Europe has always been a magnet for Hollywood filmmakers, but a variety of factors are now creating more opportunities for transatlantic collaboration, according to leading European industry representatives who attended Saturday’s Zurich summit.
Outlining the many advantages and unique opportunities that Europe offers at the Zurich Film Festival industry forum were Goodfellas’ Vincent Malabar, Media One CEO Elisabeth Darbue, Constantine executive Martin Bachmann, They were Christian Vesper of Fremantle and Karl Spoeli of Zurich Avenue.
Maraval said collaboration has always existed between the European industry and American filmmakers who want to make different types of films, but the current situation is creating more opportunities. Ta.
He noted that U.S. studios are becoming “increasingly conservative,” making it difficult for today’s creators who are dissatisfied or seeking more freedom and creativity to travel or work elsewhere. He added that it is easier to do that.
He also pointed out that filming in the U.S. is becoming increasingly expensive. “This means a lot of independent producers in Hollywood are traveling and trying to find solutions for their films.” Many of them are now working with Media One, Federation, Fremantle, He added that it is working with companies such as Constantine.
“We feel like we have more and more opportunities. As independents, we were doing what was left of us, so we were always dependent to some degree on studio activity. Now we used to So there’s more to come. So we’re the solution for people who feel like the studio format of the Hollywood industry doesn’t allow them to realize their dreams and creations.”
Goodfellas’ current hot title, Jacques Audiard’s Cannes-winning film Emilia Perez, may have initially seemed like a tough sell, but that wasn’t the case for Maraval.
It’s a “Spanish-language musical with a French director and a transgender protagonist. As independent people, we have an obligation to go where people don’t go.”
Maraval said these films also attract top talent who wouldn’t find such roles in Hollywood. “Emilia Perez” stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. Naomi Watts stars in Audrey Dewan’s erotic drama “Emmanuel,” also published by Goodfellas.
“Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Naomi Watts are involved in those kinds of films, mainly because of the director and mainly because there is no such proposition in the industry.”
Although European films pay less than Hollywood films, Maraval explained that actors are artists who “want to push themselves further.”
“I mean, Zoe Saldaña, she’s a great dancer, she’s a great singer, and no one suggested her to make a movie like that. Usually she’s blue or green, but this time she’s herself. And she can dance and sing. So that was a great suggestion for her.”
He added that because Hollywood studios are reluctant to take risks, “the scope of what we can do to make movies is even wider.”
The strategy of picking up projects taken over by others has worked well for Maraval over the years.
“When we made ‘Penguin March,’ people said, ‘This is a wildlife documentary.’ It’s good for TV, but not for film. ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.’ When we made Spirited Away, people said that documentaries weren’t meant for the big screen. When we made Spirited Away, people said that Japanese animation would never work.”
He noted that European companies are also providing great opportunities for American directors to make films in Europe by co-producing, leveraging each other’s strengths and bringing in soft money.
“Europe doesn’t have an equivalent system to the US, but the US has a very liberal system of gambling and gaming, and it’s a pure market business, whereas in Europe it’s a mix of that. So we We have to experiment with combinations and find solutions that Hollywood cannot find in-house.”
Darvue expressed a similar opinion. Media One’s acquisition of Brad Pitt’s Shingle Plan B in 2022 coincided with growing American interest in expanding into Europe, just as Media One was eager to access the American market. I was doing it.
“They were very motivated to work with a European model, outside of the traditional American studio model,” she explained.
“They had a very smart vision that Europe was very advantageous creatively. We have all the filming locations. We have great talent. They also have a great regulatory system that allows creation and allows producers to retain ownership of what they create and produce. They had the same strategic vision as we do. ”
The agreement was driven by a shared goal to raise Media One’s profile in the U.S. and launch Plan B into production in Europe, she added.
Plan B is currently set to produce “Weekend Warriors”, a family film based on the German hit “Weekend Rebels”, by Leonin, a subsidiary of Munich-based Media One. It is also developing films in Spain with other Media One companies, and is working with its sister company in France to produce series in France and the UK, Darbue added.
Constantine, on the other hand, has been active in the U.S. for many years, not only acquiring the rights but also producing titles like the long-running “Resident Evil” series, Bachman noted.
The Munich-based company co-produced Swiss helmer Tim Fehrbaum’s acclaimed English-language news crew thriller September Five, which opened in Venice and Telluride before opening in Zurich. has been done.
The company is also producing Gore Verbinski’s upcoming sci-fi adventure Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, starring Sam Rockwell, and recently acquired Roland via High End. -They teamed up on Emmerich’s Ancient Rome series “The Dying”. Production joint venture.
Constantine recently acquired the rights to Colleen Hoover’s latest bestseller, Regretting You, and is producing an adaptation of it, with Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) set to direct.
“We have great talent right now,” Bachmann added. “Edward Berger, who everyone knows from “All Quiet on the Western Front,” has just done “Conclave.” [plays in Zurich]”
Thanks to streamers, talent is often discovered without having to go to Hollywood, he added.
Bachmann told how Emmerich had to leave Germany because no one wanted to make his films. He eventually started his career in Los Angeles with 1992’s “Universal Soldier.”
“They had to move to LA and they don’t have to do that anymore. Now they’re actually discovering movies and filmmakers based on their body of work.”
Meanwhile, Zurich Avenue is carving out a niche as the ideal Swiss partner for international co-productions.
The company is currently in pre-production on Anton Corbijn’s Switzerland, starring Helen Mirren as famous novelist Patricia Highsmith.
“This is a story that unfolds here, and Switzerland is a very difficult place to film because it’s very expensive,” Spoeli said. “And you don’t have a huge incentive.”
Despite the challenges, production can be done economically. “We love doing that because we think Zurich is a particularly underserved place.”
