BOSTON FILMMAKERS DO FABULOUSLY AT BERLINALE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
By Vinca Liane Jarrett
February 6 - February 16, Berlin, Germany - The second largest film festival and marketplace for independent movies in the world, the Berlin International Film Festival, referred to by the European community simply as Berlinale, began with a bang with the European premier of Academy contender CHICAGO (Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger). Stranger still for Americans to see popular films already out for months in some cases but appearing in competition were Spike Lee's 25TH HOUR (Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Spike Jonze's quirky ADAPTATION (Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and New England's own Chris Cooper). While none of these film's are remotely connected with the independent world of cinema in the United States, in Berlin the range of films takes the full gamut, from surreal Russian works such as GOLOLED appearing to a "sold out" press and buyers' market screening to independents in competition and already seen at Sundance such as the fascinating and relevant THE EVENT (Olympia Dukakis). "In the market you have two kinds of films: those that can come directly from the market [roughly 40%) and those from the different categories at the festival [seven programs in all]," says Beki Probst, Director of the impressive European Film Market for nearly fifteen years.
While Germans protested American involvement in Iraq, and Esther Bell touted her Un-American Film Festival, it is curious as to what would bring Boston-based film producer Ara Katz (DEPENDENCIA SEXUAL, FOUR) and documentary director Rob Moss (THE SAME RIVER TWICE, RIVER DOGS) half way around the world barely a week after Sundance ended? It could be access in an international marketplace where selling their current feature films and finding co-producers and financing becomes penetrable and real. The U.S. has only two markets, which considering the number of US productions is rather unfortunate. Berlin is strictly for the dedicated industry professional: eighteen hours a day, including market meetings down at Postdamer Platz, screenings with several hundred films to choose from on more than twenty screens, and at least a half dozen parties each evening to choose from lasting until 4 a.m., mostly sponsored by various countries' film commissions or production companies. This is the place to do business in practice for the grand dame of them all, Cannes coming in May.
Ara Katz touted her acclaimed first feature DEPENDENCIA SEXUAL, which she became involved in at New York's IFP in 2000 when brought on as producer to help find the lion's share of finance to complete the film, about five teenagers in the U.S. and Bolivia trying to make sense of their sexuality and the complexity of identity, and filmed on location primarily in Bolivia and NY. Living and producing all of her half dozen projects from Boston, Katz decided to enlist help to sell the film, and set up her next three projects. "A meeting was arranged for me with Film Finders following Peter Belsito's talk at Harvard's Dudley House [in December, 2002]. Soon after Film Finders requested a screener, and really loved the film. Film Finders has a reputation, knowledge and direct relationship in the world market place that is unparalleled. So, after discussions with my executive producers, we decided to engage Film Finder's consulting service to help us with the festival market place over the next few months in an effort to secure an ISA [International Sales Agent]…The result of which was to open up some doors for a film that was potentially otherwise difficult to sell, and that we knew would do best in the international marketplace," Katz said.
Sydney Levine, Belsito's partner, lead an impressive panel discussion as part of Berlin's Talent Campus on the "European Film Market" which included Toronto International Film Festival's Director Kelley Alexander, Michelle Byrd of IFP and Ido Abram of the famed Rotterdam Cinemart, which precedes Berlin by just a few days, but with no less prestige in the world marketplace.
Joined by her Executive Producer, Greg Leonarczyk, a former Boston College student, in Berlin, Katz schmoozed the marketplace, hitting such majors as Fortissimo and Focus Features International. But film festivals are not about just making new friends and contacts, such as film producer June Dowad (FOR THE LOVE OF MAY with Patricia Neal), another Film Finder's client, Canadian film composer Carlos Lopes (DINNER AT FRED'S) and Canadian film director, Terrance Odette, whose film SAINT MONICA premiered at the Kinderfilmfest (one of seven programs at Berlinale), but also for discovering old ones, including director Ted Wallach, who lived in Boston (after graduating from Colby College) until he enrolled in the Danish Film School and is a long time friend and film-biz compatriot of Katz and whose film short FOUR was shot in Connecticut last spring (and produced by Katz in Boston) and Danish writer Jesper Laursen who penned Wallach's latest directorial effort entitled LITTLE BROTHER, produced in conjunction with Zentropa Films and currently in post-production, and joined by Welsh screenwriter Richard Martin, who also attends the Danish Film School. Ara even scoped out Scott Speedman (FELICITY) who stars in the excellent MY LIFE WITHOUT ME (also starring Sarah Polley, Mark Ruffalo, Deborah Harry and Amanda Plummer) for the lead role in her film project, MY SEXIEST YEAR at the Telefilm Party at which the amazingly talented Canadian Jorane performed.
When cornered by Europeans curious to know how Katz produces from Boston, rather than NY or LA, Ara is quick to state that she has not found living in New England a barrier to her working as a producer with several major projects on her plate, including VIRGIN SPRINGS, a dark Canadian drama to star Carly Pope, Brendon Fletcher and Nicholas Campbell and MY SEXIEST YEAR co-produced with LA-based Traci Ching, which currently has stars Harvey Keitel and Sharon Elizabeth attached; not to mention two more Bolivian features with director of DEPENDENCIA SEXUAL, Rodrigo Bellott, who won last year's Miami International Film Festival grand jury prize for a film short entitled SEXO. "Everything is a conference call, plane ride, fax and e-mail away," quips Katz in her most charming and convincing producer's voice. "If you have the drive and ability to make the necessary connections and contacts to further the project you can do that from anywhere."
Swiss born Jeri Probst, who stops by Boston regularly to see relatives, notes that the success of Berlinale and the business contacts everyone comes away with is that "Berlin still has a human side…between the market, festivals and parties you meet the people," The top three parties of the week to schmooze at included the fabulous Dutch musical penned by Frank Houtappels, YES NURSE, NO NURSE premier party, at which the dancing never stopped and the networking was a field day, including Karaoke; The British Consul party, held in an abandoned former swimming pool (indoor, of course); and finally the IFC gathering hosted at the "Naked Cabaret" (you figure it out), at which Beth Janson, Programming Director for Newport Film Festival networked like a champ after a day of film speculation.
The three most important things that Katz got out of Berlin: "A better understanding of the European market place (co-production, financing, distribution) for our film…it (the festival) made distribution and the sales agent process much more transparent and [demonstrated] how accessible it is…and I was able to get face time and promote the film properly and get it into the right hands of people who want to hear what your next project is." In other words, Berlinale is a serious filmmakers film festival and market and should be high on the priority list for anyone in the business.
Vinca Jarrett is an attorney of counsel to the firm of Shames & Litwin, a full service, entertainment law firm. She is also the owner and principal of SKRIPTEASE Script Consulting, specializing on feature and television projects both on spec and in production. You can contact Vinca at
JarrettBiz@aol.com and check out her web site at
www.vincajarrett.com.