Screen
6 Dec 2012

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Cineworld acquires Picturehouse for £47.3m

UPDATED: Cinema chain says it will not cut staff or change programming; “A lot of new jobs” in the next few years, Picturehouse MD tells Screen.
German funds back new projects by Akin, Aladag and Verhoeven

Christmas has come early this year for Germany’s producers as national and regional funds paid out a total of more than €12m production support to such filmmakers as Fatih Akin, Feo Aladag, Rosa von Praunheim and Simon Verhoeven in their last funding sessions for 2012.
Peter Aalbaek Jensen will step down as Zentropa CEO in February 2015

His credits include Love Is All You Need, A Royal Affair and forthcoming Nymphomaniac.
75 original songs make it to Oscar longlist

Music branch members will receive a “reminder list” of the submissions and a DVD copy of song clips.
AAM strikes deal with Spain's Cines ABC for digital conversion

Arts Alliance Media to convert 55 of Cines ABC screens to digital.
Academy announces 104-strong score longlist

Officials will make available a ‘reminder list’ of original score submissions along with a nominations ballot to all members of the music branch.
Adam Wimpenny starts shooting debut feature Blackwood in London

EXCLUSIVE: Ed Stoppard, Sophia Myles, and Russell Tovey star in the supernatural thriller.
AFAC shows support for dozen

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) unveiled the 12 film projects to receive support in its latest round of funding at the close of the Dubai Film market yesterday.
Alejandro González Iñárritu to tackle comedy

The Mexican auteur behind such intense work as Babel and Biutiful has lined up a dramatic change of direction and plans to direct Birdman from a screenplay he co-wrote with Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo.
Alexandre Desplat

Acclaimed composer Alexandre Desplat talks about the challenges of covering a wide range of moods in his score for Rise of the Guardians. By Katherine Krueger.
American Film Institute unveils 10 best films of 2012

Life Of Pi, Argo and Beasts Of The Southern Wild are among the Institute’s honours roster, while The Master, Flight and The Hobbit fail to make the cut.
Amy Adams to receive Santa Barbara Vanguard honour

The star of The Master will collect the 28th Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Cinema Vanguard Award on Jan 31.
Anurag Basu

Anurag Basu talks to Screen about Barfi!, India’s official entry for consideration in the Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category.
Baby, How’d We Ever Get This Way begins shooting

EXCLUSIVE: Principal photography is underway in Toronto on Scythia Films and Phenomenal Films’ Baby, How’d We Ever Get This Way.
Bad Kids Go To Hell

Dir: Matthew Spradlin. US. 2012. 92mins
Baftas’ glory

As Bafta season intensifies, Geoffrey Macnab looks at the streamlined voting process and how this year’s nominations will be revealed just before those of the Oscars.
Batata, Night, Murdoch scoop top DFC prizes

Lebanese feature documentary Batata, contemporary Tunisian drama A Full Moon Night and Jordanian producer Rula Nasser’s Me, Myself And Murdoch won the top three prizes of $25,000 each at the close of DIFF’s co-production market Dubai Film Connection.
BBFC to tighten policy on sexual and sadistic violence

British film censor to tighten policy on sexual and sadistic violence in response to recent report in which public expresses concern.
beActive certified in Research, Development and Innovation Management Systems

Company is the first production company to be certified in the NP 4457:2007 standards.
Bekas

Dir/scr: Karzan Kader. Sweden-Finland-Iraq. 2012. 92mins
Ben Smithard: 'It’s important that you give the DoP the choice of the camera to shoot with'

Ben Smithard speaks to ScreenTech about Belle - the first major British film to be shot in true-4K - and discusses the past, present and future of cinematography.
Berberian Sound Studio, Broken, The Imposter lead winners at BIFAs

UPDATE: Berberian Sound Studio scooped the biggest haul of trophies at the 15th British Independent Film Awards but was beaten to the Best Film prize by Rufus Norris’ drama Broken.
BFI announces 24 regional partners for Film Academy

Regional partners include Met Film School, Revolver, Cornerhouse, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, The Watershed Arts Trust and Reel Solutions; number of young people involved has been significantly scaled back after budget concerns.
BIFAs: the British are voting

Many of this year’s nominated films may be less well known than in previous years, but they lie at the heart of what the BIFAs stand for. Ian Sandwell reports.
Boe Følsgaard, Rosendahl among 2013 Shooting Stars

Ten up-and-coming European acting talents unveiled for European Film Promotion’s Shooting Stars showcase at next year’s Berlinale.
Boehm moves to Icon Australia

Susan Boehm will take up a new Sydney-based role as head of acquisitions and development at Icon Film Distribution in January.
Bradley Cooper to receive Desert Palm Achievement

The star of Silver Linings Playbook will collect his honour at the 24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) gala on Jan 5.
Calcio Storico triumphs at 3D Film Mart

This year’s 3D Stereo MEDIA event also hosted the inaugural International 3D Society Europe Awards.
Chuck Comisky: “3D will not save a bad movie”

Screen talks to the visual effects supervisor who worked with James Cameron on the likes of Ghosts of the Deep and Avatar.
CINELAN focuses on award finalists

New York-based short film programme CINELAN has announced the 20 finalists in its $200,000 Focus Forward Filmmaker Competition which include films about a low-cost solution to landmine clearance and a model Indian village.
Cinema Next to become dcinex UK

Agreement with dcinex will allow Cinema Next to extend its range of activities.
Clover sells Boys To Men to Star Chinese Movies

Singapore’s Clover Films has sold pay-TV rights in multiple Southeast Asian territories to Jack Neo’s Ah Boys To Men to STAR Chinese Movies.
Creative England backs projects from Whitfield, Al-Daradji, Haigh

Creative England has backed development projects from Terence Davies, Andrew Haigh, Nick Whitfield, Mohamed Al-Daradji, David Whitney and Shona Auerbach.
Credit where credit is due

Why the UK Film Tax Relief is essential for the health of local productions, including big films like Les Misérables.
Dailies: Film Bazaar 2012

Browse Screen International’s daily editions from Film Bazaar 2012, which ran from Nov 21-24 in Goa, India.
Daniel Battsek named president of Cohen Media Group

The experienced British executive has resurfaced after most recently serving as president of National Geographic Films.
Danny Dyer has Vendetta for Chata Pictures

EXCLUSIVE: Danny Dyer, Kate Magowan and Josef Altin to star in UK vigilante drama Vendetta from Chata Pictures.
Dassault Systemes unveils ambitious 3D Paris project, two years in the making

Visualisation software company offers historical cross-media project, which includes documentary film.
David Harewood in talks to play Paul Robeson

The British star of the US TV smash Homeland is in discussions to play the lead in Four Stars International’s civil rights activist biopic.
David Kornblum to receive CinemaCon Passepartout Award

The knowledgeable and popular Disney executive will collect the honour at CinemaCon’s International Day Luncheon on Apr 15 in Las Vegas.
DCAA launches Emirati filmmaker project

The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (DCAA) has commissioned three Emirati filmmakers - Ali F. Mostafa, Nayla Al Khaja and Khalid Ali - to make short films for a new cultural initiative, Soul Of Dubai.
Distribution round-up: Anchor Bay, RADiUS-TWC strike pact

Anchor Bay will distribute the RADiUS-TWC slate on DVD and Blu-ray. Also in action on Tuesday: BAM and Well Go USA; Zeitgeist; Kaleidescape and Warner Bros Digital Distribution; and BoPaul Media Worldwide.
Distributors network MEDIS sets out objectives

Recently launched Middle East distributors network MEDIS set its first objectives at an inaugural general assembly in Dubai on Monday (Dec 10).
Django Unchained

Dir/scr: Quentin Tarantino. US. 2012. 165mins
Doggie Style

The Fido Awards recognised the most captivating canines on screen this year.
Dowd and Ireland join Louisiana festival

Producer and distributor Jeff Dowd and director Dan Ireland have been named co-artistic directors of the new Louisiana International Film Festival and Mentorship Program (LIFF).
Dubai is cast in central role

Dubai International Film Festival (Dec 9-16) is welcoming international stars alongside up-and-coming local talent in its mission to boost cinema and film-making in the region.
EC reveals plans for copyright in the digital age

European Commission agrees on two-track action to ensure copyright stays “fit for purpose” in the digital economy.
Egypt’s Zad goes into exile with Mact Productions

Amr Waked and Salah Al-Hanafy’s Cairo-based Zad Communication is embarking on its first international co-production, teaming with Paris-based Mact Productions on The Exile, a romantic and political drama set against the backdrop of Luxor in the 1980s.
Egyptian film rebels form breakaway union

Independent film movement takes root in Cairo challenging film and TV industry’s old guard.
Errors Of The Human Body

Dir: Eron Sheean. US-Germany. 2012. 100mins
Eurimages mulls border extension

Pan-European production fund Eurimages is mulling how it can extend cooperation beyond the borders of its 36 member states, executive director Roberto Olla revealed at a Film Forum panel on the body on Wednesday.
Euromed spearheads launch of MENA distributors network

A consortium of around 20 distributors from across the Middle East has launched a new regional network, provisionally called MEDIS.
Exclusive Media launches TV division

Division to be headed by Exclusive/Hammer’s Simon Oakes [pictured].
Exhibitors claim EC's attempts to influence release schedules threaten European film industry

In an open letter, leading organisations representing European cinema exhibitors warn ministers that attempts by the European Commission threaten the future of theatrical exhibition.
FCCE to open office in Los Angeles

Rene Mioch (pictured) heads LA operations.
Film4.0 readies new projects with Entwistle, Shynola

EXCLUSIVE: Screen talks to Anna Higgs, Film4.0’s head, about its busy slate including films from Ben Wheatley and collective Shynola.
First Afghan web TV channel launches

Kabul and Dubai-based producer Hamida Aman has launched Afghanistan’s first web TV channel Globox.tv, tapping into the country’s burgeoning social media culture.
First Berlinale Competition titles unveiled

Selections include Ulrich Seidl’s Paradise: Hope and Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land.
Flying lessons

Robert Zemeckis’ Flight has the feel of a 1970s drama, the budget of an indie film and the box-office trajectory of a sleeper hit. John Hazelton speaks to Zemeckis and stars Denzel Washington and Kelly Reilly.
Foxtel tightens grasp on Australia's pay TV movie market

Australia’s Movie Network Channels (MNC) has lost its battle to survive and, while there is a lot of uncertainty around the impact, it is going to mean lower prices being paid in Australia for both studio and independent films.
France set to boost film tax incentives

Ceiling on Tax Rebate for International Production (TRIP) could rise $12.9 m (€10m) from $5.1m (€4m).
Front Row hunts down Bloodsport, Reykjavik

Front Row Entertainment, the Dubai-based distributor that is among the world’s most prolific pre-buyers of independent films, has added several more titles to its brimming release slate.
Glenn Close, Nick Nolte join Always On My Mind

The Golden Globe-winning pair have signed on to Occupant Entertainment’s music-driven drama.
Golden Globe nominees react with dignity and delight

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) on Thursday (13) rewarded an eclectic group of contenders with Lincoln on top with seven nominations, followed by Django Unchained and Argo on five each and Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook on four apiece.
Gravitas Ventures, Variance Films find End Of Love

The companies will partner on the widely admired Sundance 2012 drama by Mark Webber.
Guardians edges out Twilight to rule international on $26m

DreamWorks Animation’s Rise Of The Guardians dominated a tight international session as the family release reached an estimated $90.5m in its fourth weekend through Paramount Pictures International (PPI).
Guardians rises to the top of the UK box office

Paramount’s animation jumps two places to overhaul Skyfall; Momentum’s Seven Psychopaths debuts with $1.8m (£1.1m), including previews.
Helen Mirren to receive PSIFF International Star Award

The Oscar earned a SAG lead actress nomination earlier on Wednesday (12) for her performance as Alma Reville in Hitchcock. She will collect her honour on Jan 5 in Palm Springs.
Hot projects on Screenbase

Ed Speleers and Will Poulter will star in Plastic, while Scott Free Productions has plans to adapt The Fishing Fleet.
Hunting the box-office bounty

On the eve of the release of Django Unchained, Ian Sandwell charts the global performance of Quentin Tarantino’s most recent films.
Ibrahim El Batout, Winter Of Discontent

Ibrahim El Batout talks to Screen about his latest film Winter of Discontent.
Image Nation unveils third Emirati picture

Image Nation Abu Dhabi has signed Emirati director Mohammed Saeed Harib for its third local feature film - a family comedy about a disgraced football player who redeems himself as a coach for a failing team at an Abu Dhabi high school.
Impossible sinks Titanic record in Spain

Tsunami drama has also started strongly in France and Thailand, where the film is set.
India's indie filmmakers question new wave

The concept of the Indian New Wave has been over-hyped and doesn’t reflect the current situation in Indian cinema, said Miss Lovely director Ashim Ahluwalia at a DIFF Forum panel yesterday.
Ingenious responds to Commons questioning

Spokesperson says committee hearing was “completely unsatisfactory.”
Iraqi-Kuwaiti filmmakers join forces in Babylon

Iraqi-Italian Haider Rashid and Kuwaiti Abdullah Boushahri recently collaborated on It’s About To Rain (Sta Per Piovere).
Jack Reacher

Dir: Christopher McQuarrie. US. 2012. 130mins
Jacqueline Durran

UK costume designer Jacqueline Durran continues her collaboration with Joe Wright on Anna Karenina, creating costumes lush enough for 1870s Russia yet with a modern twist. Wendy Mitchell reports
James Bond produces $11m to dominate North America

In a slow session Skyfall leapfrogged The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 to reclaim its earlier number one spot and reach $261.6m after five weekends.
Kaushik Ganguly

Kaushik Ganguly talks to Screen about his latest feature Sound.
Khairy Beshara

Marking a return to feature filmmaking after 16 years, Khairy Beshara talks to Screen about experimental docu-drama Moondog.
Les Arcs 2012: snow business

A blend of screenings and skiing is helping to put Les Arcs European Film Festival (Dec 15-22) on the end-of-year calendar.
Les Mis premiere hits high note

It was an appropriately star-studded evening in London last night for the world premiere of the star-studded film adaptation of Les Misérables.
Les Misérables

Dir: Tom Hooper. UK-US. 2012. 157mins
Les Misérables: a revolutionary new approach

For the veterans behind Les Misérables, it was a film of firsts – including the bold move to capture actors singing live on set. Wendy Mitchell talks to the team that brought the iconic musical to life on screen.
Let the games begin

TargetMCG has decorated its London office to match a custom-build holiday game that will benefit a local soup kitchen.
Lincoln leads the way with seven Golden Globe nods

The Master garners actor noms but misses out on Best Film nod; Tom Hooper, Paul Thomas Anderson miss out on Best Director nods.
Lincoln, Les Miserables dominate Critics’ Choice nods

DreamWorks’ Abraham Lincoln saga earned a record 13 nominations on Tuesday [11] followed by Universal’s Les Miserables on 11 and The Weinstein Company’s Silver Linings Playbook on 10.
London Film School launches MA in Film Business with University of Exeter

Scott Meek to chair advisory board.
Los Angeles critics honour Amour, The Master

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named (9) Michael Haneke’s meditation on mortality, Amour, the 2012 film of the year. Best picture runner-up The Master is a major presence, earning four awards including best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
Marsden set for Walk of Shame

James Marsden has joined the cast of the Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment comedy Walk of Shame, taking a leading role alongside Elizabeth Banks.
Marshall Lewy options rights to The Impostor’s Daughter

The director of California Solo will adapt Laurie Sandell’s Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel through his company Zambry Films and plans to direct.
Masharawi wraps West Bank-set Palestine Stereo

Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi has wrapped his latest feature Palestine Stereo and is looking for post-production finance, according to Tunisian producer Habib Attia of Cinetelefilms.
MDA unveils grant recipients under new scheme

Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) has announced the eight local directors who have each been awarded $205,000 (S$250,000) under the inaugural New Talent Feature Grant (NTFG).
Michael Apted plots Eight Months

EXCLUSIVE: UK director Michael Apted is set to direct an adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novel Eight Months on Ghazzah Street, which he plans to shoot in the Middle East.
Monaliza heads to Marrakech

Distributor and exhibitor Marrakech Spectacles has picked up Moroccan rights for Jordanian director Fadi G. Haddad’s romantic comedy When MonaLiza Smiled, which is screening in DIFF’s Muhr Arab Feature competition.
Mythopolis unwraps Afterimages at ScreenSingapore

Singapore production company Mythopolis Pictures announced the production of Tony Kern’s horror film Afterimages at the on-going ScreenSingapore conference.
Namibia mulls production incentive

The Namibian Film Commission (FC) is considering the introduction of incentives for international productions shooting in the southern African country, which is fast becoming a hot new international location.
Network Distributing acquires rights to 450 films from StudioCanal library

EXCLUSIVE: British classics include On The Fiddle starring Sean Connery [pictured].
New projects from Kobayashi, Nyholm and Lanthimos among CineMart's 2013 selections

International Film Festival Rotterdam unveils 32 projects selected, as well as the three producers to receive Hubert Bals Fund Plus grant.
Northern Soul wraps, producers eye summer 2013 release

Elaine Constantine, has completed filming on the UK drama starring Elliot Langridge and Josh Whitehouse and featuring Lisa Stansfield and Steve Coogan.
NULYX headphone technology aims to intensify audience emotion

The NULYX technology uses a pulsed signal from a smartphone app to the Bluetooth headphones to activate more vivid and realistic experiences.
Odeon to have Europe’s widest HFR Hobbit release

Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s classic will be rolled out in HFR in 100 cinemas.
Pachachi wins IWC Schaffhausen filmmaker award

Maysoon Pachachi was presented with the $100,000 IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Award for her project Nothing Doing In Baghdad at a glittering ceremony at the Dubai International Film Festival last night.
PACT and BECTU mull end to crew buy-out model

EXCLUSIVE: Current buy-out model could be replaced with hourly rate; cost-neutral reform of blue book scheduled for March 2013.
Palm Springs career award for Sally Field

The 24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is to present two-time Oscar-winning actress Sally Field with its career achievement award.
Paul Trijbits departs Ruby and boards JK Rowling project

Ruby Films MD Paul Trijbits has left the company and boarded BBC series The Casual Vacancy as executive producer.
Peter Strickland, Rook Films line up The Duke of Burgundy

Rook Films to produce Strickland’s third feature, described as “a dark melodrama” about an amateur moth collector.
PGA to stage annual Produced By conference in June

The event will take place at 20th Century Fox Studios in Century City, from Jun 8-9.
Playing For Keeps

Dir: Gabriele Muccino. US-Italy. 2012. 105mins
Production round-up: Brett Ratner, James Packer launch Ratpac

Australian casino entrepreneur James Packer has united with the Hollywood filmmaker and is personally bankrolling the film finance, development and production outfit. Separately, Los Angeles-based Esperanza Films and Thailand’s Angel Bear Productions have started a production parternship.
Production update: La Ultima Pelicula lines up Dec 16 start

Principal photography is scheduled to begin in and around Yucatán, Mexico, on Raya Martin and Mark Peranson’s sub-$100,000 fiction-documentary hybrid.
PSIFF unveils Awards Buzz, Modern Masters, Scandi sidebar

Forty-two of the 71 foreign language Oscar submissions will compete for FIPRESCI awards and Palm Springs International Film Festival director Darryl Macdonald and artistic director Helen du Toit announced the inaugural Nordic Light strand.
Quartet co-producer DCM boards Buck's second children's film

DCM, the Berlin-based German co-producer of Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut Quartet, is to produce Detlev Buck’s second children’s film after his 2007 adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s Hands Off Mississippi.
Ramsay and Colman receive WFTV awards

Director Lynne Ramsay and actress Olivia Colman were among those honoured at the Sky Women in Film and Television Awards 2012.
Rotterdam starts new competition for films without Benelux distribution

The International Film Festival Rotterdam is introducing a new competition that aims to support film distribution in Dutch cinemas.
Rotterdam to open with Resurrection of a Bastard

The 42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam will open on Jan 23 with the world premiere of The Resurrection of a Bastard by Dutch director Guido van Driel.
Saints team in tandem on The Cycle

Musa Syeed, director of Kashmir-set Valley Of Saints, is re-teaming with producer Nicholas Bruckman and DoP Yoni Brook to shoot his next feature The Cycle in the Republic of Yemen.
Samantha Morton, Michael Shannon join The Harvest

International sales agent Elephant Eye Films announced the development on Wednesday (12). John McNaughton will direct from a screenplay by Stephen Lancellotti.
Scott Free options bestseller on imperial marriage market

EXCLUSIVE: Scott Free snaps up Anne de Courcy’s social history The Fishing Fleet.
Screen Actors Guild unveils 19th Annual Awards nods

Denzel Washington and John Hawkes are among the male lead performers while Helen Mirren, Marion Cotillard and Naomi Watts feature in the female lead category.
ScreenSingapore's new format wins industry approval

The 2nd ScreenSingapore event closed Friday (Dec 7), held in conjunction for the first time with the Asian TV Forum & Market (ATF), with attendees saying it was an improvement on last year’s event, although the market itself was more focused on television than film.
Seven Stars forms joint venture with Arad Productions

Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Entertainment is forming a joint venture with US producer Avi Arad (The Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man) and his company Arad Productions, to develop superhero franchise properties.
SFFS, Kenneth Rainin award grants to six filmmakers

The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation have announced the six recipients of grants totalling $300,000 to fund the next stage of their production.
Sheridan Smith, Jaime Winstone, Kate Nash join DJ Films’ Powder Room

Director MJ Delaney’s feature debut, based on hit Edinburgh play, is shooting now in London.
Shout! Factory takes two from EuropaCorp

In a deal with French studio EuropaCorp, Shout! Factory has acquired US home entertainment, digital and broadcast rights to CG animated feature A Monster In Paris and Luc Besson’s adventure film The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec.
Showbox takes on Jang Joon-hwan's Hwayi

Korea’s Showbox/Mediaplex has announced it is investing in, distributing and selling Save The Green Planet director Jang Joon-hwan’s highly-anticipated second film Hwayi, starring Kim Yun-seok (The Thieves).
Skyfall becomes biggest-ever global release for Sony

Sony, MGM and Eon’s James Bond smash added $20.3m internationally to reach $656.6m and a number one North American haul of $11m for $261.6m to overtake Sony’s previous best of $890m set by Spider-Man 3.
Slamdance announces narrative, doc sections

The Slamdance Film Festival has announced the films in its narrative and documentary feature competitions, among them 13 world premieres and seven US premieres.
Speleers, Poulter and Allen to star in Plastic

EXCLUSIVE: An international thriller based on the true story of an audacious diamond heist is to star Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey), Will Poulter (Wild Bill) and Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones).
Spirit of independence

Cloud Atlas is a $100m epic spanning centuries and continents; and no matter your review of the final film, you have to admire the project’s ambitions.
Starfield unites Under the Bombs team in London

Quartet behind 2007 road move shot against backdrop of 2006 Lebanese War reunites for comedy, provisionally entitled London Haram.
Status Quo set to rock Berlin market

EXCLUSIVE: Status Quo are set to rock next February’s Berlinale as they join the army of sellers at the festival’s parallel European Film Market (EFM).
Sundance Institute sets touring film roster

Festival top brass have selected the 10 entries and arthouse venues that comprise the Sundance Film Festival USA.
Sundance London unveils short film theme for 2013

Short film entries, between three and five minutes long, should focus on the concept of time.
The Attack, A Hijacking among Marrakech winners

Ziad Doueiri’s The Attack wins top prize, A Hijacking shares Jury Prize and scoops Best Actor for Soren Malling.
The Hobbit off to storming start in New Zealand

Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth begins with a flourish as the opening day in his native land breaks records.
The Hobbit poised to rule them all at international box office

New Line and MGM’s first in the latest Middle Earth trilogy from Peter Jackson heads into the weekend having grossed an estimated $11.2m from 16 opening days on Wednesday (12).
The journey begins

Global grosses rose with each of the three Lord Of The Rings releases. Can Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit [pictured] improve on the original trilogy? Ian Sandwell reports
This Is 40

Dir/scr: Judd Apatow. US. 2012. 134mins
Tribeca Film, Focus World take Greetings From Tim Buckley

The partners have acquired US rights to Dan Algrant’s film, which chronicles two generations of musicians – Tim and Jeff Buckley. Separately, The Cinema Guild has taken select rights to An Oversimplification Of Her Beauty.
Tribeca takes two from Karpovsky

Tribeca Film has acquired North American rights to multi-hyphenate Alex Karpovsky’s Rubberneck and Red Flag.
Triggerfish Animation partners with Accelerate

Accelerate will support the animation studio across merchandising development, licensing and IP rights distribution across multiple territories.
Tripling up on talent

XYZ Films’ Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer and Aram Tertzakian talk about their busy company,which is building on the global success of The Raid [pictured]. Jeremy Kay reports
Turkey’s Sinema TV strikes James Bond deal

The Medyavizyon affiliate announced the distribution agreement with MGM this week [11].
Twilight, Skyfall, Guardians set to rule again in international

With The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Skyfall and Rise of the Guardians still dominant, and the big holiday releases yet to come, there are only a handful of major-territory openings in the international marketplace this weekend.
UK film financiers grilled by Commons over tax

Two of the UK’s most prominent film financiers endured a fierce grilling at the hands of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee exploring Tax Avoidance.
UK's tax credits are a 'win-win'

The UK government listens to the concerns of the animation industry in its new tax credit.
Virtual impasse

The structure of the UK’s virtual print fee remains highly unsatisfactory for many of the territory’s distributors. Andreas Wiseman reports on new efforts to improve it.
Vivienne Westwood declares new Barbican Cinemas "open"

Dame Vivienne Westwood officially opened London’s new Barbican Cinemas 2&3 - the first addition to the venue since the Barbican opened in 1982.
Wael Omar tackles Egypt's football Ultras

The footballing massacre that claimed the lives of 74 young men and injured a thousand more in the Port Said soccer stadium this February is the subject of a new documentary feature to be directed by award-winning Egyptian filmmaker Wael Omar.
Warp Films branches out into family films by optioning Wild Boy

EXCLUSIVE: Warp Films is planning its first children’s film, after optioning Rob Lloyd Jones’ forthcoming book Wild Boy.
Washington critics reward Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) became the latest East Coast critics group to honour Kathryn Bigelow and her Osama Bin Laden film. A varied winners’ roster also rewarded Cloud Atlas and ParaNorman.
Why Breaking the Taboo is game changing

Sam Branson on tapping into YouTube to tackle the war on drugs.
Wide Management sells Zabana! to Cinecitta Luce

Cinecittà Luce has acquired Italian rights to Algerian Saïd Ould-Khelifa’s Zabana!, a contender in Dubai’s Muhr Arab feature competition, from French sales company Wide Management.
Women's work -- in the spotlight

There was plenty of festive spirit on display at Friday’s Sky Women in Film and TV Awards at London’s Park Lane Hilton.

Screen6 Dec 2012

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6 Dec 2012