Large MPU – Page 1445
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News
AFM: Sales veterans bash US filmmaking costs
Echoing many of the samegrievances that emerged from last year's AFMA financing conferences, apanel of sales veterans at this year's AFM bemoaned the high-risk natureof film funding and warned that production costs in the US need to drop sharplyif the industry is to thrive on diversity.Nu Image/Millennium Filmsco-chairman Avi Lerner ...
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AFM: TF1 picks up Penn and Bardem's Face
TF1 International has picked up The Last Face, a romantic drama starring Oscar-nominee Sean Penn,Javier Bardem and Robin Wright Penn.The $20m film is to be directed by Erin Dignam, director of Loved, which also featured both the Penns, and Denial (aka Loon).It is being produced by Michael Humphrey.The story features ...
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AFM: Latido enjoys Two Tough sellers
New Spanish-basedsales house Latido has closed deals on its Berlin competition title YourNext Life (La Vida Que Te Espera) andwhat has proved to be surprise sales hit at AFM, Two Tough Guys (Dos TiposMuy Duros).La Vida was sold to Seville for Canada, Polyfilm forAustria, Denubius for the Czech Republic, TVR ...
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AFM: Strange Crime pays for Vision International
French seller VisionInternational has struck a number of deals on Strange Crime.The Roberto Andopicture was licensed to Gussi for Mexico, Soyuz for Russia, Victory forBenelux, Kinema Space for Korea, Camro for Scandinavia, PCV for Greece andEcuador, Bolivia and Peru to Venus.Vision sold LidiaBobrova's Baboussiato Starlight for Sweden, TVR for Romania, ...
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Mirovision explores Antarctic
Korean indieproduction and sales house Mirovision has put together a varied slate for2004-5, headed by a big-budget mountaineering chiller that will shot at PeterJackson's facilities in New Zealand.Described as TheShining meets VerticalLimit, Antarctic Journalfeatures an expedition to the polar ice-cap that comes across the ghostlyremains of previous explorers.The film is ...
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AFM: Pickering spearheads EBG sales
Veteran sales agentPamela Pickering has joined Entertainment Business Group (EBG) as managingdirector, international sales.EBG, based inCamarillo, north of Los Angeles, has recently set about making large-scale $20mto $80m studio-released movies in alliance with Story Island Entertainment andCanyonlight Entertainment.Pickering, who mostrecently was president of international sales and distribution for InitialEntertainment Group ...
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AFM: Eurocine picks up Czech Poets
French sales houseEurocine has picked up Czech picture The Poets Never Lose Hope, a comedy about middle age.Directed by DusanKlein, the film is the fifth in a series of bittersweet titles and stars PavelKriz, Michaela Badinkova, David Matasek. It is produced by Bio Illusion andPluto Film & Video.
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Gaumont revamps senior management team
French major Gaumont, which has seen its films struggle tomake a significant impact at the local box office over the past two years, hasannounced a re-organisation of its management structure.The changes involve managing director Patrice Ledouxstepping away from the helm to concentrate on production while chairman NicolasSeydoux will play a ...
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Gibson's Passion play opens top on $117.5m five-day weekend
Newmarket's number oneopener The Passion Of The Christ intervened divinely in the course ofthe US box office this week, scoring a sensational five-day $117.5m estimatedgross by the close of Sunday.Mel Gibson's gritty accountof the final 12 hours of Christ's life scored the second biggest five-day (andtherefore Wednesday) opening of all ...
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Dindo, Fox to be feted at Doc Aviv
Tel Aviv''s second International Documentary Film Festival - Doc Aviv - will feature tributes to Swiss documentary maker Richard Dindo and UK film-maker Jennifer Fox.Fox will present four episodes from her nine-hour series An American Love Story at the event, which takes place April 21-26. Doc Aviv will also feature ...
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Full list of Oscar winners 2003
Best picture The Lord OfThe Rings: The Return Of The KingBarrie M Osborne, Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh (producers)Best director Peter Jackson TheLord Of The Rings: The Return Of The KingBest actor Sean Penn MysticRiverBest actress Charlize TheronMonsterBest supporting actor TimRobbins Mystic RiverBestsupporting actress Renee Zellweger Cold MountainBest original screenplaySofia ...
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King of the world: 11 out of 11 Oscar sweep for Rings
In an extraordinary cleansweep, New Line Cinema's The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King won 11 Academy Awards last night out of its 11nominations - matching the all-time record set by Ben-Hur in 1959 and Titanic in 1997.The film, which ironicallyis the second highest grossing film in ...
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Final February AFM says sayonara
A handful of high value deals for Japan and a good flow into the US eased the pressure. But the curtain-closing February AFM is more likely to go down in history as one short on hot product or deals volume.Arguably the biggest deal of the week was the sale of ...
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HONG KONG Production Listings - March 1 2004
HONG KONG March 1 2004PRE-PRODUCTIONABNORMAL BEAUTY(Magic Head Film Production) Backers: Universe Entertainment. Int'l sales: Universe Films Distribution. Thriller. Twin brothers taste the soul of love and the meaning of life after accidentally exchanging their identities. Exec prod: Daneil Lam. Prod: Oxide Pang. Dir: Oxide Pang. Cast: Gillian Chung, Joey Yung. ...
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Hong Kong looks forward to Monkey business
For full Hong Kong production listings click HEREEmperor Motion Picture Group's The Twins Effect II, the sequel to last year's blockbuster action comedy which is currently shooting in China, seems to encapsulate many things about the current mood in the Hong Kong film industry.Firstly, the film is crammed full of ...
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Reviews
Kick 'n' Rush (2 Ryk Og 1 Aflevering)
Dir: Aage Rais-Nordentoft. Denmark. 2004. 95mins.Mixing football with the problems of adolescence has become something of a sub-genre in recent years. Purely Belter and Bend It Like Beckham opened the scoring for England; now the Scandinavians have begun to lob their own teen soccer tales into the area, with United, ...
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Reviews
Agatha And The Storm (Agata e la Tempesta)
Dir: Silvio Soldini. It-Switz-UK. 2004. 123 mins.With his 1999 comedy Bread And Tulips, Silvio Soldini pulled off the increasingly difficult act of combining auteurish pretensions (albeit gentle and soft-centred ones) with commercial success: the film racked up an impressive $5m-plus in its home market alone - around four times its ...
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Reviews
Twisted
Dir: Philip Kaufman. US. 2003. 96 mins.Ashley Judd has made a profitable habit of playing strong, successful women at the centre of moody, otherwise male-dominated thrillers. Twisted (originally known on the international sales circuit as Blackout) is a serviceable addition to Judd's resume but one that lacks the charge necessary ...
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HONG KONG
Thai martial arts movie Ong-Bak, starring rising action hero Tony Jaa, tops the Hong Kong box office this week with US$732,775 from 30 screens which distributor Edko says is 'within expectations'. The film is already the second highest-grossing Thai movie ever in Hong Kong although it has a long way ...
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AUSTRALIA
Icon's The Passion Of The Christ grossed A$3,610,618 from 145 screens in its first five days in Australian cinemas, giving it a whopping screen average of A$20,504. It opened on Wednesday, instead of the usual Thursday, but without its opening day tally it still came in just short of an ...