Projects
Projects
Gloria!
Category: Cannes Remakes Selection
Directed by: Margherita Vicario
Produced by: Valeria Jamonte (tempesta), Manuela Melissano (tempesta), Carlo Cresto-Dina (tempesta), Paolo Del Brocco (Rai Cinema), Katrin Renz (tellfilm)
Original title: Gloria!
Completed in: 2024
Synopsis:
Set in a girls’ institute in Venice at the end of the 1700s, Gloria! tells the story of Teresa, a young woman with a visionary talent, who, together with a small group of extraordinary musicians, crosses centuries and challenges the dusty catafalques of the Ancien Régime by inventing rebellious, light and modern music. Pop!
Director’s biography:
Margherita Vicario is an actress and singer-songwriter from Rome. She graduated from the European Academy of Dramatic Art in 2009 and started working as an actress for film and TV: she acted in films for Fausto Brizzi, Antonio Mancini, Woody Allen and on TV for Lamberto Bava, Michele Soavi, Riccardo Donna. She made her directorial debut in 2024 presenting her film Gloria! in Official Competition at the Berlinale.
Producer’s biography;
tempesta, founded by Carlo Cresto-Dina in 2009, produced all of Alice Rohrwacher’s feature, as well as the short films De Djess and Le Pupille. tempesta also produced all the features by Leonardo Di Costanzo and numerous films by young European authors selected and awarded at the most important international festivals. tempesta most recent production Gloria! by singer Margherita Vicario premiered in the International Competition in Berlinale 2024.
IP Holders : tempesta
Original title: Sepa
Language: Filipino, English, Spanish
Completed in: 2011
Synopsis:
Sepa, a lonely manananggal, leads a double life as a herb seller by day and a half-bodied creature at night. She offers Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan leader against the Spaniards, severed heads of friars as token of her unrequited love. Her reluctance to join the revolution leads to his death at the hands of fellow Filipinos. Sepa transforms and joins the revolution, witnessing the birth of a new Filipino nation.
Publisher’s biography: Philippine Writers Studio Foundation, Inc.
Philippine Writers Studio Foundation, Inc., an organization led by Mr. Ricky Lee, is established to help protect and advance the rights and welfare of writers, and to conduct educational activities for writers’ aesthetic and moral sensibilities.
Ricky Lee‘s biography
Ricky Lee, National Artist for Film & Broadcast Arts, is the Philippines’ most-awarded scriptwriter with 180+ films and 80+ awards. He is known for films like Himala, Anak, and Jose Rizal, among others. Himala won the CNN Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time. Ricky wrote the scriptwriting manual, Trip to Quiapo, and four best-selling novels. He has been conducting free scriptwriting workshops since 1982.
Type of IP: Chapters from a novel
Rights Available: Author’s Rights
Original title: Strange Natives
Language: English with Filipino words
Completed in: 2016, 2024
Synopsis:
Sent to his strict grandmother Maria for summer vacation, rebellious Francis, 11 years old, encounters supernatural monsters in the forgotten town of San Antonio. Discovering his divine bloodline, he trains with gods like WIKA and ALIW. Francis learns forgotten stories through the memory goddess GRASYA and fights alongside immortal warrior BANAL. Together, they protect the town and its guardian spirit, ANITO, against supernatural monsters summoned by the shadow god BAHALA.
Publisher’s biography: KOMIKET INC.
KOMIKET, a non-profit, champions the Filipino comics community by organizing art markets, hosting Comic Book Creator’s Workshops, and running the Secret HQ comic bookstore. It also publishes comics and graphic novels. KOMIKET organizes the Philippine International Comics Festival, selecting and developing ten graphic novel pitches in a Creator’s Lab. The festival includes a comics market, masterclasses, exhibits, and a rights market, fostering creativity and collaboration within the industry.
Paolo Alessandro Herras‘s biography
Paolo Alessandro Herras is a film director, scriptwriter, and comics publisher. He directed four films and wrote four graphic novels, including “Strange Natives.” Paolo is the Festival Director of the Philippine International Comics Festival and President of Komiket, advocating for the Filipino comics community. He also heads Komiket Studios, focusing on comics publishing and animation production. His short film animation, “Tungkung Langit and Alunsina,” received a grant from the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Type of IP: Graphic Novel Series
Rights Available: All rights available, except publishing rights for Germany, UK, Netherlands.
Original title: 勸世三姊妹
Language: Mandarin/Taiwanese Hokkien
Completed in: 2023
Synopsis:
A gambler destroys his family with debt. On his death, his embittered daughter returns from the city determined to claim his estate. Meanwhile, her dying uncle promises a fortune to a relative who will lead a Taoist funeral ritual to guide his spirit through the afterworld. In the process of learning it, she discovers her father’s humanity, that hatred is fused with love, She leads her own father’s soul to heaven, and releases her heart in the process.
Company’s biography: The VMTheatre Company
Established in 2007, VMTheatre Company blends New York’s musical concepts with Taiwanese culture. They focus on realistic themes from a humanistic viewpoint, nurturing young artists and enriching Taiwan’s musical culture. Their productions offer genuine human experiences, engaging audiences in co-created emotional journeys. Recognized as a top performing arts group, VMTheatre Company fosters artistic evolution and exchange through collaborative crossovers while maintaining its distinct Taiwanese identity.
Technical Team’s biography: Hui-Cheng Tseng (Director) ZHAN Jie (Playwright), Robert KANG (Composer, Arranger, Pianist)
Hui-Cheng Tseng, known as “Chris,” serves as the Artistic Director of VMTheatre Company. With a master’s degree in musical theater from NYU, he’s a leading figure in Taiwan’s theater scene. Chris intricately blends local and New York musical concepts, crafting original tales deeply rooted in Taiwan’s heritage. Through his diverse directing styles, he offers audiences transformative journeys that reflect Taiwan’s outward perspective, starting and ending at home.
Type of IP: Performing Arts
Rights Available: /
OPUS: Echo of Starsong
Category: Asian IP Showcase
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Science-fiction
Country: Taiwan
Original title: OPUS：龍脈常歌
Language: English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Completed in: 2021
Synopsis:
The OPUS series tells stories of love, soul, and self-discovery, capturing the growth of lonely souls who cross paths in their quests for connection. “OPUS: Echo of Starsong” is an Eastern space opera about a witch and fallen noble who are torn apart by their search for a mystical power, only to find that its very source is fated to reunite them.
Company’s biography: SIGONO
SIGONO’s portfolio boasts four acclaimed games with over 11 million downloads, including ‘OPUS: Echo of Starsong,’ which was featured in the Nebula Award’s reading list, ‘OPUS: Rocket of Whispers,’ both globally recommended by Apple and personally endorsed by its CEO, Tim Cook, and ‘OPUS: Prism Peak,’ now in development with Shueisha Games.
Type of IP: Video Game
Rights Available: Film and Television Adaptation Rights, Theatrical Adaptation Rights, Publishing Rights for Books, Music Copyright Permissions, Merchandise Licensing Agreement
Original title: Witch Hunter Robin
Language: Japanese
Completed in: 2002
Synopsis:
In a realm where witches abuse their supernatural powers, the STN, a team comprised of highly skilled craft users and experts in covert operations, relentlessly pursues them. When a young craft user named Robin is assigned to the task, the boundaries between hunter and hunted blur, immersing her in a shadowy world of mystique and witchcraft.
Company’s biography: Bandai Namco Filmworks
Bandai Namco Filmworks, a leading Japanese entertainment firm, excels in planning, producing, and managing global audiovisual content. Their diverse portfolio includes live-action and animated features across TV, film, and streaming platforms. They’re known for supporting filmmakers such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Miwa Nishikawa, and Takeshi Kitano.
Author: Hajime Yatate
Type of IP: Animation (TV series)
Rights Available: Remake rights negotiable. No format restrictions. Original series available depending on territory/country
Original title: Chao
Language: Japanese
Completed in: 2024 Autumn
Synopsis:
Set in the future where the human and mermaid worlds have achieved cross-cultural exchange, it is a love story filled with comedy and humor, about the importance of bonds that transcend different worlds and cultures.
Production studio: STUDIO4ºC Co., Ltd.
STUDIO4°C is an animation production studio in Tokyo, who’s ambition to take on film projects that span multiple genres, and its high-quality, cutting- edge animation has captivated audiences globally. Its major films include PHOENIX: Reminiscence of Flower, Children of the Sea, Mutafukaz, Tekkonkinkreet, MIND GAME, The Animatrix and so on. Its films have been invited to international film festivals such as Berlinale, Annie Awards, Annecy, SITGES, and more.
Type of IP: Feature film
Rights Available: All rights available
Original title: Sing to the Dawn
Language: English
Completed in: 1975
Synopsis:
Dawan, a young village girl who lives in Thailand, wins a scholarship to study in a city school. Her brother, Kwai, places second and is initially jealous, causing a rift between the two previously-close siblings. This hostility is further exacerbated by Dawan’s father, who feels that the city is no place for a female. Dawan faces obstacles at every turn, and eventually overcomes these obstacles and proves to herself and to others that she is fully capable of handling the scholarship and the responsibility it entails.
Publisher’s biography: William Morrow & Co
Founded by William Morrow in 1926, William Morrow and Company is an American publishing house. Acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, then by Hearst Corporation in 1981, and later by News Corporation in 1999, it now operates under HarperCollins. Renowned for publishing both fiction and non-fiction, its authors include Ray Bradbury, Michael Chabon, Beverly Cleary, Neil Gaiman, and others. Francis Thayer Hobson served as its president and later chairman.
Author’s biography: Minfong Ho
Minfong Ho is a Chinese–American writer. Her works frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries. Despite being fiction, her stories are always set against the backdrop of real events, such as the student movement in Thailand in the 1970s and the Cambodian refugee problem with the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime at the turn of the1970s and 1980s. Her simple yet touching language and her optimistic themes have made her writing popular among children as well as young adults.
Type of IP: Novella
Rights Available: Agreement with Minfong Ho
Al Baseer – The Blind Ferryman
Category: Solothurn Goes to Cannes
Directed by: Ali Al-Fatlawi
Produced by: Samir, Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktin (Switzerland) Ali Al-Fatlawi, Karada Films (Iraq)
Country of production: Switzerland, Iraq, Qatar
Original title: Al Baseer – Der blinde Fährmann
Language: Arabic
Runtime: 100
The blind ferryman Ayoub lives in the endless Iraqi Marshes. One night he falls in love with a mysterious woman. But no one believes that she is real, so he has to prove that his love exists.
Don’t Let The Sun (Catch You Crying)
Category: Solothurn Goes to Cannes
Directed by: Jacqueline Zünd
Produced by: Producers: Louis Mataré, David Fonjallaz; Production company: Lomotion; Co-producers: Davide Pagano, Andrea Randazzo, Gianfilippo Pedote; Co-production company: Casa delle Visioni
Country of production: Switzerland, Italy
Original title: Don't Let The Sun (Catch You Crying)
Language: English
Runtime: 97
In a world almost like ours, Jonah works for an agency that offers human relationships. When he’s hired to serve as Nika’s father, he begins to lose control of his tightly controlled life. A delicately dystopian drama set in a place of unbearable heat, where people are desperate for human warmth.