14 mai 2019 Paris-based mk2 films boards upcoming Joachim Trier feature, announces new titles by Gero Von Boehm and Jean-Stéphane Bron

With a record five films competing for the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for the second consecutive year, and two films screening in the Un Certain Regard section, mk2 films is also launching a raft of daring European features—fiction and documentary—for its 2020 and 2021 slate.

mk2 films to co-produce and sell upcoming project by Norwegian director Joachim Trier

Joachim Trier’s upcoming film THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD will be the closing chapter of the Oslo Trilogy which started with REPRISE (2006) and continued with OSLO, AUGUST 31st (Cannes 2011 Un Certain Regard).

Written by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt, and produced by Thomas Robsahm for Oslo Pictures, the film will feature Renate Reinsve (Oslo, August 31st) and Anders Danielsen Lie (seen in Reprise & Oslo, August 31st).

A modern drama comedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD chronicles four years in the life of Julie. As she navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, she is forced to take a more realistic look at who she really is.

“After years of wanting to work with Joachim Trier, one of the strongest and most original voices to emerge of Europe, we are honored to be partnering with him and Oslo Pictures on this bold and resoundingly modern film” says Juliette Schrameck, Managing Director of mk2 films.  “Laced with humor and brighter in tone than his previous films, this new project brilliantly captures Joachim Trier’s sharp and humanistic contemplation of the human condition. And while the themes here are very much universal, the story feels more personal which will surely resonate deeply with the audience.”

The 5M€ film is set to open in the Spring of 2021. mk2 will co-produce the feature and will handle international sales.

mk2 films to sell feature documentary HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Following the splendid international success of Tom Volf’s MARIA BY CALLAS: IN HER OWN WORDS (2017), mk2 films has boarded sales on feature documentary HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.

Produced by Lupa Film and set for delivery in the first half of 2020, the film is a revelatory look at the trailblazing photographer whose high-concept images are seared into the consciousness of fashion and art.

Directed by Gero Von Boehm, HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL will feature exclusive interviews with Charlotte Rampling, Marianne Faithfull, Catherine Deneuve, Anna Wintour, Isabella Rosselini, Claudia Schiffer and Grace Jones to name just a few…

This feature-length documentary will take a closer look at Helmut Newton’s life and work through the words of these remarkable women and along the line of his photographs – some legendary, some unpublished thanks to the full access granted by The Helmut Newton Foundation and shown here for the first time with the blessing of his wife, collaborator, and fellow artist, June Newton. Exclusive archive footage of Helmut Newton will also be featured.

How did Helmut Newton’s work influence future portrayals of the female form? What perspectives and desires did his powerful images evoke? Were the strong women he depicted sex objects, or sex subjects?

For Fionnuala Jamison, Head of Sales at mk2 films, and Juliette Schrameck, “with questions of nudity in art and the ‘male gaze’ being debated now more than ever, the timing really feels right for the women who knew Newton best to finally give their interpretation of the work and life of this controversial artist: the stars of his iconic portraits, the magazine editors who put Newton on the pages of the most influential magazines, as well as his wife and fellow artist, June Newton.”

The film is set for delivery in the first half of 2020.

Feature documentary THE BRAIN looking at Artificial Intelligence to top off new announcements for mk2 films

Produced by Bande à Part Films and co-produced by Les Films Pelléas, THE BRAIN will be Swiss Director Jean-Stéphane Bron’s eight feature film following the critically acclaimed documentaries CLEVELAND VERSUS WALL STREET (Cannes 2010 Director’s Fortnight) and THE PARIS OPERA (Locarno 2017).

Through a series of characters interconnected like parts of a gigantic brain, the film will explore the issues and implications surrounding recent developments in neuroscience and artificial intelligence. Diving into state-of-the-art laboratories, THE BRAIN will present key actors of these two camps, with as main characters, a father and his son. The father, a renowned researcher, dedicates his life to the understanding of the brain. While his son, a young AI researcher, wants to replicate it.

For Juliette Schrameck and Fionnuala Jamison: “this is a crucial and urgent topic that galvanizes people’s interest but is not always properly understood. Thanks to Jean-Stéphane Bron’s sharp eye and engaging storytelling, the documentary will take us on a journey through the human mind, from Europe to the Silicon Valley, drawing the map of a Future both fascinating and disturbing.”

With a budget of 1.6M€, the film is set for delivery in the first half of 2020.