All Screen articles in 2 January 2006

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  • News

    BBC FOUR announces nominees for world cinema prize

    2006-01-06T13:26:00Z

    BBC FOUR has announced the nominations for its third annual world cinemaaward. Thisyear's shortlist is: Wong Kar Wai's2046, Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall,Zhang Yimou's Houseof Flying Daggers, Agnes Jaoui's Look at Me, Alejandro Amenabar's The SeaInside, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul'sTropical Malady. Thenominees were selected by UK film critics, film festivaldirectors, and heads of ...

  • News

    Bafta's first round of voting shows early frontrunners

    2006-01-06T13:18:00Z

    As of this morning, Baftamembers are starting their second round of voting for the British Academy's annual film awards,with The Constant Gardener leadingthe first-round shortlist in the major categories. The Bafta second-roundvoting shortlist for best film includes the following 15 titles: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, ...

  • News

    Greek company Audiovisual Enterprises buys Prooptiki

    2006-01-06T13:10:00Z

    Audiovisual Enterprises, the only publicly listed Greekentertainment media group, has bought out its rival Prooptiki.The acquisition worth $25.3m (21m Euros) places Audiovisual at the forefront oftheatrical distribution and further consolidates its lead position in video-DVDdistribution. Prooptiki's former share holders, Managing Director Mitropoulos and deputy Irini Souganidou will head updistribution of ...

  • News

    Poland's box office admissions down by 30%

    2006-01-06T11:35:00Z

    In what is likely to be oneof the biggest year-on-year deficits in Europe latest Polish figures for 2005show box office down 28.7% and admissions down 30% last year. The figures from localmarket tracker ES Media show the territory suffered a massive 50% admissionsdrop in the first quarter due to the ...

  • News

    Anchor Bay CEO dies of heart failure

    2006-01-06T10:32:00Z

    Mo Claridge,CEO of UK home video company AnchorBay Entertainment, passed away on Christmas Day at age 54. The cause of deathwas heart failure.Claridge joined Anchor Bay four years ago when itacquired Digital Entertainment Ltd., thehome video company he founded. He led Anchor Bayinto theatrical distribution in the past two years. ...

  • News

    Switzerland's box office attendance down by 14%

    2006-01-06T04:00:00Z

    One of the earliest Europeanterritories to report end-of-year figures, Switzerland's 14% year-on-year drop and market dominance by UIPappear likely indicators of trends to be seen across the major mainlandterritories in the next few days. While year-on-year businessmay be in line with much of Europe the real interest in Switzerland comes ...

  • News

    US video spending dips in 2005

    2006-01-06T00:00:00Z

    US consumers spent $22.8bn buying and renting DVDs in 2005,an 8% increase on 2004, according to figures from trade organisation theDigital Entertainment Group (DEG). But overall US consumer spending on video- including VHS rental and sell-through as well as DVD - actuallydeclined slightly, from $24.5bn in 2004 to $24.3bn. The ...

  • News

    UK box-office figures for 2005 are up by 1%

    2006-01-06T00:00:00Z

    It started well and so itfinished. Final box office figures for the UK/Ireland market reported today bystatistics trackers Nielsen EDI showed the territory had managed the seeminglyimpossible - it improved on 2004's record box office by 1%. The Nielsen EDI results forthe official box office year - measured from January ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch to launch sales for Leconte feature

    2006-01-05T17:03:00Z

    French outfit Wild Bunch is to launch sales on Mon Meilleur Ami,(My Best Friend), Patrice Leconte's latestfeature at the Paris Rendez-Vous later this month. Touted as a comedy in the style of François Veber, Leconte's new film tellsthe story of a snobbish art gallery owner who gradually comes to realise ...

  • News

    The Tin Mine wins top awards at Thai Suphannahongsa

    2006-01-05T13:25:00Z

    Jira Maligool's The Tin Mine swept the Suphannahongsaawards last night (Jan 4), scooping six awards including best film, bestdirector and best supporting actor. The coming-of-age dramais Thailand's entry for the Oscar.Executive producers VisutePoolvoralaks from GMM Tai Hub and MingmongkolSonakul from Dedicate were on hand to receive the best filmaward, as ...

  • News

    IFC acquires distribution rights to Twelve and Holding

    2006-01-05T12:45:00Z

    Michael Cuesta'schildhood drama Twelve AndHolding, which sold to a raft of international markets on the back of its Torontopremiere last autumn, has found a USdistributor. IFC hasacquired Serenade Films' revenge tale of youngsters who come to terms with thedeath of their friend, and plans to release it this summer. Zoe ...

  • News

    Wim Wenders to receive tribute at Miami Festival

    2006-01-05T12:05:00Z

    Wim Wenders will receive the2006 Miami International Film Festival's (MIFF) Career Achievement Tribute,joining a distinguished roster of previous winners that includes Liv Ulman and Hector Babenco. "Weare proud to pay tribute to this legendary director, writer, and producer whosecontribution to the spirit of independent cinema continues to inspirefilmmakers around the ...

  • News

    Baker Street launches Take 9 fund for UK films

    2006-01-05T04:00:00Z

    London-basedfilm financing company Baker Street Media Management has launched its latestequity fund, Take 9, to invest in British film productions. Baker Street saidTake 9 would seek to raise up to $22m (£12.5m) in cash from private investors, tosupport films with combined budgets of up to $87.9m (£50m). Take 9 ...

  • News

    Lee and Spielberg join newcomers on DGA shortlist

    2006-01-05T00:00:00Z

    The Directors Guild of America(DGA) has nominated past winners Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg and relativenewcomers George Clooney, Paul Haggis and Bennett Miller for its 2005Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film award. The DGA award is consideredone of the most accurate predictors of Academy Award success: the Guild'sfeature directing winner ...

  • Reviews

    A New Day In Old Sana'a

    2006-01-05T00:00:00Z

    A classic star-crossed-romance-cum-travelogue set in thealluring capital of Yemen, Bader Ben Hirsi's A New Day In OldSana'a skims over the lives of a doomed couple in a restrictive society.Fascinating forits glimpses into the lives of women in one of the Arab world's poorestcountries, it may prove too light for pure ...

  • News

    Brokeback Mountain leads SAG nominations list

    2006-01-05T00:00:00Z

    Adding further to thethree films' fast-building awards season momentum, Brokeback Mountainhas received four awards nominations from the US Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Capoteand Crash three each.Less expected SAGnominations went to Judi Dench (for Mrs Henderson Presents), Ziyi Zhang(for Memoirs of a Geisha), Amy Adams (for Junebug) and theensemble cast ...

  • News

    Amy Israel joining Paramount Classics

    2006-01-05T00:00:00Z

    Former Miramaxacquisition executive Amy Israel is joining Paramount Classics as executivevice president of production and acquisitions. The appointment is one of thefirst made by John Lesher, named president of the Paramount specialty label twomonths ago. Israel worked atMiramax for eight years during the nineties and was responsible for theacquisition and ...

  • News

    Jon Stewart to host Academy Award ceremony

    2006-01-05T00:00:00Z

    JonStewart, best known as host of US political satire series The Daily Show, has been set to hostthe 78th Academy Awards ceremonyand TV presentation on March 5.Stewarttakes over the job from Chris Rock, who made his first appearance as Oscar hostlast year.Besideshosting cable channel Comedy Central's acclaimed Daily Show, Stewart ...

  • News

    Wong Kar-wai to head Competition jury for Cannes

    2006-01-04T15:35:00Z

    HongKong auteur Wong Kar-wai will head up the Competitionjury for the Cannes Film Festival this year (May 17-28), it was announced today(Jan 4).Thedirector, whose earlyfilm As TearsGo By was screened at Un Certain Regard in 1989 (and marked the first HongKong film ever at the festival), has been a Cannes ...

  • News

    Icelandic film opens 29th Gothenburg Film Festival

    2006-01-04T14:45:00Z

    Icelandic director Sturla Gunnarsson's vikingdrama Beowulf & Grendel will openthe 2006 Gothenburg Film Festival (27 January - 6 February). The film, starringGerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgård, Sarah Polley and Ingvar Sigurdsson, had itsworld premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and will get its US premiere at thePalm Springs Film Festival on ...