All articles by Francoise Meaux Saint Marc – Page 5
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Paris screenings confirm upbeat French industry
The selection of new titles on view at Unifrance's fourth Paris screenings, held January 11-15, reflected the upbeat mood currently being enjoyed by the French film industry, not just at home, but increasingly abroad.Internationally, French films' attendance jumped 122% last year, to some 30 million admissions, according to Unifrance's latest ...
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Unifrance's Paris screenings in bullish mood
Unifrance's fourth Paris screenings (Rendez-Vous Europeen du Film Francais) to be held January 11-15, will kick off in an upbeat mood as the French-language cinema foreign box-office has more than doubled up in 2001. According to Unifrance's latest report, French-language films attracted more than 18.9 million admissions abroad last year ...
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French production & exhibition enjoy record 2001
2001 has been a record-breaking year for both the French production and exhibition sectors, with local titles attracting a hefty 41% (up from 28.5% in 2000) of the 185 million tickets (up 11.4%) sold last year, according to the latest CNC estimates, the highest attendance figure since 1984.Last year, French ...
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France's TFI boosts stake in loss-making TPS
Leading French broadcaster TF1 has acquired France Television's and France Telecom's 25% stake in Television Par Satellite (TPS) for Euros 195m.Following its acquisition of France Telecom's16.5%, and public broadcaster France Television's 8.5% stake, TF1 will hold 50% of the loss-making digital satellite operation, along with private broadcaster M6 and cable ...
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Lescure rejects accusations of sell-out
"The French film industry is healthy if Canal Plus is healthy," said Canal Plus chief Pierre Lescure yesterday in response to charges that Vivendi Universal is becoming American dominated. "Its health will be better through the acquisition of USA Networks."His remarks came during a hastily organised Paris press conference, put ...
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French loyalty cards boost an upward trend
The first in-depth report on the effect of France's controversial cinema loyalty passes, introduced in March 2000, reveals that card-holders are on the increase in the country, giving benefits to both exhibitors and distributors.P>The report, by French film support body CNC, also reveals that foreign titles, as opposed to French ...
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Jacques Tati to be feted at 55th Cannes festival
A special tribute to Jacques Tati, on the 20th anniversary of his death, which will include public, open-air screenings of two of his most popular films, will be part of next year's 55th Cannes film festival, to be held May 15-26.A restored 70mm print of the French film-maker's Playtime will ...
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French film production on track for record year
French film production has reached a massive 162 titles during 2001 (compared to 150 last year), and will top a record 200, including films in which French partners are minority co-producers (against 171 last year) according to the CNC (Centre National de la Cinematographie).Fuelling the growth, the bullish trend for ...
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Libermann picked to head France Television Dist
Michel Libermann is to become CEO of France Television Distribution (FTD), the film and television rights trading arm of public broadcaster France Television, which includes international sales house President Films.The 43 year-old Libermann replaces Marc Bonduel, who departed in October to head Pathe's French film distribution arm Pathe Distribution and ...
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Canadians, Koreans check into Officers Ward
Mercure Distribution has sold Canadian rights to Cannes competition title The Officers' Ward (La Chambre Des Officiers) to Christal Films Distribution. With Cinema bagged South Korean rights.La Chambre Des Officiers (pictured), a World War I drama adapted from a novel by Marc Dugain and written and directed by Francois Dupeyron, ...
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Intimacy wins prestigious Louis Delluc honour
Patrice Chereau's Intimacy, has been awarded the Louis Delluc prize. The film, adapted from a novel by Hanif Kureishi and Chereau's first English-language title, has already won Berlin's Golden Bear as well as a Silver Bear for female lead Kerry Fox and was lately nominated for the European Films Awards.Chereau ...
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French music house XIII Bis launches into pictures
XIII Bis Organisation, a leading French independent music group, is making its first foray into the film business, with Anima, a fantasy thriller written and to be directed by in-house artist and composer Christophe Pascal. The French-language film, set in France and The Netherlands, in the 17th century, involves a ...
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Harry Potter begins lucrative spell in France
With a massive 475,000 tickets sold in France on its opening day (Dec 5), Harry Potter has become the second biggest opener of 2001 - behind another Warner release, French comedy La Verite Si Je Mens 2 (503,000 admissions) - and the eighth all-time biggest opener.Harry Potter, released on a ...
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Breillat's Scenes Intimes pre-sold before finished
Catherine Breillat's latest project, Scenes Intimes, which started shooting on Nov 19, has already attracted the attention of foreign distributors on the strength of the successes of Romance and A Ma Soeur! (Fat Girl).Scenes Intimes - produced, like Romance and Fat Girl , by Flach Films and starring Anne Parillaud ...
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Bac sells Paris cinemas to French heiress
French distributor/exhibitor Bac Majestic (which handles both Miramax and StudioCanal titles) has sold its five Paris cinemas to Sophie Dulac (a French heiress who is partnering with arthouse exhibitor Jean Henochsberg, of Cine Classic) for a reported $5m.Bac Majestic's theater circuit, Les Ecrans de Paris, which includes five high profile ...
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Varda completes first of 20 Paris Je T'Aime shorts
French film-maker Agnes Varda (The Gleaners) has completed shooting The Flighty Lion, the first in a series of twenty shorts uniting directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Tom Tykwer and Woody Allen. The twenty shorts are to be put together as a feature film entitled Paris Je T'Aime, produced by Paris-based ...
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France's film marketing costs set to soar
France's audiovisual watchdog CSA (Conseil Superieur de l'Audiovisuel) has recommended a partial lift of the current ban on advertising films on television - a move set to radically shake up the French distribution sector. The policy is part of a new French government legislative programme concerning advertising on television. Although ...
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Thym launches Luxembourg production company
Heinz Thym, formerly head of film co-productions and acquisitions for CLT Ufa International is setting up a Luxembourg film production company, T Films.As a registered Luxembourg producer, T Films will be able to access the principality's generous local tax shelter schemes. Through the 100%-owned T Films, Thym will seek to ...
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The Pretender delayed by legal dispute
The shooting of The Pretender, Gilles Mimouni's next film after 1996 L'Appartement, is to be delayed until March 2002.Shooting was due to start this month but has been held up by a legal wrangle. Mimouni's producer George Benayoun (Messaouda Films/Natan Films) has filed and won a breach of contract suit ...
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France has big appetite for American Pie 2
American Pie 2 has bolted out of the starting blocks in France, with more than a quarter of a million admissions on its first day of release, making it the sixth best opening of the year so far.Debuting on 495 prints, the UIP title pushed last week's chart-topper Bridget Jones's ...