All Screen articles in 8 July 2007
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News
Spider-Man 3 drives Sony to cross overseas $1bn in record time
The apocalyptic robots of Transformers just about did enough to keep Bruce Willis at bay as Paramount/DreamWorks' Transformers ruled the overseas market at the weekend. The action epic grossed an estimated $43.6m from 3,503 venues in 29 territories following last weekend's robust take-off and now stands at $93.6m. ...
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Reviews
Simple Things (Prostyje Vesci)
Dir. Alexey Popogrebsky. Russ, 2007. 108mins.Flying solo for the first time after the resounding success of his debut Koktebel (directed with Boris Khlebnikov), Alexey Popogrebsky has opted for an intimate, closely observed story with Simple Things which, just as its title indicates, refrains from more ambitious metaphors and prefers to ...
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Reviews
The Art Of Negative Thinking (Kunsten A Tenke Negativt)
Dir. Bard Breien. Nor. 2007. 79mins.The script Bard Breien wrote for The Art of Negative Thinking, blackly comic debut, may have been intended for the screen, but it could work as well, if not even better, on the stage. Dealing with the type of material that Scandinavian cinema seems unusually ...
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News
Kormakur's Jar City take top honors at Karlovy Vary
Baltasar Kormakur's Icelandic thriller Jar City (pictured above) won the Grand Prix of the 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on July 8.Kormakur and producer Lilja Palmadottir will share the $20,000 cash prize. The film also received the FICC Don Quijote Award. Trust Film Sales is ...
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News
Transformers set to deliver best US first week for non-sequel
Paramount/DreamWorks' sci-fi action blockbuster Transformersobliterated the competition over the weekend, opening on an estimated$67.6m over three days that rose to $152.5m including previews overthe six-day July 4 holiday week.If estimates hold up this will be the biggest first week result for anon-sequel, overtaking Spider-Man's $151.6m mark set in May 2002.Michael ...
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World Cinema Fund gives largest award to Guerra's Wind Journeys
Five projects from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa have been selected by the World Cinema Fund (WCF) from a total of 81 submissions from 28 countries for funding of $313,387 (Euros 230,000).The largest single amount of funding - $81,753 (Euros 60,000) - went to Colombian director Ciro Guerra's ...
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News
Michael Wailes to join UK's Vertigo as head of sales
Vertigo Films has hired Michael Wailes in its new head of sales post. He will start the new position at the end of August.Wailes has worked in theatrical sales for more than 10 years, most recently at Tartan Films. Vertigo's Rupert Preston said: ''We are thrilled that Michael is joining ...
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News
Rupert Friend to star opposite Blunt in The Young Victoria
Rupert Friend has been cast as Prince Albert to Emily Blunt's Queen Victoria in the forthcoming feature The Young Victoria. Jean Marc Vallee will direct from a script by Julian Fellowes. Graham King and Martin Scorsese are producing. Denis O'Sullivan will oversee the project for King's GK Films. The Young ...
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Venice to close with Alexi Tan's debut Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers, the first feature by director Alexi Tan which is produced by John Woo and Terence Chang, will close the Venice Film Festival's 64th edition, out of competition, the Biennale said today. Fortissimo is handling international sales on the project, and already sold a number of territories during the ...
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News
EuropaCorp starts trading on Euronext after $95m IPO
Luc Besson's EuropaCorp made a strong entry to the Euronext today having raised $95.1m (Euros 70m) in an initial public offering. The French mini-major sold 4.51m shares at $21 (Euros 15.5) each, the company said in a statement. Underwriters have the option until August 3 to sell 451,612 further shares ...
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News
Brandenburg gives second state guarantee to Mr Nobody
Jaco van Dormael's latest feature Mr Nobody, based on his own original screenplay, is the second film after Kevin Spacey's Beyond The Sea to be awarded a state guarantee by the Land of Brandenburg. Brandenburg will guarantee up to 80% of the $7.1m (Euros 5:25 m) loan from Commerzbank, which ...
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News
AV Pictures strikes UK deal for The Tournament with Entertainment
AV Pictures has sold UK rights to action thriller The Tournament to Entertainment Film Distributors. The film, starring Robert Carlyle, Ving Rhames and Kelly Hu, is about a fight between the world's greatest assassins. AV likens it to 'a grown-up Battle Royale.' First-time feature director Scott Mann will start shooting ...
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News
Korean films lose market share in first half of 2007
Leading South Korean exhibitor CJ CGV has released statistics for the first half of the year, which place the market share of local films at 47.3%, the lowest since 2001 and down from 59.5% for the same period last year. Local film market share in Seoul - traditionally lower than ...
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News
Transformers expands to 18 new territories; set to cross $100m
Paramount/PPI's Transformers has already amassed $53.5m since opening last weekend and stands a good chance of crossing $100m over the next several days in international markets. The effects-heavy tale of warring robots touches down in 18 new territories this weekend including Russia, Spain and Sweden on July 4. PPI stablemate ...
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News
Experts at Screenwriters Festival call for new Code Of Practice
The status of screenwriters in the film industry and issues raised by the Screenwriters Manifesto have been a frequent subject of debate at the International Screenwriters Festival in Cheltenham, UK (July 3-6). After two days catering to emerging talents, Oscar-winning writer William Nicholson (Gladiator, forthcoming The Golden Age) opened the ...
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News
Remakes: Thai take two
Remake rights for Thai genre movies are increasingly in demand from film-makers in Asia and the US. Silvia Wong reports. Initial Entertainment Group's take on Danny and Oxide Pang's 1999 action thriller Bangkok Dangerous stars Nicolas Cage and is directed by the Pang brothers themselves.It is the first high-budget English-language ...
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Thailand: projects in the pipeline
Thai productions coming to the screen soon, compiled by Silvia Wong. Click on link to be taken to related websiteFirst Flight (completed)Dir: Thanit JitnukulSet during the First World War, a young Thai peasant aspires to become a pilot in the country's first flying division.Contact: Golden Network, (852) 2751 1886www.goldnetasia.comMuay Thai ...
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Thai talent watch: the new vanguard
Silvia Wong highlights the names to watch out for from the Thai film sectorAnanda Everingham, actorAfter debuting in Shutter, the Bangkok-based actor has become one of the most familiar faces in Thai cinema. His films this year include Ploy, Pleasure Factory, Bangkok Time and Queens Of Pattani.Anocha Suwichakornpong, directorAnocha has ...
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Thailand: on the market
Hong Kong action titles and J-horror films have helped whet the global appetite for Thai thrillers and chillers. Silvia Wong reports. He stands just 5'6' tall but Tony Jaa is a giant of Thai cinema. As Thailand's own Jackie Chan, the gymnastic dynamo has helped to kickbox Thai action films ...
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Features
Industry moves
Woods to leave ausfilmAusfilm chief executive Mark Woods will leave the government partnership when his two-year contract expires in August. Woods, who was previously chief executive of the Irish Film Board, said he has achieved the two-year plan he had in mind when he took the top job at Ausfilm.Overture ...