09/12/2005

How much of its marketshare is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (N°1 since three weeks with over £37m (€ 55m) gross) going to give up to the two new heavy-weight family films March of The Penguins [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the French documentary film by Luc Jacquet released by Warner Bros and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, CS Lewis’ popular book brought to the screens by Disney?
This question will undoubtedly keep UK industry analysts glued to EDI or Screen International’s first B.O. figures on Monday. But for the new independent distributor Yume Pictures launching today its first theatrical release on 8 screens, the Italian Dopo Mezzanotte [+see also:
film review
interview: Davide Ferrario
interview: Giorgio Pasotti
film profile] (After Midnight ) by Davide Ferrario, the question is more whether the theatrical opening is going to make enough impact for the ‘want to see’ factor to be transmitted to the film’s DVD release.

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Yume Pictures was launched last July by the Dutch Chis Oosterom and the Italian born Patrizia Raeli who sold their shares in the Dutch distribution company Bright Angel to A-Film Distribution to set up this new outfit in London. Before Bright Angel, the pair had gained years of experience in the arthouse sector, Oosterom as buyer for the Dutch Filmmuseum and Raeli as Head of Acquisition for Tartan Films in the UK.
Chris Barwick, Yume’s Head of marketing who followed Raeli from Tartan, says the company will release between 8-15 European and Asiatic titles a year for theatrical and DVD. And because of Raeli’s Italian background, Italian films should definitely be well represented.
For the release of After Midnight, Yume was supported by the Torino Piemonte Film Commission who co-organised the premiere and Q&A session at London’s Curzon Soho cinema last Sunday attended by the director and actors Giorgio Pasotti and Fabio Trioano. The cinema is also hosting since December 1rst until the 31rst, a posters exhibition called ‘Italian Cinema Divas’ put together by Turin’s National Cinema Museum with ICE, the Italian Film Commission, Cinecittà Studios, Italian Cinema and the Province of Rome.