All Screen articles in 17 June 2005 – Page 2

  • News

    Batman Begins swoops in for $15.2m on first day

    2005-06-16T00:00:00Z

    The caped crusader wastedlittle time getting down to business this week as Batman Begins grossed a lofty $15.2m on its first day of release.Warner Bros opened Christopher Nolan's comic book adaptation in 3,858 theatresscreens at midnight on Weds Jun 15 and studio executives were thrilled with theresult.That first day gross, ...

  • News

    Oldboy director joins CJ's digital slate

    2005-06-15T21:59:00Z

    Korean major CJ Entertainment is teaming withmerchandising and licensing company Barunson to finance eight upcoming projectsby star directors, including Oldboy's Park Chan-wook. In a significant development for the local industry,all eight projects will be shot in high-definition (HD) digital format.In addition to Park, the directors include RyooSeung-wan (Arahan), Hur Jin-ho ...

  • News

    Sorrentino readies Consequences follow-up

    2005-06-15T04:00:00Z

    The Consequences Of Love director Paolo Sorrentinois lining up a new film about a loan shark, entitled L'amico Di Famiglia(literally, A Friend of the Family).It will be Sorrentino's third feature, and is set to shootin October in Latina, near Rome. Thepicture will be produced by Sorrentino's regular partner, Nicola Giuliano ...

  • News

    Berman's Borderland starts for Lions Gate

    2005-06-15T04:00:00Z

    Principal photography hasbegun in Tijuana, Mexico, on the new crime thriller Borderland, which is being produced by the team behind CabinFever.Lions Gate Films isco-producing with Lauren Moews' Tonic Films, Randall Emmett and George Furla'sEmmett/Furla Films, Freedom Films and Elisa Salinas of Tau Productions. LionsGate holds worldwide rights.Brian Presley stars in ...

  • News

    The cultural exception for film may become international law

    2005-06-15T04:00:00Z

    The cultural exception for trade in cultural productsincluding film could be enshrined in international law for the first time.The European Commission, acting on behalf of all of theEuropean Union states has negotiated the inclusion of a paragraph in a Unescoconvention recognising the unique importance of cultural diversity.At ameeting in Madrid, ...

  • News

    Woo to direct Beijing-set thriller for Bristol Bay, StudioCanal

    2005-06-15T04:00:00Z

    John Woo has signed on todirect a noir thriller in Beijing to be produced by Bristol Bay Productions,Studio Canal and Woo and Terence Chang's Lion Rock Productions.Set in modern-day Chinaagainst the background of emerging capitalism, the story centres on a visitingAmerican family that becomes embroiled in a clash between government ...

  • News

    File-sharing debate needs balance, says OECD

    2005-06-15T04:00:00Z

    The promise of file-sharing technology should not be lost inthe raging debate about piracy, according to a report from delivered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment(OECD).Instead governments need to considerlegislation that strikes a balance between the protection of suppliers and theability to exploit the technologies, the study suggests.The report ...

  • News

    Asian piracy cuts into Japanese film profits

    2005-06-15T04:00:00Z

    Asian authorities have seized 707,709 items of piratedJapanese entertainment software in the first four months of 2005, incooperation with the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), anorganization representing the Japanese entertainment contents industry.CODA chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, who also heads theKadokawa media group,toldreportersthat the organisationinvestigated 994 stores suspected of selling pirated films, ...

  • News

    Vaines to run European production for Weinsteins

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Bob and Harvey Weinsteincontinued to ramp up activities at The Weinstein Company yesterday [June 15],naming three key executives ahead of the October launch.Colin Vaines will serve asexecutive vice president of European production and development, Tim Clawsonhas been named executive vice president of physical and post-production, andIrwin Reiter has been named ...

  • News

    Smiths end Star Wars' international reign

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Action comedy Mr And MrsSmith ended Star Wars reign at the top of the international chartlast weekend. Released in 36 territoriesthe Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie film is the first major day-and-date launch since EpisodeIII and was expected to take the crown. However, Mr And Mrs Smithwill immediately face stiff competition for ...

  • Reviews

    Russian Dolls (Les Poupees Russes)

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Dir/scr: Cedric Klapisch,Fr-UK. 2005. 125mins.We last saw Xavier(Romain Duris) five years ago at the end of L'Auberge Espagnole,literally running away from his new life as a civil servant. After the youthfulexuberance of his time in Barcelona chronicled in that film, who'd want tomeasure out their life with coffee spoons' Not ...

  • News

    Eichinger extends contract at Constantin

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Bernd Eichinger has extended his existingproducer contract with leading independent German production house ConstantinFilm until March 31, 2009.The agreement ensures that Eichinger will continue to produceexclusively for Constantin and also make him available to the company as aconsultant for productions which he is not responsible for as producer.Since taking over ...

  • News

    Creep team crank up comedy-horror Severence

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Filminghas started on Severance, a comedy-horror film from Chris Smith andJason Newmark, the director and producer team behind hit horror film Creep.The castincludes Danny Dyer, star of The Football Factory and the upcoming film TheBusiness; Laura Harris (The Faculty); Tim Mcinnerny (Blackadder)and Toby Stephens (Die Another Day). The film, which ...

  • News

    Viacom moves closer to separating CBS from Paramount

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    TheViacom split took a step closer to reality yesterday [June 14] when the boardagreed to separate Paramount Pictures and the cable operations from thetelevision networks and radio divisions.Viacom co-chief operatingofficer Tom Freston will take overall charge of the studio and cable networksMTV, Nickelodeon and VH1.This entity will keep theViacom name ...

  • News

    Canadian theatrical documentaries get funding boost

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    The National Film Board ofCanada and local broadcaster The Documentary Channel have partnered to boostproduction of theatrical documentaries, the former increasing by $323,000(C$400,000) its annual production allocation and the latter increasing byC$400,000 its feature documentary licensing fees.The new money comes in thewake of an announced $1.62m (C$2m) pilot program from ...

  • News

    Potter's Radcliffe signs for Becker's Boys

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is to playa lead role in Australian film December Boys, a signing which shouldhelp drive Australian investors into the long-standing Becker Group's firstfilm fund before the fund's June 30 cut off.Radcliffe is playing the oldest of four close-knit orphansin Becker Entertainment's 1960s coming-of-age drama, to ...

  • News

    Feehery named external affairs chief at MPAA

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    John Feehery hasbeen named executive vice president for external affairs at the Motion PictureAssociation of America (MPAA) following the departure of Stacy Carlson topursue other interests.MPAA presidentDan Glickman paid tribute to Carlson and said she had been of "tremendousassistance" during the first few months of his tenure.Turning toFeehery, Glickman said: ...

  • News

    DVD piracy in UK rises by 40% in first quarter of 2005

    2005-06-15T00:00:00Z

    DVD piracy in the UK hasincreased by over 40 per cent during the first quarter of 2005, according tothe second annual report by the UK's Industry Trust for IP Awareness.The report reveals that thenumber of pirate discs confiscated by the Federation Against Copyright Theft(FACT) between January and March this year ...

  • News

    Italy's Eagle swoops for commercial horror pics

    2005-06-14T04:00:00Z

    Italian distributor Eagle Pictures has added a host of commercialtitles to its upcoming slate, including several new horror movies. The Rome and Milan-based company's slate includes: horror flick FinalDestination 3, which is directed by James Wong and takes place six yearsafter the events in the previous instalment; Jan de Bont's ...

  • News

    Epides steps down from Thessaloniki festival

    2005-06-14T00:00:00Z

    The turmoil surrounding theThessaloniki Film Festival is far from over. After terminating the contract ofveteran chief Michel Demopoulos and of president Theo Angelopoulos, thefestival is now facing the departure of yet another key programming figure, DimitriEipides - who heads the festival's New Horizons section.Epides said yesterday that hehas decided to ...