All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 169
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Reviews
Rise Of The Footsoldier
Dir: Julian Gilbey. UK. 2007. 120mins tbc Goodfellas comes to Essex in Julian Gilbey's gangster thriller Rise Of The Footsoldier. Luridly violent, full of macho posturing and often mired in cliche, the film nonetheless has an epic sweep and relentless narrative drive that show Gilbey is more than just another ...
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Reviews
Gandhi My Father
Dir: Feroze Abbas Khan. Ind. 2007. 128mins. 'To his nation, he was a father. To his son, he was a father...he never had.' Thus reads the tag line for Feroze Abbas Khan's Gandhi My Father, a film which never seems entirely sure whether it wants to be a sweeping historical ...
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News
Locarno: nurturing the new
For its 60th anniversary edition, the Locarno International Film Festival (August 1-11) is underlining its strengths as an event of discovery. Geoffrey Macnab reports. Now in its 60th year, the Locarno international film festival is one of the oldest and grandest festivals in the world.Its open-air Piazza Grande screenings are ...
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News
Locarno International Film Festival 2007: line-up
COMPETITIONTHE REBIRTH (Jap)Dir: Masahiro Kobayashi. World premiere.A gripping account of unspoken pain and survival.Int'l sales: TBCBOYS OF TOMORROW (S Kor)Dir: Noh Dong-seok. International premiere.Two boys on the outskirts of town believe their future lies elsewhere but they have no means to pursue their dreams. Can a gun be the answerInt'l ...
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News
Ingmar Bergman dies at 89
Influential director Ingmar Bergman has died.The film-maker behind such works as The Seventh Seal, Cries & Whispers and Wild Strawberries passed away at his home on the island of Faro, Sweden, aged 89, his daughter Eve said.One of the most revered of film-makers, Bergman enjoyed a 60-year career, which ...
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News
FX and tax credit
How does the UK's new tax credit affect the post sector' Geoffrey Macnab reports.It is understandable the Hollywood studios looked askance at the UK last year, as rules governing Gaap funds were changed and those governing the new UK tax credit were altered to conform with European Union (EU) criteria.'From ...
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News
Cause and effects
From Harry Potter to Sunshine, the UK's post houses are creating world-class effects work. But how is the sector being affected by the exchange rate and increasing competition from India' Geoffrey Macnab reports. The past 12 months has been something of a banner year for the UK post sector. From ...
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News
EC approves Belgian Tax Shelter system
There were sighs of relief in the Belgian production community withthe official announcement today (Thursday) that the EuropeanCommission has renewed its approval of the Belgian Tax Shelter system.Earlier this summer, the Commission had sent back proposals for therenewal, expressing concern about the lack of 'cultural' documentationin the proposals. Those concerns ...
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News
Julie Delpy: a woman to be reckoned with
Julie Delpy is set to start shooting The Countess, her second feature as director, in Eastern Europe in October. Geoffrey Macnab reports.Julie Delpy is set to start shooting The Countess, her second feature as director, in Eastern Europe in October.She will co-star alongside Ethan Hawke, Radha Mitchell, Daniel Bruhl and ...
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News
London UK Film Focus to screen 40 films to about 150 buyers
The London UK Film Focus (LUFF), which runs from June 25-28 at the revamped BFI Southbank, is expected to attract around 150 buyers to London. Around 40 films will be screening. The event, a showcase for British films, is now in its fourth year. LUFF's organisers claim that approximately $2m ...
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News
When LUFF comes to town
Cementing its place in the international calendar, the London UK Film Focus (June 25-28) is attracting influential buyers and a growing number of premieres. Geoffrey Macnab reports. Four years after its inception, the London UK Film Focus (Luff) is now an established part of the calendar. UK sales agents are ...
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News
BFI says funding issues will cause job losses but no catastrophe
Amanda Nevill, director of the British Film Institute (BFI), has responded to recent speculation in UK newspapers that the BFI is on the verge of a major withdrawal of the services and resources it offers to the research and teaching community. Nevill's remarks come in the wake of the BFI's ...
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News
BBC Films: a drama or a crisis'
The planned relocation of BBC Films back to BBC headquarters has provoked a panic in the UK, where producers fear the future of one of the territory's most important financiers is under threat. Geoffrey Macnab reports. At Cannes last month, BBC Films arrived with what its boss, David Thompson, has ...
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News
Velvet Octopus strikes major deals for The Moon Princess
UK sales outfit Velvet Octopus, which will be unveiling Peter Howitt's Dangerous Parking to buyers at the London UK Film Focus (June 25-28), has done brisk business on its Cannes slate. ' Cannes was a fantastic market for us,' Simon Crowe, managing director of Velvet Octopus, said. Following on from ...
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News
BBC Fiction boss Tranter spells out her plans for BBC Films
Controller of BBC Fiction Jane Tranter has defended the recent decision to move BBC Films out of its West End offices and back into BBC Television Centre. She told ScreenDaily.com that the move, likely to happen 'by around the end of the year,' is intended both to 'underpin the enormous ...
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News
Trust closes its new local Danish distribution arm
Zentropa has pulled the plug on its recently launched Danish distribution outfit, Trust Film Distribution. The division, set up late last year, is now being disbanded. Jimmy Bredow and Maja Giese, who oversaw the distribution arm's activities, will be leaving the company. 'I looked into it (Danish distribution) for the ...
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News
Artificial Eye picks up three Cannes Competition titles
UK arthouse distributor Artificial Eye has acquired three Competition titles at Cannes.The company has picked up Cristian Mungiu's Romanian drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days from Wild Bunch, Catherine Breillat's Cannes Competition debut An Old Mistress from Pyramide International and Christophe Honore's Love Songs (Les Chansons d'Amour) from ...
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Reviews
Magicians
Dir: Andrew O'Connor. UK-US. 2007. 90mins.These are boom times for British TV comedy. There is a wealth of talent working on the small screen. The continuing paradox is that so few of the best British comedians (Sasha Baron Cohen notwithstanding) make a successful transition to cinema. Magicians, made by the ...
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News
European MEDIA Programme plans investment in VOD and digital
MEDIA 2007 is setting aside $5.4m(Euros 4m) this year to invest in Video On Demand and Digital Cinema Distribution. The money will be invested in six projects, with applications open until July 9 and services expected to be running by June 2008.'We think it is important that Europe gets off ...
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News
Vertigo plans to unleash Cage Rage
Vertigo (the UK outfit behind Football Factory and Outlaw) is to partner with Cage Rage Championships to co-produce the new movie, Cage Rage, likely to have a budget of around $9 million. It is envisaged that this may be the start of a Rocky-like franchise.Brock Norman Brock is writing the ...