PRODUCTION: Barzakh
Lithuanian -Finnish co-production Barzakh (www.barzakhfilm.com) opens the Berlinale Panorama Dokumente on 10 February 2011. The directorial debut of Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius follows the families of missing Chechens.
PRODUCTION: Emmy Winner Nanau Prepares New Documentary
BUCHAREST: Alexander Nanau, recipient of the International Emmy 2010 for The World According to Ion B, is preparing a new full length documentary, 136, which will be produced by Strada Film (www.stradafilm.ro).
PRODUCTION: Touch Me Not in development
BUCHAREST: Writer/ director Adina Pintile is developing her first feature film, Touch Me Not, a study of the human longing for contact, with three a woman and two men fighting solitude and searching for intimacy.
PRODUCTION: Seven Acts of Mercy Shooting in Italy
Seven Acts of Mercy/Sette opere di misericordia, an Italian/Romanian co-production between Alessandro Borrelli of La Sarraz Pictures (www.lasarraz.com) and Dan Burlac of Elefant Film, began shooting in Torino on 19 December 2010.
Nicky’s Family Sets Prague Premiere
PRAGUE: Nicky's Family, the sequel to director Matěj Mináč's 2002 International Emmy award-winning film Nicholas Winton - The Power of Good, will have its world premiere on 20 January 2011 in Prague. The Czech-Slovak coproduction is a full-length documentary film with dramatized reconstructions The day-long event will feature the presentation of a petition to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Winton.
PRODUCTION: Little Gypsy Witch in Production
ZAGREB: Tomislav Žaja's feature film for children and adults Little Gypsy Witch (Duh babe Ilonke, screenplay by Irena Krčelić) began shooting on 28 December 2010.
PRODUCTION: 4 Blows in Development
BUCHAREST: Writer/director Peter Kerek is developing his first feature film, 4 Blows/Patru lovituri, a fictional self-portrait told through four life-changing events in one man's life.
PRODUCTION: Scapegoat goes into Postproduction
ISTANBUL: Scapegoat, a slapstick comedy expected to rival the success of the 2009 Turkish box office hit Recep Ivedik (4.5 million admissions), is completing postproduction. A $1 million production by Medya Muhendisi (www.medyamuhendisi.com), Scapegoat is based on a short video clip called ‘Gunah Kecisi' (Scapegoat) that first gained popularity three years ago, about an ex-porn star who wants to change his life and to become a business manager.
PRODUCTION: Lea and Darija Completes Filming
Branko Ivanda finished the last day of shooting on his feature film Lea and Darija on 12 December 2010. The film is a drama with biographical elements about two child film stars from Zagreb in the late 1930's, Lea Deutsch and Darija Gasteiger.
PRODUCTION: Bromski Crime drama in Postproduction
Jacek Bromski, one of the most popular Polish filmmakers goes back to crime genre with his new film Entanglement.
PRODUCTION: Hřebejk drama Innocence Sets Release Date
Czech director Jan Hrebejk is completing post-production on Innocence, a criminal psychdrama written by his longtime collaborator Petr Jarchovsky. Post-production is taking place in Prague. Slovak producer Rudolf Biermann of Infilm announced a January 20 release date.
PRODUCTION: Jiří Vejdělek Starts Men in Hope in January
Czech director Jiří Vejdělek, whose latest comedy Women in Temptation (produced by Falcon, www.falcon.cz) was the most successful Czech domestic movie of 2010 with over 1.2 million viewers, is completing preproduction on a new film. The dark comedy Men in Hope, called a "free sequel" to his recent film, starts shooting on 8 January 2011, Vejdělek announced on Monday.
PRODUCTION: Ileana in Development
BUCHAREST: Eva Pervolovici is in development with her first feature, Ileana, the story of a young and innocent girl who decides to infiltrate the ghetto in order to save her boyfriend by leading the police to another drug smuggler. She is helped in her adventure by a local guy who falls in love with her.
PRODUCTION: Flying Blind in Preproduction
Polish director Andrzej Jakimowski is currently casting Flying Blind, his follow up to Tricks, in Germany, the UK and France for a spring shoot in Lisbon. The film is a co-production between KMBO (France), Filmes do Tejo (Portugal), ZAiR (Poland) and Film and Music Entertainment (UK).
Cherkess Kick Starts Jordanian Film Industry
When the Royal Film Commission of Jordan wanted to put Jordan on the map both as an international shooting location and to open a window of opportunity for local filmmakers they invited internationally known novelist and scriptwriter Mohydeen Quandour to Jordan. The result was the film Cherkess.
PRODUCTION: The End of Rain in development
Director/writer Alex Rotaru is in development with his first feature film, The End of Rain, focusing on the culture clash and conflict between generations and inspired by his own experience as a Romanian imigrant in the United States. The film will be shot in English in the United States for 21 days in 2011.