News

Saunders becomes the organisation’s head of production and development.

The New Zealand Film Commission (Nzfc) has hired Leanne Saunders as its new head of production and development.

Saunders arrives with 15 years’ experience in film and television production and will start in late May, replacing Lisa Chatfield who recently left the Nzfc for a role at local production outfit Pukeko Pictures.

Saunders’ feature film credits include The Weight Of Elephants, Born To Dance, The Devil’s Rock, Christmas and Desert. Most recently she co-produced Hunt For The Wilderpeople with Piki Films co-founders Carthew Neal and Taika Waititi.

Nzfc chief executive Dave Gibson said: “Leanne is one of New Zealand’s most experienced film producers and I am delighted she has accepted this key role at the Nzfc.

“Her regular attendance at international festivals and markets, combined with her extensive development and production experience, makes her an ideal addition to the Nzfc team.”...

The New Zealand Film Commission has appointed Leanne Saunders as head of production and development..

Saunders replaces Lisa Chatfield who recently left the Nzfc for a role at Pukeko Pictures.

Saunders has more than 15 years. experience in film and television production..

Her feature film credits include The Weight of Elephants, Born to Dance, The Devil.s Rock, Christmas and Desert. .

With Headstrong co-founder Ant Timpson, Leanne executive produced low budget features The Devil Dared Me To and A Song of Good. .

More recently, through Piki Films, Saunders has produced Hunt for the Wilderpeople with company partners Carthew Neal and Taika Waititi. ..

Leanne is on the executive committee of New Zealand industry organisation, Spada, and an active member of Wift Nz. .

She has been a speaker on panels for Script to Screen and the Big Screen Symposium and guest lectured at Unitec.s film and television course and the University of Auckland.s screen course.

Exclusive: Multiple territory deals have been closed for Tammy Davis’ film, which will premiere in Berlin’s Generation 14plus strand.

Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has closed a raft of sales on Born To Dance ahead of its European premiere in Generation 14plus on Saturday led by a Us deal with FilmBuff.

Capelight Films will distribute in Germany, Family Films in France, H.G.C. Entertainment in China and Front Row in the Middle East.

Elsewhere, deals on the film, choreographed by Parris Goebel who heads the world champion hip-hop dance crew ReQuest and has masterminded routines for Justin Bieber and Janet Jackson, have closed in South Korea (Thanks And Love), the Philippines (Captive Entertainment), and India (Picture Works).

Mvp will distribute in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, while Captive Entertainment has also acquired international airline rights.

FilmBuff plans a Us theatrical release this spring before an exclusive Svod run for Born To Dance, which premiered...

Exclusive: Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has added a pair of horror-thrillers to its international sales slate in Berlin.

The pair of films hail from Blue Fox Entertainment and include Havenhurst (pictured) directed by Andrew C Erin and starring Julie Benz, Fionnula Flanagan and Belle Shouse.

Erin and Daniel Farrands wrote the story about a guilt-ridden young mother who checks out of rehab into a swanky apartment complex run by a sadistic manager.

There she is drawn into the mysteries of Havenhurst, in particular the unsolved disappearance of the apartment’s previous occupant and the dark forces that lurk within.

Jina Panebianco, Tosca Musk and Erin produce the Twisted Pictures presentation of a Protocol Entertainment and Rma Media Partners film in association with Blue Fox Entertainment. Mark Burg and Wesley Sierk serve as executive producers.

The Possession Experiment is directed by Scott B Hansen from an original script he co-wrote with Mary Dixon about a theology...

More than a dozen titles announced ahead of the unveiling of the full programme next month.

A total of 13 feature films produced or co-produced in 13 different countries have been selected to participate in competition in Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus.

The full programme for Generation will be announced in mid-January. The films selected so far feature young individuals whose inner lives are in turmoil.

Generation 14plus

Ani ve snu! (In Your Dreams!) – Czech Republic

By Petr Oukropec

Athletic, fast and fearless, 16-year-old Laura has little trouble conquering her hometown’s parkour routes and none at all keeping up with the boys in the process. However, she can only express her feelings for Luky, the parkour-king, in her vivid dreams. When he suddenly disappears, the line between dream and reality begins to blur.

World premiere

Born to Dance – New Zealand

By Tammy Davis

For the Maori teenager, Tu, it appears that hip-hop dance is the only hope for...

Tiff’15 Official Selection, "Born to Dance," had its theatrical opening last weekend in New Zealand by Vendetta Films grossing Us$159,410 for the number 2 spot at the box-office, while "The Intern" got Us$136,126 for its opening weekend in New Zealand at number 3.

The stellar showing lands "Born to Dance" right behind "Everest," in its second week in Nz.

Similar dance phenomenon pic, "Step Up All In" made Us$162,162 in Nz on its opening weekend in 2014 and went on to garner a Us domestic total gross of over Us$14million and Us$86million worldwide.

Cinema Management Group (Cmg) is handling "Born to Dance" for worldwide sales and is coming off a good Toronto where it licensed the film in a number of international territories. U.S. rights are still available.

"Born to Dance," directed by Tammy Davis, starring Tia-Taharoa Maipi, Stan Walker and Kherington Payne, premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Picture is choreographed by 8 time Hip Hop International champion and one of Janet Jackson’s "Unbreakable" tour choreographers, Parris Goebel.

"Born to Dance" is the story of Tu Kaea (champion hip hop dancer Tia Maipi) who has the chance to audition for K-Crew, the best hip hop crew in the country, but he has to go behind the backs of his home crew and his best friend Benjy (Stan Walker: Mt Zion, The X Factor Nz). Things get even more complicated when he starts falling for Sasha (Kherington Payne: Fame, The Dance Scene), the girlfriend of K-Crew’s leader. When Tu’s old crew and new crew clash, he has to make a decision that will change his life forever. Caught between who he is and who he wants to be, Tu must find the strength to make his own breaks.

I'll be honest, I didn't quite expect the extent of the excitement in response to our exclusive clip from "Born To Dance," the New Zealand dance movie that's making its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It seems there is some buzz brewing around the film, and here's another opportunity to check it out with the new trailer that just landed. Much of the chatter with the picture has to do with world-renowned choreographer Parris Goebel, who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, and Cirque Du Soleil, among others, and put together all the hot moves on display in this film directed by Tammy Davis. The filmmaker enlists Tia-Taharoa Maipi, Stan Walker, and Kherington Payne to tell the story of Maori teen at a crossroads in his life. He decides to risk it all and pursue a career in dance, and faces resistance from his father, while...

Exclusive: Edward Noeltner has beefed up his sales force coming off a slew of sales on Toronto selection Born To Dance and other titles.

Italy-based John Buffalo has arrived as sales and acquisitions consultant and will travel to Canada with Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group (Cmg) team.

Buffalo spent the past 11 years in Italy working most notably with Italian International Film and Moviemax Media Group and has acquired such titles as Fury, Drive and Redacted.

Prior to moving to Italy, Buffalo began his career with Discovery Communications and joined Discovery Networks International for seven years when it launched a global network of channels.

“As we gear-up for Toronto, where we are presenting ten films for sale, including the Official Selection entry Born To Dance from New Zealand, we are extremely pleased to have John joining the Cmg team,” said Noeltner.

“We were particularly interested in bringing someone with John’s profile on board as he knows what the...

While Hollywood has got the dance formula down cold, New Zealand actor/filmmaker Tammy Davis is bringing his own unique flavor to the genre. He's heading to the Toronto International Film Festival next month for the World Premiere of "Born To Dance," and today we've got an exclusive clip from the movie. Read More: Podcast: Talking The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Lineup  Starring Tia-Taharoa Maipi, Stan Walker and Kherington Payne, the film follows Tu, a Maori teen who is invited to audition for the K-Crew dance team. But faced with a father who wants him to enlist in the army, a job at a recycling plant that's in jeopardy, plus a budding relationship with the K-Crew captain's girl, the stakes are high as Tu tries to navigate his future. In this scene below, you can catch the energy that makes the prospect of dancing so enticing, and if you're particularly impressed by the moves,...

Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) has completed its line-up with the Discovery, New Wave Tiff Kids and In Conversation With… strands and has confirmed the return of Festival Street.

Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, Sarah Silverman and Matthew Weiner will take place in separate on-stage conversations as part of the In Conversation With… series, which replaces the Mavericks programme.

For the second year, the Festival Street initiative will see the closure of King Street West between Peter and University Streets, from Sept 10-13.

Events will include Questival, a walking interactive quiz designed by Frontier Design & Innovation; the NewCanadianMusic.ca music stage featuring the world premiere of Titicut Follies – The Ballet inspired by Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 documentary; cinema-inspired installations; magicians; the Slaight Family Zone; and food trucks.

In total, the festival will screen 399 films, of which 289 are features and 110 shorts. Last year’s festival screened 392 in total comprising 284 features and 108 shorts.

Programmers sifted...

Efm: The Beverly Hills-based sales agency has launched a full-time office in Paris named Cmg Europe Sas.

The new venture will meet with producers at the Efm this week to discuss a number of projects as Cmg chief Edward Noeltner aims to expand his co-production business.

Cmg has been expanding its international portfolio and recently acquired the Argentina-Canada-Italy family film and recent Sundance selection The Games Maker.

The slate includes Venezuelan production Liz In September from Camera d’Or winner Fina Torres, while Bruno Barreto is in pre-production with another Latin American title.

“We were extremely pleased with our collaboration with Bruno on Reaching For The Moon and his new project, written by Bruno and Matthew Chapman has got huge international appeal,” said Noeltner.

Cmg will also present in Berlin The Messenger, its latest UK title after Saving Santa 3D and Plastic.

David Blair directs Robert Sheehan, Lily Cole and Joely Richardson in supernatural tale The Messenger from producer...

Leading sales agent Cinema Management Group (Cmg) has announced that "Born To Dance," a fresh take on the hip hop dance genre, began shooting on Monday in Auckland, New Zealand.

The feature is choreographed by eight-time World Hip Hop Championships winner Parris Goebel, a faculty member of Monsters of Hip Hop, and recent star in her own right of "Step Up All In."

U.S. bombshell Kherington Payne plays Sasha, the female lead in the multi-million dollar feature. Kherington was propelled to fame with her top ten placing in the hit Us reality show So You Think You Can Dance, which led to a principal role as Alice in the 2009 remake of feature film "Fame." She was also the lead in E! Networks docu-drama The Dance Scene, and was a principal dancer for Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream tour.

"Born To Dance" is a coming of age tale told through the eyes of ‘Tu’, an ambitious young man from Auckland who dreams of being a professional hip hop dancer. When he is invited to audition for the best crew in the country, and meets their leading lady Sasha, his dreams begin to turn to reality.

Australasian superstar Stan Walker will play the role of Benjy, Tu’s best friend. Walker shot to fame when he won the first season of Australian Idol and has since cemented his stardom with multiple platinum albums, appearing as a judge on The X Factor New Zealand, and a leading role in the 2013 feature film "Mt Zion."

Tammy Davis will direct, following from his award-winning shorts "Ebony Society" and "Sonny, My Older Brother." New discovery Tia Maipi, a member of world championship hip hop crew The Royal Family, will take on his first major acting role playing Tu.

Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post are the post-production partner, while Vendetta Films will distribute in Aus/Nz. Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group begin world sales at the upcoming Afm. Noeltner says:

“We are very excited to be selling this high energy, exotic and incredibly choreographed film to the buyers at Afm. We are confident this will pick up where the Step Up franchise left off, and we see this as the next international music and dance sensation with terrific worldwide box office potential.”

About Cmg

Cmg, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has firmly established itself as one of the leading international sales companies. Recent successes include the 3D animated feature "Zambezia,"which saw its international box office climb to over Usd $37million. Other properties handled by Cmg which have had #1 openings internationally include "Khumba" and this holiday season’s 3D animated feature "Saving Santa." For more information, visit www.cinemamanagementgroup.com...