London-based production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) has consolidated its position as one of the key players on the European independent production scene, expanding its 2015/2016 active production slate to 12 pictures.  The move comes as the company, owned and run by EFA Deputy Chairman Mike Downey and Samantha Taylor, celebrates its 15th birthday in the city in which it was founded and the production of over 50 feature films in house.

“We are in the business of making World Cinema,” says F&ME co principal Mike Downey, “which is why we have developed over the last 15 years a tight network of ‘two-way street’ partnerships of reciprocal co-production.  In this way we bring films like Lost in Karastan and The President to shoot somewhere like Georgia, and then we come back and participate in local films made by local talent like Dede, which is currently shooting.  Equally we will also bring Rudolph Herzog’s debut film How to Sell a War to shoot there next spring.”

Continuing their fruitful relationship with Poland, F&ME have come on board  Bodo Kox’s award winning screenplay The Man With The Magic Box produced by Iza Igel at Alter Ego productions.  The company is also in an advanced stage of negotiation with Polish partners to join Andrzej Jakimowski’s new production as well as an upcoming collaboration with producers Radoslaw Drabik and Michal Kachinski whose rom-com Planet Single has just been trailblazing the Polish box office in the last 10 days.

Currently in post-production for the company in Berlin is I Want To Be Like You, by AVE writer director Konstantin Bojanov.  The film, a road movie about a young artist’s journey to meet his hero, stars 71’s  Barry Keoghan, Kim (Pusher) Bodnia and Thure Lindhardt (Angels and Demons).  A co-production between UK (F&ME) , Bulgaria (Multfilm), Belgium (Leftfield) the film is being sold internationally by Antonio Saura’s Latido Film Sales.

At the very end of its shoot is DeDe, Mariam (Dinola) Khatchvani’s debut feature, which wrapped in late January 2016. The film is a Georgian/British/Croatian/Dutch coproduction with Vova Katcharava’s 20 Steps, Igor Nola’s MP Film Production and JaJa Film Productions.  Developed at the Sundance Lab and Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde (Cannes),  and supported by the Doha Film Institute and the Georgian National Film Centre. The project was in the Works-in-Progress selection at the Festival du Cinéma Européen des Arcs in December 2015 and is expected to be finished in time for Cannes.

Also just at the end of its  post-production phases and headed to delivery in the new year are Rade Serbedzija and Danilo Serbedzija’s co-directing effort, The Liberation of Skopje (Osloboduvanje na Skopje) made in partnership with Igor Nola in Zagreb, Robert Naskov, Medo Tozija and Vladimir Anastasov in Skopje, Arto Halonen in Finland and F&ME in the UK. 

“It’s all about sticking with the talent,” says F&ME co-principal Sam Taylor, “and in directors like Rudolph (Herzog) and Mariam, and writers like Tim Price, we have film makers who are at the beginning of their careers, who are still full of ideas and creativity and this is what inspires one to want to produce.  Film and Music Entertainment has made a wide range of films over the years with a wide range of talents – and we are still curious to find that writer, that director, which can take it to another level.  Which is why we are pleased to be making 2 films with British writer  Rebecca Lenkiewicz.”

Still currently in production is Rajko Grlic’s direction of an Ante Tomic screenplay entitled The Constitution, which is produced by Zagreb’s Inter Film and co-produced by Rudolph Biermann of Prague’s In-Film and Sever + Sever of Slovenia. Antonio Saura’s Latido have also just come on board to handle international sales.

Three F&ME productions just entered the distribution phase in their countries of origin:  In December Miroslav Momcilovic’s A Stinking Fairy Tale opened in Belgrade to excellent box office results making it the biggest Serbian film of the year.  In Croatia, Propeler Film and F&ME launched Antonio Nuic’s long awaited, much bruited Life is a Trumpet.  Both these films are now being introduced to the international festival market place and will roll out in the first half of the year. In the UK, Bulldog released Ben Hopkins’ Lost in Karastan starring Matthew Macfadyen, Myanna Buring and Noah Taylor on Jan 22.

Other films in development to shoot in 2016 include the aforementioned How To Sell a War by Rudolph Herzog,  The Disciple directed by Koza helmer Ivan Ostrochovsky and written by Rebecca Lenckiewicz and Ostrochovsky and a new film from Volker Schloendorff (details to follow in March) which is set to shoot in April, and Konstantin Bojanov’s  My Eyes Are Yours (working title).

Stating to shoot next month is Tom of Finland, written and produced by Finland’s Aleksi Bardy and being sold by Protgonist.

For Further information please contact:

Emilie Jouffroy

+447788265088