All Screen articles in 29 July 2005 – Page 2

  • News

    Tartan Films in Great Ecstasy for Clay debut

    2005-07-28T00:00:00Z

    Indiedistributor Tartan Films has acquired UK rights from Wild Bunch to ThomasClay's controversial Cannes Critics Week entry, The Great Ecstasy of RobertCarmichael. The feature,which is 25 year old Clay's directorial debut, stars newcomers Dan Spencer,Ryan Winsley and Charles Mnene alongside established talents Danny Dyer (HumanTraffic, The Football Factory) and Lesley ...

  • News

    US studios, exhibitors united on digital cinema standard

    2005-07-28T00:00:00Z

    Hollywood'svision for a brave new world took a step closer to reality yesterday as leadingstudio and exhibition representatives unveiled an industry standard governingdigital cinema rollout.The move comesmore than three years after studios and exhibitors formed the Digital CinemasInitiative (DCI), the umbrella group charged with devising a set of unanimoussystem requirements ...

  • News

    NBC Universal keeps mum on DreamWorks acquisition report

    2005-07-28T00:00:00Z

    Studio sources have declined to comment on yesterday's report thatNBC Universal is in talks to acquire live-action unit DreamWorks SKG.According to the New York Post the studios were in the earlystages of talks but a deal was not imminent.DreamWorks SKG issued a statement in which it said any commentsabout a ...

  • News

    Wong Kar-wai's Lady shoot moves back to autumn

    2005-07-27T21:59:00Z

    Wong Kar-wai's upcoming ALady From Shanghai looks set to moveinto production in the early autumn instead of an originally projected startdate of July.StarNicole Kidman has reportedly re-confirmed her participation in the film whichwill shoot in Russia - most likely St Petersburg - and elsewhere in the west. The film is ...

  • News

    French DVD revenues plateau as prices plunge

    2005-07-27T04:00:00Z

    French consumers spentEuros 770.3m on DVD and VHS purchases in the first half of 2005, a one percentfall on the same period last year. The total number of units sold was up, however,with a 22.6% increase. The discrepancy can be explained by a shift inpricing. During first half of 2005, ...

  • News

    UK film distributors boost media advertising spend

    2005-07-27T04:00:00Z

    UK film distributors are investing more money intomedia advertising according to the Film Distributor's Association (FDA), thetrade body for UK theatrical film distributors. Inthe first six months of this year the territory's distributors spent $139m (£79.8m)on media advertising, a massive increase of 16% over the same period of 2004when $120m ...

  • News

    Chinese media giant takes stake in Oz film channel

    2005-07-27T00:00:00Z

    ShanghaiOriental Pearl Group (OPG), owned by China's second largest media conglomerate,the Shanghai Media Group (SMG), is acquiring a stake in Australian TV channeloperator Pan TV, according to local press reports. OPG has signedan agreement to buy the stake but is still awaiting approval from Chineseregulators according to spokesman Hua Wei. ...

  • News

    Bay's Island looks for international rescue

    2005-07-27T00:00:00Z

    As NorthAmerican figures broke over the weekend analysts were quick to label MichaelBay's The Island adisaster. Certainly it isthe director's first domestic flop, but observers largely failed to recognisethe film's strong start in international markets, which more and more oftenacts as a saviour these days. That will be oflittle consolation ...

  • News

    Locarno adds two features to official competition

    2005-07-27T00:00:00Z

    Irene Bignardiis pulling out all stops for her last outing as Locarno's artistic director byselecting another two films for the official competition and bestowing aLocarno Excellence Award on the US actress Susan Sarandon.The twolatecomers just confirmed for the International Competition are Canadian LouiseArchambault's feature debut Familia, which is described ...

  • News

    Optimum acquires UK rights to Focus pair

    2005-07-27T00:00:00Z

    Independentdistributor Optimum Releasing has acquired all UK rights to Rian Johnson's Brickandpurchased UK rights to Jeff Wadlow's Cry Wolf from Focus Features. The deal is the first between Focus andOptimum. Brick was awarded the Special Jury Prize at this year'sSundance Film Festival and is the story of a ...

  • News

    Media Luna takes on sales for Three Degrees

    2005-07-26T04:00:00Z

    Media Luna Entertainment has picked up international distributionrights for Florian Hoffmeister's Three Degrees Colder (3° Kaelter) whichwill have its world premiere in the forthcoming International Competition atthe Locarno Film Festival.Starring Bibiana Beglau, Sebastian Blomberg, Meret Becker, Johannvon Bülow, Katharina Schüttler, and Alexander Beyer, the drama among a group offriends reacting ...

  • News

    Low budget horror Nailed cranks up in Belfast

    2005-07-26T04:00:00Z

    Productionhas begun in Belfast on low budget horror feature Nailed from first-timedirector Adrian O'Connell and writer Stephen McAnena. The film,which is set in Brooklyn but being shot entirely on location in Belfast, starsCharles Porter and Sam Sarpong (American History X) as two pettycriminals on the run who hide out in ...

  • News

    Gilliam, Tanovic set for Toronto world premieres

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    World premieres from TerryGilliam and Danis Tanovic are among nine new titles unveiled for the 30th TorontoInternational Film Festival (Sept 8-17).Tideland (Can-UK), Terry Gilliam's second feature this yearafter Brothers Grimm, is scheduled to play in the Masters section.Janet McTeer, BrendanFletcher, Jeff Bridges, and Jennifer Tilly star in the tale of ...

  • News

    Mosawi forms new genre outfit The Mayhem Project

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Former Mutual Film Co COOAnthony Mosawi has set up a new production and finance company called TheMayhem Project. Backed by European private equity source, the outfit plans todevelop, finance and produce genre films budgeted between $10m and $25m such asthe first property acquisition, videogame horror hit Clock Tower."We are looking ...

  • News

    McInnis programmes Palm Springs short film festival

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Kathleen McInnis has been named director of short film programmingat this year's 11th Annual Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films& Short Film Market.The festival and market screens approximately 350 films from more than40 countries each year, and this year organisers are reporting a record 2,400submissions to date, up 10% ...

  • News

    UK exhibitor launches online DVD rental service

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    UK exhibitor Vue Cinemas has partnered with online DVDrental outfit Screenselect.co.uk to launch 'Vue at Home'.The partnership will see Vue customers able to accessScreenSelect's library of over 34,000 titles through www.myvue.com. The summer launch will involve promotions across all Vue's52 cinemas nationwide. When buying cinema tickets, all Vue customers will ...

  • News

    Foster to direct Sugar Kings for Universal, Tribeca

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Jodie Foster will direct and may star in the class action drama SugarKings for UniversalPictures and Tribeca Films.Based on a screenplay by Ned Zeman and Daniel Barnz, SugarKings is based on MarieBrenner's Vanity Fair article "In The Kingdom Of Big Sugar", about a law schoolgraduate and veteran public interest attorney ...

  • News

    Gay Sex doc gets US deals with Wolfe, Sundance

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Joe Lovett has signed a raftof distribution deals for his documentary Gay Sex In The 70's, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festivalearlier this year.The picture will open intheatres on Nov 4 through, followed by DVD/video release through Wolfe Video in2006 and a television premiere on the Sundance Channel in ...

  • News

    Misher signs first-look deal with Paramount

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    Paramount Pictures hasbrought Kevin Misher, the producer of The Interpreter and The Scorpion King, into the fold with a three-year first look deal. Misher Films executivesPatrick Baker and Andrew Berman will join Misher at Paramount; the termcommences once Misher's deal with Universal Pictures expires. Titles in developmentinclude an adaptation of ...

  • News

    Dutch court jails van Gogh killer for life

    2005-07-26T00:00:00Z

    A Dutch court has sentencedthe self-confessed killer of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh to life in jail.Mohammed Bouyeri, anAmsterdam-born Muslim, was convicted of killing van Gogh as he cycled to workin Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. He was found guilty of shooting and stabbing vanGogh, slashing his throat and pinning ...