DEADLINE: Written By Zac Ntim
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2023 EXCLUSIVE: At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Film Bridge International premiers three of their upcoming films at the Palais. Kicking it off with Operation Blood Hunt on Wednesday, May 17th at 9:30 a.m. This supernatural thriller is directed by Louis Mandylor, whilst starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Marine Units stationed on a remote South Pacific Island disappeared in 1944. A group of US Army misfits are sent out to investigate the disappearance and discover they were massacred by Lycanthropes, commonly known as Werewolves. Crime thriller, The Getback, directed by Jared Cohn, premiers Wednesday, May 17th at 11:30 a.m. A hard-living bounty hunter (Theo Rossi) captures a dangerous yet wise-ass criminal, but the two work together to evade the crooked cops (Dermot Mulroney) and heavily armed mercenaries trying to kill them both. Last, but not least, A Creature Was Stirring, starring Chrissy Metz and Scout Taylor Compton, premiers Saturday, May 20th at 9 a.m. The holiday horror, directed by Damien Leveck, transpires during a Christmas blizzard. Faith injects her daughter, Charm, with “holiday cheer”, methadone, to maintain a fever for a mysterious ailment. Kory and Liz, two strangers seeking shelter, uncover Faith’s dysfunctional relationship with Charm and the evil creature lurking in their shadows. Also in Cannes, Film Bridge International will be showing the first footage of Classified , an action packed film featuring Arron Eckhart and directed by Roel Reiné.
DEADLINE by Melanie Goodfellow: Action-thriller Classified , starring Aaron Eckhart , Abigail Breslin and Tim Roth.
EXCLUSIVE : Here’s your first look at BAFTA-nominee Maxine Peake (The Village) as the late, fearless Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in feature Anna. As we revealed last week, production is underway in Riga, Latvia, on the biopic of the journalist, human rights activist and Putin scourge. Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Jason Isaacs (The Death of Stalin), Harry Lawtey (Industry), Ellie Bamber (Willow), and Naomi Battrick (The Postcard Killings) also star. BAFTA-winner James Strong (Broadchurch) directs from a screenplay by Eric Poppen. Ellen Wander’s Film Bridge International has newly taken over sales duties from Luminosity due to what was described to us as a “change in the film’s financial structure”. The film, previously titled Mother Russia, will tell the story of world-renowned journalist and human rights activist Politkovskaya, who went from being a local print journalist to braving the Chechen killing fields and exposing Russian state corruption under Vladimir Putin. She refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned. She was ultimately murdered in the elevator of her block of flats and it remains unclear who paid for the contract killing. Good Films Collective has teamed with Burbank-based Rolling Pictures on the production led by producers Miriam Segal and Mark Maxey. Executive producers are Rick Crumly and Stefanie Scott. Pic is shooting entirely on location in Latvia, and co-producers are Forma Pro Films. The movie is due to wrap in February, 2023. Miriam Segal said: “Making this important film couldn’t come at a more appropriate time in history, given world events. Its relevance and significance show the cultural power of filmmaking. We have gathered an amazingly talented and acclaimed cast and an award-winning director, and we feel sure that we’re making something that pays fitting tribute to Anna and her courage. We hope this film will strike a balance between mould-breaking, dynamic entertainment and an inspiring and engaging homage to a true heroine of the 21st century.” Film Bridge International’s Ellen Wander added: “This is a universally important story. We are confident that the production team and actors will deliver a brilliant film with rich and vibrant production values. We will introduce first look footage from ‘Anna’ at the upcoming Berlinale.”
EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a hot one that has gone under the radar. Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and Suicide Squad breakout Daniela Melchior have been quietly filming action film Assassin Club in Italy. EuropaCorp veteran Camille Delamarre (Transporter: Refueled) is directing the movie, which has just wrapped shoot in Turin, Italy. Assassin Club takes place in the world of international spies and elite assassins. In this world of contract killers, Morgan Gaines (Henry Golding) is the best of the best. When Morgan is hired to kill six people around the world, he soon discovers all the targets are also assassins unknowingly hired to kill each other. Rapace plays Falk, the only assassin with skills to match his own. Under the guidance of his mentor Jonathan Caldwell (Neill), Morgan must defeat Falk and the other assassins to keep himself and his girlfriend Sophie (Melchior) alive. The project is produced and financed by Film Bridge International (FBI) with additional funding provided by 828 Media Capital. Script comes from Thomas C. Dunn. “Assassin Club delivers the cinematic experience audiences love,” said Ellen Wander, CEO of Film Bridge International, which is repping sales. Wander produced the film along with FBI’s Jordan Dykstra, Motus Studios’ Emanuele Moretti, and 828 Media Capital’s Todd Lundbohm. Wander added: “Our director Camille Delamarre came to this project with an inspired vision, and we look forward to his remarkable talents in the editing room. When the film is completed, it will be a thrilling ride for audiences throughout the world. “Assassin Club is a fast paced mix of pulse-pounding action and espionage – all set within the beautiful backdrop of Italy,” commented Dykstra. “We can’t wait to share it with the world.” Golding is coming off action pics Snake Eyes: G.I Joe Origins and Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. Next up on Film Bridge International’s in-house production slate is The Requin, the shark-attack thriller from writer-director Le-Van Kiet and starring Alicia Silverstone, which is set to release in cinemas and on streaming platforms in Q1, 2022. Previous releases include thriller Spinning Man starring Pierce Brosnan, Guy Pearce, and Minnie Driver, and crime thriller Misconduct with Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, and Josh Duhamel. Golding is repped by CAA, Megan Silverman Management and GGSBC; Rapace by CAA, Stella Härnström, Narrative and Tapestry London; Neill by ICM, Shanahan’s Authentic and Curtis Brown; Melchior is repped by CAA and Brave Artists Management; Camille Delamarre is repped by WME; and Dunn is repped by Zero Gravity Management.
EXCLUSIVE : LA-based sales firm Film Bridge International has sold shark survival pic The Requin to Reset Collective (Australia/New Zealand), YouPlanet (Spain), Mediawan (France), Monolith (Poland), Purple Plan (SE Asia), Blitz Film Group (Ex-Yugo), and Blue Lantern (Vietnam). Starring Alicia Silverstone ( Clueless ) and James Tupper ( Big Little Lies ), the film is slated for delivery in June, 2021. We can also reveal a first look image from the movie. The film follows a couple on a romantic getaway in Vietnam, who find themselves stranded at sea after a massive tropical storm sweeps away their seaside villa. With the husband maimed and dying, the wife must fight the elements alone, while Great White sharks circle below. Le-Van Kiet ( Furie ) wrote and directed. Ellen Wander and Jordan Dykstra of Film Bridge International produced. Currently in post-production, the producers tell us The Requin has nearly 1,000 VFX shots. “Not only has Kiet delivered an exciting film to watch,“ Wander notes, “but at its core, The Requin is an intense survival story focused on a woman empowered by her will to live.” Pic was funded by 828 Media Capital, the Los Angeles-based financier whose recent productions include the Sam Worthington western The Last Son , the Booboo Stewart horror film Those Who Walk Away , and The Fallout starring Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, Shailene Woodley and Julie Bowen. The production, filmed at Universal Studios in Orlando, was managed by Ashleigh Snead, Aaron Koontz, and Cameron Burns of Paperstreet Pictures. Film Bridge’s sales slate also includes Bay Of Silence with Olga Kurylenko and Brian Cox, Under The Stadium Lights with Laurence Fishburne and Milo Gibson, and the comedy Buffaloed , starring Zoey Deutsch.
EXCLUSIVE : Saban Films has boarded U.S. rights to shark attack survival pic The Requin . Starring Alicia Silverstone ( Clueless ) and James Tupper ( Big Little Lies ), the film is slated for delivery in June, 2021. Pic follows a couple on a romantic getaway in Vietnam, who find themselves stranded at sea after a massive tropical storm sweeps away their seaside villa. With the husband maimed and dying, the wife must fight the elements alone, while Great White sharks circle below. Earlier today, we revealed that LA-based sales firm Film Bridge International has sold the movie to key international markets including Reset Collective (Australia/New Zealand), YouPlanet (Spain), Mediawan (France), Monolith (Poland), Purple Plan (SE Asia), Blitz Film Group (Ex-Yugo), and Blue Lantern (Vietnam). We also revealed a first look image from the movie. Le-Van Kiet ( Furie ) wrote and directed. Ellen Wander and Jordan Dykstra of Film Bridge International produced. Currently in post-production, the films is said by producers to feature nearly 1,000 VFX shots. The movie was funded by 828 Media Capital, the Los Angeles-based financier whose recent productions include the Sam Worthington western The Last Son , the Booboo Stewart horror film Those Who Walk Away , and The Fallout starring Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, Shailene Woodley and Julie Bowen. The production filmed at Universal Studios in Orlando.
EXCLUSIVE : LA-based Film Bridge International has boarded international sales rights to crime series Big Dogs , which it will begin selling during the Toronto virtual market. The eight-part series premiered domestically on Amazon Prime in July and stars Brett Cullen ( Joker ), Manny Perez ( The Night Of ), Michael Rabe ( Homeland ), and Lance Henriksen ( Falling ). Filmed in New York, the series charts intersecting stories of organized crime, white collar felonies, and police corruption across the city. Creator Adam Dunn of Aurelian Productions based the series on his novels of the same name, writing the episodes in partnership with Tony Glazer of Choice Films. “It’s time for Big Dogs to go global. I’m excited for this series to be seen by audiences throughout the world,” said Film Bridge’s Ellen Wander. “Fans of crime shows like Breaking Bad will find this well-crafted and meaningful series a more than worthy addition to the genre.” “We are extremely pleased with Big Dogs ,” said Summer Crockett Moore, executive producer and Managing Partner of Choice Films. “Action-packed, thrilling, and filled with nuance, the show moves at a breakneck speed guaranteed to please viewers everywhere.” Film Bridge’s recent sales slate includes thriller The Bay Of Silence with Olga Kurylenko and Brian Cox, and horror Trick with Omar Epps, Jamie Kennedy, and Tom Atkins. See the full article at: DEADLINE
DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Film Bridge International will be handling the international and domestic rights to the Milo Gibson - Laurence Fishburne sports drama Brother’s Keeper. Deadline first told you about the project coming together in August 2018 from Minneapolis-based upstart production company Winsterstate Entertainment. Brother’s Keeper follows the true story of West Texas’ ’09 Abilene High School football team — underdogs who rally against the odds to form a family and win their state championship. Todd Randall directed the movie, which was adapted from the book of the same name by Al Pickett and Chad Mitchell. The producers are Hamid and Camille Torabpour, Dr. Mark Smith and Stelio Savante. The movie wrapped its principal shoot before the COVID-19 pandemic and has been in post-production, with current below-the-line post crew observing social distancing protocols. The movie also stars country singer Bucky Covington who plays a high school coach, and is contributing new music that he wrote and performs in the movie. “Film Bridge is thrilled to be partnered with Winterstate on Brother’s Keeper , which has extraordinary production value, setting it apart in the indie film market. Based on real-life events, this story is compelling for audiences because it is authentic, with emotions that are both real and raw — something that people are yearning for right now,” said Film Bridge CEO Ellen S. Wander. Added producer Hamid Torabpour: “We are excited to be partnered with Ellen and her team at Film Bridge to introduce Brother’s Keeper to the marketplace. Now more than ever, the time is right for inspirational films to make an indelible impact. Imagine a world where all of us lived by the Golden Rule. Brother’s Keeper will put the audience in the minds and hearts of high school athletes, protecting and working for their teammates, having each others back.” Gibson, the son of Mel Gibson, made his feature debut in Oscar-nominated feature Hacksaw Ridge , and also starred in Peter Facinelli’s directorial debut Breaking & Exiting . His credits include Rod Lurie’s upcoming The Outpost and David Blair’s World War II drama Hurricane . Fishburne recently starred in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and ABC comedy series Black-ish. Click Here To Read Full Article
EXCLUSIVE: Ellen Wander’s LA-based sales firm Film Bridge International is launching a horror label called Film Bridge After Dark, i.e. F-BAD. Film Bridge has picked up a slate of movies from Dallas Sonnier’s ( Bone Tomahawk ) Cinestate, owner of the Fangoria and Rebeller labels. Among the titles which will be sold internationally are Castle Freak and Porno . The former, a re-imagining of Stuart Gordon’s 1995 film about a horrific creature lurking within the shadows of a castle, is directed by Tate Steinsiek and written by Kathy Charles. The film is set to be released in North America by RLJE and Fangoria in summer 2020. Horror-comedy Porno is about a group of seemingly wholesome movie theatre employees in a small Christian town who discover a mysterious old film that unleashes a sex demon which tempts and terrorizes them. Keola Racela directs from a script by Matt Black and Laurence Vannicelli. Shudder and Fangoria picked the film up after SXSW 2019 and plan to release in coming months. F-BAD has also acquired Cinestate movies Satanic Panic with Rebecca Romijn and TIFF Midnight Madness movie The Standoff At Sparrow Creek with James Badge Dale. The label will be run by Jordan Dykstra as Managing Director. Dykstra has recently served as Sales Manager at Film Bridge. Film Bridge recently completed production on horror Trick (pictured) by Patrick Lussier ( My Bloody Valentine ), starring Omar Epps. Lussier made the film as an homage to his mentor, Wes Craven, with whom he collaborated as an editor on the Scream franchise. In Trick , an elusive serial killer returns to a small town each Halloween targeting high school students as his victims. RLKE released stateside. “We’re thrilled to be establishing a partnership with Dallas Sonnier’s Cinestate. We hope to build a long-term relationship with Dallas under our new banner, Film Bridge After Dark”, said Dykstra. “We love the genre. Cinestate produces uncompromised and unrelenting genre titles. As we build the division we’re also actively seeking new relationships with other talented filmmakers. We’re looking for projects in all stages.” Most recently, Film Bridge International has represented and/or produced Buffaloed starring Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, and Jai Courtney, Spinning Man starring Pierce Brosnan and Guy Pearce and Misconduct with Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, and Josh Duhamel. See the full article here