somewhere there is always the next crisis, the next war, and mankind has...
- 3/13/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Screambox is the exclusive home to “The Island” (“Sløborn”), the critically-acclaimed pandemic-fueled series from celebrated filmmaker Christian Alvart, director behind horror favs Antibodies and Pandorum, not to mention Case 39 and Netflix’s “Dogs of Berlin”.
Today, we’ve released Season 2 of the coming-of-age pandemic-set thriller and have all 14 episodes now streaming on Screambox!
“Blurring the line between pandemic fantasy and reality, the series centers around a remote island in the North Sea that falls victim to a merciless and mysterious virus. As authorities rush to contain the disease, a fever of madness sweeps across the island.”
“‘The Island’ [is] a coming-of-age-drama and post-apocalyptic disaster thriller merge into a modern epic,” explains Zdf Enterprises’ Robert Franke, “In a radical, uncompromising manner, the series raises the question of what happens to us modern people when the thin varnish of our civilization collapses. It has all the hallmarks of a top-quality thriller.”
March...
Today, we’ve released Season 2 of the coming-of-age pandemic-set thriller and have all 14 episodes now streaming on Screambox!
“Blurring the line between pandemic fantasy and reality, the series centers around a remote island in the North Sea that falls victim to a merciless and mysterious virus. As authorities rush to contain the disease, a fever of madness sweeps across the island.”
“‘The Island’ [is] a coming-of-age-drama and post-apocalyptic disaster thriller merge into a modern epic,” explains Zdf Enterprises’ Robert Franke, “In a radical, uncompromising manner, the series raises the question of what happens to us modern people when the thin varnish of our civilization collapses. It has all the hallmarks of a top-quality thriller.”
March...
- 3/7/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
In addition to FeardotCom, the 2002 effort from director William Malone (House on Haunted Hill) that stars Stephen Dorff (Blade), the Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox has also revved up the streaming rights to Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 sequel starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead)!
In the film, “Two college students driving coast to coast are lured off the main highway and onto a deserted Texas road. Here they are stalked by the menacing Leatherface and his demented family…a bizarre cannibalistic clan with blood on their hands and a feast on their minds. The students’ only chance for escape is a survivalist with enough firepower to blast Leatherface and the rest of the grisly predators to hell. A depraved shocker of intense terror from the gruesome beginning to the bloody finish.”
Watch Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III now on Screambox!
In the film, “Two college students driving coast to coast are lured off the main highway and onto a deserted Texas road. Here they are stalked by the menacing Leatherface and his demented family…a bizarre cannibalistic clan with blood on their hands and a feast on their minds. The students’ only chance for escape is a survivalist with enough firepower to blast Leatherface and the rest of the grisly predators to hell. A depraved shocker of intense terror from the gruesome beginning to the bloody finish.”
Watch Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III now on Screambox!
- 3/1/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
William Malone, a Master of Horror behind such films as Creature, House on Haunted Hill, and Parasomnia, once took a stab at mixing early internet tech with horror in FeardotCom, which starred Stephen Dorff and was released in theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2002.
The film has been making a bit of a resurgence and maybe even having a renaissance with horror fans newly appreciating the much-maligned techy horror film that followed Dorff as a New York City detective who investigates mysterious deaths occurring 48 hours after users log onto feardotcom.
Now, you can judge for yourself as FeardotCom is streaming exclusively on Screambox today, alongside Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 sequel starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead)!
March is a huge month on Screambox as we’ll also be releasing the second season of “The Island” from Pandorum director Christian Alvart,...
The film has been making a bit of a resurgence and maybe even having a renaissance with horror fans newly appreciating the much-maligned techy horror film that followed Dorff as a New York City detective who investigates mysterious deaths occurring 48 hours after users log onto feardotcom.
Now, you can judge for yourself as FeardotCom is streaming exclusively on Screambox today, alongside Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 sequel starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead)!
March is a huge month on Screambox as we’ll also be releasing the second season of “The Island” from Pandorum director Christian Alvart,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox has revealed the lineup of new films that are joining the horror streaming service in March 2023, including brand new The Outwaters companion shorts Card Zero & File Vl-624, original festival favorites Holy Shit! and Family Dinner, and the 1990s sequel Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III!
Joining Screambox on Wednesday, March 1, are Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 sequel starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), and FeardotCom, the 2002 effort from director William Malone (House on Haunted Hill) that stars Stephen Dorff (Blade).
Created by Pandorum director Christian Alvart, the second season of “The Island” hits Screambox on March 7. Experience the world after its collapse with all six new episodes of the post-apocalyptic coming-of-age thriller series. The first season is streaming now.
‘Holy Shit!’
Following a rambunctious festival run, Screambox Original Holy Shit! drops on March 21. Living up to its title,...
Joining Screambox on Wednesday, March 1, are Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 sequel starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), and FeardotCom, the 2002 effort from director William Malone (House on Haunted Hill) that stars Stephen Dorff (Blade).
Created by Pandorum director Christian Alvart, the second season of “The Island” hits Screambox on March 7. Experience the world after its collapse with all six new episodes of the post-apocalyptic coming-of-age thriller series. The first season is streaming now.
‘Holy Shit!’
Following a rambunctious festival run, Screambox Original Holy Shit! drops on March 21. Living up to its title,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: The latest casting round of tributes and mentors in Lionsgate’s prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes includes Irene Boehm, Cooper Dillon, Luna Kuse, Kjell Brutscheidt, Dimitri Abold, Athena Strates, Dakota Shapiro, George Somner and Vaughan Reilly.
As we told you previously, the film is set during the early days of tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy,...
As we told you previously, the film is set during the early days of tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy,...
- 7/6/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking with top German talent agency Players. Headed up by Mechthild Holter and Fabian Haslob, the duo have clients that have worked across recent projects such as Babylon Berlin, Unorthodox and Deutchland ’89. In a rare interview, they tell us why now is a great time for German-speaking talent to cross borders.
With film and television sectors more globalized than ever, international talent has fast become a premium for streamers as they lean in on local language productions in foreign markets to offset stagnant domestic growth. One company at the sharp end of this change is Germany’s Players Agency. The company, which was founded by Mechthild Holter in 1994, represents around 180 actors, writers, directors and cinematographers and is...
With film and television sectors more globalized than ever, international talent has fast become a premium for streamers as they lean in on local language productions in foreign markets to offset stagnant domestic growth. One company at the sharp end of this change is Germany’s Players Agency. The company, which was founded by Mechthild Holter in 1994, represents around 180 actors, writers, directors and cinematographers and is...
- 6/22/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Commission
Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. is re-teaming with Optomen TV to produce a follow-up to “Johnny vs Amber,” a two-part documentary which explored Johnny Depp’s defamation trial in the U.K. High Court with explosive evidence, intimate personal archive and in-depth interviews from both legal teams. Following the success of that documentary, the follow up will be focused on the recent and very high-profile legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, this time in the U.S. The two-part Discovery+ documentary will again look at the extensive evidence and testimony of both Depp and Heard. Each episode will present one side of the argument through legal teams, friends, family and key witnesses.
In addition, Discovery+ has also greenlit two further ‘vs’ series: “Coleen vs Rebekah,” will examine the recent U.K. court battle between high profile footballers’ wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy; and “Britney vs Jamie,...
Warner Bros. Discovery U.K. is re-teaming with Optomen TV to produce a follow-up to “Johnny vs Amber,” a two-part documentary which explored Johnny Depp’s defamation trial in the U.K. High Court with explosive evidence, intimate personal archive and in-depth interviews from both legal teams. Following the success of that documentary, the follow up will be focused on the recent and very high-profile legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, this time in the U.S. The two-part Discovery+ documentary will again look at the extensive evidence and testimony of both Depp and Heard. Each episode will present one side of the argument through legal teams, friends, family and key witnesses.
In addition, Discovery+ has also greenlit two further ‘vs’ series: “Coleen vs Rebekah,” will examine the recent U.K. court battle between high profile footballers’ wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy; and “Britney vs Jamie,...
- 5/31/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Production has got underway in Germany and Poland on “Oderbruch,” a major thriller series produced by Paramount Global’s CBS Studios, Syrreal Entertainment and Ard Degeto, part of German public broadcast group Ard.
The previously announced drama stars Karoline Schuch (“Dark Woods”), Felix Kramer (“Dogs of Berlin”) and Lucas Gregorowicz and is a tale which begins with the discovery of multiple murder victims in a remote area near the German-Polish border.
The eight-part series is directed by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Christian Alvart. Series creator and head writer Arend Remmers developed the series concept with Kolmerer.
Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland from Syrreal serve as producers. The executives overseeing the project are: Christoph Pellander, editor-in-chief of Ard Degeto; Sebastian Lückel, head of acquisitions and co-productions at Ard Degeto; Patrick Noel Simon, commissioning editor at Ard Degeto; and Meghan Lyvers, senior VP of international co-productions and development at CBS Studios.
The previously announced drama stars Karoline Schuch (“Dark Woods”), Felix Kramer (“Dogs of Berlin”) and Lucas Gregorowicz and is a tale which begins with the discovery of multiple murder victims in a remote area near the German-Polish border.
The eight-part series is directed by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Christian Alvart. Series creator and head writer Arend Remmers developed the series concept with Kolmerer.
Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland from Syrreal serve as producers. The executives overseeing the project are: Christoph Pellander, editor-in-chief of Ard Degeto; Sebastian Lückel, head of acquisitions and co-productions at Ard Degeto; Patrick Noel Simon, commissioning editor at Ard Degeto; and Meghan Lyvers, senior VP of international co-productions and development at CBS Studios.
- 5/5/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Oderbruch (working title), the CBS Studios and Syrreal Entertainment supernatural mystery drama for Germany’s Ard Degato, has added four cast members, as principal photography begins this week.
André Hennicke (Pandorum), Alix Heyblom (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo), Winfried Glatzeder (Die Legende von Paul und Paula), Robert Glatzeder (In Aller Freudschaft) and Jan Krauter (3 1/2 Hours) are onboard the eight-part series, which is currently filming in Görlitz, Germany and will also shoot in Poland.
The series follows Detective Roland Voit (Felix Kramer) on a serial murder case after after numerous victims shock the Oderbruch region of Germany. His former colleague and childhood sweetheart, Maggie Kring (Karoline Schuch), joins the police investigation when her family comes under immediate suspicion.
Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Christian Alvart are directing, with Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland from Syrreal producing. Overseeing the shoot are Ard Degato trio Christoph Pellander, Sebastian Lückel and Patrick Noel Simon and Meghan Lyvers,...
André Hennicke (Pandorum), Alix Heyblom (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo), Winfried Glatzeder (Die Legende von Paul und Paula), Robert Glatzeder (In Aller Freudschaft) and Jan Krauter (3 1/2 Hours) are onboard the eight-part series, which is currently filming in Görlitz, Germany and will also shoot in Poland.
The series follows Detective Roland Voit (Felix Kramer) on a serial murder case after after numerous victims shock the Oderbruch region of Germany. His former colleague and childhood sweetheart, Maggie Kring (Karoline Schuch), joins the police investigation when her family comes under immediate suspicion.
Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Christian Alvart are directing, with Siegfried Kamml, Christian Alvart and Timm Oberwelland from Syrreal producing. Overseeing the shoot are Ard Degato trio Christoph Pellander, Sebastian Lückel and Patrick Noel Simon and Meghan Lyvers,...
- 5/5/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Zdf Enterprises has struck further deals for the first season of post-apocalyptic disaster thriller “Sløborn,” including sales in the U.K., Russia and Japan.
The eight-part series is produced by Christian Alvart’s Berlin-based Syrreal Entertainment in co-production with Zdf, Tobis, Nordisk Film and Zdf Enterprises. Alvart, who also penned and helmed the Netflix series “Dogs of Berlin,” co-wrote and directed “Sløborn” along with Adolfo J. Kolmerer.
Season 1 of the ZDFneo original series deals with the outbreak of a fatal virus on the North Sea island of Sløborn and the inhabitants’ fight to survive the global catastrophe. Alvart was in production with “Sløborn” well before the Covid-19 pandemic but the storyline was eerily prescient: A community is slowly devastated when a deadly virus begins killing residents while being largely ignored by most of the population until it’s too late.
In Season 2, which premieres on ZDFneo on Feb. 21 and will soon be available for distribution,...
The eight-part series is produced by Christian Alvart’s Berlin-based Syrreal Entertainment in co-production with Zdf, Tobis, Nordisk Film and Zdf Enterprises. Alvart, who also penned and helmed the Netflix series “Dogs of Berlin,” co-wrote and directed “Sløborn” along with Adolfo J. Kolmerer.
Season 1 of the ZDFneo original series deals with the outbreak of a fatal virus on the North Sea island of Sløborn and the inhabitants’ fight to survive the global catastrophe. Alvart was in production with “Sløborn” well before the Covid-19 pandemic but the storyline was eerily prescient: A community is slowly devastated when a deadly virus begins killing residents while being largely ignored by most of the population until it’s too late.
In Season 2, which premieres on ZDFneo on Feb. 21 and will soon be available for distribution,...
- 2/16/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Casting
BBC One original series “Casualty” has announced its first transgender character, Sah, to be played by newcomer Arin Smethurst. Sah joins the series’ popular existing team of paramedics including Jan (Di Botcher), Teddy (Milo Clarke) and Iain (Michael Stevenson). “Casualty” is Smethurst’s first time working on a TV series, and the first episodes featuring their new character will begin airing later this month.
“I am honored to be joining the spectacular ‘Casualty’ family as a shiny new paramedic! I’m so excited to portray this transgender, non-binary, salty but fiercely compassionate character and hope they are not only well-received, but also a source of awareness for those who have never met someone like me,” said Smethurst in a release.
Development
Ard Degeto is developing “Oderbruch,” a new drama series destined for the company’s Ard Mediathek online platform. The series will be co-produced with Syrreal Entertainment and CBS Studios,...
BBC One original series “Casualty” has announced its first transgender character, Sah, to be played by newcomer Arin Smethurst. Sah joins the series’ popular existing team of paramedics including Jan (Di Botcher), Teddy (Milo Clarke) and Iain (Michael Stevenson). “Casualty” is Smethurst’s first time working on a TV series, and the first episodes featuring their new character will begin airing later this month.
“I am honored to be joining the spectacular ‘Casualty’ family as a shiny new paramedic! I’m so excited to portray this transgender, non-binary, salty but fiercely compassionate character and hope they are not only well-received, but also a source of awareness for those who have never met someone like me,” said Smethurst in a release.
Development
Ard Degeto is developing “Oderbruch,” a new drama series destined for the company’s Ard Mediathek online platform. The series will be co-produced with Syrreal Entertainment and CBS Studios,...
- 10/5/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Jack Huston is leading the latest take on The Count of Monte Cristo.
The Fargo star, who recently wrapped production on House of Gucci and is set as the male lead in Amazon drama series Expats, is to star in and write the package, which is now being taken out to buyers by Shadowhunters producer Constantin Film.
The project, which has been in development for a while, will see Huston play Nicolas Cristo, a man broken, betrayed and locked away for over a decade, fighting to bring justice to a world even more cruel and corrupt than the one that was taken from him.
The twist for the latest adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel? It will be set in Asia and the U.S.
Into The Badlands and Wu Assassins director Stephen Fung is on board to direct and exec produce. Huston will also exec produce along with...
The Fargo star, who recently wrapped production on House of Gucci and is set as the male lead in Amazon drama series Expats, is to star in and write the package, which is now being taken out to buyers by Shadowhunters producer Constantin Film.
The project, which has been in development for a while, will see Huston play Nicolas Cristo, a man broken, betrayed and locked away for over a decade, fighting to bring justice to a world even more cruel and corrupt than the one that was taken from him.
The twist for the latest adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel? It will be set in Asia and the U.S.
Into The Badlands and Wu Assassins director Stephen Fung is on board to direct and exec produce. Huston will also exec produce along with...
- 6/21/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
German indie Augenschein, whose credits include Netflix sci-fi Stowaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt thriller 7500, is launching Augenschein Sales, an in-house worldwide sales and financing arm.
The new operation will be headed by Jonathan Saubach as Head Of Sales. The acquisitions exec joins from Will Smith-owned Telepool.
The new division will focus on combining the financing for the company’s production slate through access to equity, market pre-sales and film funds. Saubach will be in charge of financing, packaging and worldwide sales of the company’s film titles and will also serve as an executive producer on upcoming productions. He will report to Augenschein founders Maximilian Leo and Jonas Katzenstein.
During his ten-year tenure at Telepool the company acquired Ryan Gosling starrer Drive, The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, The Hitman’s Bodyguard starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman, the Has Fallen franchise starring Gerard Butler,...
The new operation will be headed by Jonathan Saubach as Head Of Sales. The acquisitions exec joins from Will Smith-owned Telepool.
The new division will focus on combining the financing for the company’s production slate through access to equity, market pre-sales and film funds. Saubach will be in charge of financing, packaging and worldwide sales of the company’s film titles and will also serve as an executive producer on upcoming productions. He will report to Augenschein founders Maximilian Leo and Jonas Katzenstein.
During his ten-year tenure at Telepool the company acquired Ryan Gosling starrer Drive, The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, The Hitman’s Bodyguard starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman, the Has Fallen franchise starring Gerard Butler,...
- 6/2/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Zdf Enterprises has boarded the second season of the coming-of-age, pandemic thriller “Sløborn” as co-producer and global distributor.
Season 1 of the ZDFneo original series dealt with the spread of a deadly virus across the world that ravaged the island of Sløborn, and the inhabitants’ fight to survive the catastrophe. In Season 2, audiences will experience the world after its collapse.
Shooting for the new season will take place in the spring of this year. Wotan Wilke Möhring, Emily Kusche, Alexander Scheer, Aaron Hilmer, Adrian Grünewald and Lea van Acken will once again star. Christian Alvart and Adolfo J. Kolmerer direct from a screenplay by Arend Remmers and Alvart.
In Season 2, the island has been evacuated after many residents died of the fatal pigeon flu. But a small group of people refused to be evacuated and hid on the island, for fear of being exposed to an even greater risk of infection on the mainland.
Season 1 of the ZDFneo original series dealt with the spread of a deadly virus across the world that ravaged the island of Sløborn, and the inhabitants’ fight to survive the catastrophe. In Season 2, audiences will experience the world after its collapse.
Shooting for the new season will take place in the spring of this year. Wotan Wilke Möhring, Emily Kusche, Alexander Scheer, Aaron Hilmer, Adrian Grünewald and Lea van Acken will once again star. Christian Alvart and Adolfo J. Kolmerer direct from a screenplay by Arend Remmers and Alvart.
In Season 2, the island has been evacuated after many residents died of the fatal pigeon flu. But a small group of people refused to be evacuated and hid on the island, for fear of being exposed to an even greater risk of infection on the mainland.
- 4/9/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin, March 23 (Ians) Popular American TV personality David Hasselhoff is headed to German TV. The 68-year-old will be playing a fictionalised version of himself in the upcoming German TV show, "Ze Network", alongside actor Henry Hubchen.
The series is being described as an international conspiracy story, according to a report in aceshowbiz.com.
"To do a cutting-edge series and working with Rtl is a dream come true. The series is funny, deadly, creative, informative and simply exciting. Fact or fiction, you decide," he said in a statement as reported by the publication.
The report also states that Christian Alvart will direct the show. "I can't wait to share with audiences the crazy ride Mr. Hasselhoff will be bravely taking on with 'Ze Germans'," Alvart said in a statement.
This won't be the first time the star has played a fictional version of himself. He did the same in the sitcom...
The series is being described as an international conspiracy story, according to a report in aceshowbiz.com.
"To do a cutting-edge series and working with Rtl is a dream come true. The series is funny, deadly, creative, informative and simply exciting. Fact or fiction, you decide," he said in a statement as reported by the publication.
The report also states that Christian Alvart will direct the show. "I can't wait to share with audiences the crazy ride Mr. Hasselhoff will be bravely taking on with 'Ze Germans'," Alvart said in a statement.
This won't be the first time the star has played a fictional version of himself. He did the same in the sitcom...
- 3/23/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
David Hasselhoff is heading to Germany to star in a comedy spy series produced by Christian Alvart’s Berlin-based Syrreal Entertainment in what will be the first project from the company’s new international first-look deal with CBS Studios.
A straight-to-series order for Mediengruppe Rtl’s SVOD platform TVNow, “Ze Network” sees Hasselhoff playing himself as he travels to Germany to headline a stage production in what he believes is a major theater in East Berlin, only to discover it’s actually a small venue located “east of Berlin” — in the town of Görlitz. Once there, the Hoff is plunged into the center of an international conspiracy of former Cold War assassins, while around him the fabric of reality seems to break down.
German actor Henry Hübchen likewise plays himself, co-starring with Hasselhoff in the play. This version of Hübchen, however, has a more shadowy East German past than his...
A straight-to-series order for Mediengruppe Rtl’s SVOD platform TVNow, “Ze Network” sees Hasselhoff playing himself as he travels to Germany to headline a stage production in what he believes is a major theater in East Berlin, only to discover it’s actually a small venue located “east of Berlin” — in the town of Görlitz. Once there, the Hoff is plunged into the center of an international conspiracy of former Cold War assassins, while around him the fabric of reality seems to break down.
German actor Henry Hübchen likewise plays himself, co-starring with Hasselhoff in the play. This version of Hübchen, however, has a more shadowy East German past than his...
- 3/22/2021
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
CBS Studios and German producer Syrreal Entertainment are teaming to create a series for Rtl streamer TV Now in which David Hasselhoff will star as himself in a fictional international conspiracy story.
CBS has signed a first-look production pact with Berlin-based Syrreal, which makes Netflix series Dogs of Berlin, and the Hasselhoff series is the first project under the partnership. Created by Syrreal CEO Christian Alvart, the show is titled Ze Network.
It follows The Hoff as he lands a lead role in a German stage show, which plunges him into the center of an international conspiracy of former cold war assassins, while around him the fabric of reality seems to break down. German actor Henry Hübchen also stars as a version of himself.
Alvart is directing Ze Network. Series producers are Sigi Kamml, Alvart, and Timm Oberwelland, while Hasselhoff executive produces. CBS Studios has remake and other rights to the series,...
CBS has signed a first-look production pact with Berlin-based Syrreal, which makes Netflix series Dogs of Berlin, and the Hasselhoff series is the first project under the partnership. Created by Syrreal CEO Christian Alvart, the show is titled Ze Network.
It follows The Hoff as he lands a lead role in a German stage show, which plunges him into the center of an international conspiracy of former cold war assassins, while around him the fabric of reality seems to break down. German actor Henry Hübchen also stars as a version of himself.
Alvart is directing Ze Network. Series producers are Sigi Kamml, Alvart, and Timm Oberwelland, while Hasselhoff executive produces. CBS Studios has remake and other rights to the series,...
- 3/22/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Italian screen legend Franco Nero is having a busy year. “Recon,” the Robert Port-directed World War II thriller in which he stars, opened theatrically on Veteran’s Day in the U.S. as an event release and since then has been playing well online. German courtroom procedural “The Collini Case,” in which Nero has the title role, recently dropped Stateside on several platforms after scoring well theatrically in Germany. His Cuba set “Havana Kyrie” will also be coming out in the U.S. soon.
And Nero’s got plenty more projects in the pipeline including “Django Lives!” where he plans to reprise the role that brought him worldwide fame in Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 classic Spaghetti Western “Django.” On his birthday, the 79-year-old icon spoke exclusively to Variety from Rome, where he’s been stuck due to the pandemic, but was pleased to get flowers sent from England by his wife Vanessa Redgrave.
And Nero’s got plenty more projects in the pipeline including “Django Lives!” where he plans to reprise the role that brought him worldwide fame in Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 classic Spaghetti Western “Django.” On his birthday, the 79-year-old icon spoke exclusively to Variety from Rome, where he’s been stuck due to the pandemic, but was pleased to get flowers sent from England by his wife Vanessa Redgrave.
- 11/26/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
With depictions of pandemic catastrophes, war, failing empires, the divide between rich and poor, shooting rampages and massive power outages, Germany’s newest TV shows appear to reflect the current apocalyptic zeitgeist.
German broadcasters and streaming services alike are going heavy on suspense, crime, psychological thrillers, action and adventure, often colored by themes of societal disruption and armed conflict.
Showrunner Christian Alvart (“Dogs of Berlin”) was in production with Zdf Enterprise’s new series “Sløborn” well before the Covid-19 pandemic but the storyline was eerily prescient: A community on the North Sea island of Sløborn is slowly devastated when a deadly virus begins killing residents while being largely ignored by most of the population until it’s too late. Alvart says he wanted to make a series about a crisis that occurs because people are too occupied with their daily lives to take the situation seriously.
In Zdf’s “Shadowplay,...
German broadcasters and streaming services alike are going heavy on suspense, crime, psychological thrillers, action and adventure, often colored by themes of societal disruption and armed conflict.
Showrunner Christian Alvart (“Dogs of Berlin”) was in production with Zdf Enterprise’s new series “Sløborn” well before the Covid-19 pandemic but the storyline was eerily prescient: A community on the North Sea island of Sløborn is slowly devastated when a deadly virus begins killing residents while being largely ignored by most of the population until it’s too late. Alvart says he wanted to make a series about a crisis that occurs because people are too occupied with their daily lives to take the situation seriously.
In Zdf’s “Shadowplay,...
- 10/13/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
From post-Francoist State Spain to post-reunified Germany, director Christian Alvart moves Alberto Rodríguez and Rafael Cobos’ Goya Award-winning thriller Marshland to a newly democratized remote village outside of Berlin via Free Country. Considering detectives Patrick Stein (Trystan Pütter) and Markus Bach (Felix Kramer) are thrust together despite building their careers in the West and East respectively, Alvart and co-writer Siegfried Kamml have ample room with which to retool things through a prism of their own nation’s potential for dark political secrets and guilt-ridden pasts. So while both men seek to solve a mystery surrounding two missing teenage sisters, they also look to peel back each other’s conditioned layers of subterfuge in order to begin unpacking Patrick’s rejection of authority and Markus’ complicity to a fallen regime.
The fallout of the Berlin Wall’s destruction creates a ripple effect that consumes every single character from a factory strike...
The fallout of the Berlin Wall’s destruction creates a ripple effect that consumes every single character from a factory strike...
- 8/21/2020
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
From the outset, the locals don't show much sympathy or concern for the missing sisters. "They liked to have fun. You know what I mean." says one.
"And you don't?" asks Patrick.
Patrick (Trystan Pütter) is a fish out of water. He's not only a city boy in a small town; he's a Westerner in the East. By taking Alberto Rodríguez's 2014 thriller Marshland and relocating it in Germany in 1992, Christian Alvart is able to explore a different set of political subsets. This is a country undergoing deep, fundamental change. The rules that Patrick is used to don't apply. The men he meets are preoccupied with competing for status, or possessed of a lingering fear of those who wielded power under the old regime. The women are cowed and reticent, many dreaming of getting out, building new lives in the west - yet this desire for escape has made them.
"And you don't?" asks Patrick.
Patrick (Trystan Pütter) is a fish out of water. He's not only a city boy in a small town; he's a Westerner in the East. By taking Alberto Rodríguez's 2014 thriller Marshland and relocating it in Germany in 1992, Christian Alvart is able to explore a different set of political subsets. This is a country undergoing deep, fundamental change. The rules that Patrick is used to don't apply. The men he meets are preoccupied with competing for status, or possessed of a lingering fear of those who wielded power under the old regime. The women are cowed and reticent, many dreaming of getting out, building new lives in the west - yet this desire for escape has made them.
- 8/16/2020
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Canadian virtual festival will include more than 100 features and 200 shorts.
Canada’s Fantasia Film Festival has announced a third and final wave of feature films, as well as details of its panels, talks, tributes and special events.
This year’s virtual edition of the Montreal-based festival, running from August 20 to September 2, will include more than 100 features and more than 200 shorts.
Among the latest titles added to the line-up are Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, getting its world premiere, Jorge Michel Grau’s Perdida, getting its international premiere, and Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’A, which will be the closing night film.
Canada’s Fantasia Film Festival has announced a third and final wave of feature films, as well as details of its panels, talks, tributes and special events.
This year’s virtual edition of the Montreal-based festival, running from August 20 to September 2, will include more than 100 features and more than 200 shorts.
Among the latest titles added to the line-up are Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, getting its world premiere, Jorge Michel Grau’s Perdida, getting its international premiere, and Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’A, which will be the closing night film.
- 8/6/2020
- by 31¦John Hazelton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, which runs August 20-September 2 and is being held digitally this year due to the pandemic, has unveiled its final lineup.
The fest has also announced that revered genre filmmaker John Carpenter will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award and will host an online masterclass as part of its virtual events.
New pics selected include Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’a, which closes the fest, the world premiere of Persepolis co-director Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, Johnnie To’s Chasing Dream, and Finn Wolfhard’s directorial debut short Night Shifts.
Further events will include talks with Mike Flanagan and Mick Garris, Simon Barrett, and Dennison Ramalho with José Mojica Marins aka Coffin Joe.
As reported previously, this year’s fest will open with Neil Marshall’s horror The Reckoning. The online screenings, which will run via Festival Scope and Shift72’s virtual screening platform,...
The fest has also announced that revered genre filmmaker John Carpenter will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award and will host an online masterclass as part of its virtual events.
New pics selected include Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’a, which closes the fest, the world premiere of Persepolis co-director Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, Johnnie To’s Chasing Dream, and Finn Wolfhard’s directorial debut short Night Shifts.
Further events will include talks with Mike Flanagan and Mick Garris, Simon Barrett, and Dennison Ramalho with José Mojica Marins aka Coffin Joe.
As reported previously, this year’s fest will open with Neil Marshall’s horror The Reckoning. The online screenings, which will run via Festival Scope and Shift72’s virtual screening platform,...
- 8/6/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Now with the month of June pretty much in our rearview, it’s time to look forward to a new month of VOD and Digital releases headed our way throughout the month of July. There’s a lot of great content coming out over the next few weeks, so even though most movie theaters won’t be open, you’ll still have plenty of stuff to keep you entertained from the comfort of your own home.
Some of the highlights for July’s Digital and VOD releases include Homewrecker and Belzebuth on July 7th (the latter had previously been streaming exclusively on Shudder until now), The Beach House on July 9th, Relic on July 10th (this debut from Natalie Erika James was one of my favorite films out of Sundance 2020), the cult classic Rad, which has several digital release dates in July, Joko Anwar’s Impetigore on July 23rd (another...
Some of the highlights for July’s Digital and VOD releases include Homewrecker and Belzebuth on July 7th (the latter had previously been streaming exclusively on Shudder until now), The Beach House on July 9th, Relic on July 10th (this debut from Natalie Erika James was one of my favorite films out of Sundance 2020), the cult classic Rad, which has several digital release dates in July, Joko Anwar’s Impetigore on July 23rd (another...
- 6/30/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Cut Off is one of the latest thrillers from director Christian Alvart (Pandorum). Shot in Germany, this dark yarn is based on novelists: Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos' work. To be released in the U.S. this July, the film's story follows a coroner and a strange mystery. Paul finds an even stranger clue, which leads to the location of his kidnapped daughter. But, each clue leads to another character and another twist. Cut Off stars: Moritz Bleibtreu (Run Lola Run), Jasna Fritzi Bauer (Dogs of Berlin) and Fahri Yardim. A U.S. trailer and poster are hosted here. The trailer shows how other characters are connected to a serial killer, through no choice of their own. All of the characters continue to find clues as a trail of bread crumbs leads to a final confrontation. Dark Sky Films will show Cut Off on Digital and DVD this July 3rd.
- 6/8/2020
- by noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
London-based sales agent Embankment Films has boarded world rights on Frankie, Anthony’s Wonke’s feature doc about horse racing star Frankie Dettori. The movie follows Dettorri over the course of one season and is currently in production. Producers are Nick Ryle, Pete Russell and Damien O’Donohoe of Trombone Productions. Embankment’s recent docs slate includes the BAFTA nominated McQueen, Harvey Weinstein deep-dive Untouchable, and the upcoming The United Way, the story of Manchester United narrated by Eric Cantona.
Leonine has continued a busy Efm by unveiling a deal with fellow German company
Syrreal Entertainment to co-develop the limited series Santiago, based on a pitch by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Arend Remmers (Schneeflöckchen). The pair are creating the series with Christian Alvart, it is a modern interpretation of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo and will span two seasons with eight episodes each, travelling from a Venezuelan prison,...
Leonine has continued a busy Efm by unveiling a deal with fellow German company
Syrreal Entertainment to co-develop the limited series Santiago, based on a pitch by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Arend Remmers (Schneeflöckchen). The pair are creating the series with Christian Alvart, it is a modern interpretation of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo and will span two seasons with eight episodes each, travelling from a Venezuelan prison,...
- 2/24/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
New German mini-major Leonine is teaming up with Christian Alvart's Syrreal Entertainment on Santiago, a modern-day adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' revenge classic The Count of Monte Cristo. The series, which is part of a co-development deal with Syrreal, is the first major TV project from Leonine.
In Dumas' story, Edmond Dantès, a young merchant sailor, is arrested, falsely accused of treason and imprisoned in a grim fortress. But he manages to escape and plots revenge against all who have wronged him.
The new series is based on a pitch by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Arend Remmers, the director and writer ...
In Dumas' story, Edmond Dantès, a young merchant sailor, is arrested, falsely accused of treason and imprisoned in a grim fortress. But he manages to escape and plots revenge against all who have wronged him.
The new series is based on a pitch by Adolfo J. Kolmerer and Arend Remmers, the director and writer ...
- 2/24/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
German film and TV company Telepool, jointly owned by Hollywood actor-producer Will Smith and Swiss investor Elysian Fields, is moving forward in multiple areas of the entertainment business, CEO André Druskeit tells Variety. Druskeit reveals a major new acquisition for its German distribution arm, and Julia Weber, head of theatrical sales and acquisitions at Telepool’s world sales arm Global Screen, speaks about the films making their market premieres at this month’s European Film Market in Berlin.
Last year Telepool launched into theatrical distribution in Germany, and continues this year with titles such as “Ironbark,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Now the company has acquired the German distribution rights for the next Will Smith movie, “King Richard,” about the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, Druskeit says. The film is fully financed by Warner Bros., but co-produced by Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment.
Referring to “King Richard,” Druskeit says: “This...
Last year Telepool launched into theatrical distribution in Germany, and continues this year with titles such as “Ironbark,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Now the company has acquired the German distribution rights for the next Will Smith movie, “King Richard,” about the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, Druskeit says. The film is fully financed by Warner Bros., but co-produced by Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment.
Referring to “King Richard,” Druskeit says: “This...
- 2/3/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Thomas “Tom” Zickler, one of Germany’s most successful producers, died Monday following a short illness. He was 55.
Zickler worked with actor-director Til Schweiger on some of Germany’s most successful films of the past two decades. Overseeing production at Barefoot Films and Mr. Brown Entertainment, companies he ran with Schweiger, Zickler produced such hits as 1997’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” 2010’s “Friendship!” and 2014’s “Head Full of Honey.”
In 2017 he teamed up with Christoph Fisser, vice president and COO of Studio Babelsberg, to launch a new shingle, Traumfabrik. Zickler most recently produced a movie of the same title, “Traumfabrik,” a period-piece love letter to East Germany’s famed Defa film studios, in Potsdam, which became Studio Babelsberg.
The new shingle marked a return to his professional roots. Zickler began his film career at Defa, in what was then East Germany, in 1986, three years before German reunification led to the privatization of the studio.
Zickler worked with actor-director Til Schweiger on some of Germany’s most successful films of the past two decades. Overseeing production at Barefoot Films and Mr. Brown Entertainment, companies he ran with Schweiger, Zickler produced such hits as 1997’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” 2010’s “Friendship!” and 2014’s “Head Full of Honey.”
In 2017 he teamed up with Christoph Fisser, vice president and COO of Studio Babelsberg, to launch a new shingle, Traumfabrik. Zickler most recently produced a movie of the same title, “Traumfabrik,” a period-piece love letter to East Germany’s famed Defa film studios, in Potsdam, which became Studio Babelsberg.
The new shingle marked a return to his professional roots. Zickler began his film career at Defa, in what was then East Germany, in 1986, three years before German reunification led to the privatization of the studio.
- 9/4/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Zickler best known for collaborations with actor Til Schweiger, including box office hits ’Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ and ’Barefoot’.
The German film community is mourning producer Tom Zickler, who died aged 55 on Monday (September 2) after a brief, but very severe illness.
“We are stunned, devastated and deeply sad,” Christoph Fisser, board member of Studio Babelsberg and co-managing director with Zickler of Traumfabrik Babelsberg, said. ”The German film landscape loses one of the greatest film producers and most passionate storytellers, who knew like no other how to enthral the audience. Cinema was his life. Far too early We have to...
The German film community is mourning producer Tom Zickler, who died aged 55 on Monday (September 2) after a brief, but very severe illness.
“We are stunned, devastated and deeply sad,” Christoph Fisser, board member of Studio Babelsberg and co-managing director with Zickler of Traumfabrik Babelsberg, said. ”The German film landscape loses one of the greatest film producers and most passionate storytellers, who knew like no other how to enthral the audience. Cinema was his life. Far too early We have to...
- 9/4/2019
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Lars Eidinger, Fahri Yardim, Enno Hesse, Christian Kuchenbuch, Urs Jucker, Barbara Prakopenka, Stephanie Amarell, Dirk Nocker, Niels-Bruno Schmidt, Klara Höfels, Joy Maria Bai, Georg Veitl | Written and Directed by Christian Alvart
Cut Off (Abgeschnitten) is based on a novel by Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos with a screenplay from Christian Alvart who also directs, and is a dark German thriller set in the world of forensic pathology. A coroner named Paul Herzfeld discovers, in the head of a corpse, a phone number and the name of his daughter. When he calls the number he finds that his daughter has been abducted and the man who is holding her captive will kill her if Paul doesn’t do as he wants. What follows from there is a bloody story as Paul tries to find and save his daughter, Hannah, and along the way finds Linda,...
Cut Off (Abgeschnitten) is based on a novel by Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos with a screenplay from Christian Alvart who also directs, and is a dark German thriller set in the world of forensic pathology. A coroner named Paul Herzfeld discovers, in the head of a corpse, a phone number and the name of his daughter. When he calls the number he finds that his daughter has been abducted and the man who is holding her captive will kill her if Paul doesn’t do as he wants. What follows from there is a bloody story as Paul tries to find and save his daughter, Hannah, and along the way finds Linda,...
- 8/23/2019
- by Chris Cummings
- Nerdly
In his latest Arrow Video Frightfest preview podcasts, host Stuart Wright talks Cut Off (aka Abgeschnitten) with director Christian Alvart.
A massive success at FrightFest 2005 was the serial killer thriller Antibodies which put director Christian Alvart firmly on the rising star map. Since then Alvart has become one of Germany’s most commercially viable directors and he returns to his triumphant roots with this compelling, gripping and twisted blockbuster adaptation of the worldwide best selling novel set in the world of Forensic Pathology. Coroner Paul Herzfeld finds a capsule buried deep in the head of a heavily mutilated corpse, containing a phone number and single word: the name of his daughter. And soon the nerve-jangling suspense never stops….
Catch Cut Off (aka Abgeschnitten) at Arrow Video Frightfest
22th to 26th August 2019
Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7Na.
Programme listings and film details www.frightfest.co.uk/2019films/index.html...
A massive success at FrightFest 2005 was the serial killer thriller Antibodies which put director Christian Alvart firmly on the rising star map. Since then Alvart has become one of Germany’s most commercially viable directors and he returns to his triumphant roots with this compelling, gripping and twisted blockbuster adaptation of the worldwide best selling novel set in the world of Forensic Pathology. Coroner Paul Herzfeld finds a capsule buried deep in the head of a heavily mutilated corpse, containing a phone number and single word: the name of his daughter. And soon the nerve-jangling suspense never stops….
Catch Cut Off (aka Abgeschnitten) at Arrow Video Frightfest
22th to 26th August 2019
Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7Na.
Programme listings and film details www.frightfest.co.uk/2019films/index.html...
- 8/23/2019
- by Stuart Wright
- Nerdly
This year marks the festival’s 20th anniversary.
This year’s FrightFest, the annual UK genre festival, has unveiled a line-up that features 20 world premieres including films from the Soska Sisters (American Mary) and Tom Paton (Black Site).
The Soska Sisters, Jen and Sylvia, are screening their second feature Rabid, their re-imagining of David Cronenberg’s 1977 film. Paton’s Stairs is a sci-fi horror about a special ops squad that find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell.
Also screening are Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Øvredal’s, and Crawl,...
This year’s FrightFest, the annual UK genre festival, has unveiled a line-up that features 20 world premieres including films from the Soska Sisters (American Mary) and Tom Paton (Black Site).
The Soska Sisters, Jen and Sylvia, are screening their second feature Rabid, their re-imagining of David Cronenberg’s 1977 film. Paton’s Stairs is a sci-fi horror about a special ops squad that find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell.
Also screening are Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Øvredal’s, and Crawl,...
- 7/4/2019
- by Tofe Ayeni
- ScreenDaily
The UK’s biggest and boldest horror and fantasy film festival, Frightfest, is celebrating its 20th bloody year. This year Arrow Video FrightFest 2019 is back at the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema from August 22 – August 26; and will be hosting a record-breaking Seventy-eight(!) films, embracing fourteen countries and spanning six continents, this year’s five-day fear-a-thon includes 20 World, 20 International / European and 28 UK Premieres.
From the press release:
As previously announced, this year’s festivities begin with the UK premiere of Ant Timpson’s deviously edgy stunner Come To Daddy, starring Elijah Wood and reaches its bloody conclusion with the World premiere of Abner Pastoll’s superbly crafted crime story, A Good Woman Is Hard To Find. Other main screen international attractions include producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal’s Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, producer Sam Raimi and director Alexandre Aja’s gruesome ‘gator yarn Crawl,...
From the press release:
As previously announced, this year’s festivities begin with the UK premiere of Ant Timpson’s deviously edgy stunner Come To Daddy, starring Elijah Wood and reaches its bloody conclusion with the World premiere of Abner Pastoll’s superbly crafted crime story, A Good Woman Is Hard To Find. Other main screen international attractions include producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal’s Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, producer Sam Raimi and director Alexandre Aja’s gruesome ‘gator yarn Crawl,...
- 7/4/2019
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
‘Cut Off’ is based on Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos’ book.
Global Screen has announced a raft of sales on its new thriller Cut Off, directed by genre specialist Christian Alvart (Antibodies) and produced by Ziegler Film, Syrreal Entertainment and Warner Bros Film Productions Germany.
The film has gone to China (Shanghai Jushi Films), Japan (Culture Entertainment Co), South Korea (Jaye Entertainment), Taiwan (Swallow Wings Films), Ukraine (Ufd) and Russia (Cinema Prestige) with France and the Us in negotiation.
Screening this week at Efm, Cut Off is based on the bestselling book by Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos about a...
Global Screen has announced a raft of sales on its new thriller Cut Off, directed by genre specialist Christian Alvart (Antibodies) and produced by Ziegler Film, Syrreal Entertainment and Warner Bros Film Productions Germany.
The film has gone to China (Shanghai Jushi Films), Japan (Culture Entertainment Co), South Korea (Jaye Entertainment), Taiwan (Swallow Wings Films), Ukraine (Ufd) and Russia (Cinema Prestige) with France and the Us in negotiation.
Screening this week at Efm, Cut Off is based on the bestselling book by Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos about a...
- 2/7/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Netflix’s VP for Original Series, Kelly Luegenbiehl, has unveiled five new German originals which will launch on the streaming service in 2019. Speaking at the Medientage München conference this morning, she said the titles will be available in all of the markets where Netflix is present. The projects include Skylines, a contemporary drama produced by Maren Ade who directed, wrote and produced Oscar nominee Toni Erdmann.
The five projects are a variety of genres and formats, including historical and futuristic works, crime drama, a quirky coming-of-age story and a family saga. They add to Netflix’s current slate of three local originals including Dark, Dogs Of Berlin and The Wave which are in various stages of development and production. Dogs Of Berlin is led by showrunner Christian Alvart and launches on December 7.
This represents a significant investment in the German market and Luegenbiehl said, “We want to tell local stories with global appeal.
The five projects are a variety of genres and formats, including historical and futuristic works, crime drama, a quirky coming-of-age story and a family saga. They add to Netflix’s current slate of three local originals including Dark, Dogs Of Berlin and The Wave which are in various stages of development and production. Dogs Of Berlin is led by showrunner Christian Alvart and launches on December 7.
This represents a significant investment in the German market and Luegenbiehl said, “We want to tell local stories with global appeal.
- 10/25/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Following on the success of supernatural drama “Dark,” Netflix is set to produce five new German originals, including an ambitious historical series that chronicles a bloody and decisive battle between Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire.
Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix’s vice president of original series for Europe, announced the development and production of the five new projects on Thursday at the Medientage München media conference in Munich. The slate will launch online beginning in 2019.
“At Netflix, we want to tell local stories with global appeal. We are excited to have found this in these five projects, which – each in their unique way – are both undeniably German and at the same time tell stories that are relevant to viewers all over the world,” Luegenbiehl said.
The famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which Germanic warriors halted the northward advance of the Roman Empire in Ad 9, is the focus of “The Barbarians.
Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix’s vice president of original series for Europe, announced the development and production of the five new projects on Thursday at the Medientage München media conference in Munich. The slate will launch online beginning in 2019.
“At Netflix, we want to tell local stories with global appeal. We are excited to have found this in these five projects, which – each in their unique way – are both undeniably German and at the same time tell stories that are relevant to viewers all over the world,” Luegenbiehl said.
The famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest, in which Germanic warriors halted the northward advance of the Roman Empire in Ad 9, is the focus of “The Barbarians.
- 10/25/2018
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is upping its output of German-language series, ordering five new German shows for its global streaming service.
Currently, Netflix has a single in-house German drama, the hit mystery series Dark, which is entering its second season. On Dec. 7 the streamer will bow Dogs of Berlin, a cop series from showrunner Christian Alvart. Earlier this year, Netflix announced its third German project, The Wave, a drama based on the hit German film from 2008. The streaming giant also carries several high-profile German series on its service outside German-speaking territories, including the 1920s period drama Babylon Berlin and the upcoming crime drama Parfume, inspired by the ...
Currently, Netflix has a single in-house German drama, the hit mystery series Dark, which is entering its second season. On Dec. 7 the streamer will bow Dogs of Berlin, a cop series from showrunner Christian Alvart. Earlier this year, Netflix announced its third German project, The Wave, a drama based on the hit German film from 2008. The streaming giant also carries several high-profile German series on its service outside German-speaking territories, including the 1920s period drama Babylon Berlin and the upcoming crime drama Parfume, inspired by the ...
- 10/25/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The 10-episode series Dogs of Berlin is directed by thriller specialist Christian Alvart and centers around the murder of a Turkish-German football super star which happens the night before a big international game in Berlin-Marzahn. The series stars Felix Kramer and Fahri Yardim as two unconventional cops who are taking up the fight against crime in Berlin’s underworld. The cast also includes Katharina Schüttler, Anna Maria Mühe, Katrin Sass, Hannah Herzsprung, Antonio Wannek, Mišel Matičević, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Constantin von Jascheroff, Alina Stiegler, Branko Tomovic, Seyneb Saleh, Urs Rechn, Uwe Preuss and also several cameos that will thrill German hip-hop fans. The show dives deep into the zeitgeist of Germany's capital city, where different cultures and lifestyles collide in a melting pot of hopes, dreams...
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- 8/28/2018
- Screen Anarchy
This Crazy Heart is directed by Marc Rothemund whose 2005 drama Sophie Scholl was nominated for the best foreign-language film Oscar.
In advance of the Marché, German sales outfit Global Screen has confirmed multiple sales on two of the titles on its Cannes slate.
This Crazy Heart, directed by Marc Rothemund whose 2005 drama Sophie Scholl was nominated for the best foreign-language film Oscar, has gone to Spain (Flins y Peniculas), Portugal (Pris), South Korea (Yejilim Entertainment), Cis (Voxell), Taiwan (Encore Film), Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary (Prorom), and Brazil (Globo). Negotiations are underway with distributors for France, Italy, China and Japan,...
In advance of the Marché, German sales outfit Global Screen has confirmed multiple sales on two of the titles on its Cannes slate.
This Crazy Heart, directed by Marc Rothemund whose 2005 drama Sophie Scholl was nominated for the best foreign-language film Oscar, has gone to Spain (Flins y Peniculas), Portugal (Pris), South Korea (Yejilim Entertainment), Cis (Voxell), Taiwan (Encore Film), Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary (Prorom), and Brazil (Globo). Negotiations are underway with distributors for France, Italy, China and Japan,...
- 5/8/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
My first novel “Alice Through The Multiverse” had a lengthy evolution. I am a film maker by trade, 42 crimes against Cinema, and counting. For me writing is an integral part of directing. Here’s an account of this particular creative journey.
I often have wild dreams. One such, in 2003, was the genesis of Alice’s story. All I could remember next morning were a few images. A riot overwhelms a medieval execution… A young girl flees through the forest in a blinding thunderstorm… The girl faints… She wakes up in a 21st Century psychiatric institution… That’s all I could remember. Strange. If dreams are the subconscious putting out the trash, what tortured region of my inner being did this come from? Or was it just psychic screen grabs evoking movies I’ve seen, or maybe a movie I would want to see? I groggily jotted down what I could remember,...
I often have wild dreams. One such, in 2003, was the genesis of Alice’s story. All I could remember next morning were a few images. A riot overwhelms a medieval execution… A young girl flees through the forest in a blinding thunderstorm… The girl faints… She wakes up in a 21st Century psychiatric institution… That’s all I could remember. Strange. If dreams are the subconscious putting out the trash, what tortured region of my inner being did this come from? Or was it just psychic screen grabs evoking movies I’ve seen, or maybe a movie I would want to see? I groggily jotted down what I could remember,...
- 3/13/2018
- by Brian Trenchard-Smith
- Trailers from Hell
The German film industry is not generally one that particularly supports commercial genre filmmakers, a reality that makes director Christian Alvart very much an outlier. The director of Antibodies and Pandorum, Alvart very much loves to play in the world of dark, genre oriented material and he's in that familiar territory with his upcoming thriller, Don't Get Out (Steig Nicht Aus). Taking his kids to school with the car, Berlin real estate developer Karl gets a call from a blackmailer: If he doesn’t pay up, the car will blow up. A deadly race against time begins. The premise here is a simple one, which means it all comes down to execution. And that looks very solid in the freshly released trailer. Alvart fills a lot...
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- 1/22/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Netflix announced that its second German Original series Dogs of Berlin has started production. The series stars Felix Kramer and Fahri Yardim as two unconventional cops who are taking up the fight against crime in Berlin’s underworld. The cast also includes Katharina Schüttler, Anna Maria Mühe, Katrin Sass, Hannah Herzsprung, Antonio Wannek, Mišel Matičević, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Constantin von Jascheroff, Alina Stiegler, Branko Tomovic, Urs Rechn and Uwe Preuss. The 10-episode series is is directed by thriller specialist Christian Alvart and centers around the murder of a Turkish-German football super star which happens the night before a big international game in Berlin-Marzahn. “Dogs of Berlin is a cutting-edge crime drama series with thriller elements set in the different sub-worlds of modern Berlin. It’s gripping, fast-paced,...
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- 11/6/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Toni Erdmann star Sandra Hüller features in latest project from the director of Friendship!.
Sony’s Deutsche Columbia Pictures Filmproduktion and Studio Babelsberg’s in-house production arm Traumfabrik Babelsberg are co-producing Friendship! director Markus Goller’s latest feature project 25 Km/H, which began shooting in Baden-Württemberg this week.
The road movie stars Lars Eidinger (The Bloom of Yesterday), Bjarne Mädel (Tatortreiniger), Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann), Alexandra Maria Lara (Rush) and Jella Haase (Fack Ju Göhte).
The project is the first to go into production for Goller and screenwriter Oliver Ziegenbalg’s recently formed production company Sunny Side Up, and is also in co-production with Deutsche Columbia, Pictures in a Frame, Mythos Film, Traumfabrik Babelsberg and the single-purpose company 26th Babelsberg Film.
25 Km/H is Goller and Ziegenbalg’s first collaboration since their 2010 film Friendship! which was the most successful German film of that year with more than 1.5 million admissions.
That film was produced by The Live Of...
Sony’s Deutsche Columbia Pictures Filmproduktion and Studio Babelsberg’s in-house production arm Traumfabrik Babelsberg are co-producing Friendship! director Markus Goller’s latest feature project 25 Km/H, which began shooting in Baden-Württemberg this week.
The road movie stars Lars Eidinger (The Bloom of Yesterday), Bjarne Mädel (Tatortreiniger), Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann), Alexandra Maria Lara (Rush) and Jella Haase (Fack Ju Göhte).
The project is the first to go into production for Goller and screenwriter Oliver Ziegenbalg’s recently formed production company Sunny Side Up, and is also in co-production with Deutsche Columbia, Pictures in a Frame, Mythos Film, Traumfabrik Babelsberg and the single-purpose company 26th Babelsberg Film.
25 Km/H is Goller and Ziegenbalg’s first collaboration since their 2010 film Friendship! which was the most successful German film of that year with more than 1.5 million admissions.
That film was produced by The Live Of...
- 8/4/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
It’s been decades since a new world order changed Earth forever, an alien invasion by creatures known as the Nonesuch forcing humanity underground. The old guard who survived remembers the war that drove them subterranean, memories of life on the surface and the beasts that present-day generations hope to never encounter. If any of them do want to risk their lives for a glimpse of the sun they’ve only heard about through stories, though, they can enlist in the military and become a soldier tasked with a one hundred day mission meant to find stragglers and point them towards sanctuary: Exilium. Battles still rage, but humanity has all but resigned itself to its defeat. Now it’s a matter of staying alive to save those who were left behind.
This is the background to Christian Pasquariello’s debut feature S.U.M.1 — a high concept, low budget one-man science fiction show.
This is the background to Christian Pasquariello’s debut feature S.U.M.1 — a high concept, low budget one-man science fiction show.
- 7/31/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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