22/05/2007

The new sales entity set up by long-time collaborators Eric Abrahamson of Portobello Pictures in the UK and Domenico Procacci of Italy’s Fandango is offering in Cannes two projects scripted by Christopher Hampton, including the screen version of his play Embers, which will be the first English-language film by Jan Sverak (Empties [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Dark Blue World).

Based on a Hungarian novel, Embers is a story of love, friendship and betrayal set against the backdrop of war-torn 1940s Europe. Fandango/Portobello is developing the financing on the project. The second Hampton script that will be adapted for the screen is Wild Swans, from Chinese writer Jung Chang’s bestselling autobiographical family saga spanning over three generations.

Fandango/Portobello‘s sales duo Kate Mccullagh and Chris Ciancimino are also pre-selling in Cannes Antonello Crimaldi’s Quiet Chaos, set to start shooting in six weeks. The film stars Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Hippolyte Girardo and Silvio Orlando (see news).

Three films are screening at the market: Sverak’s domestic record-breaker Empties, Fascists on Mars [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Corrado Guzzanti and Alice Nellis’ Little Girl Blue [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (produced by Sverak).