All articles by de.seguin@gmail.com – Page 22
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Cirrus jumpstarts racer drama Nitro
CirrusCommunications, the Montreal-based production company behind last year's smash C.R.A.Z.Y., has begun production on its nextfilm, the $6.4m action romance Nitro.Directedby hot Quebec TV director Alain Desrochers from a screenplay by BenoitGuichard, the film takes its lead from the high-octane adrenalin rush of TheFast And The Furious,according to C.R.A.Z.Y. producer ...
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IMAX, Cinearte sign for IMAX cinema in Sao Paolo multiplex
IMAX Corp and Brazilian exhibitor Circuito Cinearte have signed anagreement that will see an IMAX cinema as part of a 10-screen mulitplex in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The new facility is scheduled to open in 2007. The deal is IMAX'ssecond in Brazil. In all there will be 29 IMAX theatres in ...
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Chechik to direct Pornographer's Poem for House Of Films, Fondry
Jeremiah Chechik, directorof Benny And Joon, TheAvengers and Diabolique, hassigned on to direct The Pornographer's Poem through Bill House's House Of Films and Daniel Ironsof Fondry Films, co-producer of Sarah Polley's TIFF Gala Away From Her. Karen Walton is adapting thescreenplay from the book by Michael Turner, a story of ...
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Vancouver's Anagram readies three pictures from three founders
Vancouver-based productioncompany Anagram Pictures, whose Fido went over to rapturous public response here, is readying a three-pictureslate for production in 2007. As with previous Anagram projects, the company'sthree founders, Trent Carlson, Blake Corbett, and Andrew Currie, are eachdirecting projects while working in support roles on the others. First up is ...
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Weinstein Co extends output deal with MPD in Canada till 2010
The Weinstein Company hasextended its output deal with MPD, a notch in the favour of the Canadiandistributor as it tussles with its former chairman Victory Loewy and former CEOPatrice Theroux. Given that the agreement had another three years to run - thetermination date was December 31, 2009 Ð the extension ...
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Newton & Leo comes Perfect Circle
Vancouver-based Perfect Circle Productions has completedfinancing on Jesse Rosensweet's $5m stop-action animated feature Newton AndLeo. Rosensweet's The Stone Follywon the Jury Prize for best animated shortat Cannes in 2002. Described as a 'fairytale-gone-wrong', the story follows Thomas Galileo Newton, an inventor struggling to invent a cure for his son, Leo, ...
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William Hurt joins cast of $13m mystery Lighthouse
William Hurt has signed onfor a lead role in Lighthouse for Vancouver-basedIrreverent Media.The $13m mystery, fullyfinanced through private investors, is the feature debut of writer-directorFrederick Thorsen. Irreverent CEO Tom O'Brien is leadproducer while Michael Grais of Poltergeist fame is executive producer. Stockholm-based NonStop is handling world sales. Described as a ...
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Brand producers line up quartet
Seattle-basedThe Film Company (TFC), producers of Guy Maddin's Brand Upon The Brain!, has linedup four feature projects to further its artist-driven slate.Firstup is The Part I Love The Best from Seattle artist Megan Murphy, set to shootin October. Next, Bosnian filmmakerVesna Ljubic will head into productionon her first English-language project ...
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Construction finally begins on Toronto Film Studio
Construction has begun onToronto Film Studio's long-delayed mega-studio project. The first phase, to becompleted by 2008, includes a 45,000 square-foot,clear-span "mega-stage" TFS claims will be world's largest purpose-builtsoundstage, as well as six other sound stages. "Thisstage will attract blockbuster feature films costing $100m or more, like SpidermanIII or Die Hard ...
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Metropolitan Opera to transmit live performances to US, Europe theatres
New York's MetropolitanOpera has announced plans to transmit high-defintion live performances of itsproductions to cinemas in North America and Europe. The multi-media initiative,which also encompasses webcasts, HD television and radio, will tap the growingnetwork of HD projection cinemas in circuits including National CineMedia (aventure of AMC Entertainment, Cinemark USA and ...
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Walk from Japan, Love from Brazil share Montreal prize
Nagai Sanpo (A Long Walk) by Eiji Okuda of Japan and O Maior AmorDo Mundo (The Greatest Love Of All) from Brazil's Carlos Diegues shared the top prize GrandPrix of the Americas at 30th Montreal World Film Festival which wrappedover the weekend. The jury, whichincluded US actress Kathy Bates, Canadian ...
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Montreal's FNC gets shot in the arm from Langlois
Montreal's Festival duNouveau Cinema has signed a ten-year partnership with software magnate DanielLanglois that will cement the festival's place within Langlois' Ex-Centrismedia centre in the city's downtown. Langlois is also forgivingthe FNC's long-term debt and committing to provide a long-term venue forCanada's oldest film festival. The 35th edition of the ...
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Burstyn takes the lead in Skogland's Stone Angel
Writer-director KariSkogland has begun principal photography on her feature The Stone Angel with Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn in the lead.Based on the novel by thelate Margaret Laurence -- a staple of modern Canadian literature - thefilm will be distributed in Canada by Odeon Films with world sales through IACFilm/Sequence Film. ...
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Theatrical revenues surge in Canada in 2005
Canada's distribution business saw a strong surge in2004/2005 with revenue from theatrical releasing increasing by 16.6 per cent to$401m (C$446.3m).According to data released by Statistics Canada, revenuefrom home video wholesaling remained firm at appoximately $1.62bn, representingroughly 51% of the industry as a whole, while exports of Canadian contentproduction rose marginally ...
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Celluloid picks up Maddin's Toronto premiere Brand
Celluloid Dreams hasacquired international sales rights to Guy Maddin's upcoming Toronto title BrandUpon The Brain! The film will besold through Celluloid Nightmares, the company's genre label.The silent feature willscreen at TIFF as a Special Presentation with live orchestral accompaniment aswell as on-stage foley artists, a narrator and a castrato. It ...
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TIFF Group sets ground-breaking for new centre in 2007
The Toronto InternationalFilm Festival Group says it will break ground on its proposed headquarters inthe first quarter of 2007 towards an opening in the second quarter of 2009. Construction of FestivalCentre, as it is dubbed, was announced in April 2003 and was originally plannedto begin in 2005 - and be ...
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MPD begins legal proceedings against Loewy et al
Antagonism between Canadiandistribution company Motion Picture Distribution (MPD) and a trio of formerexecutives escalated today, as MPD announced plans to seek legal redressagainst the executives while their lawyer vowed to "see the truth out in court".MPD launched the firstvolley, with a late afternoon release announcing it had commenced proceedingsagainst former ...
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Minghella, Scott, Apted, Nair all premiere at TIFF
New films from AnthonyMinghella, Ridley Scott, Michael Apted, Patrice Leconte, Mira Nair will maketheir world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF organizers unveiled thecomplete line-up for the 31st event, totaling 261 features including85 world premieres from outside Canada. Among the higher-profileworld premieres getting the Gala treatment are:Breaking ...
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MPD battle heats up, as statement slams Theroux, Laberge
The two senior executives who left Canadian distributioncompany Motion Picture Distribution (MPD) in July were "terminated for cause",according to a company release issued today. In the statement, MPD said it had "determined" after "athorough investigation" that Patrice Theroux, former president and CEO, andPaul Laberge, former executive vice president, corporate development ...
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Ousted MPD execs fight back through lawyer's statement
Ousted MPD executives Patrice Theroux and Paul Labergelashed back at their former employer, responding through their lawyer to anannouncement earlier today from MPD that the duo were "terminated with cause". Toronto law firm Lenczner Slaight said their clients "werewrongfully dismissed" by MPD and did not breach their fiduciary or contractualduties."I ...