All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1393
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Stevens, Kushner launch production, sales venture
Andrew Stevensand Donald Kushner have joined forces to launch the production and distributioncompany Focal Point Releasing and have lined up a debut slate for Cannes.The partnershave wasted little time in getting the operation off the ground, naming BarbaraMudge head of their international sales division, effective immediately.Titles inpre-production include Gray, a ...
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THINKFilm takes North America on Fateless
THINKFilm has picked up allNorth American rights to Lajos Koltai's Holocaust drama Fateless, which premiered in competition at Berlin and becomeHungary's biggest ever box office hit in its native country earlier this year,drawing more than 400,000 admissions.Based on Nobel Prize winnerImre Kertesz's screenplay from his own novel, Fateless chronicles the ...
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New US laws make illegal camcording a felony
Members of theHouse of Representatives passed s.167 of the Family Entertainment and CopyrightAct of 2005, which among other provisions makes camcording a federal offenceand upgrades it from misdemeanour to the more serious criminal grade of felony.Multiple offenders face up to six years and/or a fine.Special immunityclauses mean that theatre owners ...
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Scott Rudin heads to Disney to feed all three studio labels
New York-basedpower producer Scott Rudin is close to signing a five-year, first look dealwith Walt Disney Studios that would see him make features for the Buena Vista,Touchstone and Miramax labels.Whilecontractual terms and start date remain unclear - Rudin's deal with Paramountexpires in 18 months and he owes that studio two ...
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Crash, Mad Hot Ballroom bookend Newport Beach
The US premiere of PaulHaggis' drama Crash and the WestCoast premiere of Marilyn Agrelo's documentary Mad Hot Ballroom bookend the sixth annual Newport Beach FilmFestival, which runs from Apr 21-30.Other line-up highlights include West Coast premieres for Matthew Vaughn'scrime thriller Layer Cake and Arild Ostin Ommundsen's Norwegian romance MonsterThursday, as ...
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Schamus named to board of Nantucket Film Festival
Focus Features co-presidentJames Schamus has joined the Nantucket Film Festival board ahead of thefestival's 10th annual incarnation, which runs from Jun 15-19.Festival organisers alsoannounced they have teamed up with Kevin Spacey's online film-makers'collective TriggerStreet.com for a year-long screenplay competition that willculminate in a reading of the winning screenplay.Schamus earned best ...
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Dream picks up Naomi Watts Sundance comedy
Ehud Bleiberg and Yitzhak Ginsberg's LosAngeles-based production and sales house Dream Entertainment has picked upinternational rights to Scott Coffey's comedy Ellie Parker and will begin sales at Cannes.Ellie Parkerpremiered in dramatic competition at Sundance and stars Naomi Watts as anaspiring actress who goes to great lengths to realise her dream ...
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Peet joins the Cusacks in Meyjes-directed drama for New Line
Amanda Peet is in final negotiations to sign on to The MartianChild for New LineCinema. The film is an adaptation of a short story by sci-fi writer DavidGerrold that is due to begin shooting in Canada next month.Studio sources confirmed that Joan Cusack boarded the project lastweek, joining her brother ...
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Final MGM release Amityville has strong $23.3m opening
MGM's swansong release The Amityville Horror opened top of the North American chartsat the weekend, dominating a lackluster weekend as it grossed an estimated$23.3m.The $19m MGM/Dimension Films picture stars Ryan Reynolds andMelissa George as an ill-fated couple who move into a haunted house. AndrewDouglas directed the remake of the 1979 ...
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Horror strikes at the US box office with $23.3m opening
MGM's swansong release The Amityville Horror opened top of the North American chartsat the weekend, dominating a lackluster weekend as it grossed an estimated$23.3m.The $19m MGM/Dimension Films picture stars Ryan Reynolds andMelissa George as an ill-fated couple who move into a haunted house. AndrewDouglas directed the remake of the 1979 ...
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Interpreter translates into international hit with $9.3m weekend
Universal's thriller The Interpreter got off to a strong start through UIP atthe weekend, grossing an estimated $9.3m from 15 launches for a $10minternational running total including Greece, which opened last weekend.Buoyed by a hectic publicity tour that took star Nicole Kidman toAustralia, UK and Germany, and director Sydney Pollack ...
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Chow, cast members, to attend Sony/MTV Hustle party at Cannes
Sony PicturesReleasing International and MTV Networks Europe are teaming up at Cannes tohost a party in honour of the martial arts romp Kung Fu Hustle.Writer/director Stephen Chow will attend the event on May14 at Le Palais Oriental, along with cast members Tin Kai Man, Chan Kwok Kwan, Lam Tze Chung, ...
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Interpreter and Amityville battle it out in UK, Australia
One week afterUIP opened Paramount's Clive Cussler romp Sahara at number one in the UK and Australia,the distributor is attempting to usurp its champion with wide releases in bothmarkets for The Interpreter.Universal'sUN-set thriller opens on 200 prints in Australia on Apr 14 and goes out on 350in the UK, and ...
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Interpreter and Amityville battle it out in UK, Australia
One week afterUIP opened Paramount's Clive Cussler romp Sahara at number one in the UK and Australia,the distributor is attempting to usurp its champion with wide releases in bothmarkets for The Interpreter.Universal'sUN-set thriller opens on 200 prints in Australia on Apr 14 and goes out on 350in the UK, and ...
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First Look, DEJ swoop on Craven's The Breed
Los Angles-baseddistribution partners FirstLook Media and DEJ Productions have picked up worldwide rights to Wes Cravenproject The Breed, which stars Michelle Rodriguez and will be directedby Craven's longtime collaborator Nick Mastandrea.First Look Media's sales arm First Look International will begin licensingterritories at Cannes next month. Principal photography is scheduled to ...
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Paramount shakeup: Shearmur is new production head
Brad Grey's Paramountrevolution continues apace with news that Alli Shearmur has been promoted toco-president of production at the studio.Shearmur, formerly executivevice president of production, will oversee day-to-day development andproduction of the slate as well as literary acquisitions, and will report toincoming Paramount president Gail Berman, who officially starts in May.As ...
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Lions Gate spins off Canadian distribution, production
Lions Gate Entertainment hasspun off its Canadian distribution operation into a new venture called MaplePictures, headed up by former Lions Gate executives Brad Pelman and Laurie May.The move sees the once-all-Canadian Lions Gate strip away its Canadian assetsand now focus firmly on its US operation.Lions Gate will neverthelesshold a minority ...
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Gorris smelling of Rosa for Bold Films
Marleen Gorris has signed to direct the sexually-charged drama Rosa for Bold Films as part of the fledgling Los Angeles-based production company's growing slate.Principal photography is scheduled to begin on Rosa on June 7 in Florence, Italy. Bold Films principal Edward Bass and debut screenwriter Athena Stensland are producing, and ...
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Parent, Stuber move into producing roles at Universal
Universal Pictures vicechairmen of worldwide productionMary Parent and Scott Stuber will segue into producer roles at the end of 2005as part of their seven-year deal with the studio.Under the terms of their contracts Parent and Stuber agreed to serve the firsttwo years as vice chairmen of worldwide production and the ...
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Parent, Stuber move into producing roles at Universal
Universal Pictures vicechairmen of worldwide productionMary Parent and Scott Stuber will segue into producer roles at the end of 2005as part of their seven-year deal with the studio.Under the terms of their contracts Parent and Stuber agreed to serve the firsttwo years as vice chairmen of worldwide production and the ...