Large MPU – Page 1640
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News
Andrew Bovell signs on to adapt Edge Of Darkness for C23 and BBC Films
Australianscreenwriter Andrew Bovell (Lantana, Head On) has signed on to write Catch 23 Entertainmentand BBC Films' feature adaptation of the award-winning BBC drama series, EdgeOf Darkness. Catch 23and BBC Films will co-develop, co-finance and co-produce the project. It will bedirected by the thriller series' original director Martin Campbell, whosefeature credits ...
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News
Radley leaves Lucasfilm, Lucas reorganises
In a bid to promotethe long-term growth of his business interests, George Lucas announced today(Jan 28) that he will consolidate Lucasfilm, Lucas Digital, LucasArtsEntertainment and Lucas Licensing into one company. 'We have a uniquearray of talent in the areas of special effects, sound design, interactivegames, licensing, distribution and marketing. This ...
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Italy reaps multiplex benefits
With multiplexes mushrooming around the country, Italy recorded a healthy 7.8% rise in earnings at the box office in 2002 as total revenue increased to Euros 525m, according to annual data released by Cinetel. Last year, box office revenue stood at Euros 475.6m.Admissions were up 6% to 89.1m compared to ...
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Reviews
All The Real Girls
Dir: David Gordon Green. USA. 2002. 105 mins. Young writer-director David Gordon Green lives up to the poetic promise shown by his acclaimed but little-seen first feature, George Washington, with this exquisite dissection of young heartbreak that is similarly set amid the gorgeously-shot industrial decay of North Carolina. An art-house ...
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Reviews
American Splendor
Dir: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini. US. 2003. 105 mins. American Splendor tells the true story of Harvey Pekar, the writer of the American Splendor comic book series which depicts the inanities of Pekar's humdrum life. A sort of celebration of ennui, or triumph of the nerd saga, the ...
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News
New movie giant emerges in Asia
South Korean major CJ Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding today to acquire a stake of up to 35.4% in Plenus Entertainment, the parent company of rival studio Cinema Service. The linking up of the two firms, which are by far the biggest film companies in Korea, is ...
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News
Paramount, SPC continue Sundance buying frenzy
Happy Accidents and Shadow Magic were the last two pictures to secure domestic distribution deals at this year's Sundance Film Festival, although offers are on the table for at least four more, making it one of the busiest, if most conservative, buyer frenzies in years.Paramount Classics is in the final ...
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News
German media funds raise over Euros 2bn in 2002
In spite of the German stock exchange crisis and the Federal Government dragging its feet on the future structure of its tax legislation, German investors channelled over Euros 2bn of equity into private media funds for national and international production in 2002.According to German fund specialist Vendura, the funds' overall ...
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News
Local market share slips (again) for Australian films
Australian films took only 4.9% or $24.7m (A$41.8m) of the total $498.9m (A$844.8) gross box office for 2002, compared to 7.8% in 2001 and 8% in 2000.However, according to the Australian Film Commission, the good news is that in only one other year on record did more films gross $590,000 ...
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News
Whale Rider riding high in Rotterdam
Two thirds of the way through the Rotterdam festival, Niki Caro's Whale Rider was streets ahead in the polls for the Canal Plus public prize. The film, which was previously an audience favourite in Toronto, appears in Rotterdam's main programme and received nearly three time as many votes as The ...
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News
Lock, Stock financier launches AV Pictures
Angad Paul, one of the businessmen that financed Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, has launched his own film business.The 31-year old executive has bought UK sales outfit Victor Film Co and formed AV Pictures with Victor chief, Vic Bateman. AV is a subsidiary of Caparo ...
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News
Women's Prison wins Amnesty Int'l award at Rotterdam
Women's Prison (Zendan-e Zanan) by Iranian director Manijeh Hekmat has won the first Amnesty International - DOEN Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The Jury gave a Special Mention to Bus 174 (Onibus 174) by Brazilian filmmaker Jose Padilha.Ten films were nominated for the award. The jury consisted ...
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News
For better or worse - Canal Satelite Digital & Via Digital merge
Spain's two mammoth digital satellite pay-TV platforms are merging, an event which will drastically transform the Spanish media landscape - for better or worse.Partners Sogecable and Telefonica met the government's January 29 deadline for the merger of their platforms Canal Satelite Digital (CSD) and Via Digital. The merger of the ...
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News
Russian Ark breaks Los Angeles theatre foreign language record
US specialist distributorWellspring has reported that Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark has broken a house record at one of thecountry's most prestigious arthouse cinemas. The film has become thebiggest grossing foreign picture ever to screen at Landmark's NuartTheatre in Los Angeles with a $53,967 haul from one week (Jan 3-9).After opening ...
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News
AFMA hires Michael Kananack to spearhead recruitment drive
Veteran filmsales agent Michael Kananack has been brought in as manager of membershipdevelopment at AFMA to spearhead a recruitment drive for the LA-based tradeassociation, which currently represents 160 independent film and televisionproducers and distributors worldwide. He will report directly to director ofmember services Natasha Berechko.Kananack's arrival comes at an important ...
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News
Promark debuts three new Clubhouse Detectives films at AFM
Promark Entertainment Group,Jon Kramer's 15-year-old US and UK-based production and sales outfit, today(Jan 29) announced plans for three further instalments in its ClubhouseDetectives franchise that will beavailable for pre-sales at next month's AFM. Following on from the success of themost recent Clubhouse Detectivespictures, the company plans to begin production on ...
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News
Genies favour Felicia's Journey
Atom Egoyan's Felicia's Journey won four Genie Awards, including the best actor accolade for Bob Hoskins and best adapted screenplay for Egoyan, at the 20th edition of the Canadian film awards ceremony in Toronto on Sunday night. Alliance Atlantis' Sunshine, which had 14 nominations, many of them multiple nods in ...
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News
Ontario passes Breillat's Fat Girl uncut
Catherine Breillat'scontroversial Fat Girl will bereleased uncut in Ontario, more than a year after its initial rejection by theCanadian province's censors. The film, which has screened uncut in severalother provinces, was waylaid in November 2001 by the Ontario Film Review Board (OFRB),which objected to the depiction of sexual activity by ...
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News
Santa Barbara Film Fest unveils 2003 lineup under Fitzgerald
Ten world premieres areamong the line-up of more than 100 pictures for the 18th Santa BarbaraInternational Film Festival (SBIFF), which also features three new competitivesections - American Independent, Documentary and International. Announcing theprogramme today (Jan 29), SBIFF's new executive director Jon Fitzgerald saidthe event would also screen 11 US premieres ...
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News
Catch Me starts running in Europe
Steven Spielberg's latest film Catch Me If You Can received a strong positive reception in Spain this week, where it started its European roll out ahead of a mass launch next weekend.The UIP release claimed $2.2m (Euros 2m) from 286 screens in the territory to take the top spot away ...