The UK’s Icon Film Distribution has acquired A Hologram For The King. The Tom Tykwer-directed comedic drama stars Tom Hanks and is based on the eponymous novel by Dave Eggers which Tykwer adapted. Also starring are Sarita Choudhury, Omar Elba, Tracey Fairaway, David Menkin and Tom Skerritt. The highly-anticipated picture takes place far away from the recession-weary U.S., as an up-and-coming Saudi Arabian city provides the backdrop for foundering American businessman Alan Clay’s (Hanks) last-ditch effort to stave off bankruptcy, pay his daughter’s college fees, and accomplish something grand. Producers are Uwe Schott and Stefan Arndt of X Filme Creative Pool; Arcadiy Golubovich and Timothy D O’Hair of Primeridian; and Gary Goetzman of Playtone. Lotus Entertainment is handling international sales with CAA on domestic.
The Exchange has finalized a series of sales for Richard LaGravenese’s musical The Last Five Years which is premiering in Toronto next month. LaGravenese adapted the film from the Broadway musical about a struggling actress and her novelist lover as they look back on the last half-decade of their relationship from very different viewpoints. Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan star. Among the distribution deals to have been sealed are the UK (Icon), Portugal (Lusomundo), CIS/Baltics (Voxell), China (DDDream International Media), Hong Kong/Macau (Golden Scene), India (Pictureworks), Japan (Broadmedia Studios), South Korea (Sonamu Pictures), Israel (Lev Films), Middle East (Gulf Films), Turkey (Mars), Australia/New Zealand (Regency Media), and South Africa (M-NET).
Fantastic Fest has selected 15 projects for the second edition of its international co-production market: Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico. The market runs from September 18-20 in Austin, Texas. Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz’s Mexican production outfit Canana is co-producing the market alongside Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network. The international co-production market focuses on genre films and highlights new narrative projects from across the world with a particular emphasis on filmmakers from Latin America, Spain, Portugal and Latino filmmakers in the U.S. The aim is to connect international film projects with potential production partners, sales agents, and distributors. Among the projects selected this year are Ventana director Rodrigo Susarte’s Invunche and Fright Night 2 helmer Eduardo Rodriguez’s The Darkness Of The Road. For the full list, click here.
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