All Screen articles in 14 April 2004
View all stories from this month.
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Reviews
The Alamo
Dir: John Lee Hancock. US. 2003. 136mins.Reconceived and re-budgeted after the departure of original director Ron Howard and then rescheduled by Disney from its planned release date last Christmas, The Alamo finally arrives on screen with a lot of baggage. But it's not the baggage that weighs down this latest ...
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Reviews
Bad Education (La Mala Educacion)
Dir/scr: Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 2004. 104 minsPedro Almodovar's status as Europe's most distinctive and bankable auteur is effortlessly maintained with Bad Education, a rich fusion of film noir and melodrama spun with all the intricacy of a spider's web. Autobiographical memories and Almodovar's trademark preoccupations with death and desire are ...
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News
UK Film Council unveils Development Fund recipients
UK Film Council's Development Fund has unveiled details of its third year of slate funding to a selection of film companies.Recipients include: Fragile Films (£200,000), Ruby Films (£255,000), Tall Stories (£100,000), NFTS (£12,000), Riverchild Films (£65,000), October Films (£90,000), Gruber Films (£100,000) and Recorded Picture Company (£100,000).Little Bird has been ...
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Germany's Senator files for insolvency
Beleaguered German producer-distributor Senator Entertainment filed for insolvency today (April 8) after failing to agree a rescue plan with its creditor banks and potential investors.The Berlin-based company said the filing affected parent company Senator Entertainment AG as well as the subsidiaries Senator Film Produktion GmbH, Senator Film Verleih GmbH and ...
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Reviews
Walking Tall
Dir: Kevin Bray. 2004. US. 86mins.Former wrestler turned action hero The Rock stars in this updated and reconstituted revenge saga based on the true story of Sheriff Buford Pusser, whose vigilante exploits in a small Tennessee town set the stage for the 1970's trilogy of 'hickspolitation' films on which this ...
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News
AusFILM's Pratt to step down as LA-based film commissioner
AusFILM's LA-based film commissioner David Pratt is to leave his job after six years in the post.AusFILM is responsible for marketing Australia as a location for film and television production."David has been a wonderful asset," said Sydney-based chief executive Trisha Rothkrans. "We are very grateful to him for the outstanding ...
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NonStop takes Buena Vista sequel for Scandinavia, Baltics
Stockholm based distributor NonStop Entertainment has acquired Scandinavian and Baltic rights to Musica Cubana - The Sons Of Havana, the follow up to Buena Vista Social Club.Sold by Victory Media Group, the deal was struck at MIP-TV. Produced by Wim Wenders, Musica Cubana follows a group of Cuban musicians ...
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Malaysia cracks down on film piracy
Malaysia scored a major crackdown on piracy on 1 April when $1.3m worth of illegal DVDs and VCDs and replicating equipment were seized from a single syndicate. Some of the discs were for distribution to India.The seizure is the biggest this year: together with 18 CD burners, more than 800,000 ...
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Mira Nair serves as guest director for LAFF
Film-maker Mira Nair is toserve as guest director for the 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival. In this role,she will host a two-day film-maker retreat, programme a sidebar of films thathave inspired her work and attend opening night festivities.The tenth annual Los AngelesFilm Festival runs from June 17 to June 26. ...
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Slamdance turns to US distribution, talent managing
The founder ofthe Slamdance Film Festival Peter Baxter has teamed up with film and TVproducer and manager Robert Schwartz and Cleveland-based businessman GeorgeKetvertis to launch Slamdance Media Group, a new US distribution and talentmanagement outfit based in Los Angeles.The company hasalready closed a home entertainment output deal with Ventura Entertainment, ...
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Passion poised for more gold over Easter weekend
Easter weekend sees somewide studio offerings hit the markets, while other pictures already in themarket, most notably The Passion Of The Christ will be looking for holiday audiences to bump theirgrosses.Most notably, The Passion opens in Italy on Friday through Eagle Pictureswhich has spent Euros 2.5m to launch the film. ...
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Grosvenor Park's Taylor to spearhead TriMedia feature push
DanielTaylor, managing director of UK tax financier Grosvenor Park, is joiningTriMedia Entertainment, the entertainment company of 90s rap mogul ChrisSchwartz, to spearhead a push into producing youth-oriented, music-drivenfeatures with European music stars.Taylortakes up the post of president at TriMedia in addition to his Grosvenor Parkduties. The two companies are hatching ...
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Senator in 'takeover talks' with mystery investor
Troubled German producer-distributor Senator Entertainment is reportedly "negotiating with a strategic investor" to invest in the company.Berlin daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday that Senator's executive board was "conducting takeover talks with a limited partnership active in the film fund business."It also quoted Bolko Hoffmann, CEO of Effectenspiegel which ...
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News
Japan's production sector resorts to violence
Best known in the West for the films he has directed, including the 1997 Cannes Palme d'Or winner Hana-Bi and the 2003 box office smash Zatoichi, multi-talented Takeshi Kitano has had a longer career as an actor, going back to his breakout role as a brutal prison camp guard in ...
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Passion takes Easter box office crown
Newmarket Films' The Passion Of The Christ performed as expected over Easterweekend, resurrecting its box office supremacy as it climbed four places toease past $350m on an estimated $17.1m.Mel Gibson's celebratedaccount of the final hours of Christ's life now stands on $354.9m and is theeighth biggest grossing film ever in ...
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Godard's latest gets official screening at Cannes
Master French auteurJean-Luc Godard's latest film Notre Musique will be screened in the official selection but outof competition at Cannes Film Festival, according to organisers, who also enigmatically promised a surprise for Godard on the night of the film's screening.The film is split into threeparts: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Hell ...
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Memories sweeps prizes at Cognac thriller fest
The 22nd annualCognac thriller festival wrapped up on Sunday night with Bong Joon-Ho's MemoriesOf Murder the hands down winner. TheKorean film took the grand prize, the special police prize conferred byprofessional law enforcement agents the Premiere magazine prize and theMediatheques prize.Memories is a poignant look at a special ...
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Godard's latest gets official screening out of competition
Master French auteurJean-Luc Godard's latest film Notre Musique will be screened in the official selection but outof competition at Cannes Film Festival, according to organisers, who also enigmatically promised a surprise for Godard on the night of the film's screening.The film is split into threeparts: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Hell ...
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50 First Dates enjoys strong weekend in 12 markets for CTFDI
Columbia's romantic comedy 50 First Dates grossed an estimated $6.3m from 1,261screens in 12 markets through Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International(CTFDI) at the weekend, raising its international running total to $16.1m.Highlights were a third place $3.1m bow in the UK on 419 - astrong holiday opening that should see the ...
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Intertainment/Franchise trial is set to begin on April 20
After more than three years of delays, the claim for damages bythe German media company Intertainment against Franchise Pictures is set to goto trial on April 20 in Los Angeles.At a pre-trial conference on Good Friday, the judge in chargeannounced that the case will be heard by ten jurors. A ...