Large MPU – Page 1505

  • News

    Grosvenor Park launches German fund

    2001-05-07T11:52:00Z

    Canadian-UK financier Grosvenor Park, which has specialised in funding films through the UK's sale and leaseback system, is now planning to have a piece of the action in Germany's $2.3bn (DM5bn) private media fund sector. It has set up Munich-based Grosvenor Park Media GmbH to offer private German investors the ...

  • News

    Filmbox raises cash for French video expansion

    2001-05-07T12:18:00Z

    French video group Filmbox has raised $1.05m (Euros1.2m) from a group of private investors to expand the services offered by its network of automated video dispensers.The company, which was formed in January last year by Stephane Chiche, currently operates some 3,000 dispensers located in supermarkets and other retail outlets across ...

  • News

    American Rhapsody to open 6th Nantucket Film Fest

    2001-05-07T17:17:00Z

    American Rhapsody, produced and sold internationally by Fireworks Pictures and to be distributed domestically by Paramount Classics, will have its world premiere as the opening night film of the sixth annual Nantucket Film Festival on June 20.20 films will be presented at the festival which runs from June 20 to ...

  • News

    The Piano Teacher goes to Artificial Eye for UK

    2001-05-07T18:13:00Z

    UK specialist distributor Artificial Eye Film Distribution has picked up Austrian auteur Michael Haneke's Cannes Official Competition entry The Piano Teacher.The Austrian-French title, which is represented on the Croisette by international sales outfit MK2, stars Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot and Benoit Magimel.Artificial Eye this year teamed with Metro Tartan Films, ...

  • News

    Dogtown skates into arms of Sony Pictures Classics

    2001-05-07T18:16:00Z

    Sony Pictures Classics has picked up North American and English speaking territory rights to Dogtown And Z-Boys, winner of the audience award for best documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival.Written and directed by Stacey Peralta the $600,000 skateboarding documentary was fully funded by Vans, the athletic shoe-maker most identified ...

  • News

    Granat, Anschutz become classroom mates

    2001-05-07T18:17:00Z

    Former Dimension Films president Cary Granat has teamed up with billionaire (and now exhibition mogul) Philip Anschutz to create a new production outfit Walden Media with plans to make films, TV programming, new media and publishing initiatives "that educate, foster curiosity and an ongoing interest in learning."Walden Media's key executive ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch takes worldwide rights to Madhouse

    2001-05-07T18:21:00Z

    StudioCanal specialist division Wild Bunch will handle worldwide rights on French-Spanish co-production Madhouse (Una Casa De Locos) from director Cedric Klapisch.Madhouse stars a pan-European cast of up-and-comers led by Romain Duris, Judith Godreche, Cristina Brondo and Paulina Galvez in a comedy about a group of international students sharing an apartment ...

  • News

    Amelie dropped for surprise Cannes film

    2001-05-07T18:55:00Z

    A surprise film is to replace the outdoor screening on Sunday (May 13) of local hit Amelie From Montmartre, which has been cancelled.Amelie was shoehorned into the festival after pressure from its producer and other Cannes leading lights, who upbraided the selectors for its non-inclusion. Cannes' artistic director Thierry Fremaux ...

  • News

    Cine Expo honours Cripps, Working Title duo

    2001-05-07T19:43:00Z

    Working Title Films co-chiefs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are to be honoured as producers of the year at Cinema Expo International 2001, while UIP president and chief operating officer Andrew Cripps is distributor of the year.The awards will be dished out at the final night gala bash at the ...

  • News

    Charlotte screenwriter joins English Civil War

    2001-05-08T17:13:00Z

    Jeremy Brock, who adapted FilmFour and Ecosse Films' World War 2 romantic adventure Charlotte Gray, is to turn his hand to the English Civil War.The as-yet-untitled project is an epic love story which will re-unite with Brock and Ecosse. Along with the $25m Charlotte Gray, which was adapted from ...

  • News

    Warner boards most expensive French film of 2001

    2001-05-08T17:14:00Z

    Hoping to emulate this year's blockbuster success of La Verite 2, Warner Bros has boarded another potential French hit, Le Boulet (Dead Weight) .The $21.4m (Ffr158m) action comedy, directed by Alain Berberian (Paparazzi, La Cite de la Peur) from a script by Matt Alexander, is expected to be the highest ...

  • News

    MTV, Paramount start dancing to Britney's tune

    2001-05-08T17:16:00Z

    MTV Films has boarded the Britney Spears movie What Are Friends For as co-producer, while MTV sister company Paramount Pictures is in advanced negotiations to take domestic distribution rights on the film which is being sold by Summit Entertainment.MTV and Paramount have a history of youth-oriented hits which include Save ...

  • News

    Egoyan's tough-sell Ararat finds French home

    2001-05-08T17:18:00Z

    While a film within a film set against the 1915 Turkish massacre of Armenians might seem like a hard sell, Atom Egoyan's Ararat has already been picked up for France by ARP. Meanwhile, TMN has taken Canadian pay TV rights.Not that commercial considerations are upper most on the filmmakers' ...

  • News

    Sogepaq adds Medem's latest to Cannes slate

    2001-05-08T18:00:00Z

    Spanish rights house Sogepaq has added two films to its Cannes sales slate: Julio Medem's Lucia And Sex (Lucia Y El Sexo) and Antonio Hernandez's In The City Without Limits (En La Ciudad Sin Limites).Lucia is the much-anticipated new film from cult director Medem (The Lovers Of The Arctic Circle). ...

  • News

    Rea seduced by Spanish Aphrodite

    2001-05-08T18:01:00Z

    Stephen Rea has joined the cast of Spanish-based international co-production Aphrodite (Afrodita), writer-director Fernando Solanas' adaptation of popular Isabel Allende novel Aphrodite: Stories, Recipes And Other Aphrodisiacs.Rea will star alongside Cecilia Roth and Marisa Paredes, reunited after Oscar-winner All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre), and Italy's Giovanna Mezzogiorno, ...

  • News

    KWA chews on Beach Dogs for worldwide sales

    2001-05-08T18:09:00Z

    Spanish sales outfit Kevin Williams Associates (KWA) has picked up worldwide rights on Beach Of Dogs (La Playa De Los Galgos), a new forthcoming feature film from director Mario Camus.The $4m mystery stars Laura Morante (The Son's Room), Carmelo Gomez (Between Your Legs), Ingrid Rubio and Miguel Angel Sola. It ...

  • News

    Kids of Kids prepare for Marathon

    2001-05-08T18:16:00Z

    French TV production and distribution house Marathon International is producing its second feature film, Ken Park, the directorial debut of Ed Lachman, the cinematographer on Erin Brokovich. Lachman will co-direct with Kids director Larry Clark. Marathon produced, financed and is now selling Amos Kolleck's Directors' Fortnight title Queenie In Love, ...

  • News

    Fox digs into Germany in search of funding

    2001-05-08T18:18:00Z

    20th Century Fox is planning to tap into the German private equity market to raise funds for feature projects.Munich-based Fox Deutsche Filmproduktion Beteiligung has been founded to attract private investors' money for four projects: John Pasquin's Joe Somebody starring Tim Allen, James Belushi and Julie Bowen; Bobby and Peter Farrelly ...

  • News

    Fortissimo clinches string of pre-Cannes deals

    2001-05-08T18:22:00Z

    Hong Kong-Dutch sales powerhouse Fortissimo has clinched a string of pre-market sales on its roster of festival films. The deals come as Fortissimo has just secured a major coup in selling last year's Cannes competition film Devils On The Doorstep to Japan's Gaga Films. The film from mainland Chinese director ...

  • News

    Artificial Eye takes UK for The Piano Teacher

    2001-05-08T18:24:00Z

    UK specialist distributor Artificial Eye Film Distribution has picked up Austrian auteur Michael Haneke's Cannes Official Competition entry The Piano Teacher.The Austrian-French title, which is represented on the Croisette by international sales outfit MK2, stars Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot and Benoit Magimel.Artificial Eye this year teamed with Metro Tartan Films, ...