Latest news with #BenAmmar
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tarak Ben Ammar Thanks George Lucas, Roberto Rossellini While Being Honored at Variety's Welcome to Cannes
Tarak Ben Ammar, the legendary producer and distributor, said his life may have turned out very differently if a Variety reporter named Hank Werba hadn't written about his efforts to convince filmmakers to make their movies in Tunisia. It was that decades-old article, in which Ben Ammar pitched the North African nation as 'peaceful' and 'inexpensive' place to make films, that caught the attention of George Lucas, who decided to shoot parts of 'Star Wars' in the country. More from Variety Sofie Gråbøl, Sidse Babette Knudsen Talk 'Good Mothers' as Oscar Nominee Jasmina Žbanić Reflects on the Female Side of War at Film i Väst Cannes Event 'Case 137' Review: Dominik Moll's Riveting Police Procedural Places Good Cop and Bad Cop on Opposite Sides São Paulo's Film Cash Rebate Delivers Early Wins, Sets Stage for 2025 Edition '[Variety] believed in this young man that was selling nonsense and dreams,' Ben Ammar said, while accepting the International Achievement in Film Award at Variety's annual Welcome to Cannes Party, hosted in partnership with the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Entertainment industry movers and shakers gathered at the Majestic Hotel, Salon Croisette to celebrate Ben Ammar's many achievements and kick off the festival in style. Guests included Sony Pictures Classics co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez, AGC Studios head Stuart Ford, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang, Netflix's chief awards strategist Lisa Taback, The Gotham Film & Media Institute executive director Jeffrey Sharp, 'The Wedding Banquet' producer Joe Pirro, 'White Noise' producer Uri Singer and Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux. Sony Pictures Classics' Barker presented Ben Ammar with the prize, recounting how film legends like Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford hustled to thank the dealmaker at the recent AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony for Francis Ford Coppola. 'It reminded me of Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall in 'The Godfather,'' Barker said. 'He is the consigliere to these directors.' Barker also praised Ben Ammar for always taking time to speak to aspiring filmmakers. It's a philosophy of paying it forward that Ben Ammar traces back to an early encounter with Roberto Rossellini. 'I had no name, no money, no talent, no connections,' Ben Ammar said of Rossellini. But Rossellini introduced him around the industry, helping put Ben Ammar on a trajectory that would see him become a top advisor to the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Prince Al Waleed, as well as the head of Eagle Pictures, Italy's top independent film distributor. 'Let's just makes a good movies, because there are a lot of bad movies,' Ben Ammar urged the crowd of artists and executives. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Variety's International Achievement in Film Honoree Tarak Ben Ammar Built a Film Business From Scratch and Plans to Boost Saudi Arabia Moviemaking
An infallible dealmaker, resourceful problem-solver and filmmaker-friendly bon vivant, Tarak Ben Ammar has played a pivotal, yet often behind-the-scenes role, in building cultural and cinematic bridges between Europe, the U.S. and the Arab world in last 50 years. The Franco-Tunisian producer and businessman, who runs Italy's leading independent distribution company Eagle Pictures and one of the largest studios complexes in France, began as an outsider in the late 1960s. He quickly became an ally to iconic filmmakers such as Roberto Rossellini, Georges Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Franco Zeffirelli. He opened the doors of Tunisia to the film world, helping build an industry from scratch while facilitating the productions of such pics as 'Star Wars,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'Jesus of Nazareth' and 'La Traviata,' among others. More from Variety Hasan Hadi's 'The President's Cake' Sells to France and Benelux Ahead of World Premiere in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE) Cannes' Blood Window: Gigi Saul Guerrero, Vampire Romantasy, 'New Horror,' More Women Filmmakers and Psychological Insight (EXCLUSIVE) Oliver Laxe's 'Sirât' Debuts Trailer Ahead of World Premiere in Cannes Competition (EXCLUSIVE) As he ventured deeper into the entertainment industry, Ben Ammar became something of a 'billionaire whisperer.' Some of the powerful (and sometimes divisive) figures he's befriended, did business with and advised over the years include Rupert Murdoch, former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Vivendi boss Vincent Bolloré, Saudi Arabia's Prince Al Waleed and even Michael Jackson, whom he managed in the 1990s. In Hollywood, his adroit, behind-the-scenes maneuvers almost single-handedly rescued the Weinstein Co.'s assets and library from going up in smoke after the Harvey Weinstein scandal exploded. These days, at the age of 75, Ben Ammar is in his prime, professionally speaking. Besides keeping busy with Eagle Pictures and making movies with Sony, Ben Ammar is on a journey to expand the film industry in Saudi Arabia. He recently launched Eagle in Saudi Arabia to 'replicate the Italian model,' he says, as well as releasing Sony product and other prestige international and local movies in the region. He helped create a $100 million film fund with the Saudi Culture Fund. 'Tarak has been a consistent force over those 20 years,' says FilmNation boss Glen Basner, who got close to Ben Ammar two decades ago when he worked at the Weinstein Co. and is now frequently collaborating with Eagle Pictures on features. 'He does different things always. He's an entrepreneur, not just a filmmaker,' Basner continues, adding that 'whether in Europe, Middle East or America, he operates at the highest and most sophisticated levels in each of those areas because he's smart, but he's also kind and generous, and very easy to talk to. He has built a tremendous amount of trust and he cares about cinema in a very real and serious way.' Brought up across Europe, Africa and America, Ben Ammar came from a bourgeois family in Tunisia — his father was a prominent lawyer and diplomat, while his aunt was married to former Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba — but he's a self-made man in the movie industry. Ben Ammar attended an American Catholic boarding school in Rome and then Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. 'My father was convinced the future was in America, so I got an American education,' says Ben Ammar, who now lives between Rome, Los Angeles and Paris. During his high school years, Ben Ammar says he learned about different cultures, religions and languages. By the age of 13, he spoke five languages (French, Italian, English, Arabic and German), and his friends came from all different ethnic backgrounds. In a typical Ben Ammar move, he turned the fact that he was the only (non-practicing) Muslim student at the school to his advantage, enlisting the guidance of a priest, who'd seen him come to mass every Sunday, to teach him everything about the Old Testament, the New Testament and Islam. Years later, as he started working on 'The Messiah' and 'Jesus of Nazareth,' Ben Ammar says he reconnected with the priest — who was then retired — to hire him as a consultant. During those formative years, he'd also spend his weekends watching American movies. 'By the time I graduated in 1970, I'd probably seen 1,500 films and I was passionate about cinema,' he graduating from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in 1970, he was planning to go to Harvard Business School, but the impulse to make a career in film was sparked by U.S. President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. 'He said, 'My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country,'' reminisces Ben Ammar. 'That phrase stuck in my head.'So he boldly decided to return to Tunisia. 'When I came back to Tunisia, I was 21, and I said to myself, 'What can I do for myself and for my country?' And I found film to be the vehicle,' says Ben Ammar. He could promote the country as a filming destination, a less-expensive alternative to Spain or Italy, which were popular at the time with Hollywood, and a two-hour flight from Rome. He didn't let the fact that there was no film industry in Tunisia stop him. And at about that time, Ben Ammar ran into Rossellini at an airport and approached him. Taken by Ben Ammar's enthusiasm and eagerness, the Italian master offered him his first job on the spot as a production coordinator on his 1975 feature 'The Messiah,' which shot entirely in Tunisia. Rossellini then introduced him to Francesco Rossi, who filmed 'The Mattei Affair' in Tunisia, as well as Zeffirelli, who filmed 'Jesus of Nazareth,' 'La Traviata' and 'The Young Toscanini' in the country. Other features that followed included 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' and Lucas' 'Star Wars.' It was Lucas who introduced Ben Ammar to Spielberg, and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' shot many key scenes in Tunisia. 'I became the new kid in town who could help you make a movie less expensively in a beautiful North African setting. I really put Tunisia on the map,'' he says. Ben Ammar ultimately brought 68 movies to Tunisia. 'It's over a million people who worked on our movies,' he says proudly. Ben Ammar says he learned to stay close to directors. 'They made my career, so I'm director-friendly. I'm very sensitive to their vision,' he says. 'He's an incredible connector,' says Dominique Delport, the former boss of Havas who sat on the board of Vivendi with Ben Ammar and is now part of the Saudi fund's investors committee. 'I think he was one of the first people to connect the U.S. with Africa and with the Arab world,' Delport says. 'That's what he did when he brought Spielberg and George Lucas to Tunisia and set up the first studios there. That's what he accomplished when he took it upon himself to promote Arab directors at various festivals.' Ben Ammar is now aiming to do in Saudi Arabia what he did in Tunisia, hoping to see the local film industry flourish and young filmmakers emerge. 'Always listen to young people, that's my No. 1 mantra because I was in my early 20s when I started and people listened to me,' says Ben fund he's helped launch in Saudi is the 'first of its kind in the MENA region,' says Ben Ammar, adding that '60% of the fund will come from the private sector — 5% from Eagle, and about 40% from the public sector.' The Saudi fund, which was initiated by the Saudi culture development initiative, is chaired by Ben Ammar. He in turn brought Jeffrey Schlesinger, the former president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television, prominent Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy and Delport to be part of the investment committee, with the goal to finance commercial movies worldwide, not just Saudi projects. Ben Ammar says Saudi Arabia is a promising market because of 'the size of its population and youth, its desire to modernize the media industry and massive theatrical opportunities,' noting that 'The Equalizer 3,' on which Eagle was a producer, did twice the box office in Saudi Arabia compared to Italy. Ben Ammar's Eagle Pictures — which he bought in 2007 — has distribution deals with Paramount since 2020 (facilitated by his pal, former Par chair and CEO Jim Gianopulos), and with Sony since 2023 (facilitated by Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Pictures Group chair and CEO Tom Rothman). That pact includes distribution and co-production. Sony has so far partnered with Eagle on a pair of high-profile movies, 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile' and 'Equalizer 3,' which shot entirely in Italy. Both were co-financed with 'tens of millions of dollars' from Eagle, Ben Ammar says. While 'The Equalizer 4' is now in early development, Eagle has recently co-invested with Sony on the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film, 'Caught Stealing.' Steven O'Dell, Sony President of International Theatrical Distribution, says Ben Ammar's cross-cultural background gives him a significant edge. 'One of the things about global is that whether you're making movies, whether you're releasing them or whether you're just dealing with people doing in business, it's about understanding that cultures are different, and recognizing it, and knowing how to just interact with it and understand it when it comes to the consumer, and when it comes to just working with partners. And he gets it very well. He's truly a man of the world in that sense,' O'Dell says. The executive also points to Ben Ammar's charisma, noting that he has made many friends on Sony's lot in Culver City, where they often meet. 'He probably knows more people on the lot than I do,' quips O'Dell. 'There's not enough color that I have to describe Tarak. He's worthy of a book, not an article. He's a quite a character.' Basner says Ben Ammar also won him over with his endearing personality. 'He's a very significantly successful businessman, and in one minute, you're immediately disarmed because he's so just genuine and charming and nice and open,' says Basner. 'He wants you to win just as much as he'd like to win himself. And you just somehow sense that right off the bat with it.' Getting back to his production roots, in 2022, Ben Ammar partnered with American investors, notably Ira Capital, to buy the Studios of Paris for €30 million ($34 million). It was a venture that he had initially invested in, alongside filmmaker/producer Luc Besson, and has recently hosted Netflix hit 'Emily in Paris,' as well the 2024 Olympic Village. He's also looking to ramp up production at Eagle and is planning an English-language remakes of France's and Italy's highest-grossing local films of 2024: 'A Little Something Extra,' the French comedy starring a disabled cast, and 'The Boy With Pink Trousers.' Ben Ammar co-produced and produced and distributed 'Trousers,' based on a true story about a young man who committed suicide after being bullied , which helped the country fight against bullying in schools. But the common thread running through Ben Ammar's life and career remains his passion for the American filmmakers and actors of that New Hollywood era he fell in love with as a teenager. Just a couple weeks ago, he celebrated with Spielberg, Lucas and Harrison Ford as Francis Ford Coppola received the AFI Life Achievement Award in a glittering Hollywood gala. And this year, he's already planning to throw a party for Robert De Niro when the actor heads to the Cannes Film Festival to receive the Honorary Palme d'Or. 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Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Variety's International Achievement in Film Honoree Tarak Ben Ammar Soars With Italy's Eagle Pictures Pacts and Local Hits Like ‘Boy With Pink Trousers'
Tarak Ben Ammar's long-standing film industry ties are rooted in Italy, where his Eagle Pictures is currently the top independent film distributor and a growing production force. The Franco-Tunisian film and TV entrepreneur spent part of his teens in Rome during the 1960s when his father was the Tunisian ambassador to Italy. 'It was thanks to those years that I fell in love with cinema,' he says, reminiscing about the Eternal City's Cinema Archimede theater. More from Variety How Variety's International Achievement in Film Honoree Tarak Ben Ammar Built a Film Business From Scratch and Plans to Boost Saudi Arabia Moviemaking Hasan Hadi's 'The President's Cake' Sells to France and Benelux Ahead of World Premiere in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE) Cannes' Blood Window: Gigi Saul Guerrero, Vampire Romantasy, 'New Horror,' More Women Filmmakers and Psychological Insight (EXCLUSIVE) After building the Tunisian film business from nothing, and spending decades forging relationships and making deals with some of the top names in the global entertainment business, Ben Ammar returned to Italy. In October 2007, Ben Ammar bought indie distributor Eagle Pictures, which had gone belly up. It was then that he said to himself, 'OK, I'll learn how to be a distributor.' He recalls that he had previously only dabbled in distribution, most notably when Quinta took French rights to Mel Gibson's blockbuster 'The Passion of the Christ' in 2004. 'One of his biggest assets — compared to the company's previous management — is that he's very international; he knows everybody,' says Eagle's head of acquisitions and co-productions Maria Grazia Vairo, who was already with the shingle when Ben Ammar bought it from an Italian bank and other entities. Since then, Eagle has become Ben Ammar's flagship film business outfit. It co-owns France's Studios de Paris, home of 'Emily in Paris.' Eagle is also a shareholder along with Warner Bros. Pictures in Spyglass Media Group, which acquired the Weinstein Co.'s film and TV library in a bankruptcy sale alongside Andy Mitchell's Lantern Asset Management. Eagle Pictures now boasts a library of some 2,800 titles. As a distributor, Ben Ammar has taken Eagle to the next level through two key steps. First, in 2020, he inked a deal with Paramount Pictures' then-CEO Jim Gianopulos, 'who really understood that we could be a good partner,' becoming Paramount's Italian theatrical distributor. Then, in 2023, Eagle signed a similar deal with Sony. But with them, 'I took it a step further,' he says, becoming a production partner with Sony on high-profile titles including Antoine Fuqua's 'The Equalizer 3,' starring Denzel Washington. That film was shot in Italy, tapping into the country's generous tax rebate. 'The fact that we've partnered with Eagle for a major market like Italy says so much because Sony generally prefers to have our own team up and running,' says Steven O'Dell, Sony president of internationalttheatrical distribution. 'When it comes to major markets, Italy is the only market that we're confident enough in a partnership to release independently and not through our own office.' In the past year, Eagle has released such high-profile pics as multiple Oscar nominee 'Conclave,' while it has blockbuster 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' kicking off a busy summer with such U.S. pics as 'Karate Kid Legends' and '28 Years Later.' The Italian banner has pacts with such indie distributors as MadRiver, DeAPlaneta (Spain), IDC Distribution (Latin America), Italia Film (Middle East), Leonine Studios (Germany and Austria), Shochiku (Japan), SND (France) and Unicorn Media (Eastern Europe). More recently, Eagle has been ramping up local year at Cannes, it bought Italian remake rights to French smash hit 'A Little Something Extra.' Eagle scored Italy's biggest local hit of 2024 with Margherita Ferri's teen drama 'The Boy With Pink Trousers,' about a 15-year-old who took his own life after enduring bullying at school and online. In terms of ticket sales, it's even beat Hollywood heavyweights such as 'Wicked,' 'Dune 2,' 'Gladiator 2' and 'Venom 3.' Samuele Carrino stars alongside Claudia Pandolfi, who has since become an advocate for anti-bullying initiatives. Eagle initially released the movie Nov. 7, 2024, on 380 screens and increased to 550 screens the following week after receiving calls from enthused exhibitors. 'We quickly realized something special was happening and we increased our release plans. We've had it on as many screens as 'Gladiator 2,' Ben Ammar told Variety in December 2024. The true tale has grossed more than $10 million and 'made a statement that we're in business to make good Italian movies that also move the needle socially, culturally, emotionally,' says Ben Ammar, using words that evoke Rossellini's spirit. Best of Variety 10 Best Disney Villains of All-Time: From Lion King's Scar to Aladdin's Jafar
