All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 167
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News
Schamus calls Oscar snub of Lust, Caution 'unjust and capricious'
James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features, has expressed his dismay at the decision last week of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) in Los Angeles to reject Ang Lee's Lust, Caution as Taiwan's official submission for the Foreign Language Oscar.'I am sure there is some ancient and ...
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News
Tranter welcomes six-year stability of new BBC Films budget
'Discreetly celebratory' was how Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, described the state of mind at BBC Films, where a $4m (£2 m) increase in the current annual budget of $20m (£10m) was confirmed Thursday. There was also the added news that $2m (£1m) of the BBC's film acquisition budget would ...
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News
UK film minister upbeat on industry but co-productions drop
UK Minister of State for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism Margaret Hodge defended the industry's position during her keynote speech atthe Screen International annual UK Film Finance Summit.But she has asked the UK Film Council to undertake an evaluation of the success of the UK tax credit as figures show ...
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News
Branco's new Portugal festival score two world premieres
The first European Film Festival in Estoril, Portugal (Nov 8-17) has attracted some high-profile names thanks to Portugal's best-known producer, Paulo Branco, serving as festival director. Pedro Almodovar (whose career is celebrated with a full retrospective) will be giving a masterclass as will fashion designer Emmanuel Ungaro, director Werner Schroeter ...
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News
Into the Arthouse: how artists like Sam Taylor-Wood move into film
There has always been an overlap between art and film. From surrealists such as Man Ray, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali to Cindy Sherman (Office Killer), Matthew Barney (Cremaster) and Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly), a steady stream of artists have crossed over into film-making.In the late ...
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News
The match-makers - new co-production markets
It is a truth acknowledged universally that an international producer in possession of a good project must be in want of a backer. But as the international market adjusts to a new business reality, producers, particularly those with mid-level budgets, are struggling to find suitors. Not only is Hollywood awash ...
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News
Films and slates worth $500m to be pitched at new London market
A formidable list of delegates and producers has been announced for the inaugural Production Finance Market (PFM) being held in London later this month (Oct 22-23). An estimated $500 million worth of projects are being presented, both individually and as part of slates. Confirmed attendees include many major distributors and ...
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News
Big squeeze on the small screen
Are the UK's leading broadcasters falling out of love with film' In the multichannel digital era, scheduling a popular movie in primetime can no longer guarantee a sizeable audience and there is an increasing sense that viewers do not want to consume movies on terrestrial TV.A case in point is ...
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News
BBC Films restructures with new board working under Jane Tranter
In London this morning, Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, spelled out her vision for a newly revamped BBC Films. 'The BBC's commitment to BBC Films is as absolute as it ever has been,' Tranter said.The major change is now that BBC Films will be managed by a new four-member BBC ...
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Reviews
Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
Dir: Stuart Urban. UK 2007. 83 minsStuart Urban's documentary is the latest in an increasingly lengthy list of films made by children about their fathers (Mark Wexler's Tell Them Who You Are, Nathaniel Kahn's My Architect and Doug Block's 51 Birch Street are three other recent examples.) Tovarisch, however, is ...
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Features
United States - The Focus Puller
It is a matter of pride for James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features, the specialised division of Universal Pictures, that he never misses a class at Columbia University, where he teaches film courses full-time in the autumn.Schamus paints a comic picture of himself this month, rushing back and forth from ...
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News
In focus - 'What about the day job''
It feels like it has got a bit out of control. It feels like there are a lot of useless festivals,' lamented a US sales agent recently. It is hard not to sympathise. On the face of it, the festival calendar seems wildly overloaded. In early autumn, distributors, sales agents, ...
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News
Robert Beeson leaves managing director post at Artificial Eye
Ending a 30-year relationship, Robert Beeson has stepped down as Managing Director of UK distribution company, Artificial Eye.His decision to leave follows on from the acquisition of Artificial Eye in the summer of 2006 by Act Entertainment Group, owner of Curzon Cinemas, and Knatchbull Communications Group. 'With the changes in ...
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News
The Queen producer in running for top BBC Films job
UK media reports have tipped Christine Langan, the producer of The Queen, to be the new head of BBC Films, in a newly created position of 'editor'. However, BBC sources refuse to confirm the appointment. 'There will be new positions but I can't confirm what they are,' a BBC spokesperson ...
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News
Ben X selected as Belgian Oscar candidate
Nic Balthazar's debut feature Ben X has been chosen as this year's Belgian Oscar candidate. The decision was made on Friday and was agreed on unanimously by both Flemish and French-speaking communities. Since its world premiere last month in Montreal, where it won the audience prize and shared the ...
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News
Dardenne brothers ready to shoot new feature
Shooting is to begin on Oct 1 on Le Silence De Lorna, the latest feature from Palme D'Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.The new film stars Arta Dobroshi as a young woman from Albania who wants to emigrate to France even if that would mean that she has to marry ...
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News
Thompson departure leaves questions about future of BBC Films
After a decade as head of BBC Films, the 'great survivor' David Thompson is to move on. Thompson will be standing down as BBC Films boss in four weeks' time to start up his own independent production company. The move comes following the summer announcement that BBC Films is to ...
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News
Rome Film Fest reschedules future to avoid London clash
In a move welcomed by exhausted sales agents, distributors and journalists, the London and Rome film festival dates are to set apart.This year, the events have an almost identical footprint - with Rome's festival running Oct 18 - 27 Oct and London's festival from Oct 17 - Nov 1.When Rome's ...
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News
Affleck feature pulled from London Film Festival
The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival has pulled Ben Affleck's directoral debut Gone Baby Gone from its programme because of fears of similarities to the case of missing girl Madeleine McCann.'The film is about the abduction of a young girl,' said festival artistic director Sandra Hebron. 'Because of the ...
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News
The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival boosts its industry profile
At the launch of The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival's full programme, itwas clearthat the festival is looking to a higher industry profile, with the introduction this year of the Production Finance Market (PFM).The event, managed by Angus Finney (formerly joint-managing director ofRenaissance Films), takes place at the Tower ...