All articles by Jeremy Kay – Page 1482
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Diggs takes lead role in Armada's Drum
Taye Diggs, whose creditsinclude Chicago, Basic and BrownSugar, has joined the cast of ArmadaPictures' true-life Apartheid drama Drum, which begins principal photography on Nov 7 inSouth Africa.Set in the 1950s, the storycentres on a magazine writer who risks his life exposing the South Africanregime and sparks a popular protest movement.UTA, ...
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Focus to sell Europe on Zhang's latest martial arts epic
Focus Features will handleinternational sales in mainland Europe excluding the UK for Zhang Yimou'sin-production martial arts spectacle, House Of Flying Daggers.Sales on Yimou's firstproject since the action epic Herowill begin at MIFED next month. Producer Bill Kong will collaborate with Focusfor the third time following Heroand Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.The ...
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Outrage from HFPA, SAG at MPAA's secret deal with Academy
The Hollywood Foreign PressAssociation (HFPA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) have strongly condemnedyesterday's (23) exclusive screeners ban U-turn between the MPAA and AMPAS.Under the terms of thebehind-closed-doors deal, a one-year experiment will see VHS tapes go out onlyto those Academy members who sign an agreement pledging to safeguard theirtapes ...
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UIP rolls out Coen's Cruelty in key territories
Universal's black comedy Intolerable Cruelty goes out in its second wave of international releases this upcoming weekend with medium-sized bows in four major territories.The Coen Brothers film opens through UIP in Australia on 200 prints on Oct 23, Germany on 350 on Oct 23, Spain on 239 on Oct 24 ...
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MPAA launches second anti-piracy trailer
The embattledMPAA will launch the second theatrical trailer of its anti-piracy campaigntomorrow (24), buoyed by claims that July's opening spot raised awarenessamong one in five 13 to 24-year-olds.Three monthsafter launching the Respect Copyrights campaign, a new trailer called'Movies. They're Worth It.' is going out in approximately5,000 theatres nationwide.The trailer isproduced ...
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DPS teams with Germany's BAF on 3-D animated Happily
Digital Production Studios (DPS), the New Jersey-based 3Danimation subsidiary of IDT Media, has signed a services agreement with Germanproduction company BAF Berlin Animation Film.Under the terms of the deal DPS will act as the single sourceanimation company for Happily N'Ever After, a 3-D animated revisiting of classic Brothers Grimm fairytales.Work ...
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Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic join EU Film Festival lineup in US
Pupi Avati will introduce his Italian romance Incantanto (The Heart Is Elsewhere) as the opening film of the upcomingannual EU Showcase festival, which runs in Washington DC from Oct 29-Nov 9.Organised by the American Film Institute (AFI) and the EuropeanCommission Delegation in Washington, the event features a host of festivalwinners ...
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Sandra Bullock sets Fortis, Miss Congeniality 2 at Warner
Sandra Bullockwill produce and reprise her lead role as an undercover special agent in thefollow-up to Miss Congeniality, which will be produced by Castle Rock, Village Roadshow Picturesand Bullock's Fortis Films and released through Warner Bros.In addition Fortis Films has extended its deal with WarnerBros by two years and expanded ...
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April, Architect win audience awards at Chicago
Peter Hedges'comedy-drama Pieces Of April tookhome the Audience Choice Award gold plaque and Nathaniel Kahn's MyArchitect claimed silver at the 39thChicago International Film Festival, which ran from Oct 2-16.Hedges' acclaimed filmstars Katie Holmes as an independent young woman who reconnects with herdysfunctional family over the traditional American Thanksgiving dinner.Patricia Clarkson, ...
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Crowe, Bullock, Hoffman to present at BAFTA/LA's big night
Alan Cummingwill host BAFTA/LA's 12th Annual Britannia Awards in Los Angeles on Nov8.Presenters atthe upcoming awards show include Billy Connolly, Dustin Hoffman, Russell Crowe,Robin Williams, Jane Seymour, Robert Wagner and Sandra Bullock.As previouslyreported here, Hugh Grant will receive the annual Stanley Kubrick BritanniaAward for excellence in film and director Peter ...
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Warner Independent teams with Cherry Road
WarnerIndependent Pictures, the specialty arm of Warner Bros which launched in August2003, has secured a development and co-production fund with Cherry Road Films.Under the dealthe two companies will jointly develop projects - mostly from books, plays orpre-existing screenplays - with writers, directors and other producers.Cherry Road willalso have the opportunity ...
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Vanco winds down US indie Cowboy
Six years afterJohn Vanco and Noah Cowan launched the New York-based independent distributorCowboy Pictures, Vanco is to close the company down. The closure comes despitethe arrival of Lot 47 CEO Greg Williams to join Vanco as partner in Cowboy inMay this year. Cowan had already left to pursue other interests ...
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US non-profit Global outlines international film series
The Global FilmInitiative, the US-based charitable foundation dedicated to the promotion ofcross-cultural understanding through cinema, is less than one month away fromlaunching its inaugural annual film showcase.Entitled GlobalLens: New Cinema from the Developing World, the programme will run at New York's GramercyTheatre from Nov 13-30 before embarking on a nationwide ...
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Rothman tells HFPA that the MPAA has made no decisions
Tom Rothman, the co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, yesterday denied that the MPAA has reached any conclusion on the screener ban which has divided Hollywood.Addressing the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) before a screening of his studio’s big Oscar hope Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World, Rothman ...
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LXG scores another $10.6m for Fox
Fox International's TheLeague Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG)continued to chase down the magical $100m mark as a $10.6m weekend haul from3,860 screens in 35 territories raised the film's running total to$85.1m.The fantasy-adventure openedthird in the UK on $3.3m from 365 screens and scored number one openings inGreece and Finland, grossing $370,000 ...
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Moses, King get added responsibilities at Nielsen EDI
Box officetracking company Nielsen EDI is expanding the roles of two key executives as itcontinues to develop its data support services.Senn Moses willexpand his responsibilities, as president of Nielsen cinema and homeentertainment to oversee domestic business and operations, while Nick King,president of Nielsen Entertainment International, will now also overseeday-to-day international ...
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Bad Boys II tops international box office
Bad Boys II was the number one international film at the weekendas it grossed $16.2m from 4,640 screens in 55 markets and raised itsinternational running total to $85.2m.Columbia TriStar FilmDistributors International (CTFDI) confirmed its action sequel opened top inFrance on $3.9m from 700 screens, effectively overruling Universal'sclaim yesterday based on ...
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River runs strong for Warner Bros in France, UK
Warner BrosPictures International released Mystic River in its first international markets atthe weekend, grossing $2.7m and 366,313 admissions from 504 screens in sixterritories.The murder mystery opened third in France on an estimated$1.7m and 254,000 admissions from 320 prints nationwide. In Paris it grossed$640,000 and 88,500 admissions from 40.It was director ...
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Nemo dazzles with $9.6m weekend in UK for BVI
Finding Nemo raised its international running total to $123.7m thanks to a $10.1mweekend haul that was driven by a stunning second weekend in the UK.The animated hit added $9.6mand remained number one in the UK for the second weekend in a row. To dateBuena Vista International's (BVI) family film has ...
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Weeping Camel trots into THINKFilm fold
North American independentdistributor THINKFilm has acquired all North American rights to ByambasurenDavaa and Luigi Falorni's The Story Of The Weeping Camel, Mongolia's first official foreign languageAcademy Award entry that was one of the surprise hits of Toronto.THINKFilm plans a spring2004 release for the film, which has just been nominated for ...