All articles by Adam Minns – Page 50
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News
Momentum appoints Withey to run expanded video arm
Momentum Pictures, the UK joint venture of Canada's Alliance Atlantis and Germany's Kinowelt, has appointed Conrad Withey to oversee the operation's recently-expanded video retail activities.Withey, who takes up the newly-created post of director of retail video and acquisitions, joins from Universal Pictures International, where he was vice president of programming. ...
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Granada Film adds WW2 drama to development slate
Granada Film, the features arm of UK broadcaster Granada Media, is developing World War 2 project Panzer.The UK-based operation has commissioned Jeff Pope and Terry Winsor, the team behind Granada's recently-released Essex Boys, to develop a story outline. The film is to explore the relationships of the crew members of ...
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De Villiers joins Video Networks board
Etienne de Villiers, former president and managing director of Walt Disney International for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, has joined burgeoning VoD company Video Networks as a non-executive director.The move comes as the operation is expanding film activities with recent deals with US studios including Buena Vista International Television ...
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Sky Pictures adds to team, unwraps Angel
UK satellite operator BSkyB has bolstered staff at feature arm Sky Pictures and unveiled John Irvin's contemporary thriller The Fourth Angel, one of its biggest projects to date.Sky has appointed Emma Berkofsky and Chris Brock to the newly-created roles of head of development and senior business and legal affairs executive ...
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Yes teams with Philippines' Sky Vision
UK video-on-demand (VoD) company Yes Television and Philippines cable TV operation Sky Vision Corporation have pledged $100m over the next ten years to fund a newly-launched joint venture, Yes Sky Interactive Corporation.The venture will offer VoD and interactive TV over the SkyCable network in the Philippines. The partners are conducting ...
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Film Council set for funding boost
UK film body the Film Council stands to get the lion's share of a $3m (£2m) boost in annual government funding.The funding, announced by the government as part of last month's spending review, is expected to be split between the Film Council and the National Film and Television School (NFTS). ...
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UIP seals distribution pact with Spain's Planeta
United International Pictures (UIP) has added a Spanish link to its rapidly growing chain of international distribution partners, striking a long-term pact with Planeta 2010, the start-up multimedia division of publishing company Grupo Planeta.UIP chairman and chief executive Paul Oneile confirmed that a deal has been concluded with the Spanish ...
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PHE funds Criminal theatrical outing
Video operation Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is funding the UK theatrical release of local thriller The Criminal in a drive to bolster its slate with acquisitions in local markets, PHE confirmed.PHE will cover p&a costs for a November release on at least 50 prints for the Palm Pictures and Storm ...
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Belmont joins Haas in WT2's Long Time Dead
Lara Belmont from Tim Roth's The War Zone has joined Mars Attacks!' Lukas Haas in the ensemble cast of WT2's British Scream picture, Long Time Dead, the company announced this week.Other young actors and actresses in the cast of the urban horror flick are Alec Newman, Joe Absolom, James Hillier, ...
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Granada pays $2.65bn for United's ITV assets
Granada Media has agreed to pay $2.65bn (£1.75bn) for the ITV interests of rival United News & Media.Granada will pick up the Meridian, Anglia and HTV regional UK channels in the deal, but is expected to sell off HTV. The move, which means Granada becomes the dominant commercial broadcaster in ...
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Kinowelt bags video rights to StudioCanal titles
German media group Kinowelt has reportedly acquired the video and DVD rights to 240 films from France's StudioCanal.The deal is understood to cover European rights outside French-speaking countries. In the UK the pictures are expected to go through Momentum Pictures, Kinowelt's joint venture with Canada's Alliance Atlantis. Kinowelt is expected ...
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UIP expands role with international alliances
United International Pictures (UIP) is forging a series of distribution deals with independent companies in key European territories, apparently bolstering its position as a business in its own right rather than just the international outlet of its US studio parents.The international distribution venture of Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and MGM ...
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Video Networks heads for Downtown
Downtown Pictures has become the latest UK distributor to tune into Video-on-Demand (VoD), striking an alliance with Video Networks, the UK VoD company planning a national roll-out next year.Along with a multi-year output arrangement, the partnership will see Video Networks investing in Downtown if the distributor satisfactorily advances plans for ...
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BSkyB ups movie spend as subscriptions top 4.5m
Movie costs at UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB rose 17% to $421m (£278m) in the year ending June 30 2000, the company announced on Wednesday as part of its annual results.BSkyB's total programming costs came in at $1.43bn (£946m), with sports costs representing 41%. The company, 37.5% owned by Rupert Murdoch's ...
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Momentum appoints Caplan as acquisitions chief
Momentum Pictures, the UK distribution and production venture of Canada's Alliance Atlantis and Germany's Kinowelt, has appointed Sally Caplan to the newly created role of head of acquisitions.Caplan, formerly senior vice president of acquisitions for Universal Pictures worldwide, takes the title of senior vice president of acquisitions and business affairs. ...
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Kinowelt pacts with Keitel's Goatsingers
Germany's Kinowelt Medien has struck a first-look development deal with Harvey Keitel's New York-based production outfit Goatsingers. The two-year pact is geared at producing arthouse pictures starring Keitel.The deal was unveiled today (July 20) by Charles Finch, who represents Goatsingers through UK-based Artists Independent Network (AIN). Finch and Kinowelt co-chief ...
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UK's article 27 partners with idealive
Soho-based internet distribution outfit article27 has formed a development partnership with idealive, a US-based on-line company which provides information to potential investors.Article27, which has previously struck on-line distribution pacts with UK cultural body the British Film Institute and Italian broadcaster RAI, is to provide idealive with market intelligence and information ...
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British Film Office sends visual effects rep to LA
Meg Guidon has been appointed to the British Film Office in Los Angeles as its first visual effects sector representative.Guidon, who has worked with such post houses as Cinesite and Mill Film in London, will take up her position in August, working under the title of visual effects marketing executive.The ...
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Film Council appoints Bagnall to head training
UK film body the Film Council has appointed Helen Bagnall to head its $1.5m (£1m) a year Film Training Fund, the Council announced today.Bagnall, previously training officer at UK producers' body PACT, will initially focus on supporting the areas of script skills and producer and business executive training. Her first ...
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McCormack steps into Fragile's High Heels
Mary McCormack is starring opposite Minnie Driver in Mel Smith's High Heels & Low Lifes, the debut production through the partnership formed by the UK's Fragile Films and Buena Vista International (UK).The female action comedy this week started a ten-week shoot on location in London and in Ealing Studios, which ...