All articles by Adam Minns – Page 43
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Gaga Communications hires Company Man
Gaga Communications is understood to have picked up Japanese rights to Cube director Vincenzo Natali's Company Man, one of the US projects attracting most interest from international buyers at the AFM. Sales agent Pandora was apparently aiming to secure between $1.5m and $2m for Japanese rights to the project after ...
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UK Film Council eyes IRA picture Bloody Sunday
In a move bound to trigger controversy, UK public funding body the Film Council is likely to invest in Portman Film and Granada Film's Bloody Sunday, a feature about the real-life shooting of 13 unarmed civilians by members of the Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland.The project, being made through Jim ...
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US buyers starting to look south of the border too
Mexico is emerging as a hot buying territory - a trend driven not so much by local distributors as by US distributors such as Miramax Films which have been adding territorial rights south of the Rio Grande as part of their North American purchases.The suddenly acquisitive Miramax, which is driving ...
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Miramax resumes love affair with foreign cinema
A noticeably acquisitive Miramax Films is close to domestic deals on two of the hottest non-American titles on the current sales circuit -. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Cannes competition contender Amelie From Montmartre and Tsui Hark's The Legend Of Zu, starring Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon discovery Zhang Ziyi. In both cases Miramax ...
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Dimension Films and TF1 team up for Heist
Dimension Films and France's TF1 are understood to have partnered on Heist (aka 2-11), the English-language debut of Gerard Pires, director of French action hit Taxi.Dimension, the genre arm of Miramax Films, is understood to have taken US rights to the project, currently in pre-production, and optioned Pires' next English-language ...
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Pinewood-Shepperton eyes European expansion
Pinewood-Shepperton Holdings, owner of the $145m (£100m)-plus super studio formed this week from Pinewood Studios' effective takeover of Shepperton Studios, has set its sights on a link-up with a production facility on the European Continent.Michael Grade, the former Pinewood chief who becomes executive chairman of the new group, confirmed that ...
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Pinewood, Shepperton complete merger
Pinewood Studios and Shepperton Studios, the UK's two leading film production facilities, have finalised a merger that will create a European super studio.Pinewood will take control of Shepperton, which is co-owned by directors Ridley and Tony Scott. Pinewood chief Michael Grade will become executive chairman of the new group, while ...
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Film Council's Premiere Fund to park with Altman
UK film superbody the Film Council is close to investing in iconic US indie film-maker Robert Altman's UK-set satire Gosford Park which will be distributed domestically by USA Films and internationally by Capitol Films.The body is negotiating to board the 1930s-set satire, for which Altman aims to secure an ensemble ...
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Gladiator DVD hit by documentary gaffe
DreamWorks and Universal have been forced to re-work future DVDs of Ridley Scott's Gladiator following complaints in the UK that an additional documentary on the disc carried an image of the Hillsborough football tragedy.Controversy erupted after the Roman epic was nominated for 15 film awards - the most for any ...
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FilmFour to lie within Channel 4 commercial arm
UK features operation FilmFour is to be spun off from parent broadcaster Channel 4 into a new company, 4 Ventures Limited.Channel 4 confirmed in a statement on Monday that the new holding company would include the film production, distribution and sales subsidiary alongside the channel's commercial ventures such as pay-TV ...
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Usborne to head regional at UK's New Cinema Fund
UK film superbody the Film Council has appointed independent producer Alex Usborne to oversee regional funding through its low-budget and edgy production fund, the New Cinema Fund.Usborne is to encourage film-makers across the UK to access the fund, which is worth $7.4m (£5m) a year. He previously ran Sheffield-based production ...
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Christina Ricci joins FilmFour's Miranda
Christina Ricci is to star opposite UK actor John Simm in the provisionally-titled UK romantic comedy Miranda.The $5.9m (£4m) production is being financed by the UK's FilmFour, which is handling international sales. To be directed by Marc Munden from a script by Rob Young, the project marks the feature debut ...
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BBC Films ups Scoffield, appoints Bennette
The UK's BBC Films has revamped its production team, promoting Tracey Scoffield to executive producer and appointing Rachel Bennette as a producer.Scoffield, previously head of development, will executive produce projects as well as retain overall responsibility for BBC Films' development slate. Bennette was previously development executive at Uberto Pasolini's production ...
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Metrodome shares slide to 12-month low
The UK's Metrodome Group saw its shares hit a 12-month low on Tuesday after posting a loss of $908,000 for the six months ended 30 September 2000.The media group blamed higher than expected costs at direct marketing division Home Entertainment. The group's share price slumped to $0.53 on Tuesday, down ...
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Film Council pledges to support distribution
UK film body the Film Council has revealed that it plans to fund distribution through its National Lottery Premiere Fund.The $14.6m (£10m) annual fund, launched in October to back production on mainstream pictures, will use a range of methods including sharing p&a costs with distributors or footing the cost of ...
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UK's Target merges with New Media Industries
Target Media, a leading advertising space buying company for the UK film industry, has merged with internet outfit New Media Industries (NMI).Target, which boasts clients including FilmFour, Icon, Metrodome, Redbus and Winchester, and its parent DPA Soho are forming a new operation titled Target NMI as a result of the ...
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UK production up but facing strike threat
Underlining the potential impact of the threatened Hollywood production hiatus, the volume of overseas-financed production in the UK rose 33% last year, according to the British Film Commission's annual report.Overseas-backed feature and high-end TV production hit $788m, eclipsing last year's $591m with such high-profile studio-backed fare as Harry Potter And ...
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Butler moves to Pathe marketing post
UK distributor Pathe Distribution has appointed Anna Butler as director of marketing, deputy managing director Ian George announced on Friday.Butler formerly spent five years as head of press and marketing at UK film and TV cultural body the British Film Institute. She will report directly to George, who was promoted ...
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ONdigital reaches one million subscribers mark
UK pay-TV company ONdigital has reached its end of 2000 target of one million subscribers, the company announced on Wednesday.ONdigital said it was on track for two million subscribers in two years but pledged to reduce its churn - the number of customers not renewing their contracts. The broadcaster aims ...
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Metro Tartan buys Japan's Battle Royale
Hamish McAlpine's Tartan Films has acquired all UK rights to Japanese gore fest Battle Royale.Tartan will release the controversial film in the UK in the autumn through releasing arm Metro Tartan Distribution. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the futuristic story follows a group of teens on a desert island who are ...