Carnaby International Sales and Distribution
UK & International Film Sales and Distribution
Gina Rodriguez will receive the CinemaCon Female Star Of Tomorrow Award at the Las Vegas convention on April 14.
Rodriguez earned a Golden Globe in 2015 for TV hit Jane The Virgin and will star later this year in Deepwater Horizon. CinemaCon runs from April 11-14.
Carnaby International are handling sales for STICKY NOTES.
Morfydd Clark, Ade Edmundson and Charlotte Peters have all joined the biographical drama about Mozart.
Interlude In Prague, which stars Aneurin Barnard as Mozart, has commenced a six-week shoot in the eponymous Czech capital.
Joining a cast that already includes James Purefoy(Solomon Kane) and Samantha Banks (Les Miserables) is Morfydd Clark (Love & Friendship), Ade Edmundson (War & Peace) and Charlotte Peters (Pound Of Flesh).
The story follows Mozart as he composes his operatic masterpiece Don Giovanni. While visiting Prague, the composer becomes embroiled in a turbulent narrative of lust and murder.
John Stephenson (Animal Farm) is directing from a script by debutant Brian Ashby. Huw Penallt Jones is producing for UK-based Productive International alongside Hannah Leader.
London-based Carnaby International are handling worldwide rights and, having introduced the title at EFM, will be commencing sales at Cannes in May.
Production of the new 20 episode season is expected to begin in the summer, with the series premiering in 2017. Rhys Meyers has previously starred in ‘The Tudors’ – another acclaimed period drama which was shot in Ireland and created by Michael Hirst. That series ran from 2007-2010 with Rhys Meyers garnering Golden Globe and IFTA nominations for his role on the show, winning the IFTA in 2008. Rhys Meyers has recently completed work on thriller ‘Damascus Cover’ as well as an upcoming ‘Roots’ remake.
‘Vikings’ has been a critical and commercial hit since premiering in 2013. It is now the number one telecast on Thursday nights on cable in all key demos in Live +3, drawing in 4.2 million total viewers. It has also just been nominated for five IFTA Awards, including Best Drama.
The first four series of ‘Vikings’ were shot in Co. Wicklow with production in Luggala and Ashford Studios. There were approximately 400 Irish people involved in the production of the series. A number of key Irish professionals involved included director Ciarán Donnelly, costume designer Joan Bergin, production designer Tom Conroy and cinematographer PJ Dillon. A total of 8000 extras were sought for the fourth season of the show.
Irish Executive Producer Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000 Entertainment said: “I am thrilled that Vikings is once again a success in the United States and across the world. A big thank you to the History Channel and MGM for their huge support and congratulations to the many hundreds of people in Ireland and Canada who work tirelessly on the show to make it a success.”
From creator and sole writer Michael Hirst, ‘Vikings’ is inspired by the sagas of Icelandic Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France.
Hirst serves as executive producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000, Sheila Hockin, John Weber of Take 5 Productions, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and James Flynn.
Stage stars Samantha Barks and Morfydd Clark are headed to Prague!
The Daily Mail writes that the pair of leading ladies will appear in the upcoming Mozart film INTERLUDE IN PRAGUE, opposite previously announced James Purefoy and Aneurin Barnard.
No word on Barks’s role, but Clark will play ‘Zuzanna’, described as “an opera singer who meets and ‘engages’ with the composer (Barnard).”
Directed by John Stephenson with a screenplay by Brian Ashby, INTERLUDE IN PRAGUE is based on true-life events and is set in the city in 1787. Variety describes the project as “an intense and emotional narrative of love, lust and murder” that “follows the story of a few turbulent months in the short life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that influenced the creation of the opera ‘Don Giovanni.'”
Filming begins in Prague next month.
Barks will next be seen in the films BITTER HARVEST, NEW AMSTERDAM and CHOCOLATE CAKE. She recently led the Berkeley Rep premiere of the musical adaptation of AMÉLIE. Her theatre credits include CHICAGO at The Hollywood Bowl, OLIVER! and CABARET on tour in the UK, and the West End’s LES MISERABLES (as well as its 25th anniversary show at the O2). She also starred as ‘Eponine’ in Tom Hooper’s film version LES MIS.
Clark recently appeared on in the BBC movie A POET IN NEW YORK and on the big screen in THE FALLING, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. A stage vet, the actress recently starred in Gary Owen’s new play VIOLENCE AND SON at the Royal Court upstairs, in ROMEO AND JULIET at the Crucible, and in LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES at Donmar Warehouse.
THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FILMANDTVNOW.COM FEBRUARY 2016 (Credit, Rebecca Ryan)
WINTER follows a man (TOMMY FLANAGAN) left devastated after the murder of his wife. After the initial trauma, he develops serious mental health issues which affect his relationship with his two children.
Mental health is not an easy thing to discuss or portray in films, many demonise people who suffer from them, and others make the topic too lighthearted. Winter finds a way to discuss this delicate subject in a mature and fair way. A successful artist’s life is changed forever after his wife is brutally murdered. He slowly breaks down, hearing voices, hallucinating, and drinking heavily to make these effects disappear. His behaviour takes a serious toll on his family, with his youngest son being taken into care and his oldest son trying desperately to keep the family together.
Tommy Flanagan gives a fantastic performance here as Woods. It’s very difficult to portray someone with mental health issues without going over-the-top or being offensive, but he manages to give a very realistic and sensible performance. Tom Payne also gives a great performance.
Films like Winter will strike a nerve with many people. A lot of people are affected by mental illness in one way or another and Winter does pack an emotional punch. It highlights how mental illness can happen to anyone at any time in their lives, and briefly hints at how ineffective the mental healthcare system can be.
Overall, Winter is an excellent film and will hopefully get distribution after its successful screening at the Glasgow Film Festival. Tommy Flanagan gives a fantastic lead performance and should be considered for lead roles more often. It is not an easy film to watch, but it is well made, well structured, and director Heidi Greensmith has done an excellent job here.
Verdict
☆☆☆☆☆
US exec joins from Warner Brothers distributor, Shooting Stars.
Carnaby International Sales & Distribution has appointed Lorianne Hall as senior sales and acquisitions manager.
Hall joins the UK distributor and international sales agent from Middle Eastern Warner Brothers distributor, Shooting Stars Theatrical Distribution where she headed up acquisitions.
Reporting directly into Carnaby’s director of international sales, Tania Sarra, as well as joint CEOs Andrew Loveday and Sean O’Kelly, Hall will be responsible for multi-territory sales of Carnaby’s new to market and film library as well as working with the CEOs on acquisitions of commercial and theatrical projects.
Hall’s first market with Carnaby will be the Cannes Marche in May.
The appointment follows a two-year stint at Shooting Stars and Scandinavian distributor Scanbox Entertainment, where she was responsible for the acquisitions of The Little Prince, Belle, Philomena, The Raid, It Follows, Incendies, Animal Kingdom, The Artist, The Place Beyond The Pinesand the Taken franchise.
Hall said: “I’m really excited to join Carnaby at this pivotal and exciting time for the company and look forward to contributing to their growth and success. What I really like about Carnaby is how Tania, Sean, and Andrew believe in and passionately support their filmmakers and truly want for them and their projects to succeed which is an ethos and passion that I share.”
O’Kelly added: “The company is experiencing rapid growth and Lorianne brings the perfect expertise and skills to help with our transition to the next level.”
Upcoming titles from Carnaby include drama Sticky Notes, starring Ray Liotta and Rose Leslie; coming of age dramaKids In Love, starring Will Poulter, Cara Delevingne and Alma Jodorowsky; and spy thriller Damascus Cover, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Each year, around this time, podcasters and website content makes all ponder what has been the best, the worst, the surprising and so forth of all the films, television shows, video games, books and so on. Its never an easy task and usually people try to come up with a Top 10. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well not when you have seen hundreds of films or played dozens of games over the past twelve months. But its a fun task that as hard as it it, we all enjoy doing.
Best British Film: Rise of the Footsoldier Part 2
I had puzzling anticipation for this film. I wanted to watch it but felt that the first film (Rise Of The Footsoldier) was self contained. How could they carry it on? Well quite simply by telling us more about the life of Carlton Leach. Very different in style to the first film, Rise 2 ups its game and reminded me more of Nil by Mouth and Bad Lieutenant than it being another film focusing on gangsters. Brilliantly directed by Ricci Harnett in his directorial debut and another fine notch on the belt of film company Carnaby International who for the second that in the same year have taken a troubled production and allowed it and helped it recover for the fans to see.
Honorable Mentions: Rise/Fall of the Krays
Rise Of The Krays and Fall Of The Krays were filmed back to back but released months apart (Fall Of The Krays hits DVD in March) and together they tell the Rise and Fall (its all in the title folks) of two of the countries most notorious crime bosses. Brilliant performances by Kevin Leslie and Simon Cotton in the lead roles alongside a wonderfully written script that doesn’t just give us the highlights that we all know but give us some great backstory of Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
Best Director: Ricci Harnett
First time director (Ricci also wrote the script) Ricci Harnett has done a fantastic job with the next chapter of Rise Of The Footsoldier Part 2 which takes us back into the life of real life Carlton Leach. Following on from the killings in Essex 95, We see Carlton Leach in what I feel would be his darkest and most self destructive time. The film is tough to watch and the performances are brutal, but the film is handled perfectly by Ricci Harnett who not only held directing duties but of course appeared on screen for most of the film.
Best British Performances: Ricci Harnett, Simon Cotton & Kevin Leslie
ScreenDaily is reporting that Declan Recks’ new Irish film The Truth Commissioner has been acquired by Sky Television Network for broadcast in New Zealand following a deal at the American Film Market.
Set in a post-Troubles Northern Ireland, The Truth Commissioner follows the fictional story of Henry Stanfield, played by Roger Allam, a career diplomat who has just been appointed as Truth Commissioner to Northern Ireland. Eager to make good as a peacemaker, the Prime Minster urges a commission following the South African model of Truth and Reconciliation. But, though Stanfield starts bravely, he quickly uncovers some bloody and inconvenient truths about those now running the country; truths which none of those in power are prepared to have revealed.
The film stars Roger Allam (The Queen), Sean McGinley (The Wind That Shakes the Barley), Tom Goodman Hill (The Imitation Game), Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones), Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones), Bríd Brennan (Shadow Dancer) ,and Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall). The film is directed by Declan Recks (Eden) and produced by David Collins (Once), Eoin O’Callaghan (Five Minutes of Heaven) and Kevin Jackson (Falling For a Dancer) for Big Fish Films and Samson Films. The Truth Commissioner is produced in association with Northern Ireland Screen, BBC Northern Ireland, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
The sale of The Truth Commissioner is one of multiple made by UK sales company Carnaby International. Others include Scott Eastwood’s Mercury Plains, which sold to Germany (Lighthouse), Australia (Eagle Entertainment) and Middle East (International Film Distribution); Chris Foggin’s Kids In Love, which sold to France (Factoris Films); Toby Tobias’ thriller Blood Orange, which sold to the US (Invincible Picture). Blood Orange, also sold with The Truth Commissioner, North Vs South, Four, Winter and Casual Encounters to Sky NZ.
For us sales have been quite strong even though the AFM market seemed a little flat in attendance with seemingly little good new content around. We had a busy and fruitful time with five new films having their market debuts here and the majority of buyers closing this week on deals for the major territories.Sean O’Kelly – Carnaby, Joint-CEO
UK sales outfit Carnaby International has inked a string of deals at the American Film Market (AFM) on titles including Mercury Plains, Fall Of The Krays and The Truth Commissioner.
Scott Eastwood action-adventure Mercury Plains has sold to Germany (Lighthouse), Australia (Eagle Entertainment) and Middle East (International Film Distribution).
UK coming-of-age drama Kids In Love, starring Will Poulter and Cara Delevigne, has been picked up by Factoris Films for France.
Thriller Blood Orange, starring Iggy Pop, was picked up for US distribution by Invincible Picture.
The film was also taken by Sky Television Network for New Zealand, which also bagged rights to quintet North Vs South, Four, The Truth Commissioner, Winter and Casual Encounters.
Completed UK drama North Vs South also sold to Benelux (One 2 See) while drama Art Of Living went to Cinesky for Airline rights.
Middle Eastern outfit International Film Distribution also inked deals for crime-drama Fall Of The Krays and fantasy Arthur & Merlin.
Carnaby joint-CEO Sean O’Kelly said: “For us sales have been quite strong even though the AFM market seemed a little flat in attendance with seemingly little good new content around.
“We had a busy and fruitful time with five new films having their market debuts here and the majority of buyers closing this week on deals for the major territories.”
The Iggy Pop-starring thriller Blood Orange has found itself a spot in U.S. distributor Invincible’s AFM shopping cart.
The film was on the slate being offered by Carnaby, and also secured a deal in New Zealand with pay-TV operator Sky Television Network, who picked up a slew of other titles from the London-based banner, including North vs. South, Four, The Truth Commissioner, Winter and Casual Encounters.
Elsewhere for Carnaby, the Scott Eastwood-starring thriller Mercury Plains also secured multiple territory deals. The project — first announced in Cannes and directed by Charles Burmeister — was picked up in Germany (Lighthouse), Latin America (California Films), Australia (Eagle) and the Middle East (International Film Distribution).
Kids in Love — the Cara Delevingne-starring coming of age drama having its market bow — landed a home in France (Factoris).
“We have a ton more which are in final negotiations,” said Carnaby CEO Sean O’Kelly, who added that there had been three sold-out screenings of the Jonathan Rhys Meyers spy thriller Damascus Cover, which was first announced in Berlin.