production and distribution news
9th JANUARY 2007






































HEAD GEAR FILMS LAUNCHES NEW INTERNATIONAL
SALES COMPANY BANKSIDE FILMS

Phil Hunt, Greg Cruttwell and Compton Ross co-Managing Directors of London based production company HEAD GEAR FILMS are delighted to announce the launch of its new international sales company BANKSIDE FILMS, effective immediately. BANKSIDE FILMS http://www.bankside-films.com has been co-founded with Hilary Davis and Stephen Kelliher, formerly of Beyond Films. Davis takes the title of co-Managing Director and Kelliher that of Director of Sales & Marketing. Together the two have a combined industry experience of over 35 years.

"Head Gear Films is intent on building a vertically integrated film business with its existing secure financial grounding. Expanding in 2006 from producing to a financing arm and now with the launch of the sales company, we are delighted to have attracted such leaders in their field as Hilary and Stephen to head up our new division." said Phil Hunt who is also co-Managing Director of the new company.

Joining them is Antonio Salas as Sales & Acquisitions Assistant, also from Beyond Films, and Maria Carrion who will continue her duties as Head of Production at HEAD GEAR FILMS as well as co-ordinating acquisitions for the new sales company.

"We are delighted to announce BANKSIDE FILMS in partnership with HEAD GEAR FILMS and are extremely ambitious about making the company one of the leading London based sales agents. With such strong financial backing, we are confident about being able to attract high profile commercial films for international release," said Hilary Davis and Stephen Kelliher today.

BANKSIDE FILMS seeks to represent quality theatrical feature films with truly commercial appeal for the international marketplace. The company will have the ability to provide minimum guarantees against worldwide rights as well as access to the existing HEAD GEAR FILMS’ gap-financing fund. In the past twelve months the fund has made investments in high profile films such as HOW ABOUT YOU directed by Anthony Byrne starring Vanessa Redgrave, Imelda Staunton, Joss Ackland and Hayley Atwell, currently in post production; GHOSTS directed by Nick Broomfield, the opening film in San Sebastian 2006 and selected for Dramatic World Competition in Sundance 2007; and SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL directed by Roger Spottiswoode.

While there will be a natural synergy between the production, finance and sales companies, the relationship will not be an exclusive one and HEAD GEAR FILMS will have the freedom to place projects it is involved in with other sales companies and vice versa.

EQUITY FUNDING
Head Gear Films have launched an equity fund for worldwide feature films. We can finance Production, Gap or Completion Funding. For further information, please contact:maria@headgearfilms.com

NORMAL
Hear Gear Films are Exec Producing Normal, written and directed by Canadian writer-director Carl Bessai, conceived and co-written by Travis McDonald and starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Zegers and Callum Keith Rennie.

Produced by Bessai’s Raven West films and Andrew Boutilier of Submission Films, the film will be sold internationally through Bankside Films. Mongrel Media has the film for Canada.

Described as a redemptive drama, the story follows three strangers whose lives have intertwined and then shattered.

Executive producers are Stephen Hegyes and Shawn Williamson of Vancouver’s Brightlight Pictures. Co-executive producers are Phil Hunt and Compton Ross of Head Gear Films. The film is set and is shooting in Victoria, British Columbia until April 19th 2007. Backers include Telefilm Canada, The Harold Greenberg Fund and Movie Central.

THE ALL TOGETHER
Head Gear Films are Executive Producing "The All Together" starring Martin Freeman and Corey Johnson. Directed by Gavin Claxton, produced by Annabel Rafferty (Establishment Films Ltd) and Marion Pilowsky (Priority Pictures). Worldwide sales by Arclight Films. World Premiere Screening at EFM 2006. United Kingdom theatrical distribution by Lions Gate Films.

GHOSTS
Ghosts, written and directed by the highly acclaimed filmmaker, Nick Broomfield, whose credits include Biggie & Tupac and Kurt & Courtney is produced by Nick Broomfield and Jez Lewis with Charles Finch of Finch & Partners and Phil Hunt and Compton Ross of Head Gear Films executive producing.

Ghosts was chosen to be the opening film at the 2006 San Sebastian International Film Festival. It was also screened at the 50th London Film Festival. It will be in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007 and will be screened at many other Festivals throughout the year.

Ghosts is based on the shocking true story of a group of Chinese illegal immigrants who were drowned whilst picking cockles in a British seaside town. The director, Nick Broomfield, has stepped out of his documentarian role to create a grippingly compelling film that will change your views on the entire migrant population and leave you wondering about slavery in the 21st century.

Ghosts will be distributed in the UK by Tartan Films and will open theatrically on January 12th 2007.

Ghosts will be represented for world sales by Bankside Films http://www.bankside-films.com

For further info check out the Ghosts section of this website.

You can also find out more at http://www.ghosts.uk.com and http://www.nickbroomfield.com

HOW ABOUT YOU
Head Gear is Executive Producing and financing HOW ABOUT YOU, produced by Oscar nominated Noel Pearson and Sarah Radclyffe, directed by Anthony Byrne and starring Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Redgrave, Imelda Staunton and Brenda Fricker.

How About You will be represented for world sales by Bankside Films http://www.bankside-films.com .

Shot in County Wicklow, How About You is a comedy adapted from a Maeve Binchy story about a girl who is left in charge of an elderly residential home's four "hardcore" residents during Christmas.

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL
Head Gear are exec producing Canadian/UK film Shake Hands With The Devil based on Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire’s award-winning book. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode and produced by Academy Award winning producer, Michael Donovan and multi award winning producer, Laslo Barna, Shake Hands With The Devil was filmed in Rwanda in 2006.

A film of major consequence, it is the compelling true story of a Canadian commander dispatched by the United Nations in 1993 to the far off African country to oversee a fragile cease-fire. He is torn between his duty and his conscience when he finds himself eyewitness to hell on earth.

The producers are Halifax Film, Barna-Alper Productions and Seville Productions with the participation of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Movie Network, Movie Central, Radio-Canada, Super Écran, Telefilm Canada, the Harold Greenberg Fund, Film Finances Canada Limited and Head Gear Films Limited. Shake Hands With the Devil will be distributed in Canada by Seville Pictures.

CONEJO EN LA LUNA(RABBIT ON THE MOON)
Headgear Films are very pleased to announce that leading financing and sales company, Capitol Films, have acquired CONEJO EN LA LUNA(RABBIT ON THE MOON), written and directed by Jorge Ramirez-Suarez. It is the first ever Mexico/UK co-production and another exciting movie in the Mexican New Wave genre, following on from the international success of Amores Perros and Y Tu Mama Tambien.

Selected by Berlin's Director, Dieter Kosslick, as part of his Berlinale Special section at the 2005 Festival, the film opened to rave reviews in Mexico and had its World Premiere at AFI in Los Angeles. Reforma, described it as, "Classic Hitchcock meets classic Costa-Gavras" and the LA Weekly Review(USA) called it, "A sleek and effective thriller in which the ever twisting plot ratchets up the tension to near unbearable levels."

CONEJO EN LA LUNA(RABBIT ON THE MOON) received 3 ARIEL NOMINATIONS (Mexican Academy Award) for 2005. Carlos Cobos won Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Chubby Corona". Also nominated were, Jorge Ramirez Suarez for Best Original Screenplay and Eduardo Gamboa for Best Original Music Score.

CONEJO EN LA LUNA(RABBIT ON THE MOON) won the Prix Rail D'oc as best picture at the 17th Rencontres D'Amerique Latine, Toulouse, France, in March 2005.

CONEJO EN LA LUNA(RABBIT ON THE MOON) won the Manolo Barba award for best original screenplay at the Huelva International Film Festival, Spain, in November 2005.

CONEJO EN LA LUNA(RABBIT ON THE MOON) has received 8 DIOSAS DE PLATA AWARDS NOMINATIONS (Mexican Critics and Press Award)
Best Film Best Director: Jorge Ram’rez-Suárez Best Screenplay: Jorge Ram’rez-Suárez
Best Actor: Bruno Bichir
Best Supporting Actor: Jesœs Ochoa
Best Original Music: Eduardo Gamboa
Best Secondary Female Role: Jacqueline Voltaire
Best Secondary Male Role: Rodrigo Murray

Guerilla Films has picked up the UK rights to Rabbit On The Moon for theatrical, TV and DVD-video distribution. http://www.guerilla-films.com It was released theatrically in the UK in October 2006 and will be released on DVD in February 2007.

Check out the Conejo En La Luna section of this web site for more information on the film and to download the trailer.

You can also find out more at http://www.conejoenlaluna.com and at http://www.capitolfilms.com

CHUNKY MONKEY
After three years in the legal system, CHUNKY MONKEY, starring David Threlfall and Alison Steadman, was finally completed and got the all clear to be released in 2004. The film received a sell out World Premiere at the Leeds International Film Festival in November 2004. It was also sold out over two weekends on its UK release at The Everyman Cinema, Hampstead, London. Chunky Monkey has been released at selected venues throughout the UK. It has returned to many of the venues it has played at, including the best of the Leeds International Film Festival. It was also screened at the Rome Independent Film Festival in April 2005. The film was picked up for further theatrical and DVD distribution by the award winning, Revolver Entertainment.
http://www.revolvergroup.com

After a theatrical re release at The Genesis Cinema, Mile End, London http://www.genesiscinema.co.uk
it was released on DVD on August 22nd 2005.

Chunky Monkey was released on DVD in the USA in April 2007 by World Film Magic http://www.worldfilmmagic.com

To view a trailer and to buy the DVD click on http://www.chunkymonkeymovie.com

For any further info check out the Chunky Monkey section of this web site, where you can also download another trailer and find out lots more about the film.

FINGERS X'd
Headgear comedy short FINGERS X'd, written and directed by Greg Cruttwell, won the NPA short film award for October 2004. As a result it was screened at the Everyman Cinema, Hampstead, London and at the UGC in Shaftsbury Avenue, London.

Wysiwyg Films are to release a compilation DVD featuring the 2004/2005 NPA short film award winners.

Fingers X'd was also screened in 2005 as part of the Wellywood shorts programme and is featured as an extra on the Chunky Monkey DVD.

FINGERS X'd (running time - 9 mins) is available to download on this web site in the Fingers X'd section.

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development news
Michael Gambon and Rufus Sewell are attached to star in dark exciting thriller, SUBTERRANEA, by Toby Tobias, in which the subterranean world of the Chinese Mafia spills onto the streets of London's Soho.

David Threlfall (Shameless, Chunky Monkey, Master And Commander:The Far Side Of The World) is attached to play the lead in, IT'S ONLY A GAME, a thought provoking football comedy by Greg Cruttwell.

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screenings
Ghosts will open theatrically in the UK on January 12th 2007.

Watch this space for news of other screenings.

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