All Screen articles in 19 May 2005 – Page 7
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News
Ben Ammar moves into Besson's Cinema City
Producer-businessman Tarak Ben Ammar hasannounced plans to move most of his post-production facilities into Frenchfilmmaker Luc Besson's Cinema City complex just outside Paris.In the past few years, Ben Ammar has beenon a buying spree of most of the post-production and sound facilities in Franceincluding LTC, Ex-Machina, Les Audis de Joinville ...
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Universal plucks North American rights for Black Dahlia
Universal Pictures has paidan estimated $10m for North American rights to Brian DePalma's film of JamesElroy's The Black Dahlia starringJosh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank fromSignature Pictures.The studio plans a 2006 releasefor the 1940s-set thriller about the two cops investigating the brutal murderof Elizabeth Short. The film ...
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Arclight strikes US deal for Story, gets All Together
ArclightFilms has sold US rights for Benny Chan's action drama New Police Story to a combination ofMiramax, The Weinstein Company and Lions Gate for an undisclosed sum.JackieChan (no relation) stars as a Hong Kong police inspector who breaks down when histeam is wiped out by a vicious gang and eventually ...
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CAA advances on Asia with Loehr hire, WEB alliance
Hollywood talent powerhouse CAA has confirmed itsaggressive moves into Asia,bringing China's Hengdian Group to the Croisette to meetwestern players, unveiling an alliance with start-up Korean entertainmentcompany WEB, and advising both Taiwan's private equity fund Double Edge andJapanese giant Kadokawa.The agency'slatest international hire, Beijing-based Peter Loehr, is working with CAA'sexisting Asian ...
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Icon Falls for Gere, Neeson action film
Icon EntertainmentInternational has taken on worldwide rights to Seraphim Falls, a psychological action film set during CivilWar-era America starring Richard Gere and Liam Neeson.First-time director DavidVon Ancken, whose TV credits include The Shield and CSI NY, is in pre-production, with David Flynn and Bruce Davey producing.Icon's distribution offshoot Icon Film ...
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German producers welcome launch of Euros 90m fund
German film producers havewelcomed the Gerhard Schroeder administration's financing of a Euros 90mventure capital fund as a useful bargaining chip for negotiations oninternational co-production projects at this year's Cannes Film Festival.Egoli Tossell Film's JensMeurer said the fund is "very attractive money for German producers notjust for German films but also ...
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Reviews
The Power Of Nightmares
Dir Adam Curtis, UK, 2005, 157 mins.Unlike most political documentaries made in the US, this highlyentertaining and informative BBC production refreshingly offers itself as astraightforward, almost academic essay, with thesis statement, development and demonstration,and concluding restatement of thesis. Its basic argument is that theAmerican neo-conservative political movement (exemplified by the ...
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Fiennes uncovers Mata Hari
Martha Fiennes (whose newfilm Chromophobia closes theCannes Festival later in the week) is plotting a new film about MargarethaZella, also known as Mata Hari - the notorious exotic dancer who was shot bythe French in 1917 for allegedly spying for the Germans during the Second WorldWar.Fiennes is setting up theproject ...
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News
St Petersburg to launch new international film festival
Former Kinotavr festival director MarkRudinstein is planning to launch a new international film festival in St.Petersburg, Russia, to be held in July 18 - 31, 2006.Rudinsteinhas tapped internationally known Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky to be thefestival president, a role that would have him concentrate on the festivalconcept while Rudinstein would ...
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News
Stars gear up for Driving Lessons
Oscar nominees Julie Waltersand Laura Linney are to star alongside Harry Potter's Rupert Grint in Driving Lessons, writer Jeremy Brock's directorial debut.The story is about a shyvicar's son (Grint) with an overprotective mother whose world changes when hemeets a retired actress. Brock loosely based the comedy-drama on his own life.The ...
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Lightning strikes for Israeli drama
Los Angeles-based Lightning Entertainment has picked up international rights to Giddi Dar's award-winning Israeli feature Ushpizin.Set in the cloistered worldof ultra-Orthodox Jews, Ushpizin is about a married couple in financial direstraits whose prayers for salvation are answered by the arrival of twomysterious strangers.Shuli Rand, Michal Bat-ShevaRand, Shaul Mizrahi, and Ilan ...
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High-tech revolution cuts production costs
Digital technology is in theprocess of revolutionising the economics of film-making, according to ahigh-powered panel of experts at an HP-sponsored event on Saturday.At the heart of the changeis a clear trend: wide and easy access to higher computing capabilities atlower costs.Huge changes are alreadyunderway, panellists said. "Technology that was once ...
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News
Indican takes US for Wedding comedy
US distributor IndicanPictures has picked up rights to Laurent Firode's comedy My First Wedding, which stars Rachel Leigh Cook. The deal was negotiated byDavid Gordian of Paragraph Pictures and Shaun Hill of Indican Pictures. ChrisDavis International handling foreign sales.Cook plays blushingbride-to-be Vanessa who enlists the help of her local Priest ...
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News
Germans build transatlantic link
Seeking to consolidate ties with Hollywood, Germany's VIP Media Grouphas set up VIP Media USA and installed former Ascendant Pictures chief PhilipElway as president.TheBeverly Hills hub will serve as a conduit between the US production anddistribution community and European filmmakers and develop co-productionopportunities.VIPMedia USA will also provide creative and financial ...
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Bristol Media handles Greek drama
MatthewModine, Richard Griffiths and Greek billionaire-turned-actor Alki David are toheadline new UK-Greek co-production OPA! Directed by Udayan Prasad (My SonThe Fanatic.)Sales for OPA!, which recently started shooting in Patmos,are being handled by Tony Manne's Bristol Media International.Modine plays anarchaeologist who comes to Greece and falls under the spell of a ...
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Reviews
Quando Sei Nato Non Puoi Piu Nasconderti (Once You're Born You Can No Longer Hide)
Dir Marco Tullio Giordana.Italy/UK/Fr. 2005. 118 mins The latest film by The Best of Youth director Marco Tullio Giordana is, like Gianni Amelio's Lamerica, a portrait of an Italy that is trying to get to grips with its newstatus as a multicultural society, whose immigrant population has increasedthirty-fold since 1970. ...
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Monster-in-Law beats Kicking to top US box office
New Line Cinema's Monster-in-Law made a strong debutin North America this weekend, grossing an estimated $24m and beatingUniversal's rival family comedy Kicking & Screaming, which took asolid $20.9m, to the top chart spot. Action thriller Unleashed, from Focus Features' Roguelabel, opened well with an estimated $10.6m and took third place.The ...
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News
Monster-in-Law beats Kicking to top US box office
New Line Cinema's Monster-in-Law made a strong debutin North America this weekend, grossing an estimated $24m and beatingUniversal's rival family comedy Kicking & Screaming, which took asolid $20.9m, to the top chart spot. Action thriller Unleashed, from Focus Features' Roguelabel, opened well with an estimated $10.6m and took third place.The ...
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News
MK Pictures sells Last Bang to France
Korea's MK Pictures has soldIm Sang-soo's Directors' Fortnight title The President's Last Bang to France's CIPA and also revealed details of thedirector's next project. CIPA is planning an Octoberrelease for The President's Last Bang, a creative retelling of the assassination of president Park Chung-heein 1979. The company handled Im's previous ...
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Reviews
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Dir Shane Black, US. 2005. 103 mins.A hugely entertaining mix of film noir, comic buddy movie andmetacinematic romp, Kiss KissBang Bang marks the directing debut of one-time wunderkind scripter Shane Black (LethalWeapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight), who has been off the radar for the best partof a decade. From ...