All Screen articles in 15 July 2000
View all stories from this month.
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News
United Artists shuts down London sales operation
London-based United Artists Films, spearheaded by Wendy Palmer and Fiona Mitchell, is being shut down over the next few months as a foreign sales division by its parent studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its place will come a new UK-based production operation that may revolve around some of the existing UAF staff.From ...
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Czech Television concentrates film investment
The Czech Republic's largest film financier, Czech Television (CTV), has decided to channel its annual $2.4m (CKr92m) film investment into 8-10 features in 2001, compared to the 14 productions which it is backing this year. "The overall amount we invest will be about the same, about $2.4-2.6m (CKr92-100m)," said CTV ...
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Alliance Atlantis takes control of Great North
Alliance Atlantis Communications (AAC) has agreed to acquire the 61% of Edmonton-based factual programming producer, Great North Communications, it does not already own. The deal, expected to close at the end of July, follows AAC's previously announced plans for growth in the factual and documentary genres.Great North reported revenues of ...
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Sleeper hit holds strong against Dragon
Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had a sleepy opening last week accumulating a modest $1m (HK$7.1m) from 44 screens in its first eight days on release. Despite the presence of Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat and the popular Michelle Yeoh, this only gave Crouching Tiger a screen average of ...
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Reviews
X-Men
Dir: Bryan Singer. US. 1999. 96 mins.Prod co: 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment Group, The Donners' Company/Bad Hat Harry. Dist: Fox. Prods: Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter. Exec prods: Avi Arad, Stan Lee, Richard Donner, Tom DeSanto. Scr: David Hayter. DoP: Newton Thomas Sigel. Prod des: John Myhre. Ed: Steven ...
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Lions Gate posts net loss despite revenue gains
Vancouver-based Lions Gate Entertainment is improving its performance but the company's investment in Mandalay Pictures continues to drag it down. According to financial results for the year ended March 31, 2000, the company posted a 129% increase in revenue, from $79.8m (C$118.3m) to $183m (C$271m), and a 110% increase in ...
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Oz pay-TV falls short on local drama spend
Only two of Australia's 17 pay-TV drama channels complied with voluntary requirements to spend 10% of their annual programming budget on local drama in 1998-99, according to the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA). The only two that did comply were The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, which are both aimed at children. ...
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News
Spanish production surges as b.o. reaches new high
The Spanish film sector had one of its strongest years in over a decade in 1999 according to Spanish producers association FAPAE's annual report. Spain produced 82 features during the year - the second highest number in 15 years. Of these, 74 obtained theatrical distribution, the second highest level in ...
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News
Telecinco inks distribution pact with Buena Vista
Spanish broadcaster Telecinco has signed a ground-breaking distribution deal with Buena Vista International Spain (BVIS), which gives the expanding channel theatrical and video outlets for its independently acquired films.The deal follows Telecinco's landmark entry into all-rights acquisitions this May with the signing of a five-year, 10-picture pact with US indie ...
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News
Byers clears ITV consolidation with conditions
UK trade and industry secretary Stephen Byers has paved the way for consolidation of the ITV commercial broadcast network by clearing the proposed merger between TV companies Carlton Communications and United News & Media, and a possible rival bid for either from Granada Media. However, Byers said he would only ...
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News
Film Roman hires Bastianelli for int'l expansion
Film Roman, the children's animation outfit which recently expanded to produce live action TV series, specials and feature films, has retained the services of Eileen Bastianelli to create a worldwide presence for the company. Bastianelli, based in Paris, has been engaged as a consultant to form co-productions and establish other ...
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News
Reid Sullivan named CFO at Village Roadshow Pics
Reid Sullivan - who for the last five years was responsible for all strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting at Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (CTFDI) - has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer at LA-based Village Roadshow Pictures.He will be responsible for all the classic accounting ...
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Warner to release Exorcist with missing reel
Warner Bros Pictures will release a new version of The Exorcist in North America on Sept 22. Entitled The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen, it will include more than one reel of long-rumoured footage which was omitted from the film's original release in 1973.The film's director William Friedkin ...
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Baise-moi gets outing at Euro-heavy Locarno
Controversial French title Baise-moi will make its first international outing in the main competition section at the Locarno International Film Festival, festival director Marco Mueller announced on Thursday.Virginie Despentes' hard core debut, a cause celebre amongst French indies fighting would-be censors, will compete in a selection laden with world premieres ...
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News
Paramount signs two-pic deal with M:I2 star Polson
Paramount Pictures has signed a two-picture deal with Australian actor-director John Polson, who stars alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 2.The first project under the deal is an untitled New York-set dark comedy from scriptwriter William Mapother, which is housed at Cruise's Cruise-Wagner Productions. Polson has a high profile in ...
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Lend Lease takes hit on Fox Studios investment
Lend Lease Corporation, which half-owns Sydney's Fox Studios Australia, has made a provision of $47m (A$80m) after tax to cover its losses from the failure of the 19-month-old Backlot, one of three distinct parts of the studio and entertainment development. It will also make an appropriate write-down of the value ...
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Moscow to close with Storm, premiere Disease
Wolfgang Peterson's The Perfect Storm will close the Moscow International Film Festival (July 19-29) which will also boast world premieres of Life As A Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease, directed by Krzysztof Zanussi, and Gleb Panfilov's The Romanovs -The Imperial Family.The festival is becoming an annual event for the first time ...
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Imax puts itself on the block
Pioneering giant-screen entertainment company, Imax Corp, has hired investment firms Goldman Sachs and Wasserstein, Perella & Co to advise it on sale or merger opportunities. The company's share price jumped 18% to $26.50 yesterday on the news.In a prepared statement, co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler said: "Our ...
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Reviews
Innocence
Dir: Paul Cox. Australia-Belgium. 2000. 91mins.Prod cos: Strand/New OZ Productions and Showtime in assoc. with the South Australian Film Corp; Illumination Films in assoc. with Cinete. Worldwide sales: Cinemavault.com, tel: (1) 416 3636060. Producers: Cox, Mark Patterson. Scr: Cox. DoP: Tony Clark, Jan Vancaillie. Prod des: Tony Cronin. Ed: Simon ...
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Europe to streamline media, telecoms regulation
The European Commission yesterday announced plans to replace sector specific regulation of media, telecoms and the internet with a single set of rules covering all forms of electronic communication.The "technology neutral" rules are intended to increase competition and to stimulate affordable high-speed internet access. Although the EU's telecoms markets were ...