Film Movement has taken U.S. rights to “Egon Schiele — Death and the Maiden” and “Welcome to Germany.” Sales for both pics are being handled by Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl.

Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has picked up international sales rights to Dieter Berner’s “Alma & Oskar,” about the passionate relationship between Viennese society grand dame Alma Mahler, the widow of composer Gustav Mahler, and expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka. PTI will launch the project at Berlin’s European Film Market.

Florian David Fitz and Matthias Schweighöfer will star in buddy comedy 100 Things, which Berlin-based Picture Tree International is launching sales on at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin.

Best Fiction Film is drama Men Don´t Cry / Muškarci ne plaču directed by Alen Drljević. The price has been taken over one of the main protagonists, Slovenian actor Sebastian Cavazza.

KeyFilm congratulates director Clara van Gool on her prestigious Honorary Award which she received last night on the International Dance Film Festival Choreoscope in Barcelona, Spain. The award was given to Van Gool by choreographer/performer Jordi Cortés Molina, with whom she is currently working on her first feature The Beast in the Jungle.

Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has picked up international sales rights to blockbuster high school comedy “Fack Ju Goehte 3,” which opened with €15.4 million ($18 million) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

This issue also presents nine feature films, three documentaries, and six short films, including the two Picture Tree titles HOT DOG and TEENOSAURUS REX.

The cinema of German filmmaker Jakob Lass is characterized by an intoxicating energy. His camera and characters are always on the move, involving us in their adventures with such playfulness and unpredictability that we can’t help but be enthralled. I fell for his 2013 romance, “Love Steaks,” when I stumbled upon it on Netflix, and when I heard that Lass would be screening his latest picture, “Tiger Girl,” at the Chicago International Film Festival, I placed it right at the top of my priority list.

Brisbane, Australia: The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) today announced the 2017 nominations in the award categories of Youth, Animation and Documentary and the International Youth Animation Documentary Jury, to be chaired by the internationally acclaimed filmmaker and APSA Academy member Haifaa Al Mansour(Wadjda, Mary Shelley).

Nach seinem preisgekrönten Film Love Steaks, der auf dem Filmfest München 2013 den Förderpreis Neues Deutsches Kino gewann, stellte Jakob Lass auf der diesjährigen Berlinale sein neues Drama Tiger Girl vor.
Tiger Girl erscheint am 05.10.2017 auf DVD und Blu-ray

The German-language film, sold by Picture Tree International, reunites director Julian Polsler with actress Gedeck for a prequel to their 2012 Berlin Film Fesival drama The Wall.

Berlin-based sales agent Picture Tree Intl. has picked up “The Beast in the Jungle,” a dance-based romantic drama adapted from Henry James’ novel by Dutch writer-director Clara van Gool, who won the Emmy Award for performing arts for “Enter Achilles.”

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions have announced the titles of the 51 films on this year’s EFA Feature Film Selection, the list of feature fiction films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2017.

Picture Tree International handles world sales on the German-language Austrian movie whose cast includes Fritz Karl, Katharina Lorenz and Florian Teichtmeister.

Alen Drljević's Men Don't Cry, which world-premiered in Karlovy Vary's Official Competition and won the Special Jury Prize, is Bosnia and Herzegovina's submission for the Best Foreign-language Film Academy Award, it was announced last week at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has submitted Alen Drljevic’s Men Don’t Cry into contention for this year’s best foreign language film Academy Award.

German sales outfit Picture Tree International has landed world sales rights to Son Of Babylon director Mohamed Al-Daradji’s Toronto-bound drama The Journey, about an Iraqi female suicide bomber.

Bosnian filmmaker Alen Drljević's first fiction feature, Men Don't Cry, world-premiered in Karlovy Vary's Official Competition. Cineuropa spoke to the director about the idea for his film and the tough subject of facing the war-torn past.

Drljević spoke to Variety about the film and the lasting effects of armed conflict.

MEN DON’T CRY by Alen Drljević has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Men Don’t Cry (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany) by Alen Drljević won the Europa Cinemas Label award for the best European film in the Main Competition or the East of the West Competition.

Ten German films by some of Germany's finest directors, a masterclass by German film industry professionals and networking sessions with the international film industry, form the focus of the 2017 Durban International Film Festival (Diff).

Il Marché du Film di Cannes si chiude per la Draka Distribution con quattro nuove acquisizioni, incluso EGON SCHIELE- DEATH AND THE MAIDEN di Dieter Berner e TIGER GIRL di Jakob Lass.

Two German comedies will bookend the upcoming Stony Brook Film Festival.

The opening night film is Simon Verhoeven’s “Welcome to Germany,” in which a well-off Munich family offers to take in a refugee. “Welcome to Germany” was the country’s most successful local film of last year, according to Variety, and features the Austrian actress Senta Berger, who appeared in the American films “Major Dundee” and “Cast a Giant Shadow” in the 1960s.

Berlin - Die Schauspieler Ella Rumpf (22) und Noah Saavedra (26) sind mit dem Nachwuchspreis New Faces Award des Magazins «Bunte» ausgezeichnet worden.

Germany’s Picture Tree International has picked up international sales for Wolfgang Petersen’s “Four Against the Bank” and Julian Poelsler’s “Killing Stella.”

Picture Tree International (PTI) has picked up Swedish family film Monky, from prolific director Maria Blom (Nina Frisk, Dalecarlians).

At the ceremony for the 28th Austrian TV and film awards, the Toni Erdmann actor was crowned for his lifetime achievement, while Moretti became the new Romy record holder

TIGER GIRL

Our critic said: “With its nervy, caffeinated camerawork; saturated palette of dayglo and neon, stylised violence and the good-girl-gone-bad trajectory, this feels like an adrenalised blend of Celine Sciamma’s Girlhood, Thelma And Louise and just a touch of Tank Girl.”

Read more …

The German international sales agent has presented its line-up for the European Film Market

With Jakob Lass' (Love Steaks) highly anticipated feature Tiger Girl, Berlin-based world sales agent Picture Tree International (PTI) has a white-hot title that will enjoy a world premiere in the Panorama Special at the Berlinale. Tiger Girl follows in the wake of the young director's highly acclaimed feature debut filmed in accordance with the FOGMA style (emphasising improvised dialogue), the aforementioned Love Steaks, which won various awards, such as the Slamdance Trailer Competition Grand Prix and the prestigious Max Ophüls Prize.

Read more …

Picture Tree Intl. has picked up world sales rights to German box-office hit “Welcome to Germany” (“Willkommen bei den Hartmanns”), which it will present to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market next week.

The comedy, Germany’s most successful local movie last year, deals with immigration. It was directed by Simon Verhoeven, whose credits include the popular German franchise “Men in the City” (“Männerherzen”), and the English-language stalker thriller “Friend Request,” which reached the top five in the U.K. box office last year, distributed by Warner Bros.

The cast of “Welcome to Germany” includes several well-known German-language actors, such as Elyas M’Barek, star of 2013’s top box-office hit in Germany “Fack Ju Goehte”; Florian David Fitz (“The Most Beautiful Day,” “Vincent Wants to Sea”); and Austrian actress Senta Berger, who played alongside Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas and John Wayne in the 1960s.

The film is produced by Wiedemann & Berg, one of Germany’s most successful production companies, whose credits include Oscar-winning “The Lives of Others” (2005) and box-office hits such as “Men in the City” (2009), “Who Am I” (2014), “Friend Request” (2015) and “Joy of Fatherhood” (2013), which was released in Germany as “Vaterfreuden.”

Read more …

Picture Tree International line-up also includes Jakob Lass’ Tiger Girl.

Picture Tree International (PTI) has confirmed its line-up for the upcoming edition of EFM at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival (February 9 - 19, 2017).

In its fourth year, the Berlin-based sales and distribution company returns with a slate including Jakob Lass’ Tiger Girl, which will receive its world premiere as a Panorama Special in Berlin; action-comedy Hot Dog, starring Til Schweiger and Matthias Schweighöfer; and Zaza Urushadze’s (Oscar nominated for 2013 drama Tangerines) The Confession.

Read more …

EXCLUSIVE: New film from Jakob Lass premieres in Berlin.

Screen can reveal the first English-language trailer for ‘Tiger Girl’ from

The latest project from Jakob Lass (Love Steaks) will receive its world premiere as the opening film of the Panorama Special in Berlin.

Read more …

The supernatural whodunit by Austrian director Virgil Widrich has no patience for the conventions of realism.

Read more …

When Irish director Rebecca Daly cast Rachel Griffiths as an Aussie in her second Irish film, Mammal (after The Other Side of Sleep) she wanted the 47 year-old to be a fish out of water in her Dublin environs. Daly also wanted the actress to rein in her naturally gregarious personality for the role of Margaret, a mum whose estranged 18 year-old son has died. In fact she never really knew him but is consumed with grief. When she finds a young larrikin, Joe (Barry Keoghan) lying beaten up on the ground, she takes him in and offers him her spare room. A few sparks begin to fly so that the relationship veers away from being purely platonic.

Variety speaks with German director Sven Taddicken about his latest feature, “Original Bliss,” an adaptation of Scottish author A. L. Kennedy’s 1997 work, which has its international premiere in competition at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The film, which stars Martina Gedeck and Ulrich Tukur, revolves around a woman in a failing marriage who embarks on an unlikely romance. “Original Bliss” is produced by Frisbeefilms, Cine Plus Filmproduktion and Senator Film. Picture Tree Intl. is handling world sales.

Taddicken’s works include “Getting My Brother Laid,” his debut feature, and “Emma’s Bliss.” When he’s not making films, Taddicken teaches directing and writing at the Met Film School Berlin. He has also taught in Kenya as part of fellow German filmmaker Tom Tykwer’s One Fine Day film-training initiative in Nairobi.

German Films sat down with the director of A Heavy Heart to present a portrait of his origins, habits and inspirations. From an ashtray, a pillar of smoke rises straight towards the ceiling, a long worm of ash hanging on a cigarette as if a joss stick has been lit to create the right atmosphere. Gleis 8 is a pub in which Herbert might sit, the poverty-stricken boxer suffering from ALS in Thomas Stuber’s first film for the cinema, A Heavy Heart, which was released in Germany in March.

European productions such as Vito Palmieri’s See You in Texas, Antti Jokinen’s Flowers of Evil and more took home awards from the Chinese A-list festival. The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) concluded on 19 June, with awards being handed out at the ceremony held in the Shanghai Grand Theatre. The nine-day festival screened nearly 600 films, attracted more than 300,000 viewers and created a new box-office record of approximately €2.6 million – the highest yet for the festival.

Productions from Germany have a strong presence at Cannes this year, with a total of 23 titles set to be presented by German Films under the “New German Films in Cannes” banner at the Film Market. Among these movies are the record-breaking German box-office hit Suck Me Shakespeer 2 by Bora Dagtekin, the charming adventure Bibi & Tina 3 – Mädchen gegen Jungs by Detlev Buck, the award-winning drama 24 Weeks by Anne Zohra Berrached and Fukushima, Mon Amour by Doris Dörrie.
International buyers and festival programmers will be able to discover eight market premieres. The “New German Films in Cannes” include all manner of different genres, such as the family film The Pasta Detectives 2 by Wolfgang Groos, the thriller The Dark Side of the Moon by Stephan Rick, the biopic I’m Off Then by Julia von Heinz, the comedy revolving around a clash of cultures Highway to Hellas by Aron Lehmann and the drama One Breath by Christian Zübert.

Greg Kwedar’s Transpecos won the Narrative feature competition audience award and Keith Maitland’s Tower the documentary prize on Saturday night. In the Headliners programme, Jean-Marc Vallée won for Demolition and Matthew Newton claimed the Narrative Spotlight award for From Nowhere. The Documentary Spotlight audience award went to Mr. Gaga by Tomer Heymann, while the Visions and Midnighters categories were won by Caito Ortiz for Jules And Dolores and
Shinsuke Sato for I Am a Hero, respectively.

Hong Kong Filmart has evolved in line with Asia’s flourishing film businesses to become an event that is much more than buying and selling. (...). European sales agents agree real business is now being done in Hong Kong. “Two years ago we closed our entire line-up with Taiwan for VoD and some theatrical,” says Yuanyuan Sui, head of sales and operations for Berlin-based Picture Tree International, which is attending under the European Film Promotion umbrella. “Distributors come and go in some territories so it’s good to visit Asia and stay on top of what’s happening. It’s also a chance to meet the decision makers who often don’t speak English, or come to Berlin, AFM or Cannes.”  

The Brazilian heist comedy will be premiering at SXSW. If you're a fan of soccer, comedy and hijinks, then "Jules and Dolores" might just be the movie for you. The exclusive trailer for the Brazilian comedy gives a sneak peek into one of the most ridiculous heists in recent history. The film follows the thieves behind the 1983 theft of the legendary Jules Rimet trophy in Rio Di Janeiro, which was given to the country for winning The World Cup. The film was picked up last fall by Picture Tree for international distribution. Netflix will be releasing the film in Central and Latin America. "Jules and Dolores" premieres at SXSW in March. Watch the exclusive trailer above.

Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has taken world sales rights to dark fairy-tale “Heart of Stone” which stars Frederick Lau (“Victoria”), Henriette Confurius (“Beloved Sisters”) and Moritz Bleibtreu (“Woman in Gold,” “Run Lola Run”), who plays the devil. The film, which is helmed by Johannes Naber (“Age of Cannibals”), is based on Wilhelm Hauff’s 1827 love story set in a rigid, rural community in the Black Forest. It centers on poor charcoal burner Peter (Lau) who needs to become rich in order to marry Lisbeth (Confurius), and makes a pact with the devil (Bleibtreu). Hauff’s tale was conceived of as a criticism of men’s greed for power and the exploitation of nature and people.

South by Southwest has unveiled most of its eclectic lineup with world premieres of movies
starring James Caan, Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Keegan-Michael Key, Adam Scott and Bella
Thorne. The 23rd edition of the Austin-based festival opens March 11 with the previously announced
Richard Linklater comedy-drama “Everybody Wants Some.” The nine-day festival will screen 139 films, including 52 films from first-time filmmakers, 89 world premieres, 14 North American premieres and seven U.S. premieres. These films were selected from 2,455 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,467 U.S. and 990 international feature-length films from a total of 7,235 submissions.

LONDON — Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree Intl. has picked up road-movie comedy
“The Most Beautiful Day,” which toplines Matthias Schweighoefer, one of Germany’s biggest
film stars. The movie will make its market premiere on Feb. 12 at Berlin’s European Film
Market. The film, which Florian David Fitz directs and co-stars in, will be released in Germany by
Warner Bros. Hopes are high that it’ll follow the path set by other recent German comedies,
such as “Fack Ju Goehte 2,” which have crossed-over into the mainstream and become boxoffice
hits, as well as selling widely abroad.

Sundance Channel Global has acquired five features from this year’s Sundance Film Festival
and will exclusively premiere the titles shortly after the festival. They include Mammal, The Fits, Spa Night, Jacqueline (Argentine) and My Friend In The Park (Mi Amiga Del Parque). Mammal has been acquired from Picture Tree International Central and Eastern Europe, Iberia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.

The Sundance Channel has picked up five movie titles from the ongoing Sundance Film
Festival, including Irish pre-festival favorite and dramatic competition entry “Mammal.”
The five acquired films will premiere exclusively on Sundance Channel Global, shortly after
the festival this year. Rights vary according to the different markets where the channel operates.

“Mammal,” directed by Rebecca Daly, was acquired for Central and Eastern Europe, Iberia,
Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. Sales were handled by Germany’s
Picture Tree.

The new film from Irish writer-director Rebecca Daly, Mammal, is a smart, sensitive story
about family, love, grief, and parenting. Rachel Griffiths stars as Margaret, a middle-aged
woman who lives alone, but for a lodger. When her ex-husband (Michael McElhatton) calls her
to tell her that the son that she left years ago has gone missing, it’s like a bomb has been dropped
into her life.

German sales company Picture Tree International (PTI) is to expand into local theatrical distribution with two titles from its sales line-up: Swiss director Simon Jaquemet’s drama War (Chrieg) and Elisabeth Scharang’s Locarno debut Jack. Picture Tree has set an April 28 release for War (Chrieg), which debuted at San Sebastian 2014 and screened at Berlin 2015, while Jack is set for release later in the year. Speaking to ScreenDaily from Sundance at the weekend, PTI managing director Andreas Rothbauer discussed the push into local distribution.
“We initially want to gather some experience with a few of our sales titles provided they weren’t already licensed to a German distributor,” Rothbauer explained. “World sales is our core business and, depending on this, we will decide which film might make sense for in-house distribution.”

The Sundance Film Festival is about to start up, and Indiewire has an exclusive clip for "Mammal," which looks to be a fierce competitor in this year's World Drama Competition. The intimate character drama is a co-production between Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and stars Academy Award nominee Rachel Griffiths ("Muriel's Wedding," "Six Feet Under"). Griffiths plays Margaret, a divorcee in Dublin recovering from the recent death of her teenaged son. She finds solace at a local swimming pool, where she soon meets Joe (Barry Keoghan), a homeless youth at odds with a local gang. Margaret lets him stay at her home, where the two find themselves to be kindred spirits in their isolation from the rest of the world. However, their bond is threatened when Margeret's violent ex-husband, Mark (Michael McElhatton), returns into her life.

In this year’s dozen offerings we have names we normally associate with Cannes in The Misfortunates‘ Felix van Groeningen (Belgica), The Other Side of Sleep‘s Rebecca Daly (Mammal) and A Stray Girlfriend‘s Ana Katz (Mi Amiga del Parque).

Mammal / Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands (Director: Rebecca Daly, Screenwriters: Rebecca Daly, Glenn Montgomery) — After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her exhusband’s grieving rage. Cast: Rachel Griffiths, Barry Keoghan, Michael McElhatton. World Premiere

Local hits such as Fack Ju Göhte 2 helped score a record year in Germany - even before the release of Star Wars.
The German box office faced a record year in 2015 even before the Dec 17 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which had taken more than $80.4m (€74m) by the beginning of the New Year (until Jan 3) The first nine months of 2015 had seen German cinemas selling 90 million tickets and posting $819m (€754m), a year-on-year increase of 14.7% and 16.7% respectively over 2014, thanks to blockbusters such as Fast & Furious 7, Fifty Shades Of Grey and the local hits Honig Im Kopf and Fack Ju Göhte 2.

Das Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis freut sich, die diesjährigen Nominierungen für die Nachwuchsdarstellerinnen und –darsteller bekanntgeben zu dürfen. Für herausragende Leistungen spricht die künstlerische Leitung jeweils vier Nominierungen im Bereich beste Nachwuchsdarstellerin und bester Nachwuchsdarsteller aus. Das Preisgeld beträgt jeweils 3.000 Euro. Nominiert ist u.a. Jannik Schümann für seine Darstellung in LENALOVE (Florian Gaag, 2016). Wie sich der Schüler Tim vom Spielball intriganter Mädchen zum Katalysator der Handlung wandelt, verkörpert Jannik Schümann mit großer Lust an Drama und Emotionen. Die Bekanntgabe der Gewinner findet bei der Preisverleihung am 23. Januar 2016 statt.

Top brass at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) on Monday announced the Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters programmes. Films from 60 countries, including 54 premieres (seven world, 17 North American and 30 US), will screen during the festival, which runs from January 1-11, 2016.

Twelve US premieres from emerging international directors marking their feature film without US distribution, among these Thomas Stuber's A HEAVY HEART. The winner is selected by a jury of US distributors comprising Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed for the festival by Dale Chihuly.

Picture Tree Intl. has picked up international sales on “Mammal,” which will have its world premiere in the World Dramatic competition section at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is directed by Rebecca Daly, whose debut feature “The Other Side of Sleep” played in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2011. “Mammal” stars Rachel Griffiths, who was Oscar nominated for “Hilary and Jackie,” and Barry Keoghan, who also appears in upcoming Michael Fassbender movie “Trespass Against Us.” The cast also features “Game of Thrones” thesp Michael McElhatton.
The film centers on Margaret (Griffiths), a separated woman living alone in Dublin. After the death of her son, Margaret is drawn to a homeless youth, Joe (Keoghan). As their mutual reliance grows, they confuse the boundaries between affection and sexual intimacy.

Der Baden-Württembergische Filmpreis in der Kategorie Spielfilm geht in diesem Jahr an das Boxer-Drama „Herbert“.Die Arbeit von Thomas Stuber (34), einem Absolventen der Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, über das Schicksal einer an der tödlichen Muskelkrankheit ALS erkrankten Boxerlegende sei kein Krankheitsfilm, betonte die Jury am Wochenende in Stuttgart. Vielmehr sei „Herbert“ ein Genrefilm „voller Wahrhaftigkeit“. Es geht um den letzten Kampf des Boxers gegen eine heimtückische Krankheit und um die Chance, die wichtigsten Dinge in seinem Leben noch zu Ende bringen zu können.

Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has taken international sales rights to Caito Ortiz’s true-storybased Brazilian comedy “Jules and Dolores,” on the robbery of the soccer World Cup trophy in Brazil. The film narrates a striking event in Brazilian soccer history: For 13 years, three-time World Cup winner Brazil had proudly displayed the legendary Jules Rimet trophy at the Brazilian Football Association’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, when, in 1983, the highly coveted and extremely valuable trophy was stolen from its cabinet. “Jules and Dolores” recounts the nearpreposterous story behind this bold theft.

Peter Kurth of A HEAVY HEART has been awarded with the Special Mention Award for Best Actor in the Official Competition at 14. CINEDAYS Festival. The Official selection jury, Roelof Jan Mineboo, Mihaela Sirbu and Vladimir Bazhevski explained that ‘Peter Kurth’s balanced portrayal of brutal aggression and vulnerability makes us care for a character that any sane person would otherwise avoid at all cost.’

Andreas Rothbauer’s Picture Tree Intl. has inked multiple distribution pacts on its movies following this month’s American Film Market, including further sales for high-school comedy “Fack Ju Goehte 2” (F–k You Goehte 2), which has grossed $70 million after 10 weeks in its native Germany. The Berlin-based sales company has closed two key deals in Europe following the market premiere of “Fack Ju Goehte 2” at AFM: Italy went to Medusa and France went to SND. PTI also sold the film to A-Z Films for French Canada. Buyers from further territories are in negotiation. Previous territory sales on the film have included Czech Republic/Slovak Republic (Cinemart), Hungary (Big Bang), Russia (Luxor), former Yugoslavia (2i), and Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan (Fil Vision).

Italy and France are ready to laugh at German blockbuster comedy Suck Me Shakespeer 2. Picture Tree International signed deals with Italian distributor Medusa and France's SND for the school-days laffer, Bora Dagtekin's sequel to his 2013 hit, starring Elyas M'Barek, Jella Haase and Karoline Herfurth. The movie, which has grossed more than $66 million in Germany, also went to A-Z Films for French Canada and has was pre-sold across Eastern Europe and Russia.

Picture Tree also found buyers for more serious titles on its slate at the American Film Market, with Finnish war drama The Midwife going to Lighthouse for Germany, Entermode for South Korea and Vinery Intl. for Chinese release, among others; and artist biopic Egon Schiele nabbed by New Select for Japan, TCast for South Korea, A-Z Films for Canada and Cinemart for the Czech Republic, among other deals.

Picture Tree Intl., one of Germany’s youngest film sales companies, has quickly managed to

gain a foothold in Europe’s most dynamic market with an eclectic lineup that ranges from

Bora Dagtekin’s high school comedy “Fack ju Goehte 2” — the most successful German film

of the year — to Dieter Berner’s upcoming biopic “Egon Schiele,” about the famed Austrian

expressionist artist.

Established in 2013 by Andreas Rothbauer, former head of sales and acquisitions at Beta

Cinema, Picture Tree handles up to 12 features a year, including mainstream and arthouse

crossover productions from Germany and abroad.

Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has acquired world sales rights to thriller “The Dark Side of the Moon,” which stars Moritz Bleibtreu (“Run Lola Run,” “The Fifth Estate”), Juergen Prochnow (“The Boat,” “The Da Vinci Code”) and Nora von Waldstaetten (“Famous Five 3,”“Life Eternal”). Picture Tree’s Andreas Rothbauer and Yuanyuan Sui will be introducing Stephan Rick’s film to buyers at the American Film Market this week. In the movie, a psychedelic mushroom trip brings out the dark side of lawyer Urs Blank’s personality. He flees to the woods in search of an antidote, but the police and his vindictive business partner are on his tracks. The film will be released in Germany on Jan. 14 by Alamode, followed by theatrical releases in Switzerland by Filmcoopi, and Austria by Thimfilm.

The 22-year-old Dubliner Barry Keoghan has been selected for Stars of Tomorrow 2015. The BFI London Film Festival and Screen International have now unveiled their list, spotlighting the hottest up-and-coming actors and filmmakers. Matt Mueller, Editor of Screen International, says: “The young actors, directors, writers and producers we have chosen are a real testament to the amazing talent that exists in the UK and Ireland. I have no doubt we will be hearing much more from our Class of 2015 in the years ahead.”

Barry Keoghan has an unmistakable intensity, whether on TV’s Love/Hate, briefly glimpsed in the feature ’71 (he also has a small role in Trespass Against Us), or bigger turns in indies Norfolk and Rebecca Daly’s upcoming MAMMAL, in which he takes the lead opposite Rachel Griffiths.

We are very proud to announce that ELECTROBOY is nominated in the Documentary Selection at the European Film Academy Awards that this year will take place in Berlin in December.

Marcel Gisler breathtaking documentary about the life of Florian Burkhardt previously won the Kino Audience Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Munich, the Swiss Film Award 2015 for Best Documentary and Best Editing and the Zurich Film Prize 2014.

Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival recently concluded its 19^th edition, having screened nearly 200 international features and shorts and attracted over 100,000 spectators between July 14^th and August 5^th. David Ruehm’s vampire comedy THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE was awarded the Gold Prize in the Audience Award category for Best European, North or South American Feature. Our warmest congratulations to David Ruehm and his producers at Novotny & Novotny Filmproduktion and Hugofilm Productions!

Launched in 2004 as one of the world’s first film festivals to focus solely on films shot on digital in order to discover and nurture emerging talent, the 12th edition of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL has been held from Saturday, July 18 to Sunday, July 26 for 9 days and wrapped at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, July 26. YOU’RE UGLY TOO, written and directed by Mark Noonan, was awarded the Best Screenplay Sony D-Cinema Award in Feature Length Competition. Our warmest congratulations!

ELECTROBOY was awarded the Kino Kino Audience Award at the 30th International Documentary Film Festival Munich. Director Marcel Gisler and protagonist Florian Burkhardt were present at the awards ceremony on May 16 after having attended several sold-out screenings throughout the festival week. Our heartfelt congratulations to Marcel and Florian and their producers at Langfilm!

Marcel Gisler’s fascinating documentary about the more than unusual life of former top model, internet visionary and God of the Zurich club scene Florian Burkhardt aka “electroboy” previously won the Swiss Film Award 2015 for Best Documentary and Best Editing as well as the Zurich Film Prize 2014.

The European Film Academy’s commitment to bonding European cinema to the youngest audiences continues this year. The fourth edition of the EFA Young Audience Award has unveiled its three nominees: Sanna Lenken’s My Skinny Sister (Sweden/Germany), Gabriele Salvatores’ The Invisible Boy (Italy/France/Ireland) and Mark Noonan’s You’re Ugly Too (Ireland). The prize is to be awarded by an audience of 12- to 14-year-olds, straight after the screenings of the three films across 25 European cities during the Young Audience Film Day on 3 May.

Friday the 13th of May was a lucky day for Picture Tree films with ELECTROBOY, CHRIEG and PAUSE winning several trophies at the ceremony of the Swiss Film Awards held in Geneva. Marcel Gisler’s ELECTROBOY not only won the award for Best Documentary; editor Thomas Bachmann also took home the prize for Best Film Editing. Portraying the fascinating life and careers of former supermodel, internet pioneer, event promoter and patient at a psychiatric ward Florian Burkhardt, the documentary premiered at Locarno, received the Zurich Film Award 2014 and was released in Switzerland in November by Vinca Film.

Cinematographer Lorenz Merz won the Swiss Film Award for his work in CHRIEG. The Best Cinematography prize adds to the gallery of awards that Simon Jaquemet’s powerful debut feature won before, among them two awards at Marrakech International Film Festival and the main prize of the 2015 Max Ophüls Award. CHRIEG had its domestic release in Switzerland on 12 March 2015 by First Hand Films.

PAUSE was awarded the prize for Best Film Score, which was largely written by debut director Mathieu Urfer himself. Having premiered on Locarno’s Piazza Grande and received a Special Jury Mention at the festival in Arras, the romantic comedy was released theatrically by Filmcoopi in October.

We are happy about the honours for these three wonderful films and send our warmest congratulations to all winners and their producers at Langfilm, Hugofilm and Box Productions!

The main prize of the 2015 Max Ophüls Film Festival was awarded to Simon Jaquemet for his debut feature CHRIEG on 24 January. Being one of the most important distinctions for young German-speaking filmmakers, the award comes with a prize money of 36,000 Euros, which is to be split between the director, the producer and the German distributor of the film. And the main award was not the only prize given to CHRIEG during the awards ceremony in Saarbrücken: leading actor Benjamin Lutzke received the Best Actor Award for his “outstanding acting debut that nobody who has seen it will forget that easily” (from the jury statement). Our heartfelt congratulations to Simon and Benjamin as well as their producers at Hugofilm!

CHRIEG recently won both the Jury Prize and Best Actor Award at Marrakech International Film Festival. The film celebrated its world premiere in the New Directors Competition at San Sebastián before going on to screen at Zurich, São Paulo, Torino, Marrakech, Saarbrücken and Solothurn. It will be released theatrically in Switzerland by First Hand Films in spring 2015.

Photo: ©Sebastian Woithe / MOP

Since 2006, when it introduced the Best First Feature Award, the Berlinale has been even more committed to supporting the next generation of film makers. The award is endowed with 50,000 Euros, donated by the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrecht), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights. Festival Director Dieter Kosslick and the heads of the Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation, and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections have nominated a total of 18 directorial debuts. The winners will be announced at the official award ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on February 14.

The main programme of the Panorama will open with the Brazilian production Sangue azul (Blue Blood) by Lirio Ferreira at the CinemaxX 7 on February 5. In the magnificent visuals of a fairy tale, the film tells of a family torn by strife and how, bit by bit, its members find their way back to each other. In doing so they disclose secrets whose consequences only become evident as things unfold.

Simon Jaquemet’s CHRIEG will open the prestigious Feature Film Competition of the 36th Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis in Saarbrücken. Set to run from 19th to 25th January 2015, the festival focuses on the works of young German-speaking directors. CHRIEG is one of 16 feature films competing for a total of seven awards, among them the Max Ophüls Award, the Fritz Raff Screenplay Award and the Audience Award. The screening in Saarbrücken on 20th January will be the film’s German Premiere.

CHRIEG recently won both the Jury Prize and Best Actor Award at Marrakech International Film Festival. The film celebrated its world premiere in the New Directors Competition at San Sebastián before going on to screen at Zurich, São Paulo, Torino and Marrakech. It will be released theatrically in Switzerland by First Hand Films in spring 2015.

Simon Jaquemet’s debut feature CHRIEG was awarded two major prizes at the 14th Marrakech International Film Festival. The Jury, with president of the jury Isabelle Huppert and jury members Ritesh Batra, Bertrand Bonello, Mélanie Laurent, Mario Martone, Cristian Mungiu, Alan Rickman and Moumen Smihi, awarded its Jury Prize to CHRIEG, while Benjamin Lutzke won the award for Best Performance by an Actor for his screen debut. Our warmest congratulations to Simon and Benjamin on this wonderful recognition!

CHRIEG was produced by Christian Davi, Christof Neracher and Thomas Thümena for Hugofilm and celebrated its world premiere in the New Directors Competition at San Sebastián before going on to screen at Zurich, São Paulo, Torino and Marrakech. It will be released theatrically in Switzerland by First Hand Films in spring 2015.

NEW YORK, NY (September 21, 2014) – The 18th Annual Urbanworld® Film Festival (urbanworld.org), presented by BET Networks with founding sponsor HBO, announced the awards for the screenplay, feature, narrative short, narrative feature (U.S. and world) and audience categories today. The nation’s largest competitive multicultural film festival screened over 70 films – including 12 world premieres; and concluded its five day festival with an awards reception hosted by Tony® nominated actress Condola Rashad (The Trip To Bountiful) and actor Stephen Hill (Draft Day) at Tribeca Grill Loft in New York’s Tribeca area...

Petra Volpe’s debut feature DREAMLAND, produced by Zodiac Pictures and Wüste Film Ost, was selected by the Swiss members of the European Film Academy (EFA) as a candidate for the European Film Award 2014 nominations. 3000 EFA members will choose the nominations from 50 shortlisted European film productions during the next two months. The nominations will be announced at Seville European Film Festival on November 8, and the European Film Award 2014 will be presented in Riga on December 13. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for Petra Volpe and the entire film team!

The FIRST STEPS Award 2014 for Best Feature Film was awarded to Damian John Harper for his debut feature LOS ÁNGELES. From the jury’s statement: “A movie with attitude and concerns, which Damian John Harper has found a very unique style for.” Warmest congratulations to Damian and producers Jonas Weydemann and Jakob Weydemann!

The FIRST STEPS Awards are the most prestigious newcomer awards in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They are presented annually to the best graduation films from film schools in these countries. By providing emerging filmmakers with a special forum, the initiative highlights the creative potential of young filmmakers and substantially supports their first steps into the market.

• Fack Ju Goehte's writer Bora Dagtekin was nominated for Best Script at the

German Film Awards 2014
•Joerdis Triebel (WEST) was nominated for Best Female Leading Actress at the

German Film Awards 2014
•Jella Haase (Fack Ju Goehte) was nominated for Best actress in a supporting role at the

German Film Awards 2014

DREMALAND's Ursina Lardi won the „Best Actress“ Award at the Swiss Film Award 2014.