Kantemir Balagov: Last News

Even as Cannes just wrapped up last month, and Tribeca is still going on this week, all eyes on the Festival circuit are turning towards Fall, and the all-important stops like Venice, Toronto, and Telluride that will be kicking off the fest circuit likely to set the table for awards season.  And others are making early moves now as New York Film Festival organizers were in town last week holding a reception for studio and PR reps and press to pump up interest in their Fall festival even before that other aforementioned NY based fest got rolling with its opening night. Leaders of the Toronto International Film Festival were also in town this Spring holding meetings and lunches to assure the industry it would be returning to business as usual in person this Fall. All the festival heads are busy seeing early previews of films that hope to use the Fall fests to launch Oscar campaigns.

Barry Keoghan (“Saltburn”) and Riley Keough (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) are in talks to star in “Butterfly Jam,” the first English-language feature from Kantemir Balagov, the Russian director behind the acclaimed 2019 drama “Beanpole.” The film, which launched in Cannes last year with Goodfellas selling, is based on Balagov’s script about a tight-knit U.S. community of Circassian immigrants and a complicated relationship between a father and son, in which the son imbues his father with qualities he doesn’t actually possess.

Alex Ritman Arthouse distributor, production banner and streamer Mubi has partnered with luxury fashion house Chanel to present a selection of films by winners of the Chanel Next Prize. The biennial award, launched in 2021, honors 10 artists working across art, film, performance and music, with each given €100,000 ($111,000) to help further their practice and realize their most ambitious work.

Christopher Vourlias Russian director Alexander Zolotukhin has sky-high ambitions for “Brother in Every Inch,” which has its world premiere Feb. 13 in the Berlin Film Festival’s competitive Encounters section.Zolotukhin’s sophomore feature is the story of twin brothers whose inseparable bond complicates their efforts to fulfill their shared dream of becoming air force pilots.

Christopher Vourlias Loco Films has taken world sales rights on Alexander Zolotukhin’s “Brother in Every Inch” ahead of its world premiere in the Berlin Film Festival’s competitive Encounters section. The Paris-based sales agent has also acquired “The Land of Sasha,” the feature debut of Julia Trofimova, which plays in the festival’s Generation 14plus strand.Zolotukhin’s sophomore feature is the story of twin brothers whose inseparable bond complicates their efforts to fulfill their shared dream of becoming military pilots.

The more that comes out about the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us, the more exciting this project sounds. The game, as well as its sequel, are landmarks for video games, telling moving and serious stories in a way any film would be jealous of. Now, the television series won’t just be show-run and written by Craig Mazin, alongside the game’s Neil Druckmann, but the pilot now has a top notch director attached. Who, you might ask? Well, none other than Kantemir Balagov, the filmmaker who emerged on the scene with Beanpole. A young up and comer, it’s a sure sign that HBO has very high hopes for this show. Read on for more…