News

Francesca Archibugi’s ’The Hummingbird’ stars Nanni Moretti, Berenice Bejo and Pierfrancesco Favino.

Italy’s Fandango Sales has signed a raft of deals on Francesca Archibugi’s upcoming film The Hummingbird and Paolo Taviani’s Leonora Addio, plus made six additions to its Marché line-up.

The Hummingbird has sold to Spain (Karma Films), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Benelux (Cineart), Bulgaria (Cinelibri) and Former Yugoslavia (McF Megacom). The film stars Nanni Moretti, Berenice Bejo and Pierfrancesco Favino and was produced by Fandango with Les Films des Tournelles, Orange Studio and Rai Cinema.

Berlinale competition title Leonora Addio has been sold to Portugal (Leopardo...

Italian producer Domenico Procacci, whose Fandango shingle is developing Elena Ferrante’s “The Lying Life of Adults” for Netflix, has several new films in the pipeline, including chiller “Pantafa” toplining Kasia Smutniak (“Devils”) as a strong-willed mother trying to protect her haunted young daughter.

“Pantafa,” which takes its cue from an ancient Italian legend involving an evil spirit that stifles women in their sleep, has just ended principal photography. Pic is directed by Emanuele Scaringi, who has long worked with Fandango in various guises: as writer, creative producer (“Bangla”), and director of graphic novel adaptation “The Armadillo’s Prophecy,” Scaringi’s feature film debut that went to Venice. He also directed TV crime series “L’Alligatore” for Rai.

“Fandango has never made a horror film in 30 years [of our existence] because I’m personally neither a big fan [of this genre] nor an expert,” Procacci tells Variety. But Scarigni “really believed in this project, so I went with it,...

The lineup has been unveiled for year’s edition of the Venice International Film Festival, taking place August 28 through September 7. Aside from films previously announced as coming to Tiff, some major new announcements include Olivier Assayas’ Wasp Network, James Gray’s Ad Astra, Roy Andersson’s About Endlessness, Ciro Guerra’s Waiting for the Barbarians, David Michôd’s The King, Benedict Andrews’ Kristen Stewart-led biopic Seberg, and Roman Polanski’s J’accuse. Only two films by female directors made into the competition lineup: Haifaa Al-Mansour’s The Perfect Candidate and Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth.

Check out the lineup below (hat tip to Mubi), which also includes other sections at the festival.

Competition

The Truth (Hirokazu Kore-eda)

The Perfect Candidate (Haifaa Al-Mansour)

About Endlessness (Roy Andersson)

Wasp Network (Olivier Assayas)

Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)

Guest of Honour (Atom Egoyan)

Ad Astra (James Gray)

A Herdade (Tiago Guedes)

Gloria Mundi (Robert Guédiguian...

ROME -- A cash-strapped Italian government has anointed nine feature-length films as the beneficiaries of a €13.5 million ($16 million) pot of newly available production coin. Among the films selected, following the Nov. 28 meeting of the cinema commission of Italy's Ministry of Culture, was Francesca Comencini's A Casa Nostra (At Our House), which received €1.9 million ($2.2 million). Igino Straffi's Roma the Movie, Eugenio Cappuccio's 1 su 2 (One on Two) and Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's La masseria delle allodole all received €1.9 million ($2.2 million) for their respective projects. Vincenzo Terracciano's Tris di donne e abiti nuziali received €2.1 million ($2.4 million) while Gianni Zanasi's Non pensarci (Don't Think About It) received €640,000 ($755,000) and Jerome Cournau's La brigata Tigre (The Tiger Brigade) took €960,000 ($1.1 million).

• This year’s N.I.C.E. festival brought to America some interesting films from a diverse group of first time and second time feature length Italian filmmakers. Each filmmaker had his own distinct filmmaking style. If there was a common thread between the films it can be best said by one of the Chairpersons on the Selection Committee, Deborah Young, that these “films are from impassioned young filmmakers who still believe that cinema is all about emotions.” Where are all the patrons you ask? Open the doors and you will find them. Alessandro Tofanelli is a documentary filmmaker whose previous films examined Man’s relationship with Nature. With his first feature length narrative film, Contronatura, he continues to probe that relationship but here it is interwoven with a drama set in the countryside of Pisa. Contronatura is filled with scenic landscapes showing us the beauty of Nature.

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