Large MPU – Page 1556

  • News

    Warriors to open Mumbai festival

    2003-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Mumbai's International Film Festival will open on Nov 20 with He Ping's Warriors Of Heaven And Earth, the Chinese language film co-produced by Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia.In all, 80 films from 28 countries including Shekhar Kapur's Four Feathers will be screened during the seven-day international event. A highlight this ...

  • News

    Franchise, RPC settle over Scheherazade; Franchise gets rights

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    The dispute between RecordedPicture Company and Franchise Pictures which erupted at MIFED over MichaelApted's Scheherazade project hasbeen settled, and the film is now in Franchise's domain. Recorded issued a statementtoday saying that "Recorded Picture Company and Hanway Films are pleased toconfirm that they have reached a mutually acceptable understanding with ...

  • News

    CTV shareholders resist takeover

    2000-03-06T09:20:00Z

    CanWest Global Communications and Electrohome Broadcasting, both shareholders in Canada's biggest broadcaster CTV, are resisting telco BCE's proposed $2.3bn takeover of the company.CanWest, Canada's second-largest private broadcaster which holds nearly 10% of CTV and Electrohome, which holds 12.1%, have both indicated they would prefer a stock swap over BCE's proposed ...

  • News

    In America audience favourite at AFI FEST in LA

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Los Angeles AFI FEST endedon Sunday night with Jim Sheridan's In America the winner of the audience award for best featurefilm.Amanda Micheli's DoubleDare (US) was the audience winnerfor best documentary, while Sikander Goldau's Fragile (Germany) won best short film.Among the celebrities whoattended the festival were Robert Redford, Quentin Tarantino, Denys ...

  • News

    Michael Douglas to receive HFPA's Cecil B DeMille award during Globes show

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Michael Douglas has beennamed recipient of the 2003 Cecil B DeMille Award from The Hollywood ForeignPress Association, to be presented at the 2004 Golden Globe Awards ceremony onJan 25 next year.Announced at a pressconference yesterday morning by actress Brittany Murphy, the honour was givento Douglas for his "outstanding contribution to ...

  • News

    Spirit Horse plans new studio facility south of LA

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    LA-based Spirit HorseEntertainment, run by Michelle Hartly and Shari Hamrick, has announced plans tobuild a new film, TV and commercial production studio facility south of LosAngeles in San Marcos.The studio, designed to havea fully operational backlot and six sound stages, is being developed byAlliance Holdings, a group consisting Spirit Horse, ...

  • News

    Years joins marketing & publicity team at WBITV

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Chandra Years has been nameddirector, publicity and marketing services, at Warner Bros InternationalTelevision Distribution (WBITV). She will work closely withWBITV's marketing, publicity and servicing operations on campaigns, frominitial concept to delivery. She will also be part of the team responsible for organizingWBITV's activities at MIP, MIPCOM and NATPE as well ...

  • News

    Focus Features appoints Karpen its new COO

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Andrew Karpen has joinedFocus Features as chief operating officer. Reporting to co-presidents DavidLinde and James Schamus, Karpen will be responsible for the company's worldwidefinance, daily operations and strategic planning.Based in Manhattan, Karpenwill join the company's executive committee, which he will co-chair with Focusexecutive vice president, business affairs, Avy Eschenasy. In ...

  • News

    ITALY

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    UIP's Love Actually stormed to number one at the Italian box office, grossing $2,221,520 from 357 screens on its first international opening as it posted an impressive screen average of $6,223.The Hugh Grant vehicle took the crown from Warner Bros's The Matrix Revolutions, whose earnings tumbled a depressing 51% ...

  • News

    GERMANY

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Matrix Revolutions may have held on to the top spot for a second weekend, but the Warner Bros release saw admissions slide by 60% compared to the opening four days and the chances of matching the performances of the first two Matrix films fading into the distance. The German-US co-production ...

  • News

    JAPAN

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    The Matrix Revolutions may have defied standard industry practice with its Wednesday November 5 opening - in Japan nearly all new films are released on Saturday - but it still managed to get to the top of the box office. It's strong Japanese pop culture connections helped made it - ...

  • Reviews

    Gothika

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz. US. 2003. 99 mins.Featuring Halle Berry in her first solo-starring role, this latest offering from Joel Silver's mid-budget Dark Castle label is a creepy if rather one-note chiller blending the old-fashioned scare tactics suggested by its title with elements from the new wave of Asian horror. Warner ...

  • News

    DENMARK

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    The Matrix Revolutions was flushed from the top spot by Finding Nemo - dropping a massive 56%, as Pixar's animated hit scooped 73,744 admissions in its first weekend. The steady Intolerable Cruelty and the local comedy Rule Nr. 1 kept their close run on three and four, while the ...

  • News

    FINLAND

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Though Matrix Revolutions fell back 46% it managed to hang on to the top of the Finnish chart with a screen average only bested by the new release of the Swedish box-office sensation Evil which opened on just six prints and took sixth position. It scooped 3,741 admissions - just ...

  • Reviews

    The Statement

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Norman Jewison. Canada/France/UK. 2003. 120 mins. As enticingly cast and classically executed as it is, there's something naggingly unsatisfying about The Statement, a religio-political thriller directed by Norman Jewison and adapted by Ronald Harwood from the acclaimed 1996 novel by Canadian author Brian Moore. Co-produced by a string of ...

  • News

    April strikes major Oz film financing deal

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Sydney outfit April Films has struck an deal with investment bank Babcock & Brown to finance around two films a year for the next five to seven years. The films are likely to be in the US$5.7m-21.4m (A$8m-30m) budget range. The deal is highly significant for the cash strapped Australian ...

  • News

    UK/IRELAND

    2003-11-18T00:00:00Z

    Roger Michell's British drama The Mother saw a good start in the UK this week, which saw few openers in the wake of last weekend's Matrix release.With a screen average of $4,744 (£2,813) the film, about an older woman's belated revolt against a life of quiet desperation achieved through a ...

  • News

    Celador chief steps back, hands over reigns to Lux

    2003-11-19T04:00:00Z

    Celador founder Paul Smith, who recently steered the TV production company behind Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' into features, is stepping back from the day to day running of the company.Smith will continue to head the company as executive chairman but is handing over hands-on management to former Channel ...

  • News

    UK's Soda Pictures gulps down arthouse pair

    2003-11-19T04:00:00Z

    UK distributor Soda Pictures has picked up UK rights to Guy Maddin's The Saddest Music In The World and Damian Kozole's Spare Parts.Maddin's film, which made its North American premiere at Toronto earlier this year, stars Isabella Rossellini as a legless beer baroness who holds a worldwide contest to perform ...

  • News

    Spanish directors join forces for oil spill disaster film

    2003-11-19T04:00:00Z

    Following in the tradition of recent festival favorites like 11'09'01 or Ten Minutes Older, Spain is about to embark on its own collaborative feature film about the massive oil spill last year off the northwest coast of Galicia.Tentatively titled Nunca Mais (Never Again), the activist slogan which arose in response ...