All articles by Francoise Meaux Saint Marc – Page 12
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Young French stay away from cinemas
Fewer young people are going to the movies in France, according to a CNC report assessing the cinema-going habits of 6-24 year olds, the "golden age group". But fortunately those who do go, go more often than before, mostly due to the multiplex boom. It is finally dawning on the ...
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Brotherhood's local debut pushed back to next year
The French release of StudioCanal's eagerly-awaited The Brotherhood Of Wolves (Le Pacte Des Loups) has been postponed from an autumn 2000 slot to the end of January 2001 due to an extended post-production period.The $25m fantasy period piece involves a high degree of special effects. Shot in Super 35mm and ...
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Warner Bros acquires French rights to La Verite
Warner Bros France has picked up French-speaking rights to highly-anticipated local comedy La Verite Si Je Mens 2 - La Grande Distribution, the sequel to the 1997 hit title, through its French offshoot PECF (Production et Edition Cinematographique Francaise).La Verite Si Je Mens - directed by Thomas Gilou and produced ...
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France's MK2 set to launch loyalty pass
MK2 plans to launch a loyalty pass, as an answer to the cards created by fellow French exhibitors UGC, Pathe and Gaumont. The company's chairman Marin Karmitz - who has been one of the staunchest opponents of loyalty passes - is not giving details about the card, but said in ...
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Vivendi Universal gets greenlight from Canada
The three-way merger between Vivendi, Seagram and Canal Plus has been cleared by Canada's competition authorities. The deal is now only now only waiting for a greenlight from the European Commission (EC) after being waved through by the French and US authorities. The EC was originally scheduled to rule on ...
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France's Ubi Soft acquires Clancy's Red Storm
French video game developer and distributor Ubi Soft Entertainment is to acquire Tom Clancy's Red Storm Entertainment - which develops video games adapted from the US author's novels - for a reported $45m.Red Storm, which is based in Morrisville, North Carolina, registered revenues of $52m in 1999.Ubi Soft, a leader ...
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CanalSatellite expands line-up; forecasts profit
Canal Plus' French digital satellite operation, CanalSatellite, will add several new channels and interactive services to its line-up this autumn, most of which will be derived from its alliance with media and publishing giant Lagardere. Canal Plus has also said it expects the service to reach break-even this year as ...
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Gaumont joins loyalty card bandwagon
Sundance's Geoff Gilmore is held accountable every year - not just for which films are chosen or dismissed, but for the state of US independent cinema itself. Now he's rumoured to be about the leave to join one of the majors. Is he selling out' Colin Brown reports.From the moment ...
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Italy's Mikado bags Venice closing film Vengo
Italian distributor Mikado has acquired Venice closing night film Vengo, directed by Tony Gatlif, a French-Spanish co-production that is being sold worldwide by France's Flach Pyramide International.Following the international arthouse success of Gatlif's award-winning titles Latcho Drom and Gadjo Dilo, Vengo - in which Gatlif once again explores his gypsy ...
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Deauville competition line-up echoes Sundance
Several Sundance titles feature in the competition line-up at this year's Deauville Festival of American Cinema (September 1-10), including Ben Younger's Boiler Room, Miguel Arteta's Chuck And Buck and Karyn Kusama's Girlfight.Other Sundance titles in the nine-strong line-up include Rob Schmidt's Crime And Punishment In Suburbia, Brad Anderson's Happy Accidents, ...
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EC puts Vivendi Universal probe on hold
The European Commission has put its review of the Vivendi-Canal Plus-Seagram merger on hold until the partners provide additional data.Although the companies did not outline the issues raised, Vivendi and Canal Plus have stated that they are confident the required data could be filed by the end of August and ...
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Bellucci signs to play Cleo in Asterix sequel
Italian actress Monica Bellucci has reportedly signed to play Cleopatra opposite Christian Clavier and Gerard Depardieu in Renn Productions' Asterix And Obelix In The Service Of Cleopatra.The first Asterix film, Asterix And Obelix Vs Caesar, was France's most expensive production at $50m and topped the French box office during 1999. ...
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Canal Plus, Vivendi report revenue increases
Canal Plus' film and television production and distribution division StudioCanal has reported an 11% increase in first-half revenues to Euros144m, mostly due to increased library sales and its consolidation of German film distributor Tobis.The company, which recently sold European DVD rights (excluding France) to 240 titles to Germany's Kinowelt, said ...
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NTL, MSDW buy France Telecom's Noos stake
UK cable operator NTL is partnering with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Private Equity (MSDW) to acquire France Telecom's 49.9% stake in Suez Lyonnaise-controlled French cable operation Noos, for a reported Euros1.35bn.The deal - which will see NTL and MSDW owning 27% and 22.9% of the cable operator respectively - values ...
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M6 first half revenues up by 21%
French broadcaster M6 has reported a 21% hike in first-half revenues, to Euros377.3m, compared to Euros211.9m for the same period in 1999. The increase was mostly due to a rise in advertising revenues, which increased 28.3%, from Euros214.6m in the first half of 1999, to Euros275.3m during the same period ...
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Deauville to host Eastwood tribute
The 26th Deauville film festival (September 1-10) will feature a tribute to Clint Eastwood to coincide with the premiere of his latest film as a director, Space Cowboys, starring Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland who will also attend.Other honourees of the American film festival include producer Dino ...
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France's AlloCine to launch movie channel
French film-oriented internet portal AlloCine, in which Canal Plus holds a 25% stake, will launch a movie-themed channel, AlloCine Television, as of September 2000.The channel will not screen films, but in line with AlloCine's website - www.allocine.com - will carry film-centred news including real-time box office, interviews and talk-shows. It ...
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Universal to become Canal Plus subsidiary
Vivendi chief Jean-Marie Messier has announced that Pierre Lescure - who has already been named COO of the future Vivendi Universal - will also be chairman of Universal Studios, which is to operate as a subsidiary of the new Canal Plus group, itself a 100% subsidiary of Vivendi Universal.Seeking to ...
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France changes ratings system in Baise-moi row
French culture minister Catherine Tasca has agreed to reinstate the 18 certificate in France following the censorship row that broke out when controversial title Baise-moi (Fuck Me) was given an X rating when already on release. As a result, exhibitors which were refusing the pull the film from their theatres ...
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StudioCanal pacts with Ovitz
France's StudioCanal has formed a joint venture production company with Michael Ovitz's Artists Production Group (APG) to co-finance and produce 12 to 15 features over the next three years aimed at the US and international markets. StudioCanal will hold international distribution rights to the titles outside the US where distribution ...