All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1304
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Starz launches Overture under McGurk, Rosett
Starzhas launched its long-awaited theatrical division Overture Films, which willproduce, acquire and distribute eight to 12 full-length films a year.ChrisMcGurk is named chief executive officer and McGurk's former colleague at MGMDanny Rosett becomes chief operating officer.LosAngeles-based Overture Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of Starz, which itselfis a part of John ...
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Grbavica, Vitus lead AFI FEST honour roll
Jasmila Zbanic's Grbavica from Bosnia-Herzegovina won the AFI FEST's International FeatureCompetition Grand Jury Prize, while special mention went to Peter Schonau'sDanish film The Art Of Crying.The International Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize went toMark Verkerk's Buddha's Lost Children, and the shorts prize was awarded to Stefanie Berk's Disappearing.In the audienceawards, ...
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Borat continues to dominate North American box office
TwentiethCentury Fox expanded Borat from837 to 2,566 screens in its second weekend and reaped the rewards as feverishword of mouth generated an estimated $29m number onehold.After two weekends the picture has amassed $67.8m, a remarkableachievement by the distributor. Fox has taken a character that was virtuallyunrecognizable before the summer and ...
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Financier Das backs development fund for GreeneStreet
GreeneStreet Films (GSF) is going into business withprivate financier Sriram Das in a deal that will see Das will finance thedevelopment of a slate of films with the company.GSF's director of development on the West Coast Melanie Shanleyintroduced Das to the company. GSF will take the lead in creative developmentand ...
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Cutler leaves CAA to become president of Winkler Films
Jill Cutler (pictured) has left CAA to become president of IrwinWinkler's Winkler Films. While an agent Cutler worked with Winkler on a numberof films including the upcoming Iraq War drama Home Of The Brave, which opens through MGM on Dec 15."We've had an opportunity over the last few years to ...
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Fox goes out in 17 territories with A Good Year
Fox International's Borat stormed on to the global stage last weekend and will belooking to consolidate its gains over its second weekend.The comedy has amassed $26m to date and executives expect strongholds in active markets and equally impressive launches in a trio of smallercountries.The Devil Wears Prada recently crossed the ...
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Warner Bros crosses $1bn in international grosses
Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) has crossed $1bn inoverseas ticket sales for the sixth year in a row.The strong recent international openings of Martin Scorsese's TheDeparted, ClintEastwood's Flags Of Our Fathers and Christopher Nolan's The Prestige pushed the division over the threshold.WBPI's key drivers this year have been Superman Returns ...
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Boll to start production on Bloodrayne 2 on Nov 22
Uwe Boll is preparing to commence shooting on the adventurefantasy sequel and video game adaptation BloodRayne 2.Production on the Brightlight Pictures project is set to begin onNov 22 in British Columbia, Canada, starring Natassia Malthe as a vengeful vampire who runs amok in the1860s Wild West.Christopher Donaldson and Neil ...
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RoboCop, Red October composer Poledouris dies at 61 in LA
Basil Poledouris, the composer whose credits included Starship Troopers,The Blue Lagoon and FreeWilly, has died ofcancer in Los Angeles. He was 61.Best-known for his powerful music for action-adventure films like TheHunt For Red October, Conan The Barbarian and RoboCop, the Missouri-born composer forged strong working relationshipswith directors like Paul Verhoeven, ...
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Shadow buys North American theatrical on Romany music doc
Shadow Distribution has picked up North American theatrical rightsfrom Fortissimo Films to Jasmine Dellal's Romany music documentary When TheRoad Bends...Tales Of A Gypsy Caravan.Independent documentary DVD distributor Docurama is handling DVDand VOD rights. Fortissimo Films financed the project with the IndependentTelevision Service (ITVS).Shadow plans a mid-2007 release on the title, ...
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Slamdance, Angel Baby team to produce annual horror feature
Slamdance has teamed up with Angel Baby Entertainment andexecutive producer Michael Malagiero to produce an annual feature based on the year'swinner of the fledgling Slamdance Horror Screenplay Competition.The winning writer will also receive an upfront payment of $10,000against 5% of the film's budget, as well as net profits participation on ...
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Inconvenient Truth wins IDA's Pare Lorentz award
An Inconvenient Truth will receive the 2006 International Documentary Association's(IDA's) Pare Lorentz AwardDirector Davis Guggenheim, will accept the honour at the 2006 IDADistinguished Documentary Achievement Awards Gala on Dec 8 in Los Angeles.'This recognition is for the film that best represents theactivist spirit and lyrical vision of Pare Lorentz,' IDA ...
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Wong Kar-wai reunites with Weinsteins on Blueberry
The Weinstein Company (TWC) has swooped on all US, Australian andNew Zealand rights to Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights.StudioCanal is handling international sales on the auteur's first English-languagefilm, which stars Norah Jones as a lovelorn young woman who meets a series ofmemorable characters while traveling across America.Jude Law, David Strathairn, ...
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MPAA creates new rights management division under Saunders
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has established adepartment to manage and promote rights management and copyright royalty policyworldwide on behalf of its members.Jane Saunders has been named senior vice president and will headthe new Rights Management Policy and Relations department.The division consolidates several existing MPAA programmes, andwill promote ...
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First Look scores major sales on Diamond, Crime
A rejuvenated First Look International has closed major sales atAFM on Tennessee Williams' rare play Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond starring Lindsay Lohan and true-lifedrama American Crime starringCatherine Keener.Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond sparked multiple deals after it was announced during themarket. CAA is handling the Constellation Entertainment project in ...
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TWC takes US rights to Death Defying Acts
The Weinstein Company (TWC) has picked up US rights to Gillian Armstrong's Harry Houdini drama Death DefyingActs.The project stars Guy Pearce as the master escapologist who goeson tour in 1926 and embarks upon an affair with an exotic psychic played byCatherine Zeta Jones.The psychic and her daughter attempt to con ...
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Whitaker, Inconvenient Truth honoured at Santa Barbara
Forest Whitaker will receive the 2007 Santa Barbara InternationalFilm Festival's American Riviera Award and Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim will berecognised for their achievements in nature filmmaking for An InconvenientTruth.As previously announced Will Smith will collect the Modern Master Awardat the event, which runs from Jan 25-Feb 4, 2007.For more ...
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Solo Dios Sabe finds domestic home in Palm
Palm Pictures has acquired North American and Caribbean rights to CarlosBolado's Brazilian feature Solo Dios Sabe.The distributor plans an early 2007 theatrical release followed byDVD roll-out on the Palm Pictures label.Solo Dios Sabe, which premiered at Sundance this year, follows the relationshipof a Mexican journalist who falls in love with ...
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Mandate pre-sells key territories on Horsemen
Mandate Pictures has closed major territory pre-sales on JonasAkerlund's dark crime thriller Horsemen starring Dennis Quaid and Ziyi Zhang.Rights have gone to Icon for the UK and Australia, Concorde forGermany, West Video for CIS, and Sony Pictures Entertainment for Spain,Portugal, South Africa, Latin America and South Korea.Deals also closed in ...
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AFM says it had record attendance levels, 1,573 buyers
The27th AFM, which has been severely affected by sporadic internet service at theLoews Hotel, has announced record attendance levels.OrganisersIFTA claim overall attendance climbed to 8,208, up 2% against last year's8,014.Thecurrent tally of buyers as of today is 1,573 from 61 countries, with mostnotable year-on-year rises coming from Mexico (up 57% ...