All Screen articles in 24 December 2002

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  • News

    Towering success: Lord Of The Rings sequel goes international

    2002-12-24T00:00:00Z

    The Lord Of The Rings sequel, The Two Towers, flattened competition across the globe in its opening weekend in 25 international territories. Claiming a tremendous $87.9m in its first five days on release (Dec 18-22), the film finished its international launch 38% higher than its predecessor, The Fellowship Of The ...

  • News

    Hero performs heroically in Asian openings

    2002-12-24T00:00:00Z

    Zhang Yimou's Hero broke box office records when it opened in China last Friday (December 20), grossing more than $1.45m (RMB12m) in a single day from 200 screens.According to distributor Beijing New Picture Film Co, the martial arts epic - known as Ying Xiong in Chinese - broke house records ...

  • News

    Rings rules but Kaante and Alabama show there's room for alternatives

    2002-12-24T00:00:00Z

    The UK was no exception to The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers box office take over this weekend, with the sequel taking $13.7m (£8.6m) over the three-day weekend and $20.9m (£13.1m) from its five-day launch.Playing at 501 sites the film, which is distributed in the UK by Entertainment ...

  • News

    Three Swedish features get state funding greenlight

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    Three feature films have been greenlighted after receiving funding from the Swedish Film Institute (SFI).One of Sweden's most popular TV comedy production outfits, Killingganget, will celebrate its ten-year anniversary by making its first feature film. The as yet untitled film, was awarded $668,000 (SEK 6m) from film commissioner Lena Hansson ...

  • News

    Veteran French sales company, Mercure in liquidation

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    France's veteran sales company Mercure Distrbution has been liquidated and will cease its activities in January. One of the last true independent sales agents in France, Jacques Le Glou had recently been rumoured to be selling his catalogue as a way to raise cash but was unable to stave off ...

  • News

    Denmark's Ole Bornedal joins Thura Film

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal has joined long-time collaborator Michael Obel's Thura Film, which was behind his debut hit thriller Nattevagten in 1994. The duo also made the English-language version for Miramax with Ewan McGregor and Nick Nolte in 1998, and worked in the US together for a while. Bornedal's position ...

  • News

    Jean-Jacques Annaud begins shooting Two Brothers

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    After his 1988 film The Bear, Veteran French director Jean-Jacques Annaud is returning to the animal kingdom with a tale of two tigers. The veteran filmmaker, whose recent efforts include last year's Enemy At The Gates and 1997's Seven Years In Tibet, is currently shooting Two Brothers - a tale ...

  • News

    Alliance Atlantis, Focus Features renew distribution deal

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis and Universal's boutique outfit Focus Features have agreed to renew their distribution agreement to December 31, 2005. The deal covers all media in Canada and will include such upcoming titles as Neil LaBute's The Shape Of Things, starring Gretchen Mol, Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, and Frederick Weller, ...

  • News

    Alain Resnais prepares musical comedy for New Year shoot

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    After a five year hiatus, veteran filmmaker Alain Resnais is back with his next project, Pas Sur La Bouche. True to form, Resnais returns with a musical comedy since his last effort, the phenomenally well-received On Connait La Chanson.Pas Sur La Bouche is an adaptation of an operetta originally written ...

  • News

    2002: the united states of cinema

    2002-12-23T04:05:00Z

    When the year began it still seemed that Europe, cinema's ancestral home, was pulling its historical weight again. Jean Marie-Messier was at the helm of Franco-American entertainment conglomerate Vivendi-Universal, Germany's Neuer Markt listed companies were still in the game, and UK mini-studio FilmFour was mounting star-studded productions aimed at the ...

  • News

    Soft Money - Ireland

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    IrelandWith the Section 481 tax incentive, producers can shave an average 12% from their budget by choosing Ireland for location work. Ted Sheehy reportsSteven Spielberg and Alan Parker are just two big-name directors who have made films using Ireland's Section 481 tax incentive for the film and television industry. Along ...

  • News

    Venice to investigate leaving the Lido

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    The high cost of hotel rooms and other logistical headaches have prompted the organisers of the Venice film festival to consider moving the event from the Lido Di Venzia to Venice proper. "We no longer want to submit to the loan-sharking and blackmailing of Lido hotels, whose prices have become ...

  • News

    Soft Money - Germany

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    GermanyDespite the collapse of the Neuer Markt, Germany continues to offer local and international producers rich pickings from an expansive network of regional and state-based film funds. Thomas Clark reportsIn 1999, all an independent producer had to do to find backing for a project was to log on to www.neuermarkt.de, ...

  • News

    Fabritius ejected from Senator post

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    German producer-distributor Senator Entertainment has given executive Juergen Fabritius orders to leave his managerial post at the group's German theatrical arm Senator Film Verleih just days before the Christmas celebrations.Fabritius joined Senator in January 2002 to serve as one of the managing directors with responsibility for marketing and distribution for ...

  • News

    Kosslick gives Berlinale new tolerant motto

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    "Towards Tolerance" will be the motto for the 2003 edition of the forthcoming Berlinale in February.In his first festival as director, Dieter Kosslick last year tagged this year's Berlinale with the phrase "Accept Diversity".According to Kosslick, the Berlinale will "have several films in the programme which deal with topical political ...

  • News

    Bauer moves closer to Kirchmedia deal

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    German publishing giant Bauer and Kirch Gruppe say that they are at long last agreed on the terms of a deal which sees KirchMedia's majority stake in broadcast group ProSiebenSAT1 sold to a Bauer-controlled consortium (see Screendaily, Dec 11).They are believed to have settled on an asking price of $715m ...

  • News

    Arclight shines on Head In The Clouds

    2002-12-23T00:00:00Z

    Arclight Films is to handle worldwide sales on Head In The Clouds, a romance starring Natalie Portman and Penelope Cruz which will be directed by the UK's John Duigan.The film, which spans 1930s England, the Spanish Civil War and occupied Paris, is to start shooting next month. Producing duties are ...

  • News

    Two Towers runs Rings around competition

    2002-12-22T00:00:00Z

    Thesecond instalment of New Line's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, TheTwo Towers, stormed to the top of the North American box office over thethree-day weekend (Dec 20-22) with an estimated $61.5m. Theepic fantasy sequel opened on Wednesday (Dec 18) with $26m and has claimed apowerful estimated $101.5m in its ...

  • News

    95 titles selected for Rotterdam festival main programme

    2002-12-20T18:00:00Z

    International Film Festival Rotterdam 2003Main Programme Features Historias Minimas - Carlos Sorin - Argentina/Spain A Cold Summer - Paul Middleditch - Australia Blue Moon - Andrea Maria Dusl - AustriaNosotros - Diego Martinez Vigna - BelgiumepHop - Dominique Standaert - BelgiumLe Fils - Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne - Belgium/FranceMeisje - ...

  • News

    Post-Soviet Russia film wins at Taiwan documentary fest

    2002-12-20T04:05:00Z

    A film about a remote but beautiful area of post-Soviet Russia, On The Edge Of Time: Male Domains In The Caucasus, was awarded the grand prize at this year's Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF), which was held in Taipei from December 5-15.Produced by Germany's Applause Film Media, the 90-minute film ...