horror

PRODUCT LISTINGSFrank KerrJunior’s desperate “guests” struggleswith themselves, and each other, for survival.Seven begin the game, only one will endit. Who will it be? Grab a chair and find out.(88 mins.; screening; debuting)Shooting the Sun (Sweden; drama)Director: Pål Jackman (93 mins.; screening;debuting)NOT A NUMBERCannes 2009 Office: Media PavilionOffice Phone: 044-0-7861376154Phone: 0044-0-161-872-2227On Offer:Blue Bull (U.K.; thriller) Producers: Clive Parsons,Rachel Richardson-jones; director: RickGriffith; cast: Na. On his release from prison, MrBlack has a plan. While his dead friends hiddenfortune is a temptation, the clues to it’swhereabouts are complex. Black’s mind fixeson revenge and leads him on a collision coursewith Lou Crossmoor, the former crime bossturned property tycoon who sold Scotty, Blackand their cohorts down the river. Getting underCrossmoor’s skin and working a blackmail plotis Black’s Big Idea. But will either of them findthe hidden fortune? Think GET CARTER andLAYER CAKE (development; presales; debuting)Cherub House (U.K.; thriller) Producers:Rachel Richadson Jones, Clive Parsons; director:Simeon Halligan; cast: Na. Mary takes ajob at ramshackle mansion, the Cherub House,caring for the bed ridden ex movie star LadyHof, who delights in subtly tormenting her, likeshe did her previous employees. Mary soondiscovers that Hof is the least of her worries aseach night becomes an exercise in terror as theold house awakens with the presence of horrificapparitions. The past is forcing itself intothe present. Can Mary survive the powerfulsupernatural threat? (development; presales;debuting)Splintered (U.K.; horror) Producers: CliveParsons, Rachel Richardson-jones; director:Simeon Halligan; cast: Holly Weston, StephenMartin Walters. Something has been killinglive stock in a remote part of north Wales andnow it’s started attacking humans. SOPHIE, ateenager with a troubled past, puts herselfand her friends in danger, when her obsessionwith the unexplained leads them deep intothe Welsh countryside. Sophie witnesses a visciousattack on her friend and then finds herselfincarcerated in a locked room, her onlyhope is that her friends manage to find herbefore her captor makes them it’s latest victim.(90 mins.; screener cassette/DVD; debuting)NOTRO FILMSCannes 2009 Office: Riviera A5 CinemaFrom SpainOffice Phone: 33-492-993305Phone: 34-93-238-4030On Offer:El Greco (Spain; drama) Producer: HelenSmaragdis; director: Iannis Smaragdis; cast:Nick Ashdon-juan Diego Botto- LakisLazopoulos Laia Marull - Dimitra Matsouka -Sotiris Moustakas. An epic tale of an uncompromisingartist and fighter for freedom,Domenicos Theotocopoulos, known to theworld as “El Greco.” This story is one of unusualheroism, betrayal, love, and the power of oneman and his creative consciousness to standout and overcome barbarity and ignorance.An inspiration that lives on to this day. (117mins.; screener cassette/DVD; debuting)Insignificant Things (Spain; drama) Producer:Tequila Gang; director: Andrea MartínezCrowther; cast: Bárbara Mori, Fernando Luján,Carmelo Gómez, Lucía Jiménez, PaulinaGaitán. Esmeralda is a teenager with anunusual obsession: she collects objects lost,forgotten or discarded by people she doesn’tknow and keeps them in a box beneath herbed. This is the tale of three objects in the boxand the people behind them, all in some wayincapable of relating to the person they lovemost. It is also a tale of the box itself, and ofhow Esmeralda learns to open it, to feel and tohoard the most valuable thing of all: humanrelations. (96 mins.; screening; debuting)Mission in Mocland — A SuperspaceAdventure (Spain; animation) Producer:Enrique F. Guzmán; director: Juanma Suárez;cast: Na. Planet Moc and its inhabitants are indanger. Their vital energy, Limbar, is disappearing.Dreadful General Neflin has stolen itand has now dethroned Queen Pola. Determinedto bring back peace to her Planet, Polawill send an expedition in the search of Aloma,a mineral, according to the Ancient Legend,capable of generating the stolen energy. Lalo,Mina, Gobi and Lilium will be in charge of thegalactic mission. But: Will they succeed? CouldAloma be more than just a Legend? (84 mins.;screener cassette/DVD; debuting)NU IMAGE/MILLENNIUMFILMSCannes 2009 Office: Riviera Stand F1Phone: 310-388-6900On Offer:Inventory (USA; action-adventure) Director:Wayne Kramer; cast: Bruce Willis. A detectivehunts down a suspect to obtain enoughevidence to put him away for a vicious murder.(preproduction; presales; debuting)The Mechanic (USA; action-adventure)Director: Simon West; cast: Jason Statham. Areinvention of the 1972 Charles Bronson actionclassic. A hitman, famed for his efficient andunfeeling contract executions, befriends ayoung man and trains him as a professionalassassin. (preproduction; presales; debuting)Stone (USA; thriller) Director: John Curran;cast: Robert Deniro, Edward Norton, SiennaMiller. A ruthless convict engages in a series ofdisturbing mental games with his correctionsofficer in an attempt to gain parole. When theofficer begins an affair with the convict’s wife,it soon becomes clear that both the convictand officer’s motivations are suspect, provokinga dangerous ordeal. (preproduction;debuting)NZ FILMCannes 2009 Office: NZ Film CommissionPhone: 64-4-382-7682On Offer:The Strength of Water (New Zealand;drama) Producers: Fiona Copland, Karl BaumgartnerAnd Raimond Goebel; director: ArmaganBallantyne; cast: Jim Moriarty, NancyBrunning, Hato Paparoa. When a mysteriousstranger arrives in their isolated coastal town,10 year-old twins, Kimi and Melody are forcedapart. Kimi must find the strength to let go ofwhat he loves the most. (screening; returning)Under the Mountain (New Zealand;drama) Producers: Richard Fletcher, JonathanKing, Matthew Grainger; director: JonathanKing; cast: Sam Neill, Oliver Driver. Guided bythe mysterious Mr Jones, teenage twins mustrekindle their unique powers to destroy anancient evil lurking beneath a volcano –before it destroys them. (screening; debuting)The Vintner’s Luck (New Zealand;drama) Producers: Robin Laing, Laurie Parker,Pascal Judelewicz, Niki Caro And Ludi Boeken;director: Niki Caro; cast: Jeremie Renier, GaspardUlliel, Vera Farmiga, Keisha Castle-hughes.A peasant wine-maker in 19th centuryFrance grapples with the sacred, the sensualand the profane, in search of the perfect vintage.(postproduction; debuting)OBERON CINEMATOGRÀFICAPhone: 34-93-451-25-60On Offer:Dictation (Spain; thriller) Producer/director:Antonio Chavarrías; cast: To Be Confirmed. Achildhood friend desperately seeking Mario’shelp tells him that his nine-year-old daughterwants to kill him. Mario doesn’t believe it but,a few days later when his friend dies in mysteriouscircumstances, Mario cannot resist thetemptation of meeting his dead friend’sdaughter and widow. (preproduction; presales;returning)Elisa K (Spain; drama) Producer: AntonioChavarrías; directors: Judith Colell, Jordi Cadena;cast: To Be Confirmed. Elisa will turneleven this summer. She likes her new whitedress with blue ribbons. But soon everythingwill lose its importance. Her father’s friend hasmade her cry and afterwards has told her: “Ifyou stop crying I will give you a silver bracelet”.Nobody realizes what’s happened. Elisabehaves a bit strangely but that’s it. Until shegrows up and, one day, calls her mum and,scared, asks her: “Help me, I’ve just rememberedsomething horrible”. (preproduction;presales; debuting)The Milk of Sorrow (Spain; drama) Producers:Antonio Chavarrías, José MaríaMorales, Claudia Llosa; director: Claudia Llosa;cast: Magaly Solier, Susi Sánchez. Fausta issuffering from “La Teta Asustada,” an illnesstransmitted through the breast milk ofwomen who were raped or mistreated duringthe war of terror in Peru. War has ended butFausta lives on, haunted by it, because the “illnessof fear” has taken away her soul. Now thesudden death of her mother forces her to faceher fears and the secret she’s been hidinginside: she has inserted a potato into her vagina,like a protection shield, so that nobody willdare to touch her. (84 mins.; screening; returning)ODD LOT INTERNATIONALCannes 2009 Office: 7th Floor Ibis, ResidenceDu Grand Hotel 45 La Croisette, 06400CannesOffice Phone: 33 (0) 4 93 38 34 63Phone: 323-936-8394On Offer:The Great Ghost Rescue (USA; actionadventure)Producers: Miriam Segal, MartinKatz, Norman Merry, Kornel Sipos; director:Yann SamuellBased on the popular children’sbook by Eva Ibboston, the story featuresHumphrey, a small ghost with a big problem.His family has lost their home, and they’re offto find a new haunting ground but ghosts allover the country are being turned out as castlesare converted to cheerful tourist hotels,condos and track houses. Humphrey knowssomething must be done and when the timecomes he “rises” to the occasion with “frightening”success. (preproduction; returning)The Open Road (USA; drama) Producers:Charlie Mason, Justin Moore-lewy, MichaelMeredith, Jordan Foley, Laurie Foxx, DavidSchiff; director: Michael Meredith; cast: JustinTimberlake, Jeff Bridges, Kate Mara, MarySteenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton, Lyle Lovett.Upon learning of his mother’s heart condition,Carlton is faced with the challenge of fulfillingher wish to bring his estranged father to thehospital before the operation. Carlton and hisfriend set off to find his legendary professionalathlete father, Kyle. After much convincing,chasing and missed flights, they head forHouston in a rented car. As they drive downsouth, both father and son are obliged to reexaminetheir pasts and shed the protective layersof their individual personalities. (screening;returning)Rabbit Hole (USA; drama) Producers:Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Leslie Urdang, DeanVanech, Gigi Pritzker; director: John CameronMitchell; cast: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart.RABBIT HOLE is a love story between a husbandand wife as their marriage evolves in thewake of an unexpected tragedy. (preproduction;debuting)ODIN’S EYE ENTERTAINMENTCannes 2009 Office: Palais 20.03Phone: 61-403-914-317On Offer:Down for Life (Australia; drama) Producer:Scott William Alvarez; director: Alan Jacobs;cast: Danny Glover, Kate Del Castillo, . Basedon a true story. When 15 year old Rascal, leaderof an all-girl gang steals the car of a rival gang,it sets of a chain of events that will change herlife forever. (postproduction; productreel/trailer; returning)Gnomes & Trolls 2: The Forest Trial(Australia; animation) Producer: Carl JohanMerner; director: Robert Rhodin; cast: PeterStormare, Roger Moore, Elizabeth Daily.“Gnomes & Trolls” is an inspired 3-D animationfranchise following the adventures of Junior, ayoung gnome who wants nothing more thanto invent gizmos and gadgets in his tree-houselaboratory. In this second film in the seriesJunior travels to the Gnome community for atrial, which determines whether he will be incharge of his own forest. However, his candidacyis soon in jeopardy when a competitorappears, the whip-smart Storm. (production;product reel/trailer; returning)Last Cup: Road to the World Seriesof Beer Pong (Australia; comedy) Producers:Josh Otten, Nicholas Kalikow, Andy Greenblatt,; director: Daniel Lindsay; cast: BillyGaines, Scott “iceman” Reck, Jamie “theChamp” Clouser. It’s “Spellbound” meets“Beerfest” in this hilarous and engaging documentary.“Last Cup” follows competitors, allover North America, for whom beer pong ismore than a simple pastime—it’s a way of life.(85 mins.; screening; debuting)ODYSSEY ENTERTAINMENTLTD.Cannes 2009 Office: The Bayview In TheOld Port By The PalaisOffice Phone/Fax: 0033-0-492987172Phone: 207-520-5621On Offer:Is Anybody There? (U.K.; drama) Producers:David Heyman, Peter Saraf Marc Turtletaub;director: John Crowley; cast: MichaelCaine, Bill Milner, David Morrissey, Anne-marieDuff, Elizabeth Spriggs, Leslie Philips, PeterVaughan. The unlikely friendship of a retiredmagician and a 10 year old boy. A surprisingand touching story of this odd couple facinglife together. (product reel/trailer; returning)sex & drugs & rock & roll (U.K.; drama)Producer: Damian Jones; director: Mat Whitecross;cast: Andy Serkis, Naomie Harris RayWinstone. The story of legendary English Rock‘n’ Roll singer and performer, Ian Dury of IanDury and the Blockheads. (production; productreel/trailer; returning)Wickie the Mighty Viking (U.K.; family)Producer: Christian Becker; director: Michael‘bully’ Herbig; cast: Jonas Hämmerle, WaldemarKobus. Join Wickie the Viking and hisfriends on their wild adventures as they battletheir arch-nemesis Scary Sven. (postproduction;product reel/trailer; returning)OPEN SESAME CO., LTD.Phone: 81-3-5159-0871Fax: 81-3-5159-0871On Offer:The Blood of Rebirth (Japan; drama)Producer: Koji Chiba; director: Toshiaki Toyoda;cast: Tatsuya Nakamura, Mayuu Kusakari. Setin the Middle Ages, Oguri, a renownedmasseur, is summoned to the fortress of theruler of the dark world, the Lord. After encouragingTerute, a captive princess to escape,Oguri is poisoned to death by the Lord. At afork in the road between heaven and hell,Oguri is sent back to the land of the living inthe form of a Hungry Ghost, in a state ofapparent death. Meanwhile, Terute managesto flee from the Lord and reunites with Oguri.But the Lord is hot on their heels to punishTerute. (83 mins.; premiere; debuting)Crime or Punishment?!? (Japan; comedy)Producer: Norio Enomoto; director: KeralinoSandorovich; cast: Riko Narumi, KentoCANNES ⁄ MAY 2009 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 23