All Screen articles in 30 October 2007

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  • News

    Laura de Casto departs as Tartan announces restructuring

    2007-10-30T23:12:00Z

    Tartan Films has announced a new $6m cash injection and a restructuring that includes the departure of the company's veteran managing director Laura de Casto.She will now pursue opportunities as a producer in the US and UK.Tartan says the $6m convertible loan has been agreed with a private investor group.As ...

  • News

    Lightning Strikes with $20m acquisitions and co-financing fund

    2007-10-30T22:10:00Z

    Santa Monica-based Lightning Entertainment has secured a $20m acquisitions and co-financing fund backed by a private equity investor. The new fund will allow Lightning to acquire commercial films for international distribution as well as provide gap financing and completion monies for films in any stage of production. Co-founders ...

  • News

    Cathay sets up multiplex jv with Dubai's Emaar Malls

    2007-10-30T19:31:00Z

    In its first expansion beyond South-East Asia, Singapore exhibitor Cathay Organisation has set up a joint venture with Dubai 's Emaar Malls. Tapping the expertise of Cathay, a pioneer in the movie entertainment industry since 1935, Reel Entertainment will manage the development of all the multiplexes in 150 malls that ...

  • News

    Millerplanning to tap Australia tax offset for Justice League

    2007-10-30T19:24:00Z

    George Miller (Happy Feet) has confirmed that he hopes to get Australian film status for his next project, a comic book adaptation for Warner Bros starring Batman, Superman and a host of other comic book superheroes. If he is successful, he will be able to claim back 40% of a ...

  • Reviews

    Martian Child

    2007-10-30T16:40:00Z

    Dir: Menno Meyjes. US. 2007. 108minsWell acted if sweetly moralising, Martian Child tells the story of a science fiction writer who adopts an orphaned boy who claims to be from Mars. Based on the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning short story by genre luminary David Gerrold, the film is an extremely ...

  • News

    Danish Film Institute supports $7.2mviking epic

    2007-10-30T06:32:21Z

    Nicolas Winding Refn is getting ready to shoot Valhalla Rising with support from the Danish Film Institute. The national institute is guaranteeing $1.1m (Euros 0.8m) of its $7.2m (Euros 5.1m)budget. National star Mads Mikkelsen plays amute Viking who whileescaping from imprisonment in Scotland accidentally discovers America. The shoot is expected ...

  • News

    Toho to remake Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress

    2007-10-30T04:54:00Z

    Japanese studio Toho is set to produce a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1958 samurai film The Hidden Fortress, to be directed by Shinji Higuchi. Special effects expert Higuchi moved into the director's chair two years ago with submarine thriller Lorelei and had a top ten hit last year with Sinking ...

  • News

    Lumina to sell Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee

    2007-10-30T00:20:00Z

    Robin Wright Penn, Julianne Moore and Winona Ryder will star in Rebecca Miller's adaptation of her own novel The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee.Elevation Filmworks and Plan B Entertainment are producing the comedy-drama, which London-based Lumina will introduce to international buyers at AFM this week. CAA represents North American rights.Filming ...

  • News

    Lionsgate cranks up the action with Lakeshore double

    2007-10-29T23:57:00Z

    Lionsgate has acquired North American rights from Lakeshore Entertainment to the upcoming action thrillers Game, starring Gerard Butler, and Crank 2: High Voltage with Jason Statham (pictured) reprising his original role in the $25m sequel.Lakeshore holds international rights to both titles and is anticipating strong buyer interest at this week's ...

  • News

    Crows: Episode 0 flies to top of Japanese box office

    2007-10-29T22:41:00Z

    Takashi Miike's Crows: Episode 0 grabbed the top spot at the weekend box office in Japan, knocking Fuji TV's Hero down to second place after seven weeks in the number one position. Produced by Fuji rival TBS and released on October 27, Crows grossed $3.49m (Y400m) in its first two ...

  • News

    Favelle launches Sydney-based sales agency

    2007-10-29T22:34:00Z

    Former Arclight Films executive Michael Favelle has been quietly establishing his own sales agency, Odin's Eye Entertainment (OEE), based at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. Favelle said his intention is to handle six to eight projects per year with a focus on independent, genre-driven features in the $1m to $15m ...

  • News

    Gone with the Woman to open Nordic Film Days

    2007-10-29T21:47:00Z

    Norwegian Oscar entry Gone with the Woman (Tatt av kvinnen) will open the competition tomorrow (Oct 31) at the Nordic Film Days.The event in Lubeck, Northern Germany is the largest showcase of Nordic cinema outside Scandinavia.Gone with the Woman director Petter Næss' and lead actors, Trond Fausa Aurvag and Marian ...

  • News

    Iranian films get VOD foothold in North America

    2007-10-29T21:19:00Z

    Video-on-demand service Eurocinema has signed an exclusive deal with Iranian Film Society representative Nima Entertainment to provide Farsi-language Iranian films for Eurocinema's North American audiences.The initial titles are Tahmineh Milani's 2000 drama Two Women, Hassan Hedayat's 2002 mystery Twilight, Cyrus Alvand's 2004 comedy Corrupted Hands, and Mehdi Fakhim-Zadeh's 2003 romantic ...

  • News

    South Of Pico wins big at Annual American Black Film Festival

    2007-10-29T21:04:00Z

    AFI graduate Ernst Gossner's feature directorial debut South Of Pico has won the 11th Annual American Black Film Festival's (ABFF) grand jury prize for best picture.ABFF sponsor Heineken also presented Gossner with its Red Star Award recognising 'originality, innovation and vision in film', while South Of Pico star Henry Simmons, ...

  • News

    US talk show host Letterman initiates election documentary

    2007-10-29T20:59:00Z

    US talk show host David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants Inc will commence filming in five US states on its first documentary this weekend with Lawrence Bender serving as producer.Balance Vector Productions will also produce the untitled film about five American teenagers who are running for a variety of elected ...

  • News

    Santa Barbara singles out Javier Bardem

    2007-10-29T19:57:00Z

    Javier Bardem will receive the 23rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival's (SBIFF) Montecito Award on Jan 28, 2008.Bardem, who stars in the Coen Brothers' upcoming thriller No Country For Old Men and Mike Newell's upcoming epic romance Love In The Time Of Cholera, is being recognised for 'a series of ...

  • News

    Netflix hires Nishimura-Seese for new indie buying role

    2007-10-29T19:52:00Z

    Lisa Nishimura-Seese has joined Netflix in the new role of vice president of independent content acquisition.Nishimura-Seese most recently served as general manager of New York-based Palm Pictures and will be charged with acquiring independent and small studio films for the subscriber base, which according to the company has reached seven ...

  • News

    Courtney named EVP, physical production at Film Dept

    2007-10-29T19:48:00Z

    Kathleen Courtney has been named executive vice president of physical production for Mark Gill and Neil Sacker's The Film Department.Dave Gare has been named vice president of post-production and Ian Watermeier has been named director of production and finance.Courtney will be based in the West Hollywood offices, reporting to production ...

  • Reviews

    Noise

    2007-10-29T15:43:00Z

    Dir/scr: Henry Bean. US. 2007. 91 mins .Noise has an intriguing idea at its core: it centres on a New York resident who begins a one-man guerilla campaign against urban noise pollution. But having hooked us with the tagline, director Henry Bean never seems to be sure quite where to ...

  • Reviews

    Saw IV

    2007-10-29T15:31:00Z

    Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman. US. 2007. 93mins.Cinematic trends come and go, but the resilience of the Saw franchise continues unabated. Grimly efficient in a manner consistent with previous installments, Saw IV demonstrates that this well-oiled horror machine is showing noticeable wear and tear, but nevertheless enough of the moving parts ...