Breaking News : SCREEN – Reel Suspects teams with ‘Broken Circle Breakdown’ producer

Reel Suspects teams with ‘Broken Circle Breakdown’ producer

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based sales outfit adds Rotterdam premieres and sales manager.

Matteo Lovadina’s Paris-based sales outfit Reel Suspects has added two titles to its slate, both set to premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) later this week.

The first is Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito’s debut feature,Out Of Love, screening in IFFR’s Bright Future strand.

The film is the latest production from Dutch outfit Topkapi and is produced by company principals Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld and Laurette Schillings.

The psycho-drama, about an intense relationship, is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, Mediafund, CoBO, NTR (part of De Oversteek), Netherlands Film Production Incentive, MEDIA Programme of the European Union. Pim Hermeling’s September will release in the Netherlands.

Dutch-Chilean writer-director Valdebenito was nominated for best short film at the European Film Awards for her 2009 short Stay Away.

Topkapi are also the Dutch producers on Felix van Groeningen’s Sundance entry Belgica and partnered on van Groeningen’s Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown.

The second new pick-up from Reel Suspects is Babak Jalali’s US/Iranian coproduction Radio Dreams.

Produced by Marjaneh Moghimi, the IFFR world premiere features Lars Ulrich from heavy rock band Metallica in the supporting cast.

The film follows an eccentric Iranian writer at a San Francisco radio station as he struggles to bring togetherMetallica and Afghanistan’s first rock band. The cast is led by Mohsen Namjoo, Ulrich and Kabul Dreams.

Reel Suspects is handling world sales excluding North America.

New hire

On the eve of IFFR and Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), Reel Suspects also confirmed a new appointment.

Former Richmond French Film Festival coordinator, and ex-Acajou film assistant producer Leslie Semichon has joined the outfit as sales manager.