Large MPU – Page 1597

  • News

    Aurum shows Spanish Passion for Gibson epic

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Spanish distributor Aurum has nabbed all local rights to Mel Gibson's controversial The Passion Of Christ.The film will premiere in Spain on April 2. Despite the widespread use of dubbing in Spain, it will be released according to Gibson's wishes in original version with subtitles to highlight the original use ...

  • News

    UK based steel billionaire to invest in Indian film

    2004-01-19T04:00:00Z

    UK based Indian billionaire Lord Swraj Paul has announced that his steel and engineering conglomerate Caparo Group plans to invest more in India in areas such as films, fashion and tourism.Lord Paul's son Angad Paul was the executive producer of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels.Lord Paul told Indian press ...

  • News

    Berlinale unveils Talent Campus 2004

    2004-01-19T04:00:00Z

    520 young film talents from 84 countries have been selected for this year's Berlinale Talent Campus 2004, where they will be tutored by guest professional filmmakers such as Eleanor Bergstein, Anthony Minghella, Walter Murch, Nicolas Philibert, Zbigniew Preisner, Alan Parker and Wim Wenders.Compared to last year the total number of ...

  • News

    Eurimages unveils new funding round

    2000-03-13T09:17:00Z

    Eurimages, the European production finance body, has made its first round of funding decisions since changing its rules at the beginning of the year.At a three-day funding round (March 6-8), the Council of Europe-backed organisation said that it is investing a total of $3.8m (Euros3.95m) to back ten features. Decisions ...

  • News

    German exhibitors call on court to examine Film Law

    2004-01-19T04:00:00Z

    Germany's exhibitors' association HDF decided at an extraordinary AGM on Jan 15 to call on the Federal Constitutional Court to examine whether the new Film Funding Law (FFG) is in accordance with the German Constitution.The exhibitors are particularly unhappy about the different ways in which the ticket levy was decided ...

  • News

    Spain's Plural embarks on US Justice shoot

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Spain's Plural Entertainment has begun shooting in Miami on Justice For All (Justicia Para Todos), the first Spain-produced fiction series wholly designed for, shot and broadcast in the US.The one-hour dramatic series will be broadcast during prime-time on Univision, giving it a potential audience of 40 million.The series is set ...

  • News

    Vinterberg, Almodovar win Euro i2i backing

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    New features by Thomas Vinterberg, Pedro Almodovar, the Brothers Quay, Jonathan English and Charles Dance are among 59 European film and TV projects supported with over Euros 2.3m by the European Commission's i2i Audiovisual scheme.The new scheme was launched last July to help production companies access external funding from banks. ...

  • News

    Distant Lights takes top Bavarian film honour

    2004-01-16T18:00:00Z

    The producers of last year's Berlinale competition film Distant Lights by Hans-Christian Schmid took home the top honour at this year's Bavarian Film AwardsThe jury presented the Euros 200,000 Producers Award to Jakob Claussen, Thomas Woebke and Uli Putz of Claussen + Woebke Filmproduktion, acknowledging "the independent stand of the ...

  • News

    Bim chief awarded France's Chevalier des Arts et Lettres

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Valerio De Paolis, head of Italian arthouse distribution outfit Bim, has been awarded one of France's highest cultural honours for tirelessly promoting French culture in Italy through the distribution of dozens of Gallic films.De Paolis will receive the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et Lettres award in Paris on Monday January ...

  • News

    Metrodome takes UK rights to documentary trio

    2004-01-19T04:00:00Z

    UK distributor Metrodome has acquired UK rights to three new documentaries - Bus 174, The Corporation and The Last Victory.Constructed from footage transmitted live on Brazilian TV, Jose Padilha's Bus 174 recounts an infamous 2000 bus hijacking in Rio de Janeiro. The film has been shortlisted for the 2004 Academy ...

  • News

    Torque

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Joseph Kahn. US. 2003. 81 mins.Torque sets out to do with motorbikes what The Fast And The Furious did with cars - only this time the B-movie sensibility comes with a self-mocking tone and a more pronouncedly pop video visual style. It all makes for a fast-paced (just 81 ...

  • Reviews

    Torque

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Joseph Kahn. US. 2003. 81 mins.Torque sets out to do with motorbikes what The Fast And The Furious did with cars - only this time the B-movie sensibility comes with a self-mocking tone and a more pronouncedly pop video visual style. It all makes for a fast-paced (just 81 ...

  • Reviews

    Apres Vous

    2004-01-16T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Pierre Salvadori. France. 2003. 110 mins.Smart, tart and winningly funny, Apres Vous... marks Pierre Salvadori's return to the front rank of French comedy writer-directors. Salvadori, who first attracted attention with Wild Target, a 1992 black comedy about a hit man (played by Jean Rochefort), made his real critical and ...

  • News

    Italian government approves new cinema law

    2004-01-19T04:00:00Z

    The Italian government has approved culture minister Giuliano Urbani's new cinema law.Under the new law, state funding for Italian films will now only cover up to 50% of a project's budget, compared to 70-80% under the current system.The new system, which has received widespread backing from the local film industry, ...

  • News

    Warner expands China cinema reach

    2004-01-18T00:00:00Z

    Warner Bros InternationalTheatres (WBIT) is expanding its reach into China's nascent cinema marketstill further via a deal to manage a chain of around 30 multiplexes which arebeing built by Chinese property developer, Dalian Wanda Group.The deal, which was signed byWBIT president Millard Ochs and Dalian Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin in ...

  • News

    The Last Samurai passes $150m at international box office

    2004-01-19T00:00:00Z

    The Last Samurairaised its international running total to an estimated $156.1m at the weekendfollowing a superb $38.7m haul from 31 territories.The Warner BrosPictures International drama opened number one in all five of its new Europeanmarkets and scored several strong results in Latin America and Asia.In a mightysequence of table-topping bows, ...

  • News

    The Last Samurai passes $150m at international box office

    2004-01-19T00:00:00Z

    The Last Samurai raised its international running total to anestimated $156.1m at the weekend following a superb $38.7m haul from 31territories.The Warner Bros PicturesInternational drama opened number one in all five of its new European marketsand scored several strong results in Latin America and Asia.In a mighty sequence oftable-topping bows, ...

  • News

    Sundance sees dynamite deal-making spree

    2004-01-19T00:00:00Z

    Theannual Sundance Film Festival buying spree got off to an unexpectedly briskstart this year with five films finding at least North American distributionfor a collective price tag upwards of $18m. And that was after just three full andfrenetic screening days in Park City.Thekey acquisitions so far are:- Garden State, Zach ...

  • News

    Love Actually nears $150m for UIP

    2004-01-19T00:00:00Z

    Universal's romantic comedy Love Actually grossed an estimated $3.2m from 19UIP territories to raise its cumulative UIP score to $145m. Including $6.2m fromFrance and $2m from Russia - both non-UIP territories - the film has amassed$153.2m so far.It added $1.1m in the UK for $58.6m in its sixth week and ...

  • News

    Cinema Libre unveils distribution banners

    2004-01-19T00:00:00Z

    Production and distribution outfit Cinema Libre Studio is in the process of expanding its domestic distribution operation with three new labels under the Cinema Libre Distribution division.The entertainment entity will seek to acquire new films for Liberation Pictures, The Film Cafe and Doc Workers labels during Get IN!, an event ...