Large MPU – Page 1673

  • News

    The Hours to receive German Film Award

    2003-03-14T04:05:00Z

    Stephen Daldry's drama The Hours has been named as this year's winner of the German Film Award's golden Lola statuette for best foreign film.The film, which has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, will be released in Germany by Constantin Film for Highlight Film on March 27 and receive the ...

  • News

    German Film Board hands out record amount of cash

    2003-03-14T04:05:00Z

    A record Euros 22.6m in retroactive "reference" funding is to be distributed to around 100 German producers and distributors by the German Federal Film Board (FFA) for successful theatrical releases of German films in 2002. Last year, the FFA had handed out Euros 21.6m. The Oscar-nominated Nowhere In Africa and ...

  • News

    New head of production appointed at Nordisk Film

    2003-03-13T00:00:00Z

    Norwegian producer Aage Aaberge has been named head of feature film production at Nordisk Film & TV in Norway to boost the company's production volume. This also means that the Nordisk-controlled Northern Lights is merged into Nordisk Film & TV. Former Lights chief Axel Helgeland, who produced I Am Dina, ...

  • News

    Warner Village Cinemas in talks to sell UK circuit

    2003-03-13T00:00:00Z

    Less than a week after the UK's largest exhibitor Odeon Cinemas was sold for $694m, it has emerged that Warner Bros International Theatres (WBIT) and Village Roadshow are also in discussions for the sale of their UK joint venture Warner Village Cinemas. A WBIT spokesperson confirmed that negotiations were taking ...

  • News

    Sir Alan joins board of governors at BAFTA/LA

    2003-03-14T04:00:00Z

    Sir Alan Parker is to jointhe board of governors of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/LosAngeles (BAFTA/LA), it was announced today (Mar 14) by Gary Dartnall, thechairman of the board of directors of BAFTA/LA. Parker will take his place amonga who's who of film-makers and performers that includes ...

  • News

    Internationalmedia posts mixed 2002 results

    2003-03-14T00:00:00Z

    Internationalmedia, the corporate parent of Los Angeles-basedIntermedia and IEG, today (Mar 14) announced a Euros 29m operating loss for2002 that swelled to Euros 99m including a write-down of goodwill assets,according to preliminary fourth quarter and year end 2002 figures.Coming off the back of a year blighted by "painful" corporaterestructuring, Moritz ...

  • News

    Christmas Carol, High Times join MBP slate

    2000-02-04T11:03:00Z

    Hot German finance house MBP has revealed further projects on its extensive development slate, being financed in a two-step process that involves an initial private placement followed by an IPO (Screendaily Feb 3).The aggressive financier is set to be German co-producer on Bruce Beresford's $7.6m (A$12m) Boswell, which has Richard ...

  • News

    Italy's RAI appoints another new president

    2003-03-14T00:00:00Z

    War correspondent and former RAI television news director Lucia Annunziata has been named president of state broadcaster RAI less than 24 hours after Paolo Mieli's tumultuous resignation.The decision has been met with approval by Italy's majority politicians and skepticism by the opposition who complain that they had nothing to do ...

  • Reviews

    Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure (La Gran Aventura De Mortadelo Y Filemon)

    2003-03-14T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Javier Fesser. Spain. 2003. 105mins.Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure (La Gran Aventura De Mortadelo Y Filemon) broke local records on its opening weekend in Spain and, fuelled by a hefty promotion effort, shot into the number three ranking of all-time top grossers after just three weekends, behind Alejandro ...

  • News

    Japan takes film sequel route

    2003-03-17T04:00:00Z

    The sequel to splatterfest Battle Royale is set to wrap shooting next month, one of a string of high profile sequels in production in Japan at the moment. In fact, so many sequels are shooting or preparing to film in Japan, that some are asking whether the country is set ...

  • News

    UK p&a spend climbs to record levels

    2003-03-17T04:00:00Z

    UK film distributors spent more than $403.2m (£255m) on prints and advertising in 2002, around one-third of the total value of UK cinema ticket sales during the year.According to the Film Distributors' Association (FDA) yearbook, published this month, print and advertising spend passed the quarter of a billion pound threshold ...

  • News

    Boyle to make Millions for Pathe, Mission

    2003-03-17T04:00:00Z

    Danny Boyle is to begin shooting Mission Pictures' Millions, his first film since zombie horror hit 28 Days Later, for Pathe UK starting May 5.The high-profile project will shoot for 10 weeks in Liverpool in the UK. Pathe Distribution will distribute the quirky comic tale in the UK and France, ...

  • News

    Mar del Plata risks losing its 'A' grade festival status

    2003-03-17T04:05:00Z

    Domingos De Oliveira's Breaking Up (Separacoes) from Brazil won the Golden Ombu for best film at the 18th Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina on Saturday (15 March) amid heated controversy over the inclusion of local film Valentin in competition. The festival is now in danger of losing ...

  • News

    Cast lines up for Miramax's Battle Of Shaker Heights

    2003-03-17T04:05:00Z

    Shia LaBeouf (Holes), Elden Henson (The Butterfly Effect), Amy Smart (Roadtrip), Kathleen Quinlan (Breakdown), William Sadler (Shawshank Redemption), Shiri Appleby (Swimfan), and Anson Mount (City By The Sea) have joined Miramax's second Project Greenlight competition winner, The Battle Of Shaker Heights. Screenwriter Erica Beeney and directors Kyle Rankin and Efram ...

  • News

    Sweden's Sundvall begins The Threat

    2003-03-17T04:05:00Z

    One of Sweden's most successful directors, Kjell Sundvall, starts shooting his new film The Threat (Hotet) on March 19. Principal photography is to take place in and around Alvsbyn in the north of Sweden until April 15, when filming will continue in Stockholm.Following last year's biggest Swedish box office hit, ...

  • News

    Nansun Shi to advise new Chinese video distribution joint venture

    2003-03-17T04:05:00Z

    Despite her recent resignation from Media Asia Group, Hong Kong's film industry veteran Nansun Shi is to stay on as senior advisor to the group.Shi took up the top post 18 months ago after Peter Lam has become the largest single shareholder of the group. One of her main roles ...

  • News

    Agent Cody Banks can't bring down the House

    2003-03-16T00:00:00Z

    Buena Vista's Bringing Down The House kept audiences chuckling over the weekend as it held on to top spot with an estimated $22.4m for a fine 10-day $61.6m running total. As the nation prepares for war with Iraq, movie-goers were clearly in the mood for some light relief and the ...

  • Reviews

    Seville South Side (Poligono Sur)

    2003-03-17T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Dominique Abel. Spain/France. 2003. 106mins.Flamenco is fertile territory for a DV documentary crew with a mission to go beyond the tourist cliches. And this is what French actress-turned-documentarist Dominique Abel and a fast-moving group of technicians headed up by cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier (Good Will Hunting, Nurse Betty) have done ...

  • Reviews

    Forest (Rengeteg)

    2003-03-17T00:00:00Z

    Dir. Benedek Flieghauf. Hungary. 2003. 95mins.With a First Film award and the Gene Moskovitz prize at the Hungarian Film Week and a slot in the Berlin Forum, Benedek Flieghauf's debut feature looks set to be a regular on this year's festival circuit. Rough, gritty, quite plotless and using non-professional actors ...