All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1214
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Sony Classics takes Sundance competition entry Frozen River
Sony Pictures Classics has paid high six figures for domestic rights to Courtney Hunt's Dramatic Competition entry Frozen River.SPC had been in talks with William Morris Independent for two days and finally closed the deal at around 8pm on Wednesday night [Jan 23]. The upstate New York-set tale follows two ...
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WGA signs interim agreements with Lionsgate, Marvel Studios
As expected the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) has signed an interim agreement with Lionsgate and with Marvel Studios.The agreement is similar to the deals the WGA struck recently announced with United Artists, Worldwide Pants, Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Pictures and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment.'We are pleased Lionsgate has ...
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Daniel Battsek - talking pictures
In the two-and-a-half years since Daniel Battsek took over the reins at Miramax Films, the British executive has established a corporate culture that is at once fresh and familiar.Gone are the outbursts, publicity stunts and grand plays of the brilliant, larger-than-life mogul Harvey Weinstein.In their place is an equally mesmerizing ...
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Schlessel gets new role at Sony as president of worldwide affairs
Peter Schlessel has been appointed president of worldwide affairs at Sony Pictures Entertainment and will step down from his role as president of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group (SPWAG).A replacement president for SPWAG will be announced in due course although Schlessel will retain oversight of the Group.In his new role ...
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Award-winning We Are Together sells to Palm Pictures for North America
Palm Pictures today has picked up North American rights to Paul Taylor's documentary We Are Together, which chronicles the lives of the Agape children in South Africa who use music to overcome loss.Palm's managing partner Jan Korbelin brokered the deal with Annie Roney, president of ro*co films international.Palm anticipates a ...
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Film Sales Company takes on sales to Derek Jarman doc Derek
Andrew Herwitz's The Film Sales Company has acquired worldwide sales rights excluding the UK and US distribution rights to Isaac Julien's documentary Derek.The film received its world premiere here last Saturday and explores the life and work of the late UK artist and film-maker Derek Jarman. Tilda Swinton narrates the ...
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Keke Palmer joins Ice Cube in Dimension's Fred Durst project
Keke Palmer has joined Ice Cube as a lead in Dimension Films' Untitled Ice Cube Project based on a true story that Fred Durst will direct from a script by Doug Atchison.Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones, Dash Mihok, Matt Craven, Garrett Morris and comedians Earthquake and Michael Colyar have also ...
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Keke Palmer joins Ice Cube in Dimension's Fred Durst project
Keke Palmer has joined Ice Cube as a lead in Dimension Films' Untitled Ice Cube Project based on a true story that Fred Durst will direct from a script by Doug Atchison.Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones, Dash Mihok, Matt Craven, Garrett Morris and comedians Earthquake and Michael Colyar have also ...
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Paramount Vantage seals worldwide rights to American Teen
The documentary form reclaimed pole position today [Jan 23] as Paramount Vantage paid approximately $1m for worldwide rights excluding the UK to Nanette Burstein's high school tale American Teen following days of intense interest.Paramount Vantage emerged top of the pack after the film's world premiere last Saturday also attracted attention ...
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Sundance deal-making speeds up midway through festival
Four days of dark pronouncements about the dearth of commercial narrative films at Sundance vanished on Tuesday [Jan 22] as business exploded with a flurry of activity headed by Focus Features' $10m deal for worldwide rights to Andrew Fleming's comedy Hamlet 2.In two other prominent deals, Fox Searchlight reportedly paid ...
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Adrien Brody to star in Sony BMG's Cadillac Records
Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright will star in Sony BMG Film's 1950s-set music industry drama Cadillac Records.Brody will play Leonard Chess, founder of the hugely influential blues record label Chess Records, while Wright will portray the legendary musician Muddy Walters in Darnell Martin's story of the birth of the electric ...
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Films shot in Wisconsin to get theatrical runs in home state
Milwaukee-based Marcus Theatres has struck a deal with Film Wisconsin in which the chain will provide theatrical runs for films shot in the State.Marcus Theatres president Bruce J Olson said his company will provide 'foundation bookings' based on the quality and appeal of films receiving a G, PG, PG-13 or ...
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Shoreline picks up international on Ozzie comedy On Broadway
Shoreline Entertainment has acquired international rights to Dave McLaughlin's Australian comedy On Broadway.The story centres on a Boston playwright who stages a production of his work in the back of an Irish pub.Eliza Dushku, Will Arnet, Amy Poehler and Robert Wahlberg play supporting roles. Kris Meyer, Lance Green, Henry Bertolon ...
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Digital distributor FilmCatcher.com launches with two deals
Digital distributor and online magazine FilmCatcher.com has launched at Sundance [Jan 20] with the aim of spotlighting quality films that slip through the traditional distribution net.The Filmcatcher.com website contains editorial and community oriented content and was co-founded by Trumbo producer Alan Klingenstein and Talking Pictures Company co-founders Alan Hruska and ...
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Robert Yu joins Porchlight as vice president of acquisitions
PorchLight Entertainment has named former Cinemavault Releasing International West Coast operations chief Robert Yu vice president of acquisitions.Yu is in Sundance to scout for rights for Porchlight and its non-family division Condor Releasing with president of worldwide distribution Ken DuBow.He will report to DuBow and senior vice president of home ...
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US Humane Society announces increase in annual doc grant
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) announced at Sundance [Jan 20] that it will increase its annual ACE/SilverDocs documentary grant to $25,000.The grant, which is part of The HSUS's Animal Content in Entertainment (ACE) programme, is designed to encourage the inclusion of animal issues in documentary film-making.The grant ...
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Mulroney, Davis to star in Driving Lessons
Dermot Mulroney and Hope Davis have signed on to star in the independent feature Driving Lessons that is scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles in March.Finland's Vivi Friedman will direct from a screenplay by Mark Lisson about an unhappy wife and mother who gets a second chance to save her ...
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Sundance: Documentaries overshadow dramatic entries
Documentaries continued to overshadow early Sundance business as HBO Documentary Films took all US rights to Marina Zenovich's Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired. Click here to see review.The high six-figure deal closed on Sunday a little over a day after The Weinstein Company pounced on international rights to the film, ...
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Warner continues to lead international box office with Legend
I Am Legend stayed on top of the international rankings for the fourth consecutive weekend and the fifth overall in its six-week run as an estimated $28.7m from 6,200 prints in 54 territories propelled the running total to $262.4m.The highlight of the new launches was a $4.1m (Ps 44.2m) number ...
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Cloverfield tears into January box office for Paramount
Paramount's monster movie Cloverfield delivered the first domestic hit launch of 2008 as it smashed through the competition to open top on an estimated $41m.The film, a Blair Witch-style first-person POV account of a monster attack on New York that was produced by JJ Abrams and directed by Matt Reeves, ...