EXCLUSIVE: Mark Dornford-May has now finished Unogumbe, a filmed opera based based on Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s

The first ever Georgia-UK co-production just wrapped its six week shoot in Georgia and is now in Frankfurt, Germany for the final leg of principal photography. Film and Music Entertainment co-founder and producer Mike Downey spoke to Maria Sell about the project.

Ben Hopkins' Epic is a major International co-production between the UK, Germany, Russia and Georgia. Principal Photography begins in Georgian Capital Tbilisi on Sunday 13th. EPIC was developed by the British Film Institute (London), and is supported by the HessenInvestFilm Fund (Frankfurt), Metra Films and the French-German Cultural Channel Arte as well as the Georgian National Film Centre.

Veteran music documentarist Julien Temple, whose London: The Modern Babylon" was one of the big documentary hits of 2012, has wrapped his latest "musical city" feature documentary, Children of the Revolution, in Rio de Janeiro as the year came to an end.

Srdjan’s Dragojevic and Film & Music Entertainments co-production The Parade continues its award ceremony march and has recently picked up the audience award at Switzerland’s Lausanne Cine Festival.

British Indie 'Film and Music Entertainment' have been ranked second most active production company in the UK between 2009 and 2011 according to the British Film Industry.

As Khayelitsha Township-based theatre company Isango Ensemble prepare for the world premiere in London this week of their latest production of Puccini’s La Boheme - Abanxhaxi, Mike Downey and Sam Taylor have pacted with the group to created a film version of this operatic event, ‘very much along the lines, and in the style of Dornford May’s Berlinale Golden Bear winning version of Rossini’s Carmen - uCarmen eKhayelitsha.’ Says F&ME principal, Mike Downey.

Tbilisi-based 'Producer on the Move' Vladimer Katcharava of 20 Steps Productions will partner with Film and Music Entertainment for the first co-production between the UK and Georgia on their next feature Epic.

The Finnish Rolli franchise has taken on yet another lease of life with the announcement this week that a musical live action version of the latest Rolli story will go into production later this year. The film has just received funding from the new Finnish Film Foundation 50/50 fund a scheme supporting feature productions that have already secured 50% of their finance.

LEADING ICELANDIC PRODUCTION HOUSE, LJOSBAND TO PRODUCE NEW FRIDRIK THOR FRIDRIKSSON DRAMEDY STAYING ALIVE (MAGNY) LONDON-BASED FILM AND MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT JOIN AS CO-PRODUCTION PARTNERS.

Netherlands - based production house Springfilm and London production house Film and Music Entertainment have signed up German international sales agent Media Luna to handle worldwide distribution of their latest international feature film "Lilet Never Happened" by Dutch director and producer Jacco Groen.