All Screen articles in 29 July 2003 – Page 3

  • News

    Valenti hails US trade agreements with Chile, Singapore

    2003-07-25T04:00:00Z

    Motion PictureAssociation of America (MPAA) president Jack Valenti hailed another blow toworldwide piracy yesterday (24) as Congress passed two trade agreements withChile and Singapore.The agreements,passed by members of the US House of Representatives, eliminate tariff andcustoms barriers to US entertainment products and pave the way for strictenforcement of copyright standards.'Today'saction ...

  • News

    Bayside Shakedown 2 smashes Japanese records

    2003-07-25T04:00:00Z

    Bayside Shakedown 2, the sequel to a 1998 hit cop thriller, recorded the best-ever opening for a Japanese film, following its July 19 release on 400 screens. In its first three days the film grossed $15.7m(Y1.8bn) on 1,260,934 admissions. The previous record holder, Hayao Miyazaki's animated smash Spirited Away, earned ...

  • News

    Bayside Shakedown 2 smashes Japanese records

    2003-07-25T04:00:00Z

    Bayside Shakedown 2, the sequel to a 1998 hit cop thriller, recorded the best-ever opening for a Japanese film, following its July 19 release on 400 screens. In its first three days the film grossed $15.7m(Y1.8bn) on 1,260,934 admissions. The previous record holder, Hayao Miyazaki's animated smash Spirited Away, earned ...

  • News

    InDigEnt taps Mark Christopher for film # 11

    2003-07-25T04:00:00Z

    Mark Christopher whose lastfilm was the 1998 nightclub drama 54 is the latest director to sign on to make a low-budget film forInDigEnt, the digital video collective created by New York-based IFCProductions' Jonathan Sehring and Caroline Kaplan, producer-director GaryWinick and Cinetic Media's John Sloss.Christopher will make theoffbeat comedy Pizza, the ...

  • News

    Obituary: John Schlesinger

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    John Schlesinger, the Oscar-winning director of Midnight Cowboy, died on Friday, near his home in Palm Springs, California. The British-born, veteran film-maker, suffered a debilitating stroke in December 2000, from which he never fully recovered. Recent weeks had seen the 77 year old's health deteriorate significantly.Schlesinger, along with Tony Richardson, ...

  • News

    HVE, Constantin ready German teen comedy zombie flic

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    After scoring box office success with comedies aimed at the youth market such as the Erkan & Stefan franchise and Feuer, Eis Und Dosenbier, Munich production house Hofmann & Voges Entertainment (HVE) is now turning its attention to producing the first German teen zombie comedy Die Nacht Der Lebenden Loser ...

  • News

    Woods tipped to take Irish Film Board post

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    Mark Woods, an expatriate Irishman based for many years in Australia is being strongly tipped as the new CEO of the Irish Film Board following Rod Stoneman's departure in September. However, a spokesperson for the Irish Film Board has refused to give air to the unofficial news, which has had ...

  • News

    Comcast mulls Vivendi Universal bid

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    Comcast, the US cable giant, may be poised to join the race to buy the US entertainment assets being sold by Vivendi Universal. These include Universal studios, cable channels including Sci-Fi and theme parks.According to several US press sources, including the Wall Street Journal, Comcast has expressed to Vivendi a ...

  • News

    Irish government funds key arthouse venues

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    The Irish Minister for Arts John O'Donoghue has announced the first recipients of capital funding through the Cultural Cinema Consortium scheme to assist the development of specialist cinemas. Euros 750,000 each has been offered to Kino Cinema in Cork and Limerick Filmhouse in Limerick which allow both operators to develop ...

  • News

    Danish Film Institute makes key appointments

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    The Danish Film Institute has made a string of appointments to some of its key positions. Influential managing director Henning Camre has had his six-year contract prolonged another two years until 2006. He has been the key to the restructuring and development of the new film policy at the institute ...

  • News

    McKellen eyes role in Merchant Of Venice alongside Pacino

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    Ian McKellen says that he "very much hopes" to play a role in a new Merchant Of Venice movie which is set to star Al Pacino."I very much hope to play Antonio in the film, when the money arrives to make it," said McKellen, who was attending the Giffoni International ...

  • News

    Dimsey steps down from Film Victoria after seven weeks

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    Ross Dimsey, the general manager of industry development and investment at State Government agency Film Victoria, has stepped down after a mere seven weeks in the job. Those who are closely involved are being tight-lipped about what exactly happened. A statement released by Film Victoria says that the role was ...

  • News

    Good Bye, Lenin! tops 6m German admissions

    2003-07-25T00:00:00Z

    After 23 weeks on release in Germany, Wolfgang Becker's tragicomedy Good Bye, Lenin! has now passed the 6m admissions mark and clocked up over Euros 36m in box office takings.The X Filme creative pool production now qualifies for a Golden Screen with star Award, sponsored by the German exhibitors association ...

  • News

    Australia/UK co-productions benefit from FFC cash

    2003-07-24T04:05:00Z

    Two 'commercial' Australia/UK co-productions are among four feature films to receive backing from Australia's Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) in its latest round of funding.Irresistible, a thriller about a woman who believes she is being stalked by her husband's beautiful co-worker, is written and directed by Ann Turner and executive ...

  • News

    At least 12 international buyers target Locarno for the first time

    2003-07-24T04:05:00Z

    US distributors Zeitgeist and Kino International, Sweden's Nonstop Entertainment, Brazil's Imovision, Spain's Lolafilms and Poland's Best Film are among a raft of international buyers attending the Locarno International Film Festival for the first time this year.Nadia Dresti of the festival's Industry Office told Screen Daily that acquisition executives from Japan's ...

  • News

    Sundance, Strand share Son Frere US rights

    2003-07-24T04:00:00Z

    Strand Releasing hasacquired US theatrical and home entertainment rights and The Sundance Channelhas acquired US TV rights to Patrice Chereau's Berlin prize winner SonFrere. According to the two deals,the film will have its US premiere on The Sundance Channel in early 2004 aspart of an on-air focus of Chereau's work. ...

  • News

    London Imax release reloads Warners coffers

    2003-07-24T04:00:00Z

    The BFI London Imax is providing Warner Bros' summer blockbuster The Matrix Reloaded with an extra lease of life in a large screen format.Opening on July 4, The Matrix Reloaded: The Imax Experience scored its biggest opening worldwide at the London location with $61,301 (£38,681) taken over three days. Eight ...

  • News

    Reda resigns from Winchester board

    2003-07-24T04:00:00Z

    Winchester Films' US-based CEO Hadeel Reda has left the board of directors of its UK parent Winchester Entertainment and is shedding her title of chief executive officer.Reda is to pursue independent producing but will continue overseeing Winchester's ongoing US projects and seek projects for the company's international sales team."I've been ...

  • Reviews

    Milwaukee, Minnesota

    2003-07-24T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Allan Mindel. US. 2003. 95mins.Milwaukee, Minnesota is a typical Sundance competition movie - one of the ones you never hear about again after January - that has somehow washed up on the shores of the Riviera in the Critics' Week section. As such, this effort by first-time director Allan ...

  • Reviews

    The Rage In Placid Lake

    2003-07-24T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Tony McNamara. Australia. 2002. 90mins.Let's get some misassumptions about this comedy feature debut from writer/director McNamara and Australian rockstar/actor Ben Lee out of the way. Firstly, it is not related to Fox's 1999 crocodile feature Lake Placid. And secondly, lead character Placid Lake (played by Lee himself) displays none ...