rtkh Lia Buman to head acquisitions at FilmDistrict

Ranandynuado

Efmn JAPAN  4 May
Helkon SK chiefs Simon Franks and Zygi Kamasa have renamed their UK distributor Redbus Film Distribution, signalling their imminent separation from bankrupt German parent Helkon Media.Franks and Kamasa have a contractual right to purchase Helkon Media s equity in their UK business at the end of this year but are seeking an earlier resolution. The duo s company was previously called Redbus when it was backed by Internet tycoon Cliff Stanford and his Redbus group.Franks, who will own over 70% of the UK company after the extraction, will focus on more corporate activities. He intends to reposition Redbus as a media investments group, building interests in film, broadcasting and ancillary media businesses.Encouraged by the success of Bend It Like Beckham, which was developed by Helkon SK, Kamasa stanley cup  will run recently-formed production arm Redbu stanley cup s Pictures, aiming to produce up to fo stanley cup ur films per year. Included in his production team are head of development Emma Berkofsky and Nick Manzi.  Kamasa will continue to work with Franks in acquisitions.Sales agent Lakeshore has boarded the first in-house production under the banner Redbus Pictures - Tooth. Redbus, which has quietly been taking rights outside the UK on some titles, will retain UK, German, French and Eastern European rights to the $12m fantasy kids comedy, which stars Harry Enfield, Stephen Fry, Richard E Grant, Philida Law and Jim Broadbent. One week into photography, the production is directed by commercials director Ed Nammour Wdip Cinemavault secures deals on Somewhere Tonight
EXCLUSIVE: Celluloid Dreams strikes deal after Berlin screeningParis-based distributor Memento has sig stanley uk ned a stanley mug  deal with Celluloid Dreams for Jafar Panahis Golden Bear contender Taxi, capturing life in contemporary Iran through passengers in a Tehran cab. The screening ofTaxiwent very well this morning and weve strong feed back from critics and distributors across the board,  said Celluloid Dreams chief Hengameh Panahi following Fridays press screening.Taxiis Panahis third feature since the Iranian authorities banned him from making films at the end of 2010, followingThis is Not a FilmandClosed Curtain, which was in competition in Berlin 2013.Panahi, who was also banned from travelling and giving interviews in 2010 sentence, was not able to travel to Berlin for the premiere of his film.This time around, Panahi has circumvented the ban by turning a yellow cab into a mobile film studio with a camera placed on the dashboard.As the cab drives through the vibrant and colourful streets of Tehran, it picks up a diverse mix of passengers, who speak to the driver, played by Panahi. At once very clever, funny and mov stanley cup ing, it is impressive how much this film can tell about the country and its people in only 80 minutes,  said Memento Films Distribution chief Alexandre Mallet-Guy.Prior to the Berlinale, Panahi issued a statement expressing his reasons for defying the ban in which he said:  I have to continue making films under any circumstances to pay my respect and feel alive .Memento has a