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Nach der Weltpremiere auf dem Zurich Film Festival hat die Neuinterpretation der Nibelungensaga gestern in München ihre Deutschlandpremiere gefeiert.

Bei der Premiere von „Hagen – Im Tal der Nibelungen“ in München: Die Regisseure Cyrill Boss (li.) und Philipp Stennert (re.) mit den Darstellern Rosalinde Mynster, Gijs Naber, Lilja van der Zwaag, Jannis Niewöhner und Dominic Marcus Singer (v.l.n.r.) (Credit: Leo Simon / Constantin Film)

Zwei Tage, bevor Constantin Film „Hagen – Im Tal der Nibelungen“ (hier unsere Spot-Besprechung) am morgigen Donnerstag in den Kinos startet, hat die Neuinterpretation der Nibelungensage gestern Abend nach der Weltpremiere auf dem Zurich Film Festival am vergangenen Freitag in München ihre Deutschlandpremiere gefeiert.

Neben den Regisseuren Cyrill Boss und Philipp Stennert begrüßten der Constantin-Film-Vorstandsvorsitzende und Executive Producer Oliver Berben und Constantin-Film-Vorstand Martin Bachmann dazu neben den Darstellern Gijs Naber, Jannis Niewöhner, Lilja van der Zwaag, Dominic Marcus Singer, Rosalinde Mynster, Johanna Kolberg,...

For writers and directors Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert, Wolfgang Hohlbein’s 1986 bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje” was the ideal material to adapt not only into a feature film, but also into an epic six-part series.

The story recounts the Nibelung saga, which follows the dragon slayer Siegfried and the fate of the Burgundian kingdom, albeit from a different perspective – that of Hagen von Tronje, traditionally the antagonist of the tale, seen as a dark figure with dubious motives.

Bathing in the blood of the slain dragon is said to make Siegfried (Jannis Niewöhner) ​​invulnerable.

In “Hagen,” which premieres at the Zurich Film Festival, the titular character (played by Dutch actor Gijs Naber) is lord commander to King Gunter (Dominic Marcus Singer) of Burgundy. With his sense of duty and iron determination, it is Hagen who holds the crisis-ridden kingdom together.

A loyal servant, disciplined and rational, Hagen faces a grave challenge when the bold,...

Exclusive: David Cormican, who produced Freeform’s ShadowHunters and Lifetime’s The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, has new representation.

Cormican and his Fun Republic Pictures banner has signed with Paradigm. The agency will work with Cormican across scripted feature film and TV as well as publishing, brand partnerships, content finance, marketing, and mergers and acquisitions opportunities.

It comes as Cormican is preparing for the television adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime, which is set to go into production in Canada next year with Star Trek alum Jonathan Frakes directing. Cormican is writing, will exec produce and serve as co-showrunner.

He recently produced Michal Kunes-Kováč debut feature film Réveillon, is currently in production on Trevor Cameron’s debut narrative feature film #VanLife, a thriller which stars Michelle Thrush, Tamoh Penikett and Justin Derickson and is in post-production on the Michael Jai White action film Hostile Takeover.

He is...

Die Werbekampagne für das deutsche Epos „Hagen – Im Tal der Nibelungen“ nimmt Fahrt auf. Jetzt enthüllte Constantin Film das erste Poster, und der Trailer, den Spot vor zwei Wochen erstmals präsentieren konnte, geht offiziell an den Start.

Nachdem Constantin Film im ersten Halbjahr mit „Chantal im Märchenland“ den bisher erfolgreichsten deutschen Film des Jahres (und nach Umsatz erfolgreichsten deutschen Film seit „Ein perfektes Geheimnis“ aus dem Jahr 2019) am Start hatte, richtet sich das Augenmerk des Münchner Konzerns nun auf das Schwergewicht im zweiten Halbjahr: „Hagen – Im Tal der Nibelungen“ von dem Filmemacherduo Philipp Stennert und Cyrill Boss wird am 17. Oktober in den Kinos landen, eine der aufwändigsten deutschen Produktionen überhaupt, die das legendäre Nibelungenlied in Form eines bildgewaltigen und wirkmächtigen Epos erzählt.

Jetzt beginnt bereits die heiße Phase der Werbekampagne, um sicherzustellen, dass das Filmspektakel mit Gijs Naber als Hagen von Tronje und Jannis Niewöhner als Siegfried von...

Da kommt etwas Großes auf die Kinos zu: „Hagen – Im Tal der Nibelungen“ wird von Constantin als eines der großen deutschen Kino-Events des Jahres positioniert: Das aufwändige Fantasy-Epos von Stennert und Boss kommt am 17. Oktober in die Kinos – und hat nun einen ersten Trailer, der sich nicht vor internationalen Vergleichen scheuen muss.

Die zweite Hälfte des Kinojahres bringt nicht nur Hollywoodhits in größerer Schlagzahl, sondern auch großes und großartiges deutsches Produkt. Eines der besonderen Highlights ist „Hagen – Im Tal der Nibelungen“, genau die Art von ambitionierter Eventproduktion, mit der sich Constantin Film stets einen Namen gemacht hat: Unter der Regie von Philipp Stennert und Cyrill Boss werden die Nibelungen mit einer filmischen Wucht und Bildgewalt auf die Leinwand gebracht, die, naja, der Inbegriff von großem Kino ist. Der gerade veröffentlichte erste Trailer legt das jedenfalls nahe: Da kommt Großes auf uns zu.

Vom Verleih gibt es folgenden Inhalt: Zum Inhalt:...

Constantin Film has released the first images from Hagen, its hotly-anticipated new fantasy drama, which is looking to tap into the global Game of Thrones and Vikings fan base with a swords-and-magic tale inspired by the Teutonic Nibelungen saga.

Fremantle has picked up worldwide distribution rights outside German-speaking territories to the series from Constantin. Fremantle parent Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

The series is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s Hagen von Tronje, a reimagining of the Niebelungen saga, the medieval German folk tale considered the inspiration for such modern-day fantasy epics as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.

Hagen follows the story of the soldier Hagen, the legendary dragon slayer Siegfried, the princess warrior Kriemhild, and the magical Valkyrie queen Brunhild in a tale of love, family, power and war that ends —this is a Germanic tale after all — catastrophically.

Gijs Naber (The Story of My Wife...

Fremantle has acquired worldwide rights, excluding German-speaking territories, to Constantin Film’s fantasy drama Hagen (working title) that is being made as both a feature and a six-part TV series.

The Rtl group, also Fremantle’s parent company, holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Hagen is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s novel Hagen von Tronje and is styled as a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga. The story is widely considered to be one of the inspirations behind J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings.

The epic adventure centres on the titular soldier and commander...

Fremantle has acquired worldwide rights excluding German-speaking territories to Constantin Film’s fantasy drama Hagen (working title) and released first-look images.

The deal will see Fremantle produce a feature film and a television series of six one-hour episodes. Rtl group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Fremantle will showcase Hagen as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents on Friday (March 1) as part of London TV Screenings 2024.

Hagen is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s novel Hagen von Tronje and is styled as a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga. The story is widely considered...

Here’s a first look at Hagen (working title), the German-Czech fantasy drama epic, which now counts Fremantle as its worldwide distributor.

Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel ‘Hagen von Tronje’, the series is a reimagining of the medieval Nibelungen folk saga, which is widely considered as an inspiration behind modern fantasy franchises such as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.

Super-indie Fremantle has jumped to acquire rights outside of German-speaking territories, with the agreement covering the six-part series and accompanying feature film. Fremantle’s stablemate at German conglomerate Bertelsmann, Rtl, has German streaming and TV rights.

Fremantle plans to launch the series at its Fremantle Presents showcase this Friday (March 1) at the London TV Screenings. This follows an agreement between Rebecca Dundon on behalf of Fremantle and Friedrich Radmann on behalf of Constantin Film.

The series is billed...

Fremantle revealed Wednesday that it has secured worldwide distribution rights, outside of German-speaking territories, to the premium fantasy drama “Hagen” — a working title — from Constantin Film. The deal includes rights to a six-part series and a feature film for theatrical release. Rtl Group holds German streaming and free TV rights.

Fremantle will be showcasing “Hagen” as one of its key scripted drama titles at Fremantle Presents this Friday as part of London TV Screenings.

“Hagen,” which is based on Wolfgang Hohlbein’s bestselling novel “Hagen von Tronje,” is a reimagining of the medieval “Nibelungen” folk saga. The story is considered to be one of the inspirations behind modern fantasies such as “Game of Thrones” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

The show centers on dutiful soldier Hagen and Siegfried, the legendary dragon slayer. Hagen, bound by loyalty to the kingdom, is Lord Commander, ready to serve and stand by his king.

Judge Bodil Backer (Bracha van Doesburgh) seemingly has it all: she’s a no-nonsense Judge and has a great home life with her doctor husband Milan (Nasrdin Dchar) and pre-teen son Ben (Damiano Incani).

At the start of director André van Duren’s Erotic Thriller, Bo is preparing for a girls weekend away with her best friend Isabel (Elise Schaap). They leave their husbands behind in Amsterdam, board a train for Bo’s family beach house in Belgium and outline plans for their weekend, which includes a burner phone, a large sum of money, and an expensive suite at a high-end hotel for Isabel.

Faithfully Yours has a fantastic central premise: a few times a year the two women use each other as cover while they cheat on their husbands. One woman will attend a lecture or visit a museum and snap photos to send to the husbands as an alibi.

I'm not the biggest fan of Netflix. I don't want to get into a huge rant about it, but my biggest issue is that here in the Czech Republic, it takes the service forever to upload any new movies. Then, when something fresh finally drops, it's usually something starring Ryan Reynolds, Adam Sandler, or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I may be exaggerating, but that's what it feels like; too many mediocre Netflix originals and not much in the way of variety beyond the most mainstream of offerings.

To give Netflix its due, it does throw up some surprises from time to time. Given how subtitle-adverse many viewers in English-speaking countries can be, they took a bit of a chance on "Squid Game," but it went on to become a phenomenon and further advanced the cause of the booming Korean entertainment industry. Then there was "Cobra Kai," which sounded a lot...

This is van Vugt’s feature fiction debut after several award-winning documentaries.

Amsterdam-based sales outfit Fortissimo Films has snapped up international sales rights to Dutch director Jacqueline van Vugt’s Dutch feature Crossing, now in post-production.

This is van Vugt’s feature fiction debut after several award-winning documentaries, among them Borders (2014) and Up To G-cup (2022). It will be introduced to buyers at the European Film Market (EFM).

Crossing is an ensemble drama set in real time on a ferry crossing from Morocco to Spain as.a couple and their two sons travel home from their holiday, the ferry captain smuggles...

Stephen Graham To Star In ITV Neo-Nazi Drama ‘The Walk-In’

ITV’s has ordered a five-part drama, The Walk-In, a true story of how a Neo-Nazi plan to kill an MP was foiled by an inside man. Stephen Graham will star in the ITV Studios series from writer Jeff Pope as activist Matthew Collins, a reformed Neo-Nazi, now working as a bona fide journalist for the anti-racist organisation Hope Not Hate. Bafta-award winning director Paul Andrew Williams directs the series, reuniting him with Pope — the pair has worked together previously on A Confession and Isolation Stories. They are both executive producers alongside Graham and another regular collaborator, Tom Dunbar. Jo Johnson is producing. Filming for The Walk-In tookin London and surrounding areas and the drama will air on ITV on Monday October 3 for five consecutive weeks. ITV Studios has International distribution.

Click here to read the full article.

Constantin Film has unveiled the main cast for Hagen, its ambitious new fantasy series, billed as a reinterpretation of the Nibelungenlied, the German folk saga often cited as an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Dutch actor Gijs Naber (Blackbook, The Story of My Wife) will star as the titular Hagen von Tronje in the project, alongside Jannis Niewöhner (Berlin Station, Amazon’s Beat) as his antagonist, the nearly-invincible hero Siegfried. Lilja van der Zwaag will play princess Kriemhild, Rosalinde Mynster the Valkyrie Brunhild, while Dominic Marcus Singer will take on the role of King Gunter.

Dark actress Jördis Triebel and Jörg Hartmann (The Weissensee Saga) have supporting roles.

The Nibelungen saga has been adapted many times before, most famously in a series of two classic films from Fritz Lang in the 1920s. A TV movie version, in 2004, starred Kristanna Loken Brunhild,...

Hajni Kis’ first feature “Wild Roots” (“Külön falka”) was named best feature film at the Hungarian Film Awards. Kis also won best first feature director and best screenplay with Fanni Szántó. Women were awarded in 12 categories at the awards, perhaps heralding the beginning of a new era in Hungarian filmmaking, Film New Europe reports.

“Wild Roots,” which world premiered in competition at Karlovy Vary last year, follows ex-con Tibor, who works as a bouncer in a night club. His wild child daughter, Niki, tracks him down after years apart, despite being forbidden to do so, and the reunion prompts Tibor to face his past and the responsibilities of being a father.

The most prizes, a total of five, were swept up by “The Story of My Wife” (“A feleségem története”), including best director for Ildikó Enyedi, who was Oscar nominated for “On Body and Soul.” “The Story of My Wife,...

Click here to read the full article.

Wild Roots, the debut feature from Hungarian director Hajni Kis, has won Hungary’s top cinema honor, the Hungarian Motion Picture Award for best film.

The low-key family drama featuring nonprofessional actors, which follows a 12-year-old girl (Zorka Horváth) who seeks out her father, a violent ex-con (played by former martial-arts champion Gusztáv Dietz), also won the best screenplay and the best first feature awards at the ceremony held Sunday night at the Veszprém Petofi Theatre in western Hungary.

Wild Roots premiered at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival last year and also screened at the Tallinn and Santa Barbara festivals.

Veteran Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi won best director honors for The Story of My Wife, a literary adaptation starring Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel and Dutch newcomer Gijs Naber. The film, which premiered in Cannes competition last year, took home four other Hungarian Motion Picture honors in technical categories,...

Exclusive: Popcornflix, the streaming service owned by Crackle parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, has acquired its first original documentary feature, Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman.

The colorful portrait (watch the trailer above), explores major 1970s and 1980s franchises like James Bond, Indiana Jones, Superman, Star Wars, Rambo and more. Instead of the well-trod stories you may have heard, the accounts of the tight-knit group of British stuntmen who brought them to life take center stake. Ray Winstone, known for his performances in Sexy Beast and The Departed, narrates the film, which will begin streaming on the free, ad-supported Popcornflix next Monday. (Britbox debuted it in the UK last summer.)

Jon Spira, the film’s director, called it “a movie for people who love action movies and can’t get enough of them,” noting that it is “the first time many of these...

Newen Connect, the distribution arm of the TF1-owned group Newen Group, has boarded “Balaton Brigade,” a prestige historical spy thriller series directed by Ildikó Enyedi, the Oscar-nominated Hungarian director of “On Body and Soul” and “The Story of My Wife” which competed at Cannes.

Created by Gábor Krigler (“Terapia”), Balázs Lengvel (“Thos Janos”) and Balázs Lovas, the eight-part series was previously pitched at the Berlinale Series Market and was selected to be presented at Series Mania’s CoPro Pitching Sessions as part of the partnership between the two industry events. The show, which is produced by Joyrider and Film Force, and co-produced by Martin Heisler at Flare Entertainment in Germany, garnered strong buzz at the Berlinale and sparked the interest of more than 50 companies.

“Balaton Brigade” is set in 1986, amid the Cold War, during a long hot summer in a seemingly idyllic Hungarian summer resort. Located by the Balaton Lake,...

A first time in comp birth for the Hungarian filmmaker, this is Ildikó Enyedi‘s first visit back to Cannes since the landed a spot in the Un Certain Regard section with 1989 dramedy My 20th Century. With The Story of My Wife, we have Gijs Naber, Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel and Sergio Rubini populating the book to film adaptation.

Perhaps it’s the heavy traffic and scheduling issues with three competition film offerings on Wednesday, but not many of our critics committed to the two plus hour historical drama. Eleven of our critics gave this subpar scores ranging between 2 and 3 for an average of 2.4.…...

A man declares he will marry the next woman to walk into a bar. That’s the most interesting thing about Ildiko Enyedi’s The Story Of My Wife, a flat Cannes Film Festival competition entry that squanders its intriguing premise.

An adaptation of Milán Füst’s 1920s set novel, it enjoys attractive settings but suffers from fatal flaws. Chief of these is the decision to hire international actors for a script that’s in the English language. Dutch actor Gijs Naber plays it straight as Jakob Störr, the sea captain who decides to marry the conveniently beautiful Lizzy (Léa Seydoux) when he spies her in the Parisian bar. Mystifyingly, she agrees. He goes off to sea; we don’t know what she gets up to while he’s away. He comes back, worried about what she’s been up to while he’s been away. It probably involved Louis Garrel.

At first, there’s something oddly comforting about Ildikó Enyedi’s “The Story of My Wife,” a whispery period drama that premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

Like pouring yourself a warm glass of milk or slipping into a hot bath, the languid and visually sumptuous romance lulls you into a sleepy sense of calm, never asking for more than gentle aesthetic appreciation for its impeccable craft. But milk curdles when left out too long, and spending three hours in the bath never does any good, so to say the film more than wears out its welcome would be putting it lightly.

An internationally co-produced, English-language block of Euro-pudding, the film harkens back to art-house epics of yore, telling a fairly simple story of marital jealousy and infidelity with a classical compositional style that is nigh impossible to fix to any particular filmmaking era. But for...

Though legendary for a callous disregard for the lives of the sailors who criss-cross her stormy surfaces, the sea turns out to be a far milder mistress than Léa Seydoux in Ildikó Enyedi’s handsome but heavy-bottomed “The Story of My Wife,” the Hungarian director’s first return to Cannes since winning the Camera d’Or for her charming 1989 debut, “My Twentieth Century.” Starring Imola Lang’s superb 1920s/’30s production design, Leá Seydoux’s bouncy, tousled bob and Seydoux herself — in roughly that order — the film probably contains enough visual flourish to fill a perfectly watchable, if hardly groundbreaking feature. Just not one that sails dangerously close to the three-hour mark, taking on water the whole time.

A central problem: This is much more the story of the veteran seaman husband of the titular wife, played recessively by Dutch actor Gijs Naber, who is apparently as passively weak-willed on...

"The Story of My Wife" is a new romantic drama, written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi, based on the 1942 novel of the same name by Milán Füst, starring Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel, Sergio Rubini and Jasmine Trinca, now screening at Cannes:

"...naval 'Captain Jacob Storr' is in an unhappy marriage, suspecting his French wife 'Lizzy' of infidelity. It seems that Storr married Lizzie only after a friend dared him to marry the next woman who walked into the café they were sitting in..." 

Click the images to enlarge.... ...

Mubi, the London-based streamer and theatrical distributor, has acquired North America, U.K. and more territories on Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds,” a highlight of the Cannes Film Festival competition.

The powerful Chadian abortion drama has received unanimous critical praise and is being talked about as a potential Palme d’Or winner at the midpoint of the festival. On top of the U.S. and the U.K., Mubi has acquired the film for Ireland, Latin America and Turkey.

Penned by Haroun, “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds” is set on the outskirts of N’djamena in Chad, where Amina lives with her 15-year-old daughter Maria. Her fragile world collapses when she discovers that her daughter is pregnant and does not want the pregnancy, in a country where abortion is not only condemned by religion, but also by law.

The film explores a bond between a mother and her daughter,...

After her last film, the quirky On Body and Soul, described as a rom-com set in an abattoir, won Berlin’s Golden Bear and picked up an Oscar nomination, Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi finally got to make her passion project.

The Story of My Wife is based on the 1946 Hungarian novel by Milán Füst, one of Enyedi’s favorites since she first read it as a teenager. Up-and-coming Dutch actor Gijs Naber stars as Jakob Störr, a no-nonsense ship’s captain who, while on land leave, agrees to a bet to marry the first woman who walks in.

Luckily for him,...

After her last film, the quirky On Body and Soul, described as a rom-com set in an abattoir, won Berlin’s Golden Bear and picked up an Oscar nomination, Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi finally got to make her passion project.

The Story of My Wife is based on the 1946 Hungarian novel by Milán Füst, one of Enyedi’s favorites since she first read it as a teenager. Up-and-coming Dutch actor Gijs Naber stars as Jakob Störr, a no-nonsense ship’s captain who, while on land leave, agrees to a bet to marry the first woman who walks in.

Luckily for him,...

German co-productions are making a strong showing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Leos Carax’s opening film, “Annette,” Wes Anderson’s star-studded “The French Dispatch” and Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi’s “The Story of My Wife.”

Fabian Gasmia’s Berlin-based Detailfilm is among the producers on “Annette,” which stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. The musical shot throughout the German state of North RhineWestphalia, including at the Ordensburg Vogelsang, a former Nazi military academy that doubles for a high-security U.S. prison in the film. The production received €500,000 from regional funder Filmstiftung Nrw in addition to support from the German-French Minitraité.

“The French Dispatch” marks Anderson’s third collaboration with co-producer Studio Babelsberg after “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Isle of Dogs.” The competition entry also partially shot at the studio. Studio Babelsberg’s Christoph Fisser, Henning Molfenter and Charlie Woebcken, who secured funding for the production...

The film is directed by Hungary’s Ildiko Enyedi.

Ildiko Enyedi’s Hungarian Competition title The Story Of My Wife, starring Lea Seydoux, Gijs Naber and Louis Garrel, has racked up a raft of new sales for Films Boutique.

The film has now been sold to Japan (Aya Pro), Spain (Bteam), Middle East (Front Row Filmed Entertainment), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Poland (Aurora Films), Turkey (Filmarti), Bulgaria (Best Film), Ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom).

Lea Seydoux, Gijs Naber and Louis Garrel star in the film about a seasoned Dutch sea captain, who makes a fateful bet in a café that he will marry the...

"You want me to like your admirer?" Films Boutique has unveiled a festival promo trailer for The Story of My Wife, the first English-language feature from acclaimed, award-winning Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi. She won the Golden Bear top prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 2017 for her last film On Body and Soul. The Story of My Wife, adapted from Hungarian author Milán Füst's novel, is set to premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition, and it runs a full 2 hours, 49 minutes. Whew. There's not of a description. Only an introduction: the film follows a Dutch sea captain who makes a bet in a café to wed the first woman who enters through the door. In walks Lizzy, played by Léa Seydoux. The cast also includes Gijs Naber and the ubiquitous Louis Garrel. This is the best of any Cannes trailer we've posted before the festival...

The great Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi appears infrequently, making something of an occasion her next feature, The Story of My Wife. But we’d be thrilled either way, given its pairing of Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel with an intriguing premise: a man (Gijs Naber) recounts his marriage to a woman he initially approached on a dare, leading—as these things so often do—to mishap and grief.

Ahead of its premiere in competition at Cannes, sales agent Films Boutique have released a gorgeous first trailer. Signs point to Enyedi using her 169 minutes (making this the second-longest comp title after Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car) wisely; check back for our review in a week or two.

See the preview below:

The post Trailer for Cannes Competition Title The Story of My Wife Starring Léa Seydoux and Louis Garrel first appeared on The Film Stage.

Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for “The Story of My Wife,” which screens in competition at Cannes Festival. Oscar-nominated director Ildikó Enyedi’s film stars Palme d’Or winner Léa Seydoux. Films Boutique is handling world sales rights.

Enyedi’s “On Body and Soul” won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2017 and was Oscar nominated the following year. Seydoux won Cannes’ Palme d’Or, alongside director Abdellatif Kechiche and co-star Adèle Exarchopoulos, for “Blue Is the Warmest Color” in 2013.

Also in the cast are Gijs Naber (“How to Avoid Everything”), Louis Garrel (“Redoubtable”), Josef Hader (“Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe”), Sergio Rubini (“The Stuff of Dreams”) and Jasmine Trinca (“Honey”).

“The Story of My Wife” is an adaptation of Milan Fust’s 1942 novel of the same name. The story, a variation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman, is set in the 1920s. In it sea...

The film is a drama about abortion in a country where it is illegal.

Leading arthouse sales agent Films Boutique has taken world rights to Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s Lingui, The Sacred Bonds, increasing its roster of Competition titles from this year’s Cannes festival.

The film was written and directed by Haroun and produced by Florence Stern from French production company Pili Films, in association with Beluga Tree and Made in Germany Filmproduktion.

It is set on the outskirts of N’djamena in Chad, where Amina lives with her 15-year-old daughter Maria. Her fragile world collapses when she discovers that...

For the first time ever, two Hungarian films are competing for the Berlinale’s Golden Bear: “Forest – I See You Everywhere,” a standalone sequel to the 2003 Berlinale hit “Forest,” from veteran auteur Bence Fliegauf, and “Natural Light” from feature debutant Dénes Nagy. Csaba Káel, chairman of the National Film Institute of Hungary (Nfi), says, “I believe it demonstrates the vitality and strength of the Hungarian industry flourishing despite the unprecedented circumstances caused by the pandemic worldwide.”

The two films represent opposite poles of current Hungarian filmmaking. Brimming with discourse, the independently funded “Forest” tells multiple complex, engaging stories of contemporary life in Hungary. And as he did in his Berlinale-winner “Just the Wind” (2012), Fliegauf creates deep empathy for his characters who deliver standout performances.

On the other hand, “Natural Light,” with its minimal dialogue, harks back to an older tradition in Hungarian cinema where stunning cinematography leads the other formal elements.

The Story of My Wife

Produced by Monika Mécs, András Muhi, Erno Mésterhazy, Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Flaminio Zadra and Pilar Saavedra Perrotta.

Directed by Ildikó Enyedi

Written by Ildikó Enyedi

Starring: Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel, Josef Hader, Jasmine Trinca

Cinematographer: Marcell Rév

Release Date/Prediction: The Berlinale certainly feels like the right place to premiere.

…...

The romantic drama stars Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber and Louis Garrel.

Films Boutique has closed deals with top distributors on Golden Bear winner Ildikó Enyedi’s The Story Of My Wife.

The romantic drama, starring Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber and Louis Garrel, has sold to France (Pyramide Distribution), Germany and Austria (Alamode), Benelux (September Films), Israel (Lev Cinema), Italy (Rai Cinema), Hungary (Mozinet), Greece (Strada), Russia (Russian Report), Czech Slovak (Film Europe) and Portugal (Leopardo).

Films Boutique has been showing a first promo for the English-language, €10m project at the Efm.

The film, scripted by Enyedi from the novel by Milan Füst,...

The Story of My Wife

Produced by Monika Mécs, András Muhi, Erno Mésterhazy, Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Flaminio Zadra and Pilar Saavedra Perrotta.

Directed by Ildikó Enyedi

Written by Ildikó Enyedi

Starring: Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel, Josef Hader, Jasmine Trinca

Cinematographer: Marcell Rév

Release Date/Prediction: 2020 Cannes Film Festival – Main Competition.

…...

Variety has been given the first-look image from Oscar-nominated director Ildikó Enyedi’s “The Story of My Wife,” starring Palme d’Or winner Léa Seydoux. We spoke to Enyedi about the film, which is being sold at Cannes by Films Boutique.

Enyedi’s “On Body and Soul” won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2017 and was Oscar nominated the following year. Seydoux won Cannes’ Palme d’Or, alongside director Abdellatif Kechiche and co-star Adèle Exarchopoulos for “Blue Is the Warmest Color” in 2013.

“The Story of My Wife,” budgeted at Euros 10 million ($11.2 million), is an adaptation of Milan Fust’s 1942 novel of the same name. The story, a variation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman, is set in the 1920s. In it sea captain Jakob Storr makes a bet in a cafe with a friend that he will marry the first woman who enters the place, and then in walks Lizzy.

Historical drama heading to China and eastern Europe.

The first full-length trailer and a raft of additional sales have been unveiled for Dutch historical epic Redbad.

Watch the new trailer above.

The project, directed by Roel Reine, has been sold by Dutch sales house Incredible Film to China (Star-d Group), Turkey (Ozen Film), Cis (Cross Media), Romania (Karpat Media) and Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia (Media Squad).

It has also been confirmed Dutch distributor Splendid Film will release the film in cinemas across the Netherlands from June 28 2018.

The first footage for Redbad, which is in post-production, was presented at this year’s Efm.

Incredible Films will screen footage to buyers at Efm.

In the run up to this week’s Berlin European Film Market, Dutch sales company Incredible Films has announced an eye-catching deal with Epic Pictures via its Us distributor Epic Releasing for North American rights for Roel Reine’s epic period war film, Redbad.

The film stars Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Søren Malling (The Killing, Borgen) and Gijs Naber (The Heineken Kidnapping, Penoza).

At Efm, Incredible’s Danielle Raaphorst will screen four minutes of footage of the film to buyers. Redbad will be ready for delivery in June 2018.

“Roel Reine is one of the best action directors in the film business and Jonathan Banks gives the performance of his career,” Patrick Ewald, CEO of Epic Pictures, told ScreenDaily. “When Danielle Raaphorst and Incredible showed us early footage of the battle scenes and the impressive large-scale production value, we knew that Redbad was destined to become...

Exclusive: Sales outfit also boards spy drama Margery Booth, which has Stephen Fry attached.

Munich-based sales company Atlas International has picked up international rights to Dutch director Mike van Diem’s (Character) dramedy Tulips, Love, Honour And A Bike, which is currently in post-production.

Set in southern Italy in the 1980s, the Dutch-Canadian-Italian co-production boasts an international cast including veteran Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini, Gijs Naber, Anneke Sluiters and Lidia Vitale.

A71 Entertainment has already acquired Canadian theatrical rights to the film, which follows a young woman who uncovers an unwanted family connection to the Italian mafia.

Atlas has also boarded sales on Margery Booth: The Spy In The Eagles Nest (working title), the biopic of English opera singer Margery Booth, a Second World War spy who performed for Hitler and British POWs.

Wigan-born Booth (1905-1952) emigrated to Germany before the outbreak of the war, during which she helped British intelligence service MI6.

Stephen Fry is attached...

This year, one film was the surprise grand winner at the Dutch Film Festival where the Golden Calves are awarded, which basically are the Dutch Oscars. Michiel ten Horn's Aanmodderfakker won Best Film and Best Script, and its lead Gijs Naber won Best Actor. A few months later it arrived in Dutch cinemas, and last week I finally got to see for myself what all the commotion was about. Thankfully, once again my general misgivings with Dutch cinema were notable for their absence when I saw this film, as writer/director Michiel ten Horn has consistently outsmarted most of the pitfalls which our national filmmaking industry so often falls victim too. Time for a review! The Plot: Thijs is what the Dutch call "an eternal student"....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The Heineken Kidnapping / De Heineken ontvoering Teaser Trailer. Maarten Treurniet‘s The Heineken Kidnapping / De Heineken ontvoering (2011) teaser trailer stars Rutger Hauer, Sallie Harmsen, Marcel Hensema, Gijs Naber, and Ton Kas. The Heineken Kidnapping / De Heineken ontvoering‘s plot synopsis: “The Heineken Kidnapping is based on the kidnapping of beer tycoon Freddy Heineken that hit the news in the Netherlands and abroad in the eighties of the last century. The film exceeds the well known story of the kidnap and goes on to tell the story of Alfred Heineken’s revenge, which culminates in a chase of the kidnappers across the world. Focusing on the psychological power struggle between the successful and charismatic beer brewer and a ruthless young criminal with a grudge”.

I was completely unaware of The Heineken Kidnapping but I believe everyone is aware of Heineken beer. I am looking forward to seeing when Freddy Heineken seeks revenge against the kidnappers.

A kidnap thriller titled The Heineken Kidnapping aka De Heineken ontvoering is being set for release in the Netherlans this October. This is a real life story of how Freddy Heineken was kidnapped and ransomed for $16 million Euros. Freddy was eventually freed, but his kidnappers, including Willem Holleeder and Cor Van Hout, had a less than peaceful life thereafter. Hout would end up murderered and Holleeder is still in jail, serving a term for extortion. Rutger Hauer will star as Freddy Heineken. Have a look at more of the biopic film details on The Heineken Kidnapping below.

The synopsis for The Heineken Kidnapping:

"The Heineken Kidnapping is based on the kidnap of beer tycoon Heineken that hit the news in the Netherlands and abroad in the eighties of the last century. The film exceeds the well known story of the kidnap and goes on to tell the story of Alfred Heineken's revenge,...