All articles by Francoise Meaux Saint Marc – Page 13
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Jacob's successor to be chosen after summer
As was planned, Gilles Jacob officially took over from Pierre Viot as president of the Cannes film festival on Monday (July 3), but the decision as to who will step into his shoes in the crucial role of director general will only be announced after the summer holidays.Writer and journalist ...
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Exhibitors refuse to pull Baise-moi
A fully-fledged censorship row has blown up in France following the decision by French high court Conseil d'Etat to give controversial title Baise-moi (Fuck Me), which is already on release, an X rating. Exhibitor MK2 and some independent exhibitors are refusing to remove the film from their screens.The Conseil d'Etat's ...
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Baise-Moi banned from French cinemas
Following a lawsuit by Promouvoir, an association defending "judeo-christian and family values", controversial French title Baise-moi has been given an X rating by France's Conseil d'Etat effectively banning it from French theatres.Baise-moi, produced and distributed in France by former PolyGram subsidiary Pan Europeenne, had been rated PG-16 by the board ...
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Baise-moi opens well but faces lawsuit
Controversial French title Baise-moi (Fuck Me) racked up 5,634 admissions from only 64 screens on its opening day in its home territory (June 28), despite the fact that France was playing Portugal that night in the semi-finals of the Euro 2000 soccer tournament.French exhibitor UGC - whose CEO, Guy Verrechia, ...
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Fete du Cinema overcomes Euro 2000
Despite France's on-going success in the Euro 2000 soccer tournament, the country's annual cinema promotion scheme - the Fete du Cinema - managed to attract 3.8 million admissions over three days from June 25-27.Ticket sales were down 12% compared to last year's record 4.3 million, mostly due to a 20% ...
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Jet Set takes off at French box office
Two smaller French titles - Fabien Onteniente's comedy Jet Set and Lionel Delplanque's horror film Promenons Nous Dans Les Bois - have been the hottest tickets in France for the week ending June 20.Jet Set, a fish out of water tale, has attracted a smash 428,000 admissions in its first ...
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Miramax takes option for stake in Bac
Miramax Films has secured the option to acquire a 1.9% stake in Bac Majestic, the holding company of Miramax's regular French distributor Bac Films, ahead of its float.Sales arm Miramax International has also renewed its distribution pact with Bac Films for three years. Bac, which is to float next month, ...
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Business as usual for Canal Plus, Universal
Canal Plus boss Pierre Lescure played down the idea of major strategic changes to his company's role in the European and US film industries following the trans-Atlantic merger that today created Vivendi Universal and returned PolyGram to European ownership."If anything we will be producing more films over there," said Lescure, ...
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Gitai chooses Miller adaptation for next project
Israeli film-maker Amos Gitai - whose latest film, Kippur, was in competition at Cannes this year - will next direct an adaptation of Arthur Miller's novel Plain Girl: A Life.The project marks a departure for Gitai who usually focuses on Israeli history and social issues. Kippur is set in the ...
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Canal Plus-Pathe continue talks for UK pact
France's StudioCanal appears to be forging ahead with talks to create a pan-European distribution network - a releasing apparatus that would effectively run alongside United International Pictures (UIP) should Canal Plus and its parent Vivendi succeed in their planned takeover of UIP partner Universal.According to well-placed sources, StudioCanal expects to ...
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Vivendi Universal merger deal only days away
It looks as if Vivendi chairman Jean-Marie Messier will be saying 'Bonjour Hollywood' within just a matter of days after both he and his prospective second-in-command Edgar Bronfman Jr separately confirmed that their hot-and-heavy negotiations to take over Seagram are all but wrapped up. The resulting Paris-based media and communications ...
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Brune to replace Dassonville at Columbia France
Eric Brune, currently sales director at French distributor UGC Fox Distribution (UFD), is to replace Richard Dassonville as CEO of Columbia TriStar's French outpost.Prior to UFD, where he has spent the last five years, the 38-year-old Brune has worked at Pathe, Disney and Warner.UFD - a joint venture between French ...
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StudioCanal to fully finance Polanski's Pianist
France's StudioCanal is close to finalising a deal to fully finance and handle worldwide sales on Roman Polanski's next project, The Pianist, a $35m adaptation of the novel by Polish writer Wladyslaw Szpilman.Polanski's own outfit, RP Productions, is producing the project which is scheduled start shooting either at the end ...
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French exhibitor Action launches discount cards
French arthouse exhibitor Action plans to launch the "Action Gitanes" discount card in July. The card - which will cost $36 (FFr250) for entrance to 10 films and is valid for a year - is the first independent answer to major exhibitor UGC's highly controversial "UGC Illimite" card. Action operates ...
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Bony to replace Lupfer at TPS Cinema
Philippe Bony has been named general manager of TPS Cinema, replacing Didier Lupfer, who has moved over to rival pay-TV operator Canal Plus (Screendaily, June 2).In his new role, Bony will head digital satellite operator TPS' four film-themed channels, which include Cinestar 1 and 2, Cinefaz and classic movie channel ...
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TF1 forms holding company for digital operations
French free TV broadcaster TF1 is to create a holding company, TF1 Digital, which will group all of its digital TV operations.The move is seen as evidence of the broadcaster's intention to step up its involvement in the pay-TV sector and prepare for the future launch of digital terrestrial broadcasting ...
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Canal Plus loses appeal against fine
Canal Plus has lost its appeal against a $1.5m (FFr10m) fine imposed by the highest French court for unfair competition practices against rival Television Par Satellite (TPS) with regard to pay-per-view rights.The judgement followed a complaint filed by TPS last year that Canal Plus was preventing French film producers from ...
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Arte, GMT team up for gender series
Franco-German broadcaster Arte is partnering with French drama producer GMT to produce 10 TV movies under the strand name Masculin/Feminin (Male/Female), which will examine issues of equality between men and women around the world.As with previous Arte drama series, Petites Cameras, Masculin/Feminin is to be shot using DV cameras.Two of ...
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Lupfer quits TPS for Canal Plus
Didier Lupfer, the former head of movie channels at French digital satellite service TPS, is moving to the platform's archrival Canal Plus, where he takes up the role of programme development chief.Lupfer will be responsible for the creation of channels destined for Canal Plus' future digital terrrestrial franchise - ...
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Frere joins M6's revamped board
Belgian financier Albert Frere, one of CLT-Ufa's main shareholders through his holding company Audiofina, has joined the newly-appointed supervisory board of M6 and been named vice president of the French free TV broadcaster.CLT-Ufa - now renamed RTL Group, following its merger with UK group Pearson's television interests - is a ...