All articles by Agnes Poirier – Page 11
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News
Canada's indie plight draws first blood
Montreal-based TVA is winding down its international sales operations and executive vice president of distribution, Jean Bureau has left the company.The closure comes as TVA's ultimate owner, Quebec-based publishing and communications conglomerate Quebecor seeks to cut costs following its $3.3bn acquisition of cable company Groupe Videotron, TVA's original owner, in ...
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MCP backs Cronenberg's Spider with Fiennes
Having departed as the director of Basic Instinct 2, David Cronenberg is back aboard the long-gestating psycho-thriller Spider that is now being financed through MM Media Capital Partners (MCP).Ralph Fiennes, originally attached to star opposite Miranda Richardson when the film was announced in October 2000 as a UGC production, also ...
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News
Edwards accepts Anschutz, Oaktree recapitalisation
Edwards Theatres Circuit has agreed to a recapitalisation plan that will see Phillip Anschutz's Anschutz Corp and distressed debt investor Oaktree Capital Management assume a significant percentage of its equity, so that the ailing circuit can emerge from bankruptcy protection. Terms of the proposed transaction were not disclosed.In past months, ...
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News
Loews goes to Schwartz, US partners in $850m deal
Ending weeks of uncertainty, Canadian billionaire Gerald Schwartz and two US partners have struck an $850m (C$1.3bn) deal to acquire distressed exhibitor Loews Cineplex, the second-largest chain in North America. One of the partners, LA-based Oaktree Capital Management, holds a large chunk of debt of another distressed circuit, Regal Cinemas, ...
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News
Montreal's Telescene saved by CineGroupe
Canadian film and television producer Telescene Film Group has been pulled back from the brink of bankruptcy (ScreenDaily, December 4), thanks to a joint venture with another Montreal-based industry player, animation house Cinegroupe Corp. Under the terms of the arrangement, CineGroupe will initially control 80% of the new company with ...
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News
Maelstrom sweeps the board at Canada's Genies
Denis Villeneuve's Maelstrom won five prizes at Canada's Genie awards on Monday night, including best picture, best director, best screenplay (Villeneuve) and best actress for its star Marie-Josee Croze. The film's cinematographer, Andre Turpin, was the winner in his category. The victory was another feather in the cap of leading ...
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News
Loews Cineplex to close 675 screens
North America's second-largest exhibitor Loews Cineplex plans to shutter 675 of its nearly 3,000 screens in North America as it reported a third quarter loss of $185m. The closures represent 23% of its screens in the US and Canada. The company also suggested it will file for bankruptcy protection in ...
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News
Lions Gate acquires InDigEnt's debut slate
Lions Gate Entertainment has acquired all domestic rights to the five-film initial slate of InDigEnt, the digital video film initiative headed by Gary Winich, John Sloss and IFC Entertainment. The deal includes Campbell Scott's Final, Ethan Hawke's Chelsea Walls, Bruce Wagner's Women In Film, Richard Linklater's Tape and Rodrigo Garcia's ...
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Reviews
Sexy Beast
Screening at Sundance (Premieres). Dir: Jonathan Glazer. UK. 2000. 84 mins.A much-anticipated debut from hot UK commercial and video director Jonathan Glazer, Sexy Beast at least lives up to its title. The acrobatic visuals and pumped-up soundtrack are certainly alluring, but the story is a two-act mongrel, a heist film ...
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News
Miramax to offer Guinevere download
Miramax Films has unveiled that Guinevere will be the first feature available for downloading through its 12-picture internet pay-per-view deal with web-based entertainment provider SightSound.com (ScreenDaily April 19, 2000).The 1999 title, starring Sarah Polley and Stephen Rea, can be downloaded from Jan 22 for a fee of $3.49 for a ...
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News
Loews Cineplex heads for corporate distress
Cash-strapped Loews Cineplex has retained a leading corporate distress specialist, indicating that the exhibitor is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection.New York-based Loews Cineplex has opened its books to investment bank GE Capital so that it can prepare a so-called "debtor in possession" financing structure. Under "debtor-in-possession" guidelines, the debtor ...
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News
IFP Spirit Awards nominate Requiem, Chuck & Buck
Miguel Arteta's Chuck & Buck, Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream and Kenneth Lonergan's You Can Count On Me have each received five nominations for the 16th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards. The Independent Feature Project/West announced the nominees in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls, ...
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News
Gladiator, Traffic lead nods for Golden Globes
Ridley Scott's Gladiator and Steven Soderbergh's Traffic landed five nominations each as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its nods for the 58th annual Golden Globes.Paramount's re-release of Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys seems to have paid dividends: the film received four nominations including a best actor nod for Michael Douglas. ...
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News
Crouching Tiger beats Traffic for Toronto critics
On the eve of taking the Golden Globe Awards nod for best foreign language picture, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was named best film of the year by the Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA).The picture's closest rival was Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, for which Soderbergh was named best director. Although Traffic came ...
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News
Canadian circuits under competition scrutiny
Canada's two principal exhibitors, Famous Players and Cineplex Odeon, are under investigation by the country's Competition Bureau for possible collusion. The two chains are the dominant players in Canada, with more than 1,600 of the nation's 2,400 screens. Both are controlled by US-based parent operations: Famous Players is a unit ...
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News
Imax sells digital projector to Japan's T-Joy
Canada's Imax Corp has sold its first commercial digital cinema projector to Japan's T-Joy, an exhibition joint venture backed by a total of 22 companies, including the Toei group. The deal gives Imax a much-needed boost. The beleaguered wide-screen entertainment company has seen its market valuation drop dramatically in recent ...
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News
Loews Cineplex gets brief credit extension
Struggling exhibitor Loews Cineplex has extended its credit agreement with the syndicate of principal creditors, from December 8 through January 26, 2001. The extension allows the company meet its anticipated obligations. However, Loews Cineplex had to agree to provide additional collateral. In a statement, the company said it will continue ...
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Canada's Prophecy launches distribution outfit
Vancouver-based production and international distribution company Prophecy Entertainment is launching a theatrical distribution subsidiary for the North American market. The new company, 4Wall Media, will focus on independent fare while pursuing marketing opportunities online via a branded web-site, expected to launch in the first quarter of 2001. The web-site also ...
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News
Loews Cineplex debt given junk status
Loews Cineplex has seen its debt ratings downgraded to low junk status by US ratings agency Moody's Investor Service. The ailing exhibitor operates more than 2,900 screens in almost 400 theatres in North America and Europe. While a negative report was expected - Loews Cineplex has warned that it may ...
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News
BCE gets greenlight for CTV takeover
Canada's largest telecommunications company has received regulatory approval to buy the nation's largest private broadcaster. The $1.57bn deal caps a merger, announced in September, that brings together BCE, Canada's major telephone company and internet service provider; Thomson Corporation, the major electronic information company and publisher of the national newspaper The ...