All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1352
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Boberg buys Liberty, launches Liberation Entertainment
Mediaentrepreneur Jay Boberg, with the financial backing of media and communicationsprivate-equity firm Clarity Partners, has acquired Liberty InternationalEntertainment and is relaunching it as Liberation Entertainment.The acquisitionincludes a sizeable library of more than 250 features, as well as episodictelevision and music concert programming.Boberg willserve as chairman and chief executive officer of ...
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Cripps to head Paramount's international distribution arm
UIP president and chiefoperating officer Andrew Cripps is to head up Paramount's internationaltheatrical distribution operation.The first major appointmentto the division is a coup for Paramount chairman Brad Grey and his team in thewake of the studio's agreement with Universal in splitting off from their jointinternational distribution venture UIP.Sources confirmed the ...
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Noeltner's CMG signs on to represent Moriah Films
Cinema Management Group (CMG) has signed up as the exclusiveinternational sales agent for the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's documentary filmproduction unit Moriah Films.CMG will bring two new Moriah productions to Berlin as well asMoriah's previous Oscar winning documentaries, 1997's The Long Way Home and 1981's Genocide.Ever Again, which explores the resurgence ...
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Dimension snaps up remake of Piranha
Dimension Films has snapped up US and all English-speaking rightsto Intellectual Properties Worldwide (IPW), Atmosphere EntertainmentMM/Relativity Media and Wild Bunch's horror project Piranha.Negotiations are underway for Chuck Russell to direct from ascreenplay he adapted from Joe Dante's 1978 cult classic.In Russell's version a series of earth tremors unleashes a schoolof ...
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Robert Altman to receive honorary Oscar
Robert Altman will receive an honorary Oscar at the 78th AcademyAwards on Mar 5.Altman, currently in post production on his ensemble GarrisonKeillor adaptation A Prairie Home Companion, has never won an Academy Award.However the 80 year-old has earned five best director nominations for M*A*S*H,Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts and Gosford ...
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Peter Morris voted in as new chairman of BAFTA/LA
Peter Morris has been voted in as BAFTA/LA's new chairman alongwith a new officer and five new members to the board of directors.The newly elected Board will make its first public appearance atthe 12th Annual BAFTA/LA Tea Party on Jan 15 at the Park Hyatt Los Angeles.Morris replaces outgoing chairman ...
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Louisiana movie studio to be established in Baton Rouge
In a move that will bringNew Year cheer to Louisiana officials in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, realestate developer The Celtic Group is planning to revive an abandoned BatonRouge facility and turn it into a film studio.The new Celtic Media Centreis being developed by Celtic, Baton Rouge and Los Angeles-based ...
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TLA buys domestic rights to Paige's gay comedy Say Uncle
TLA Releasing has acquired North American theatrical and homeentertainment rights to Peter Paige's feature directorial debut Say Uncle and plans a June release followed by DVDroll-out in the autumn.Say Unclestars Paige as a naive gay painter pining for his recently relocated godson whois targeted by a neurotic woman as a ...
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Green named vp of distribution at NYC-based Emerging Pictures
Josh Green has been namedvice president of distribution for New York-based Emerging Pictures, where hewill act as a sales agent and producer's representative.On pictures where EmergingPictures acts as a distributor-for-hire for theatrical release, he will planand manage the distribution campaigns.Green previously served asEmerging's director of marketing and business development after ...
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Esclavissat, Gornell get executive vp promotions at WBPI
In two key promotions forWarner Bros Pictures International (WBPI), Monique Esclavissat has been namedexecutive vice president of European distribution and Con Gornell has beennamed executive vice president of European marketing.Both senior executives moveup from their previous posts as senior vice presidents in their respectivedivisions.Esclavissat is responsible for regional supervision of ...
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Hegeman leaves Lionsgate to join Rice at Fox
Former Lionsgate worldwidemarketing president John Hegeman has been named chief operating officer of FoxFilmed Entertainment's new teen and young adult-focused creative contentdivision headed up by Peter Rice.Effective immediately,Hegeman will work alongside Rice managing all aspects of the company includingproduction, acquisitions, marketing and distribution.The as-yet-unnamed division- announced by Fox chiefs three ...
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Lionsgate strikes nationwide US hookup with Starbucks
Starbucks Entertainment hasstruck deal with Lionsgate under which the coffee giant will participate in themarketing and distribution of Lionsgate and 2929 Entertainment's upcoming dramaAkeelah And The Bee.Leveraging its retail baseacross North America, Starbucks will screen the picture to Starbucks servers(aka "baristas") to create word of mouth and run a series ...
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Heartlift opens Miami Film Festival on Mar 3
The world premiere of Eliseo Subiela's Heartlift (Lifting De Corazon) will open the 23rd Annual MiamiInternational Film Festival, which closes with the East Coast premiere ofNicole Holofcener's Sundance opener Friends With Money.All in all 92 features including 10 world premieres will screen atthe event, which runs from Mar 3-12 and ...
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Stiffs begins shooting with backing from Massachusetts tax incentive
Filming is underway on Boston-based Mavex Productions' comedy Stiffs, the first feature to take advantage ofthe Massachusetts Production Tax Incentive legislation that came into effect onJan 1.The project, which stars Danny Aiello as an Italian-Americanhearse driver who gets involved in a plot to keep a funeral home afloat, isscheduled to ...
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Biddle leaves Summit for senior vp production role at Rogue
Adrienne Biddle has left Summit Entertainment and joined RoguePictures in the newly created position of senior vice president of production.Biddle will be based in the company's West Coast offices andreports directly to Rogue production chief Andrew Rona.The company's upcoming releases include Dave Chappelle's BlockParty directed by MichelGondry, Alex Aja's The ...
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Marvel promotes three as company moves into new phase
Marvel Studios has promoted three executives to key positions asthe company moves into self-financed production following last year's financingdeal with Merrill Lynch.Kevin Feige has been promoted to president of production and willcollaborate with company chairman and chief executive officer Avi Aradoverseeing all film and television productions. He previously served asexecutive ...
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Escandell gets vp publicity stripes at Sony International
Cathy Escandell has been promoted to vice president of publicity,acquisitions and local productions at Sony Pictures Releasing International(SPRI).Escandell, who reports directly to senior vice president ofmarketing, acquisitions and local productions Sal Ladestro, formerly served asa senior publicist with the division.In her new role she will plan and execute all internationalpublicity ...
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Emerging Pictures forms digital alliance with Brazil's RAIN
IraDeutchman, Giovanni Cozzi and Barry Rebo's Emerging Pictures has formed a NorthAmerican digital distribution alliance with Brazilian technology company RAINNetwork.Called RAIN US, the New York-based exhibition and distribution venture aims tofulfil Emerging Picture's longtime goal of offering a platform to internationaland independent filmmakers.The fledgling venture will provide programming for 400 ...
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IFC, Tartan conclude deals on Brothers Of The Head
IFC Films and Tartan Films have picked up North American and UK rightsrespectively to Film Four's mockumentary Brothers Of The Head.The picture premiered at Toronto last autumn and IFC plans to release it inNorth American theatres in July.Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe's picture follows the fate of exploited conjoinedtwins who ...
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Searchlight names joint COOs in pursuit of happiness
Former Fox Searchlightdistribution chief Stephen Gilula and marketing chief Nancy Utley have beenpromoted to joint chief operating officers as the studio prepares for itsbiggest year.The company veterans are regarded alongside president Peter Rice as key playersas Searchlight bids to erase the memory of a lacklustre 2005 and emulate thecritical and ...