All Screen articles in 12 December 2005 – Page 2

  • News

    MTV Films picks up movie rights to Getting Up

    2005-12-09T04:00:00Z

    MTV Films has acquired feature rights from Atari to Marc Ecko'supcoming video game Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, which is scheduled to launch on gamingconsoles in February 2006.Paramount will distribute the picture and Ecko will produce alongwith MTV Films' Gregg Goldin, who brought the project to the company.Golden's colleagues Jason ...

  • News

    Day-and-date releasing comes under Euro fire

    2005-12-09T04:00:00Z

    Some of Europe's leading distributors and marketers arenow questioning the drift towards day-and-date releasing.Judging by the remarks made at yesterday's European Box OfficeForum, hosted by Screen International at Waldorf Hilton Hotel in London, there is a growing consensus that filmscan suffer from a super-wide blitzkrieg release. Christian Grass, executive vice ...

  • News

    Fox international chief issues theatrical wake-up call

    2005-12-09T04:00:00Z

    One of Hollywood's top international film chiefs yesterday calledon his industry colleagues to treat this year's box office admissions slide as anecessary wake-up call."We desperately have to change," declared Tomas Jegeus, executivevice president - international, 20th Century Fox International, whiledelivering the keynote speech at Screen International's European Box Office Forum.Speaking ...

  • News

    Cinema still attractive to videogame generation

    2005-12-09T04:00:00Z

    Reports about cinema's death at the hands of DVDs, videogames, computerscreens, mobile phones and all today's other competing diversions have beengreatly exaggerated, according to leading experts on audience trends.In fact, their latest research suggests that theatre-goersacross all age-groups are now going to the movies more often than they used to.Such ...

  • News

    Cinematographer Adrian Biddle dies aged 53

    2005-12-09T04:00:00Z

    British cinematographer Adrian Biddle, who most recently worked onV for Vendetta, died December 7. The cause of death was an apparent heartattack. Biddle had been travelling from his home in Weybridge to a commercialshoot in London.Biddle, a member of the British Societyof Cinematographers, was Oscar-nominated for his work on Thelma ...

  • News

    Prescience launches new fund before UK's Section 48 expires

    2005-12-09T04:00:00Z

    UK-based Prescience Film Finance has launchedits latest investment offering, Prescience Film Partners LLP, a film financingpartnership being promoted by financial services group Smith & Williamson. The film partnership will support films goinginto production before April 1 2006, to take advantage of the UK'sSection 48 tax relief before it expires. The ...

  • News

    Skillset offers support to women returning to film work

    2005-12-09T00:00:00Z

    UK training body Skillsethas announced a new initiative to help women working in film return to work. The Timeshift programme will provide job-sharing roles on filmproductions for teams of eight women, who will benefit from a child-careallowance as well as their salaries. Eligibleapplicants will have at least three years' experience ...

  • News

    Women in Film and TV hands out annual awards

    2005-12-09T00:00:00Z

    UK industry group Women in Film and Television(WFTV) announced its 15th annual awards today in London. Winners were Gail Egan, executive producer of TheConstant Gardener and VeraDrake, for The Olswang Business Award; Deborah Saban,assistant director of Shakespeare in Loveand Proof, for The Film FinancesInc. Project Management Award; Sandy Powell, costume ...

  • News

    Narnia is unleashed in 14 territories this weekend

    2005-12-09T00:00:00Z

    Following a stunning run inits first three weekends Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire faces its first major test this weekend. The Warner Bros release hasamassed more than $330m so far and is expected to build strongly on that with aslew of mighty holdovers. However with no new majordebuts ...

  • News

    Pact names members of 2006 council

    2005-12-08T02:00:00Z

    Pact, the UK producers group, has confirmed that the 2006 PactCouncil elections have confirmed the following council leaders. Alex Graham ofWall to Wall will serve as chair; Malcolm Brinkworthof Touch Productions will serve as vice chair, TV; Andrea Calderwoodof Slate Films will serve as vice chair, film; Jonathan Peel of ...

  • News

    Picture Players wraps The Killing Of John Lennon

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    UK-basedPicture Players has finished principal photography on its first feature film, The Killing of John Lennon.AndrewPiddington wrote and directed the film about MarkDavid Chapman, who shot John Lennon in 1980. Newcomer Jonas Ball plays Chapman.ProducerRakha Singh is making his feature film debut afterworking in television.Piddington previously directed features Shuttlecock and ...

  • News

    MacLaine, Theron, Newman join honour roll at Palm Springs

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    Shirley MacLaine will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award,Charlize Theron will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, andThomas Newman will collect the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing at the17th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) in January."We are thrilled to add Shirley MacLaine, Charlize Theron andThomas Newman to ...

  • News

    Gruenberg joins First Look to run theatrical distribution

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    Former Miramax distribution president executive Andy Gruenberg hasjoined First Look Studios as executive vice president of theatricaldistribution.Reporting to chief executive officer Henry Winterstern, Gruenbergwill be tasked with building up the independent studio's domestic distributionoperation.Titles awaiting release include John Hillcoat's Australia-set epicThe Proposition thatwill play in the Spectrum strand at Sundance ...

  • News

    Lemming Director Chosen As Jury President

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    TheGerman-French director Dominik Moll has been named asthe jury president for the Dialogue en perspective Prize at next year's BerlinInternational Film Festival. Togetherwith seven cineastes aged between 18 and 29 from France and Germany, Moll will select awinner from one of the German films screening in the PerspektiveDeutsches Kino sidebar.The43-year-old ...

  • News

    THINKFilm buys into The Best Restaurant

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    THINKFilm has picked upNorth American rights on The Best Restaurant In The World. Ever to be produced by Vancouver-based Irreverent Media. Monika Mitchell (Break ALeg) will direct the screenplayadapted by Rick Obran from his stage play. Irreverent's Tom O'Brien and HarrySutherland will produce. Casting is pending on several roles in ...

  • News

    Bavaria Film International Picks Up Schmid's Portovero

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    Bavaria FilmInternational (BFI) has picked up international distribution rights to Swissdirector Daniel Schmid's latest feature Portoverowhich has just begun shooting on location in Switzerland.StarringCatherine Walker (Conspiracy of Silence),Eduardo Noriega (Che),Marisa Paredes (AllAbout My Mother), David Warner (Ladies in Lavender) and Stephen Moyer (Deadlines), the script by US author Barry Gifford ...

  • News

    Future Films Australia opens for business

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    A productruling from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) was made public yesterday,signalling that the new financing outfit Future Films Australia is officiallyopen for business in a market not previously renowned for attracting privateinvestment into film.The rulinggives more momentum to Future Films' search for both high net worth individualswho are potential ...

  • News

    Phoenix production outfit teams with Indian animation house

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    Phoenix-based production outfit Fortitude Entertainment Group(FEG) has teamed up with Indian animation house Maya Entertainment to formFortitude Maya.The partners anticipate their first release sometime in 2006.'This partnership with Maya Entertainment is reflective of a furtherrefinement of our long term international business objectives,' FEG'sco-founder Lisa Marie Butkiewicz said.'Maya Entertainment brings to ...

  • News

    Cast firms up for Ira & Abby: A Divorce Comedy

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    Jason Alexander and Judith Light have joined the cast of RobertCary's comedy Ira & Abby: A Divorce Comedy, which began principal photography inNew York last month.Based on a screenplay by Kissing Jessica Stein writer and star Jennifer Westfeldt, Ira& Abby charts thefall-out of an impulsive marriage between a neurotic loner ...

  • News

    Kinowelt Forecasts 30% Increase in Group Turnover

    2005-12-08T00:00:00Z

    Kinowelt is forecasting a 30% year-on-year increase inturnover to over $82.4m (Euros 70m) by the end of 2005. This financial forecastwill see the company return to its position as one of the key German players. Thisgrowth, despite the overall market trend, was largely down to thetheatricaldistribution division which expects to ...