Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's Cold Fever is set to become one of the most successful Scandinavian films in America for the last couple of years.
Starring Masatoshi Nagase, of Mystery Train fame, the film follows a young Japanese executive going to Iceland to perform memorial services over his parents at the spot where they were killed: a remote river in Iceland.
The top prize at the Edinburgh Fest sparked off a UK release through Technical Experience, as well as a sale to Palace for Australia. To be theatrically distributed in 19 countries, it was six weeks ago presented to American audiences by Artistic Licence Films, run by the film's US producer, Jim Stark, and Sande Zeig.
"It is still running at New York's Angelika Film Center, and the overall demand has made it necessary to increase the number of prints to 12, which is unusual for this type of film," said Stark who expects it to exceed 50.000 admissions in the US.
In Cannes with his co-production of Chris Munch's Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, the Michael Stype-REM starrer winning the cinematography award at Sundance, Stark is currently preparing a series of projects, "some of which will definitely be set in Iceland." Jorn Rossing Jensen
Gaines dances to a different tune
Christopher Gaines, former Sundance Festival film programmer has moved on to greener pastures in his new role as Director of the Hawaii International Film Festival.
The 16th annual Festival (8 to 15 November) will unspool 85 films on 20 screens on six islands.Gaines, who served as the fest's film coordinator from 1990 to 1993, said "I jumped at the chance to live in Hawaii again."
Gaines plans to grow the festival's reputation for quality Asian and Pacific Rim pictures as well as attract as many as 25 to 30 US or world premieres. As proof of the festival's stature, Gaines cited the US premieres of Ang Lee's "Pushing Hands" and Jane Campion's "The Piano" as well as last year's special appearance of fifth generation Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
Further facets in fest's favour include the free for all screenings and a US$22 million theatre remodelling. Julia Hammer
American Arts
Cannes newcomer American Arts Media, the Beverly Hills-based company formed by former Republic Pictures executives Ellen Endo Dizon and Kevin S. Mills, announced that it has picked up rights to Young Men Dressed in Silver.
Starring Toby Maguire, Alicia Witt, Jeremy Jordan and Jeremy Sisto, the film is based on the true story of Harold Philip Claytor, Jr. Director is J. Austin Meadors.
Other titles on American Arts' line-up include Saturday's Child, Circumstance, Conception, The Little One, Making Waves, Sarah, and Courting Courtney. HW
New Ozzie club to channel creativity
A unique new 'club' called The Studio was launched on 1 May in Sydney, bringing together some of the film and television industry's creative minds, with a view to developing new forms of drama. The Studio has no actual 'club' premises, and exists more as a group.
An initiative of Paul Thompson, head of film and TV at AFTRS, and writer/producer/director Denny Lawrence, it involves more than 20 creative people; it is supported by the AFTRS, SBS Television and the renowned Sydney Theatre Company.
"We feel there is a need, not only here in Australia but the UK and elsewhere, for a radical change in our approach to the process and the product in film and television," said Thompson. Through structured monthly sessions, screenings and discussions, it attempts to bring together creative people "to imagine a different television, a different cinema. And I believe the creative community is responding to this. In feature films, we'll be looking especially at low budget, high concept, guerrilla film making."
Writer Lawrence feels that "the culture of film and television needs its consciousness to be raised, but that will and can only be initiated by the writers."
Most people, he said, train in the television business, and then move on to feature films. "But right now, TV is more innovative than cinema, and the best scripts are coming from television. This is not how it used to be."
Australia's AFTRS is situated on the Macquarie University campus in Sydney, and operates on a substantial Government grant, with an industry linked series of programmes.Andrew L. Urban
Director Gianni Bozzacchi introduces John Armstead (photo), the star of his action adventure Harp, to the media on the Le Galion Beach today at 4pm when the Grandmaster of Okinawan Kung Fu will give a demonstration of his martial arts skills.
Harp, which starts principal photography on 15 July, is the story of Patrick "Harp" O'Brien, a tall and powerfully built Irish widower with two young sons, and his international search for a ruthless IRA killer that may or may not be his brother. The project is being handled by Norman Katz's Norkat company.
