All Screen articles in 18 February 2001 – Page 2

  • News

    Loews goes to Schwartz, US partners in $850m deal

    2001-02-15T17:57:00Z

    Ending weeks of uncertainty, Canadian billionaire Gerald Schwartz and two US partners have struck an $850m (C$1.3bn) deal to acquire distressed exhibitor Loews Cineplex, the second-largest chain in North America. One of the partners, LA-based Oaktree Capital Management, holds a large chunk of debt of another distressed circuit, Regal Cinemas, ...

  • Reviews

    Wit

    2001-02-15T17:01:00Z

    Screened at Berlin (Competition) Dir. Mike Nichols. US. 2000. 99mins.Made in England by Mike Nichols and adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Margaret Edson into a cable TV original for HBO in the US, Wit is in no sense a film that will travel far in the cinema. It ...

  • News

    Portugal's SIC Filmes reveals second-year slate

    2001-02-15T14:14:00Z

    Portuguese private broadcaster SIC (Sociedad Independente de Comunicao) has unveiled the next five titles on its second-year slate of made-for-TV movies from production division SIC Filmes.The titles include: The Secret, a melodrama from director Leandro Ferreira; Dear Mother, a comedy about three sons dodging responsibility for their elderly mother, from ...

  • News

    EM.TV agrees to KirchGroup rescue deal

    2001-02-15T12:48:00Z

    After months of speculation about the future of the beleaguered EM.TV media group, the German rights trader and merchandising empire announced on Wednesday that it would sign a rescue deal with the KirchGroup on the basis of their negotiations dating from December 4, 2000.The deal was finalised just hours before ...

  • News

    Telepool, Nighthawk team for distribution

    2001-02-15T10:27:00Z

    German rights trader Telepool and start-up distributor Nighthawk Pictures have joined forces to release Michael Anderson's The New Adventures Of Pinocchio in German cinemas on April 5. According to Nighthawk's managing director Christoph Heckenbuecker, depending on the release's success, this distribution partnership could be continued in the future for other ...

  • News

    Spain's Grupo Correo restructures ahead of float

    2001-02-14T18:13:00Z

    Spanish publishing and multimedia giant Grupo Correo has appointed a new CEO and restructured its organisation into five main business areas with an eye toward expansion and in preparation for a planned spring stock flotation. Jose Maria Bergareche, current general manager of Correo and right-hand man to chief Alejandro Echevarria, ...

  • News

    Trust turns up sales heat at Berlin

    2001-02-14T18:10:00Z

    Armed with hot competition title Italian For Beginners plus the next projects from Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, Scandinavia's Trust Film Sales closed a host of deals in smaller markets this week to emerge as the most prolific sales agent at Berlin.Closing multi-title packages to Israel's Shani Films, Greece's ...

  • News

    Ozon rounds up femmes for next project

    2001-02-14T17:42:00Z

    Acclaimed French auteur Francois Ozon has unveiled a stellar cast for his next film Huit Femmes. Pitched as a femme whodunnit involving a murder committed on Christmas Eve, the film is set to star Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Beart, Virginie Ledoyen, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant, Danielle Darrieux, Vahina Goicante and Firmine ...

  • News

    France's Films de L'astre buys Honolulu Baby

    2001-02-14T17:40:00Z

    France's Films de L'astre has acquired local distribution rights to Honolulu Baby, the latest feature from cult Italian actor-director Maurizio Nichetti. RAI Trade, which is handling worldwide rights, has also sold the film to Greece and all other French-speaking territories.Honolulu Baby is a Mr Bean-style comedy about an engineer who ...

  • News

    Gladiator to re-enter the arena in Italy

    2001-02-14T17:38:00Z

    In an attempt to cash in on Gladiator's multiple Oscar nominations, distributor UIP has decided to re-release the sword-and-sandal epic in Italy two weeks before the Academy Awards ceremony takes place.A spokesperson for UIP said the distributor had officially taken the decision after the Oscar nominations were announced on Wednesday. ...

  • News

    Hannibal chews up Italian box office

    2001-02-14T17:14:00Z

    In a record-breaking opening of a US film at the Italian box office, Hannibal has grossed a chilling $3,678,089 (l7,705,597,000) in three days from 322 theatres, taking an average $11,423 per screen. Previous all-time highs were registered by The Blair Witch Project ($3,593,327) and Titanic ($3,094,541).Distributor FilmAuro's impressive takings were ...

  • News

    France's La Verite 2 continues record-breaking run

    2001-02-14T17:08:00Z

    French comedy La Verite 2 is on its way to becoming Warner Bros France's biggest ever hit after selling 2.83 million tickets in seven days (Feb 7-13), second only to historical record holder Taxi 2, which clocked up 3.48 million admissions in its first week.La Verite 2, the sequel to ...

  • News

    Japan awaits 350 screen release for Korean film

    2001-02-14T16:12:00Z

    Tokyo-based distributor Cine Quanon, in co-operation with Korean film producer CJ Entertainment, plans to release the hit Korean thriller Joint Security Area on as many as 350 screens, a new high for an Asian film in Japan. Set to open nationwide on May 19, Joint Security Area is expected to ...

  • News

    Hungarian 'plex saturation slows admissions

    2001-02-14T15:40:00Z

    According to industry insiders, there are signs that the multiplex boom which revitalised the Hungarian exhibition industry over the past five years is grinding to a halt.There are now 12 multiplexes in the country, which has a population of 10 million, but the rapid growth that saw admissions in Budapest ...

  • News

    To See A Boat wins Prix UIP Berlin

    2001-02-14T13:22:00Z

    Anja Breien's short To See A Boat At Sail (A Se En Bat Med Seil) has been awarded the Prix UIP Berlin, an initiative of distributor UIP and the European Film Academy in co-operation with the Berlin International Film Festival.The Euros2,000 prize, awarded for the first time this year, ensures ...

  • News

    German DVD sales up by 350%

    2001-02-14T13:16:00Z

    German DVD sales leapt by 350% to nine million units in 2000, compared to 2.6 million the previous year, and accounted for 30% of the sell-through video market, according to figures from market research company gfk.Gladiator was the most successful of the 1,400 DVD titles released in 2000, shifting more ...

  • News

    El Deseo to shoot Coixet drama in the US

    2001-02-13T18:30:00Z

    The Almodovar brothers' Madrid-based production outfit, El Deseo, has boarded English-language drama My Life Without Me, which is set to shoot in the US later this year with Isabel Coixet directing.The film, which tells the story of a young mother's confrontation with her own death, will mark writer-director Coixet's second ...

  • Reviews

    Italian For Beginners

    2001-02-13T18:02:00Z

    Screened at Berlin (Competition). Dir: Lone Scherfig. Denmark. 2000. 118mins.Judging by the applause and peels of laughter that greeted the press screenings this week for Lone Scherfig's Italian For Beginners at Berlin, a festival where such spontaneous outbursts are rare, it is clear that there is plenty of life yet ...

  • News

    Solomon steps in at stricken TEAM Entertainment

    2001-02-13T17:14:00Z

    TV industry veteran Michael Jay Solomon has joined struggling production and sales group TEAM Communications as its new chairman and chief executive. He replaces Drew Levin who has resigned with immediate effect. The company, which is quoted on the NASDAQ and Neuer Markt stock exchanges, last month warned that profits ...

  • News

    Constantin results exceed expectations

    2001-02-13T16:52:00Z

    German producer-distributor Constantin Film has exceeded its sales forecasts according to provisional results, with group turnover increasing by 80% to Euros116m.Theatrical distribution accounted for the bulk of Constantin's 2000 sales - Euros53m - thanks to the successful releases of films such as American Pie, The Sixth Sense, Harte Jungs and ...