All Screen articles in 16 March 2003 – Page 2
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Reviews
Tears Of The Sun
Dir: Antoine Fuqua. US. 2003. 118mins Will they or won't they' Sony Pictures is denying a report in the Los Angeles Times that, due to the unusually high level of anti-American sentiment around the world, the studio plans to delay the international release of its new military-themed action/drama, Tears Of ...
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Reviews
The Grudge
Dir: Takashi Shimizu. Japan. 2003. 92mins.The Grudge (Juon), the scare-a-minute hit by newcomer Takashi Shimizu, is the latest Japanese horror film to join the Tokyo-to-Hollywood parade, with Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures picking up the remake rights and hiring Shimizu to direct the US version. It is hardly surprising, given ...
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News
Warner Village Cinemas in talks to sell UK circuit
Less than a week after the UK's largest exhibitor Odeon Cinemas was sold for $694m, it has emerged that Warner Bros International Theatres (WBIT) and Village Roadshow are also in discussions for the sale of their UK joint venture Warner Village Cinemas. A WBIT spokesperson confirmed that negotiations were taking ...
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New head of production appointed at Nordisk Film
Norwegian producer Aage Aaberge has been named head of feature film production at Nordisk Film & TV in Norway to boost the company's production volume. This also means that the Nordisk-controlled Northern Lights is merged into Nordisk Film & TV. Former Lights chief Axel Helgeland, who produced I Am Dina, ...
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New president of RAI quits after six days
Paolo Mieli has stepped down as president of RAI just six days after being appointed to the position and without once having stepped into the Italian state broadcaster's headquarters.Mieli, the former editor of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, cited 'political and technical difficulties' behind his resignation, and that he ...
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French films see increase in foreign investment
French film production is still up, foreign investment is high but local investment is slowing, according to latest figures from France's National Cinema Centre (CNC). Two hundred films were produced in France in 2002, 163 of which were majority French efforts. Those figures are down, but only slightly, from 2001 ...
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Rance joins Spain's City of Light studio complex
Spanish studio complex City of Light (Ciudad de la Luz) has contracted former Pinewood Studios executive David Rance as its operations manager.Rance worked for nine years at Pinewood, where he also oversaw operations. In his new position he will co-ordinate the new complex's services to the requirements of each production.Still ...
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New Zealand film industry calls for tax breaks
Key members of the New Zealand film industry have called on the country's government to introduce tax incentives to encourage private investment in the local industry. The recommendation, which forms part of the findings of a specially appointed Screen Production Industry Taskforce, says that tax incentives should be available to ...
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Canal Plus to announce lay-offs today
The axe falls today. A long anticipated announcement will come from Canal Plus' Paris headquarters regarding what could turn out to be massive lay-offs. Although Canal management is keeping quiet about what the news will entail, Bertrand Meheut, the newly-installed president of Canal Plus told French daily La Tribune, "I ...
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Argentinian actors voice concern over use of non-professionals
Argentina's actors' union is to look into limiting the number of amateur actors allowed to be cast in feature films in response to protests by local actors against the trend in the New Argentine Cinema to use non-professionals.At a heated meeting between representatives of the Asociacion Argentina de Actores and ...
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Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum to feature 24 new projects
Top name directors including Taiwan's Tsai Ming Liang and Chang Tso Chi, Australia's Clara Law, Hong Kong's Mabel Cheung, Korea's Jang Sun Woo and Thailand's Nonzee Nimibutr are among the 24 artists unveiling their next projects at the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) next month (April 7-9).HAF, which ...
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Skolimowski to return to film-making after 10-year absence.
Polish film-maker Jerzy Skolimowski, who won awards at both Cannes and Berlin, is set to return to film-making after a 10-year absence. Working with producer Jeremy Thomas, Skolimowski is developing Las Vegas-set project: The System on a budget likely to be around $12m, with the director aiming for an autumn ...
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Fries and Sneller launch US home video distribution arm
Independent film producersJeffrey Sneller (The Adventures of Pinocchio) and Charles Fries have formed home entertainmentdistribution company Santa Barbara Home Video, a distribution subsidiary ofSanta Barbara Filmed-Entertainment that they say will give film-makers greateropportunity to participate in the marketing of their films.Santa Barbara Home Videowill distribute its own productions as well ...
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Iron Ladies 2 enjoys huge opening in Thailand
Iron Ladies 2, the sequel cum prequel to the 2000 Thai smash,opened in Thailand with a blockbusting 37m Baht ($0.88m) in its first threedays over the weekend, a 78% increase on the original's opening total of20.8m Baht ($0.49m). Produced and distributed in Thailand by VisutePoolvoralaks' Tai Entertainment Co, the film ...
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Reviews
Spare Parts (Rezervni Deli)
Dir: Damjan Kozole. Slovenia. 2003. 87 mins.Three films in competition at this year's Berlin dealt with the trade in illegal immigrants towards the European Union: Michael Winterbottom's Golden Bear winner In This World; FIPRESCI prize winner Distant Lights (Lichter), by German director Hans-Christian Schmid; and this small but well-crafted Slovenian ...
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Reviews
You Can't Stop The Murders
Dir: Anthony Mir. Australia. 2003. 97mins.Miramax Australia's first local distribution purchase since upgrading its Sydney office is, bravely, a gentle humanistic comedy from a director making his "first film ever of any kind". Anthony Mir is a local stand-up comedian, and his feature debut, You Can't Stop The Murders is, ...
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Reviews
Babij Jar
Dir. Jeff Kanew. Germany-Belarus, 2003. 108mins.Babij Jar is the kind of entry that festivals will find hard to reject, but once accepted, will tear their hair out trying to find a slot for. Devoting a fictional film to one of the most barbarous massacres of WW2 is a praiseworthy initiative ...
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News
Sony closes German film production arm
Sony Pictures Entertainment's (SPE) German production arm Deutsche Columbia Pictures Filmproduktion (DCPF) is to be closed down due to "the difficulties of the media market and the downward box-office trends in Germany", according to SPE chairman and CEO John Calley. "It just makes more sense for us to refocus our ...
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Canal Plus announces staff redundancies
Following a meeting with union representatives, Canal Plus today released details of a long-anticipated redundancy program at the company. Out of a total 3,038 France-based employees, 305 are set to lose their jobs over the coming months. In a press release Canal explained that the layoffs are part of a ...