Sydney Levine

SydneysBuzz

Sydney Levine focuses on international film industry developments and analysis of the international film market related to buyers, sales agents, filmmakers, film festivals and distribution.

Monthly Archives

Venice Film Festival Announces its Market in a Crowded Fall Season

By Sydney Levine
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March 21, 2012 10:41 AM
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News

The Venice Film Festival's new artistic director Alberto Barbera has announced that France’s Pascal Diot will head the new Venice Film Market. TIFF goes on. In October, Rome has announced that Marco Mueller has been apppointed Director there and will soon reveal market plans. Moscow has also announced its Red Square Screenings will be held during this crowded fall season. The big question is, who will have the energy to attend yet another market?

By Sydney Levine
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February 28, 2012 6:14 AM
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News

Cinando launched its new interface this Berlin. It's cleaner and yet more comprehensive with a top menu for personal items econd set of tabs closer into the main page related to the database itself, four spaces to put your own company more actively "in the mix", more visible news, more visible films available for screening online and, unique to Cinando, an attendance list for festivals.

By Sydney Levine
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February 5, 2012 10:30 AM
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News

Panorama of the Berlinale is known as a pioneer showcast for GLBT and Queer Films. This year the daring Children of Srikandi is a highlight to see. Also The Film Collaborative also has two LGBT films in Panorama: Vito on Vito Russo and Leave It On The Floor which has a unique festival arc of world premiering at LAFF, Canadian premiering at TIFF and now European premiering at the Berlinale.

By Sydney Levine
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February 3, 2012 9:25 AM
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News

Finally a way to track festival winners that eliminates our need to track all festivals separately. Festival Scope , the online platform known for providing film professionals with online screening of films from more than 60 of the most prestigious international film festivals (including Berlinale, Rotterdam, Locarno, Venice, Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week, Toronto and San Sebastian) has developed a new section called "Labels" and is aimed at providing additional visibility to the films awarded in festivals or selected by partner organizations.

By SydneyLevine
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November 2, 2011 10:00 AM
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North American sales agency and distributor FiGa Films has recently acquired several new Ibero American titles just in time for the American Film Market.

From Mexico, The Last Christeros (Los ultimos cristeros) by Matias Meyer, photo below, which had its world premiere in Toronto Film Festival, and Machete Language, directed by Kyzza Terrazas, which had its world premiere in Venice.

By Sydney Levine
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October 19, 2011 1:00 AM
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The complete list of submissions for the nomination for Best Foreign Language Academy Award, has been announced. 63 countries' selections have been accepted. Last year there were 65 selections. I have added the international sales agents and when there is one, the U.S. distributor. The Female Factor: 8 of 63 films or 13%. Last year, of the 65 films submitted, 9 were directed by women — that’s 14%. The films by women are Leticia Tonos' Love Child ♀ (the Dominican Republic), Valerie Donzelli's Declaration of War ♀ (France), Ann Hui's A Simple Life ♀ (Hong Kong), Juanita Wilson's As If I Am Not There ♀ (Ireland), Nadine Labaki's Where Do We Go Now? ♀ (Lebanon), Maria Peters' Sonny Boy ♀ (the Netherlands), Anne Sewitzky's Happy, Happy (Norway) ♀ and Pernilla August's Beyond ♀ (Sweden).

By Sydney Levine
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October 11, 2011 3:33 AM
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Another overdue blog, this time on the Toronto Film Festival: TIFF 2011 was also an indication of the upcoming AFM, now contemplating changes of its own - moving its venue from Santa Monica to downtown L.A. for example. As AFM seems to be defining itself more and more as an event to take care of the core business of film buying and selling rather than of discovery and new film adventures, although panel discussions continue as a sidebar, Toronto continues to roll out new features along with showcasing so many films it is impossible to take it all in. As for AFM this year, based on Toronto's activities, I predict fewer Europeans will come, more Asians will attend, continuing their own itinerary from Busan and TIFFCON, and Latin America will remain hovering in the background. For a growing territory, Latin America's profile remains nebulous. It will be interesting to see whether sales in that territory increase.

By Sydney Levine
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September 26, 2011 6:26 AM
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Alfredo Calvino founded Latinofusion, a Guadalajara-based international film sales and distribution company, based upon a business model committed to give Latin films the time, dedication and risk-taking approach they need in order to successfully find their niche in the highly competitive independent/speciality market. Clients can count on a full access to all marketing, business, financial and legal aspects of the company’s operations regarding their films. They not only help design the adequate festival strategy that maximizes opportunities for each individual title, but also make sure that the strategy makes sense in terms of visibility, recognition and also revenues.His previous experience includes marketing and sales at ICAIC (Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos); advising on the establishment of Brazil’s Escola Brasileira de Cinema e Televisão, created upon the model of the International Cuban Film School; and founding and co-directing Projeto Pro@rte Brasil, an international coalition of media artists. He has helped design and implement the international promotion and sales campaigns of some of the most successful Latin films, among them: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s Fresa y chocolate (Strawberry and chocolate), Humberto Solas’ Cecilia, Juan Carlos Tabío’s Plaff, Jose Padilla’s Onibus 174 (Bus 174), Luiz Fernando Carvalho’s Lavoura Arcaica (To the left of the father), Vicente Ferraz’s Soy Cuba - o mamut siberiano. Pablo Fendrik´s movies El Asaltante and La Sangre Brota, Camila Guzman’s internationally acclaimed documentary The Sugar Curtain, and more recently the commercially successful Mexican movie Cinco Dias sin Nora by Mariana Chenillo. He also plays a major role in the indie co-production market by supporting new projects and works-in-progress through his company's associate financing and production company, Cinefusion and he acquires Mexican rights to international productions as well.

By Sydney Levine
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September 25, 2011 2:30 AM
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This U.S. distributor list is a work in progress which invites comments, latest news, etc. Please help us with your comments! After Toronto all U.S. acquisitions will be included in the Rights Roundup for Toronto, San Sebastian and AFM and any and all stops between stopping at BerlinGoing into Toronto out of 337 films showing, 56 had U.S. distributors attached. More U.S. distributors will be added as they acquire titles throughtout the Fall Festival and Market Season, so stay tuned. For a comprehensive report on current U.S. Distributors A - Z, use the link provided. (International Sales Agents are listed in parentheses.)Predictably, SPC and IFC had the most films going into the festival, each with 7 films. There is also the competition of the Producer Reps with CAA leading the pack with 12 films, only one of which already has U.S. distribution.

By Sydney Levine
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September 25, 2011 2:30 AM
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1 Comment

This reports on sales made during this fall season. It includes rights acquired in Venice, Telluride, Toronto, San Sebastian and will continue through AFM 2011. It is organized by international sales agent. Additions are made daily.