Large MPU – Page 1721
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News
Premiere posts healthier than expected figures
Thanks to substantial growth in revenues and further cost-cutting measures, German pay-TV platform Premiere has revised its predicted operating loss downwards a second time - to less than Euros 40m for 2003.In February, the Premiere had originally forecast a loss of Euros 80m. This was then revised downwards to a ...
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News
Locarno Band Wagon starts to roll
The Locarno International Film Festival's 56th edition kicked off last night, on a scorching, hot and humid summer night, with a brand new print of Vincente Minelli's evergreen musical The Band Wagon. The opening, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film made by a director born 100 years ago, faithfully ...
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Moodysson cranks up Swedish family focused film
Acclaimed Swedish director Lukas Moodysson is to start shooting his new as yet untitled film later this month at the Trollhattan studio, where he shot his previous hits Fucking Amal, Together and Lilja 4-ever.The Swedish-language contemporary drama will again focus on a family, but as usual the writer-director is being ...
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Germany's ProSiebenSat.1 returns to profit
Germany's ProSiebenSat.1 Group has posted strong financial results, just days before U.S. investor Haim Saban is likely to sign off on his deal to buy the broadcaster. The ProSiebenSat.1 Group reported a sharp earnings increase in the second quarter of 2003 and posted group pre-tax income for the first six ...
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News
UK Film Council backs Dog Soldiers follow up
Neil Marshall, director of UK werewolf hit Dog Soldiers, is returning to the horror genre with Outpost, one of a fresh slate of projects to receive development funding from public funding body the UK Film Council this week.In a premise similar to Marshall's hit debut, which follows a squad of ...
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Terminator 3 looks for French connection
With a subdued slate of major international releases this upcoming weekend, all eyes will be on whether Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines can maintain its perfect record of opening number one in every market.The sci-fi sequel was the runaway number one performer last weekend and has amassed $153m to ...
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News
Geraghty leaves Screen Producers Ireland
Tracy Geraghty has stepped down as director of Irish producers' association Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) as of August 1 after seven months in the job. According to sources it was a decision arrived at "mutually" with the board of SPI. The SPI board will consider the development along with other ...
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News
Media Luna picks up Locarno competitor Maria
Media Luna Entertainment has picked up world sales rights for Romanian first time director Calin Netzer's Maria which will receive its world premiere in Locarno Film Festival's Official Competition next Wednesday (August 13).Maria is a co-production by Artis Film Romania with France's Cine-Manufacture and Germany's Pandora Filmproduktion, which will be ...
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Mexican film-makers face fund drought
The two film funds of Mexican film institute Imcine - Foprocine and Fidecine - are drying up. The Foprocine fund of $13.5m (135m pesos) has been virtually used up since it was created in 1999 by former President Ernesto Zedillo. "There is little chance it will be replenished as it ...
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News
Ryan takes over as chairman of AFMA
Veteran British filmexecutive Michael Ryan has been named the next chairman of AFMA, becoming thefirst person from outside the US to be appointed to the post.Ryan, who is currentlydirector at IAC Films & Television in London where he is executive producingthe dramas Elizabeth Rex and Escape, was a founding member ...
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News
Love Actually gets world premiere at Toronto
The worldpremiere of Richard Curtis' romantic comedy Love Actually and North American premieres ofAlejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 21 Grams, Jim Jarmusch's Coffee AndCigarettes and PhilipSaville's The Gospel Of John will screen as special presentations at the Toronto FilmFestival.Also included isLost In Translation,Sofia Coppola's follow-up to the acclaimed The Virgin Suicides. The ...
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News
Warner Independent Pictures is opened for business
Warner Bros PicturesInternational is to collaborate on the production and release of twoItalian-language films in Italy, working with BiancaFilm on L'AmoreRitorna (Love Returns) and with Cattleya on Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo (Three Steps Over Heaven).Sergio Rubini will direct L'AmoreRitorna, a comedy-drama about acelebrated actor who reconsiders life after illness ...
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News
Canada's Behaviour sells studio to Tube
Montreal-based producer-distributor Behaviour Communications is selling its new media subsidiary, which operates its Digital Studio, to Tube Studios for about $586,000 (C$850,000). The deal, to close March 6, will transform Tube into Montreal's largest studio specialising in 3D animation and visual effects."The acquisition of the studio allows Tube's growth to ...
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Warner Independent Pictures opens for business
After months of speculationWarner Bros officially unveiled Warner Independent Pictures yesterday, its newspecialty division that will be headed up by former Miramax LA and Stratus Film Co president Mark Gill.As president of the new division Gill willoversee all aspects of business including development, production, acquisition,marketing and distribution, reporting directly to ...
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News
Warner Bros boards two new Italian projects
Warner Bros PicturesInternational is to collaborate on the production and release of twoItalian-language films in Italy, working with BiancaFilm on L'AmoreRitorna (Love Returns) and with Cattleya on Tre Metri Sopra Il Cielo (Three Steps Over Heaven).Sergio Rubini will direct L'AmoreRitorna, a comedy-drama about acelebrated actor who reconsiders life after illness ...
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Reviews
S.W.A.T.
Dir. Clark Johnson. US. 2003. 116minsBacked by another stand-out performance by Colin Farrell and the best tag line of the season - 'Even cops dial 911' - this superior piece of formula film-making should blow the doors off the box office when it opens in the US this weekend (Aug ...
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News
Universal, Arenas terminate partnership
Universal Pictures and advertising, PR and talent management firm The Arenas Group are dissolving their partnership in Arenas Entertainment, the US Latino-targeted film label launched in November 2001. "We are shifting to a non exclusive arrangement with Arenas," said Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures. Rather than using one ...
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Reviews
Calendar Girls
Dir: Nigel Cole. UK. 2003. 108minsThe timing could not be more auspicious for Calendar Girls. A summer of under-performing one hit wonders suggests an audience that is weary of empty spectacle and hungry for old-fashioned entertainment. Calendar Girls isn't cutting edge. It can't boast state-of-the-art effects. It hasn't been inspired ...
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News
Globo empire founder Marinho, dies aged 98
Roberto Marinho, once dubbed the Citizen Kane of Brazil for building one of Latin America's largest news and entertainment empires, died on Wednesday aged 98.Marinho turned his father's small newspaper into a media empire, becoming one of Brazil's richest men. He founded Organizacoes Globo, which encompasses television, cable, pay television, ...
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Japanese horror takes Asian box office by storm
Japanese hit horror The Grudge (Ju-on) is repeating its box office success across Asia. In Hong Kong, the horror has grossed $750,000 since its release on May 29 on 17 screens, while in Singapore it has taken $650,000 from 23 screens since June 12. The Grudge (pictured), has achieved ...