A young FBI agent infiltrates an extraordinary team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of unprecedented, sophisticated corporate heists. Deep undercover, and with his life in danger, he strives to prove these athletes are the architects of the mind-boggling crimes that are devastating the world’s financial markets. Filmed on four continents, North America, Europe, South America and Asia, “Point Break” presents extraordinary feats performed by the world’s top extreme sports athletes, and involves some of the most daring exploits ever committed to film. Extreme sports featured include snowboarding, wingsuit flying, free rock climbing, high-speed motocross, and surfing 70-foot waves.

Edgar Ramìrez acts as Bodhi, the role interpreted by beloved Patrick Swayze and Luke Bracey is Utah, the FBI agent Keanu Reeves interpreted in the 1991 hit.
Shot in various beautiful location all around the world, the thrilling action movie was shot in Puglia as well, with the support by Apulia Film Commission, in the Brindisi area in August 2014.

“We are very happy to be filming Point Break in Puglia. The Apulia Film Commission has been incredibly helpful from the onset, meeting all of our needs that are unique to a film like ours. From the initial scout through the arrival of our international cast and crew, they have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.”
– Producers Andrew Kosove & Broderick Johnson, Alcon Entertainment, July 29, 2014

The movie will have its US release on December, 25th this year and we look forward to watch in Italy very soon!

For further info visit the official movie website

Point Break – trailer

This important achievement is a confirmation of all efforts made to promote, in these 8 years of activities, Puglia as the perfect place to shoot through the combination of grants, free services, unique historical architecture excellent landscapes and a great offer of skilled crews.

Matteo Garrone chose, for his first English spoken movie, the UNESCO world heritage site of Castel del Monte, Castel in Gioia del Colle, the grottos in Mottola and Accetta Grande.

In competition at the Cannes Film Festival and in Italian theatres with 01 from 14 May, Tale of Tales defends and heightens the power of that literary genre (once oral) that dips into collective unconsciousness. Garrone deploys all the classic Medieval characters – the witch queen and terrifying mother, the father-ogre, the wizard, the young hunter, the vagabond, the hero and the seductive princess – maintaining the horror that has characterised all his films and building his own bridge to the present day, but in a new sumptuous, cinematic way that is more entertaining.

Three stories, acted out by an international cast, weave together and follow on from each other in Tale of Tales. In the first story, the queen, Salma Hayek, sacrifices her husband, played by John C. Reilly, and her very soul to have a son (Christian Lees), putting into practice the advice of necromancer Franco Pistoni. In another, the king, played by Toby Jones, is forced to give his daughter, princess Viola (Bebe Cave) away in marriage, and to keep her forever by his side, hatches a plan of dramatic proportions: he will have the princess carried away by an Ogre, Guillaume Delanay. In the third and final story, a lecherous king, played by Vincent Cassel, captivated by a maiden of whom he has only heard the melodious voice, falls victim to an old and ambitious washerwoman, played by Hayley Carmichael and Stacy Martin.

more infos here

watch the trailer here

The American screenwriter, director and cinema producer James V. Hart will be in Apulia for the second time to lead the 5^th edition of the workshop. Author of many films such as Hook, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Tomb Raider, James V. Hart is one of the most qualified American tutor for audio-visual storytelling techniques.

This edition will be focused on TV series.

The workshop is totally free of charges and all the expenses related to travel, accommodation and food in Apulia are covered in their entirety by the Apulia Film Commission Foundation.

In order to attend it, participants should submit the application pack following the information on specific section of Apulia Film Commission website: en.apuliafilmcommission.it/projects/puglia-experience

The application deadline is 25th September 2014, at 11:59 p.m.

For any further information, please contact:

e-mail pugliaexperience@apuliafilmcommission.it

or telephone  +39 080 9752900.

- € 744,788.64 for supplies (furniture, technology and memorabilia ) ;
- € 19,998.30 for the implementation of security plans , are not subject to reduction;
- € 218,378.71 charges for labor , not subject to reduction.

Limit and procedures for submission of tenders: 30.07.2014 at 18.00 Apulia Film Commission Foundation , 1 Lungomare Starita – Fiera del Levante , 70132 Bari .

The notice was published in abridged form on nr . 50 Official Journal of the Series V Special , Public Contracts of 05.05.2014 and submitted for publication in the Official Journal of the European Union with code 2014-1050769 .
The complete notification , the Regulations and any attachments are available here.

ENGLISH Bando_Forniture_AFH_01.05.14

See the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNMJh_mWR4

Through project-driven work, participants will walk away with an unrivalled understanding of multi-platform storytelling, engaging audiences  and sustainable business strategies.

This year’s tutors include CEO & producer at beActive, Nuno Bernardo (PT); games producer, writer & educator at National Film School Denmark, Thomas Howalt (DK); cross-media creative director and artistic director of Venice Biennale College, Michel Reilhac (FR); content strategist, writer & producer, Adam Sigel (USA); producer at Entre Chien et Loup, Diana Elbaum (BE). See the full list of tutors here.

All participants attend an initial six-day residential workshop at the 5-star Traube Tonbach resort, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Participants attending with a project go on to receive distance mentoring, followed by a four-day workshop including attendance at PttP’s annual Cross-Media Forum in London, October 2014.

Past participants include European funders, commissioners, film/TV/games producers, writers, story architects, interactive designers, directors, format developers, arts professionals, advertising executives, developers.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your ideas and the potential of your project, improve your business acumen and network with the who’s who from across film, TV, games, online, interactive, publishing, advertising and mobile.

Applying with a project:

Only producers/IP owners who have extensive experience of taking a creative project to market will be considered. Projects must have stories with the potential to extend across at least two platforms eg. film, games, TV, mobile, publishing, live event, social media, interactive.

Application deadline is Friday 28 March, 18:00 BST.

Please visit the website for full details and to download an application form or email lab@powertothepixel.com with any enquiries.

The Pixel Lab is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Medien- und Filmgesellschaft (MFG), Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund as part of a Bigger Future 2, FFA and TorinoFilmLab.

On the first day (h. 9.30 / 18.00) the meeting will be opened by Mrs. Mirela Kumbaro, Albanian Minister of Culture and by Mr. Francesco Palumbo, director of the Area Policies for the Promotion of Territory, Knowledge and Talent of Puglia Region – Lead Partner. Following this, there will be the speeches of various partners, aimed at sharing project objectives and activities.

On the second day (h. 10.30/12.00) a press conference will be held to present arTVision to the Albanian press. Bilateral meetings between the project partners and the Lead Partner are scheduled for the afternoon.

The project, co-funded by the Adriatic IPA CBC Programme 2007-2013, is the result of a partnership led by Puglia Region – Area Policies for the Promotion of Territory, Knowledge and Talent. Project partners are: Pino Pascali Foundation Museum of Contemporary Art; Veneto Region- Direction of cultural and performance activities; Academy of Fine Arts of Venice; Ministry of Culture of Montenegro; Faculty of Dramatic Arts of Cetinje – Montenegro; Ministry of Culture of Albania; University of Arts Tirana – Albania; Primorje-Gorski Kotar County – Croatia; Kanal RI-Croatian TV. Associated partners are: Euronews; Artribune, Servizi italiani.net Srl; Radio television of Montenegro; RTV Now News-Albanian TV.

ArTVision is a project that promotes interactive, cultural and inter-institutional innovation among all Adriatic and European countries. The aim is to give maximum visibility to artworks, locally produced but with a high communicative value at international level, so as to make them accessible to a wide audience.

The innovation is in the aspiration to transmediality and cross-border cooperation inherent in the project, which aims to create a thematic transmedia channel offering high quality cultural content and originality on a wide spectrum of contemporary visual arts. A channel that exploits communications networks and media infrastructures already existing in partner countries and allows free use of the project audiovisual productions.

Information and press contacts:

Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sport of Albania

Herida Duro, tel. +355 672224628 – email herida.duro@kultura.gov.al

Lead Partner Puglia Region – Area Policies for the Promotion of Territory, Knowledge and Talent

Ileana Inglese, tel. +39 338 6488905 –email ileanainglese@gmail.com

“I am delighted – said the director – since from the very beginning I wanted to go to the Berlin Festival, an occasion which resonates deeply with me, perhaps because I studied in Germany (I went to film school in Munich). As in all my films, the local theme is a strong one – the setting in Salento, working with local actors – but the subject is universal: the metamorphosis of the economic crisis, crisis seen as potential, as a new beginning. It’s a film about the possibility of being happy, whatever happens.”

Produced by Edoardo Winspeare, Gustavo Caputo and Alessandro Contessa for Saietta Film in conjunction with Rai Cinema, the film has received support from the Apulia Film Commission, the Apulia Region’s Department for Agricultural Policy and Luigi De Vecchi, as well as private sponsorship from Banca Popolare Pugliese and Pasta Granoro.

“Winspeare is a special artist who, recounting his own region, has confirmed his enormous skill in the use of language, subject matter and universal feelings. This has been the case from the beginning with “Pizzicata” and his latest work serves only to further refine a productively creative career which we are proud to be a part of”, commented Apulia Film Commission president, Antonella Gaeta.

“In Grazia di Dio”, shot entirely in the Salento area in locations dear to the director – Giuliano di Lecce, Tricase and other local districts – and performed by non-professional actors (the leading actess is Celeste Casciaro, Winspeare’s wife), is the story of four women from the same southern Salento family during the current historic economic crisis. The closure of the family business and the repossession of their house seems to have ruined everything, even family ties.

The only way out is to move to the countryside, work on the land and live by bartering their products. Yet it is this unavoidable decision which sets off a catharsis, forcing the characters to reflect on their lifestyles and above all on their family relationships.

Check the Berlinale screening of the movie here

Two of the twelve episodes of “Rex 7”, produced by Dog’s Life for Beta Film and to be broadcasted on Rai 2, are to be filmed from 10th – 23rd January at the Bari Karol Wojtyla airport, Monopoli, Fasano and environs.

A press conference was held to mark the beginning of the shooting on set of  in the check-in area at  the airport. Participants included producer Alessandro Passadore, directors the Manetti Bros, leading actor Francesco Arca and, of course, Rex the dog itself. There were, as well,  the Mayor of Bari Michele Emiliano, Antonio Vasile, local assessor for Territorial Marketing, Giancarlo Piccirillo, director of Pugliapromozione and Silvio Maselli, Apulia Film Commission GM.

In consideration of the overwhelming success in Italy and in over 135 countries worldwide, Pugliapromozione has signed a product placement contract with the production company to promote the Apulia brand, thus complementing the well-established support which the Apulia Film Commission already lends to the audio-visual industry.

As a result, the screenplay includes the subject of holidaying in Apulia with a number of shots from the promotional campaign for European capital cities, “We are in Puglia”, organised by Pugliapromozione with co-marketing by Nikon.

In particular, in a scene shot in Bari airport, lead actor Marco Terzani and Rex see off a departing passenger. As they are walking through the airport, they come across posters showing the extraordinary beauty of the local area. At this point, they decide not to leave and take a holiday in Apulia instead.

Further growth in 2013 for the Apulia Film Commission: 56 film projects completed with a 51% increase compared with 2012.

Against funding of €2m, the local impact has been over €10m, an increase of 166%. Working production days saw an increase of 99%.

Film screenings and cultural activity at the cineport hubs and apulian regional film library has accounted for attendances of approximately 30,000.

The Apulia Film Commission waves goodbye to 2013, a year which has seen extraordinary growth in every sector of its activities. Confirmation of this trend can be seen in the statistics, which are far greater than in any previous year both for national and international film productions in Apulia as well as for the activities of the Cineport Hubs, the Apulian Regional Film Library and the Quality Film Network.

Setting the seal on this year was most notably the figure of nearly €10.5m (€10,477,840.25) of audiovisual production impact on the local economy compared with funding of under €2.5m (€2,454,238), an increase of 161% over 2012. With the implementation of new public tenders, the Apulia Film Commission became the only Italian commission with immediate funds (one national, the other international) which allows for an exact calculation of their respective impacts.

The Funds use a refund mechanism, technically known as “rebate”, whereby funding allocated is only provided after a complete financial report has been presented to the offices of the Apulia Film Commission (invoices, payslips and itemised payment slips together with the signed declaration of a registered accountant). In contrast to other film commissions, the Apulia commission insists that production companies report all expenditure incurred in the region, not only that of the amount received.

This system, together with rolling grant applications available throughout the year, has allowed the AFC to increase and settle relationships of trust with production companies, thus leading to a growth in the number of grant applications. Consequently, there has been an increase in the number of films produced (+51% compared with 2012), local economic impact (+161%), and working production days (747, +99%). Furthermore, any “project mortality rate” has been eliminated thanks to the thorough nature of required financial cover checks. The number of Apulian production companies is rising, while those that are already operating show an increase in turnover.

In 2013 the Apulia Film Commission lent its support to 56 film projects including 19 full length feature films, 8 documentaries, 10 shorts, 2 TV series, 8 TV shows, 1 web TV series, 5 video clips, 1 web movie and 2 commercials throughout the six Apulian provinces. It was a year which saw an opening towards “innovative productions”, with funding for different formats such as the first web TV series, “Un Grande Amore” (the prequel to “Una Grande Famiglia”) and the first web film, “La Santa”, a non-competing film at this year’s Rome Film Festival.

Moreover, the Foundation aimed to vary the type of production receiving funding, with support for both Italian and international art films. One example is the full-length film “Spring” by two young American directors who are considered new talents in the horror genre. Another important example of international mainstream funding was that given to the musical “Holiday”, a £10m British mega-production. No less important was the grant allocated to the film “Three Way Week” directed by Bruno Coppola, a low budget production.

Significant support was also given to “Braccialetti Rossi”, a TV series to be shown on RaiUno in January, which has “booked” Apulia for its next two series. Shooting for the production lasted a total of 19 weeks, an extremely lengthy production time for a TV series in which the final two weeks’ shooting used a double crew. Over 90 people a day were used for setbuilding during the preparation phase.

The opening of the Bari and Lecce Cineport Hubs and the Film Library for cultural and film activities proved to be a successful choice for the entire region: total audiences of nearly 30,000, over 90 working days of film pre-production and more than 150 cultural events hosted.

The Cineport Hubs have become lively, accessible places open to the whole region, where projects and events are hosted by a wide range of operators, associations and professionals. The 6 film seasons over 60 evenings with important guests at the Bari Cineport Hub were complemented by the Lecce site, where numerous initiatives included the Yalla Shebab Festival, an exhibition on Tina Modotti and a season of avant-garde Italian films.

Re-opened in March 2013, the Apulian Regional Film Library has quickly become a welcoming location for users thanks to its facilities and cultural events that are not limited to the audiovisual field. The Film Library is more a space for sharing and debate for the whole region, a facility where it is possible to leave mementoes or log Apulian experiences but also a working area with specific resources. In particular, these include access, via a network of on-line media libraries, to an infinite selection of multimedia files, from films to music, reviews and e-books.

Last but not least is the work carried out by the Apulia Film Commission for art and auteur films through its Quality Film Network. Screenings and seasons are offered in 21 cinemas throughout the Apulia region with 150 art or auteur films shown, 40 films exclusive to the region, 400 free events and 50 art film evenings including exhibitions and special events with international guests.

There are also a number of projects carried out with the support of EU grants, as a result of which the AFC funds a network of festivals (Bif&ST, Reale, the Festival of Documentary Film and the IMake Festival), the Mediterranean Co-production Forum and the Puglia Experience screenwriters’ workshop.

At the root of all completed projects for regional co-operation, extensive research and planning through study and participation in public selection tenders is required. In 2013, the AFC became a partner in Enter Europe, a continuous MEDIA training programme for the European audiovisual industry and Euro Screen, a three-year European project financed by the INTERREG IVC programme, which proposes agreement among the best practices currently used in the field of cine-tourism.

Apulian Cineport Hubs 2013

Mediateca 2013

Cinema d’autore 2013

Use of European Funds

Bifest 2013