Screen
24 July 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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The Circle Conference to run October 9-11 in Abu Dhabi
The Circle Conference 2009, a development initiative aimed at creating new filmmaking opportunities in the Middle East, is looking for applicants. -
A Squared teams with AOL for children's webisodes
Andy Heyward and Amy Moynihan have launched new Los Angeles-based A Squared Entertainment LLC, a new children’s media company. -
A tale of two industries
The British industry has been reported to be doing well, but is it a fair assessment? -
Actor Josh Radnor finishes shoot for directorial debut
Actor Josh Radnor has finished principal photography on his feature film directorial debut, HappyThankYouMorePlease. -
Adam
Dir. Max Mayer.US.2009 -
Alcon fast tracks Prisoners script for 2010 Warner Bros release
Warner Bros-based Alcon Entertainment has acquired the spec script Prisoners and is planning to finance the project and produce with 8:38 Productions and Madhouse Entertainment. -
Andrew Adamson to direct adaptation of Mister Pip
Andrew Adamson, director of the first two Shrek and Chronicles Of Narnia films, has written and will direct an adaptation of Lloyd Jones’ novel, Mister Pip. -
Angelopoulos will give master class in Montreal
Greek director Theo Angelopoulos will give a master class at the Montreal World Film Festival. -
Apted starts Australian shoot for Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, the third film in the franchise, started shooting today (July 27) on location in Queensland, Australia. -
Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal join Braden King's Armenia-set Here
Ben Foster and Lubna Azabal have joined the cast of Braden King’s road-trip romance Here. -
Beneath Hill 60 starts shooting in Australia
Jeremy Sims’ Beneath Hill 60 - The Silent War has started shooting in Townsville, Australia. -
Bryce Dallas Howard to replace Lefrevre in Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Summit Entertainment has announced that actress Bryce Dallas Howard will take over the role of Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. -
Chengdu, I Love You to close Venice Film Festival
Chengdu, I Love You will close this year’s Venice Film Festival out of the competition. The film, co-directed by Fruit Chan and rock star Cui Jian, will be screened after the awards ceremony on September 12. -
Chinese anti-smoking group calls for a ban on smoking scenes
A group of 40 Chinese film and TV actors have endorsed a move to ban scenes featuring smoking and tobacco products from film and TV programs -
Cinemart picks up Karlovy titles Whisky With Vodka and A Matter Of Size
Czech distributor Cinemart has picked up two Karlovy Vary titles: Whisky With Vodka and A Matter Of Size. -
CME strikes deal to acquire Romania's MediaPro
Bermuda-based TV company Central European Media Enterprises (CME) is to acquire MediaPro Entertainment, from MediaPro Management and MediaPro BV.Romania-based MediaPro Entertainment produces and distributes TV fiction and films and also owns MediaPro Studios, outside of Bucharest, one of the largest studio/production facilities in Central and Eastern Europe.CME will pay $10m in cash and 2.2m CME shares. MediaPro Mangement and MediaPro BV will also get the right to buy up to 850, -
Coco Before Chanel
Dir: Anne Fontaine. Fr.2009. -
Cronenberg comes on board for DeLillo adaptation Cosmopolis
David Cronenberg has signed on to bring Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis to the big screen. -
Curse of the time bandits
As Harry Potter racks up its 15th hour of celluloid adventure and the Transformers battle it out for two-and-a-half hours, Mike Goodridge is watching the clock. -
Douglas Parrish, Drake Pruitt join Ascent Media Group
California-based Ascent Media Group has hired Douglas Parrish as executive vice president of operations and Drake Pruitt as senior vice president of business development. -
Editorial Calendar
Screen International’s editorial calendar - August-November 2009. -
Eurocentric Venice Critics' Week to present Berlusconi project Videocracy
The 24th edition of the Critics’ Week has unveiled a line up of ten world premiere first features to be presented at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival (Sept 2-12). -
Forbidden Door takes top honours at PiFan
The Forbidden Door, a thriller from Indonesian director Joko Anwar, was awarded the Best of Puchon prize at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) on Thursday night. -
Fox to launch trailer, footage from Cameron's Avatar in August
20th Century Fox and director James Cameron are planning “Avatar Day” for August 21. -
From conception to Womb
Could his contemporary fairy tale about cloning, starring Eva Green and Matt Smith, push Hungarian director Benedek Fliegauf into the mainstream? Martin Blaney visits the German set of Womb. -
Germany's DFFF halves support over first six months of 2009
The German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) has supported 50% fewer projects over the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year. -
G-Force
Dir. Hoyt Yeatman.US.2009 -
G-Force beats Harry Potter 6 to top of North American box office
The young wizard’s domination of the North American box office surprisingly only lasted one week, thanks to some adventurous guinea pigs. -
Hanif Kureishi to adapt The White Tiger for Smuggler, Ascension
New York-based Smuggler Films has signed famed UK screenwriter Hanif Kureishi to adapt Man Booker Prize-winning novel The White Tiger for the big screen. -
IFTA renews contracts with Jean Prewitt and Jonathan Wolf
The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) has renewed the contracts of President/CEO Jean Prewitt and Executive VP/AFM managing director Jonathan Wolf until 2012. -
IMAX strikes deal with VieShow for 6 more theatres in Taiwan
IMAX has struck a deal with leading Taiwanese exhibitor VieShow to add an additional six IMAX cinemas in Taiwan. -
India digs for box-office gold
A surge in multiplex construction is expected in the still under-screened Indian market now the producers’ strike is over. But can air-conditioning and plush seats alone finally prise open the box office for foreign films? -
Japanese box office up 17.6% in first half of 2009
Japanese box office earnings for the first half of 2009 totaled $990.87m (Y93.9b), a 17.6.% increase over the same period last year. -
Julie & Julia
Dir: Nora Ephron.US.2009. -
Macrograph, Entourage line up Korea’s first 3D horror
Korean visual effects house Macrograph and production company Entourage are joining forces on Korea’s first 3D horror film, Soul Mate, to be directed by Kim Ji-hwan. -
Magnolia takes a shine to Cheryl Hines’ Serious Moonlight
Mangolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Cheryl Hines’ Serious Moonlight, which had its world premiere in Tribeca. -
Myles Nestel's new Merlina to back projects budgeted at $15m-$30m
UK film financier Myles Nestel has parted ways with Oceana Media Finance to form the Los Angeles-based financing and production outfit Merlina Entertainment. -
NAFF’s second edition praised by guests
PiFan’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) wrapped its second edition (July 20-23), with guests applauding the quality of the project meetings, and the impressive roster of decision-makers that it managed to attract. -
Nolan's Inception starts shoot across five countries
Warner Bros has started production on Christopher Nolan’s Inception, which started shooting in the UK on July 13. -
Oscilloscope acquires North American rights to thriller Terribly Happy
US independent distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Danish thriller Terribly Happy (Frygtelig Lykkelig). -
Palmer, Maklouf, Copti join Doha Tribeca Film Festival
Amanda Palmer has been appointed executive director of the new Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF). -
Paths of glory
The historical thriller Glorious 39 is Stephen Poliakoff’s first film for 10 years and will have its world premiere at Toronto. -
Peace Arch sets Fragments for US release on July 31
Peace Arch Entertainment has announced a theatrical release for Fragments in New York on July 31, followed by Los Angeles in August 7. -
Perfect pitch
One of the biggest challenges facing the producers of a wave of new low-budget UK music films is how to afford the crucial soundtrack rights. -
Perry gears up for fight
As the Irish government considers scrapping the Irish Film Board, Simon Perry tells Geoffrey Macnab why the board is vital to Irish film culture. -
PicturePlay to launch with Levinson's City Of Angels
US producers Janet Harrison and Scott Rosenfelt have launched bi-coastal production company PicturePlay Films to make films with budgets ranging from $5m-$20m. -
Pirate Bay operators face fresh legal challenge
File-sharing site The Pirate Bay is facing a new legal challenge after 13 Hollywood studios launched a lawsuit on Tuesday (July 28) in a bid to close the website down. -
Poliakoff's Glorious 39 to world premiere in Toronto
UK writer-director Steven Poliakoff’s war-time thriller Glorious 39 will make its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, as TIFF added eight Special Presentations to its lineup today. -
San Sebastian's Spanish titles include new films from Campanella, Rebollo
San Sebastian has revealed an impressive line-up of Spanish films for its official selection and New Directors section, including multi award winning director Fernando Trueba’s new drama The Dancer And The Thief and Oscar nominee Juan Jose Campanella’s The Secret In Their Eyes. -
Screen Australia's development plans include internship at Film 4
The UK’s Film 4 figures in Screen Australia’s new plans to help early-career filmmakers to make outstanding Australian content. -
Screen Media pacts for Deon Taylor's Dead Tone
Screen Media Films has struck a distribution partnership with Deon Taylor Enterprises/Vista Taylor for the thriller Dead Tone. -
Serbian actress Karanovic to lead Sarajevo feature competition jury
The Sarajevo Film Festival has announced the juries for its 15th edition (August 12-20), with Serbian actress Mirjana Karanovic (Here And There, Grbavica, Das Fraulein) leading the feature competition jury. -
SnagFilms continues SummerFest with online screening of 45365
SXSW best documentary winner 45365, directed by Bill and Turner Ross, will screen exclusively on the SnagFilms.com Distribution Network for one week from July 31-August 6. -
Sony Classics on board for Zhang Yimou's Blood Simple remake
Sony Pictures Classics is partnering on Zhang Yimou’s next project, an as-yet-untitled remake of the Coen Brothers’ 1984 title, Blood Simple. -
Sony extends De Luca's first-look deal through 2011
Sony Pictures Entertainment has extended its first-look deal with producer Michael De Luca through 2011. -
Spanish financiers tune in to Lope
Spain is hoping to tap into the revival of the swashbuckler with Lope, the story of 16th playwright Lope De Vega, directed by Brazil’s Andrucha Waddington and shot in Morocco. -
Sundream joins IHQ and Polybona for Let’s Fall in Love
Hong Kong-based Sundream Motion Pictures joins Korean IHQ and Beijing’s Polybona Film Distribution as investors for Hong Kong filmmaker Lee Kung-lok’s romantic comedy Let’s Fall in Love, which starts shooting in Beijing on July 24. -
Taylor Hackford replaces Apted as DGA president
Taylor Hackford has been elected as president of the Directors Guild Of America (DGA), succeeding Michael Apted. He ran unopposed for the two-year term. -
Telefilm, CFC, Just For Laughs pact for feature comedy lab
Telefilm Canada, the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Just For Laughs have joined to launch the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab, a program to develop theatrical feature-length comedies. -
The strength of independent ties
Metrodome and Palisades Tartan are the latest to strike a deal, as distributors are forced to make alliances in a changing market. -
The X man
Invigorated by his success at this year’s Cannes with The White Ribbon, German producer Stefan Arndt of X-Filme explains his vision for getting arthouse cinema into production. -
TIFF to host premieres from Coen brothers, Barrymore
Joel and Ethan Coen’s no-name black comedy A Serious Man will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). -
UK cinemas report bumper six months
Cinema attendance in the UK is up by 14.5% over the first half of the year, according to the latest figures from Film Distributor’s Association (FDA). -
UK summons Antichrist, France hosts The Young Victoria
ScreenDaily takes a look at the local and independent openings in key markets this week, including Kinowelt’s Friends Forever in Germany and Italian hit Ex moving into Spain. -
University of Salford recognised as Skillset Media Academy
The University of Salford has become the latest higher education institution to be recognised as a Skillset Media Academy. -
Venice Days to host nine feature world premieres
The Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days sidebar will feature nine world premieres in its sixth edition. -
Venice Film Festival competition jury announced
The Venice Film Festival has finalised the international competition jury for its upcoming edition. -
Venice Film Festival full line-up
The 66th Venice Film Festival full programme. -
Venice jurors to include Gina Kim, Ramin Bahrani, Stuart Gordon
The Venice Biennale has announced the international juries for three sections. -
Warner pushes past $1bn international mark with Potter at $405m
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince has pushed Warner Bros Pictures International past the $1bn mark in international box office, marking the studio’s ninth consecutive year meeting that threshold. -
Where's the profit in online distribution?
People have been saying for years that the future of film distribution is online. John Flahive, managing director of Wavelength Pictures, is still waiting for a viable business model. -
World premiere of Fantastic Mr Fox to open London Film Festival
The Times BFI London Film Festival will open October 14 with the world premiere of Fantastic Mr Fox from director Wes Anderson. -
Writers Guild West confirms candidates for 2009 election
The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) has announced the final slate of candidates for its 2009 election for officers and board of directors.
