Berlin International Film Festival 2000

Suzhou woos Berlin

Lou Ye pic heading list of market's hottest properties

As the European Film Market started to thin out a little, one film was emerging as its hottest ticket: Chinese director Lou Ye's Suzhou, touted by Philippe Bober of Berlin's Coproduction Office.

A Rotterdam VPRO Tiger winner, Suzhou has been seen by all the American majors represented at the Berlinale except for one, who arrives today, said Bober.

"Save one, they all want it," he added, listing other "firm bids" from many major territories.

Probably the other Berlin standout, Forum entry George Washington, was picked up by World Sales Christa Saredi on Monday.

Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) stealthily took North America on FilmFour's Solomon And Gaenor a day before its Oscar nomination, and Denmark's Trust Film Sales announced that Hrafn Gunnlaugsson's Witchcraft (aka Flames Of Paradise) had sold all media to NY's Zeitgeist.

Early Berlin sales kicked, as is their wont, at Fortissimo, with Clara Law's Cannes hopeful The Goddess Of 1967 selling to France (Océan Films). By Wednesday, action was heating up on several key territories for Fortissimo's Wong Kar-wai pic In The Mood For Love.

Another early market breakout, Gerardo Chijona's Un Paraíso Bajo Las Estrellas (A Paradise Under The Stars) licensed Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany (Kinowelt) and all of Latin America. Meanwhile, Manolito Gafotas, from Spain's Filmax-Sogedasa, went to Mexico and Scandinavia.

Bavaria Film Int'l sold Veit Helmer's wordless fairy tale, Tuvalu, to Norway, Finland and Spain; Rosa von Praunheim's The Einstein Of Sex to Holland; and Ricardo Larrain's En Entusiasmo (The Enthusiasm) to Switzerland and Austria.

Jochen Hick's Panorama entry No One Sleeps went to Taiwan, while Hannu Salunen's Down Hill City went to Spain and France.

A further hot Latin item looks like Francisco Lombardi's steamy jungle brothel farce, Pantaleón Y Las Visitadoras (Captain Pantoja And The Special Service), sold by Rene Fuentes-Chao's Cinevista, which has good word from its early Berlin screenings.