Large MPU – Page 1864
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News
Norway's Cinema Commission proposes levy increase
Norway's Cinema Policy Commission has recommended an increase in the country's film and video levy, by 1% to 3.5%, in order to help smaller theatres make the conversion to digital projection.The Commission, appointed by Norway's Ministry of Culture one year ago to review the government's exhibition policy, also suggested the ...
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News
Mumbai police hunt for mafia money in film
The police in the Indian city of Mumbai have reportedly launched a crackdown on the involvement of criminal organisations in Hindi film financing.Mumbai joint police commissioner D. Sivanandan spoke to journalists about "the deep involvement" of "a majority of the members of the film industry" with local mafia. "We ...
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News
Japan's Battle Royale boosted by censorship row
Proving that there's no such thing as bad publicity, Japanese splatter-fest Battle Royale is piling up ticket sales as quickly as its on-screen body count, grossing $5.45m (Y613m) on its opening weekend, despite, or perhaps because of, politicians' attempts to get the film banned.Lambasted by politicians and bureaucrats for its ...
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News
TV Azteca launches film and TV production arm
Mexico's second largest broadcaster, TV Azteca, has launched a film and television production division, Azteca Cine, which has forged co-production deals with both Columbia TriStar International Television (CTIT) and the UK's Pearson Television. Apart from supplying programming to TV Azteca, the new unit aims to feed upcoming US Hispanic television ...
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News
Slovenia becomes 26th country to join Eurimages
Eurimages, the Council of Europe-backed organisation which finances European co-productions, has accepted Slovenia as a member, effective January 1, 2001.Slovenia will become the 26th country to join Eurimages. The decision was taken by the Eurimages funding board at a meeting in Strasbourg, held November 27-29. As a result, all projects ...
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News
Alsaska.de, England! among Max Ophuels nods
Esther Gronenborn's Alaska.de, Achim von Boerries' England! and Philip Groening's L'Amour, L'Argent, L'Amour are among 19 features from German-speaking territories which have been nominated for the $27,500 (DM60,000) Max Ophuels Prize. The award will be given out during the Max Ophuels Prize Film Festival, which take place in Saarbruecken, Germany, ...
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News
Joskowicz appointed as Imcine chief
Director Alfredo Joskowicz has been appointed to head up Mexico's state-run film institute, Imcine, replacing Alejandro Pelayo who stepped in when Eduardo Amerena abruptly resigned last year. Amerena quit over the fracas which ensued after Imcine allegedly blocked the distribution of La Ley De Herodes, an Imcine-backed film which was ...
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News
Singapore's Cinemancer lines up sci-fi debut
Start-up Singapore production company Cinemancer has unveiled its first production, Avatar Exile, which it claims is Singapore's first foray into the sci-fi genre.Cinemancer's Kuo Jian Hong is directing the $3.6m project will also produce alongside Anthony Fu. Local multimedia outfit Cruxible is backing the film. Australia's Leeanna Walsman (Star Wars: ...
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News
Collette options Isabelle to produce, perhaps star
Actress Toni Collette has optioned rights to Isabelle The Navigator, the latest novel from fellow Australian Luke Davies, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. She is expected to produce the film with a friend, short film-maker Sally Chesher. It is not yet known whether she will take the role of ...
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News
Japan dishes out CS licences to 18 companies
Hollywood Movies, a movie channel backed by Sony, Itochu, Tohokushinsha and News Corp, is among the 18 broadcasters that have been awarded licences to broadcast from Japan's new communications satellite (CS), which is scheduled to start operating next autumn.Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) finalised the list of successful ...
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News
Media Most faces bankruptcy threat
While Russian media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky awaits the outcome of extradition hearings in Spain, Moscow tax authorities have moved to liquidate several companies within his Media Most group, using an obscure piece of legislation that has never been used before.Moscow tax inspectors launched a case in the city arbitrage court ...
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News
CanalNumedia makes English-lang ticketing debut
CanalNumedia, the internet subsidiary of France's Canal Plus, has made its first move into Ireland, with the acquisition of a new-technology ticketing group Filmline. The company, which will be renamed CanalNumedia Ireland, operates an interactive telephone booking service on behalf of exhibitors. It will go live with an internet booking ...
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News
Pakistan suspends Star TV licence
The Pakistan government has suspended the licence it recently granted to Rupert Murdoch's Asian satellite platform Star TV, claiming that the company had fixed tariffs without its approval.The licence enabled Star to distribute decoders and market its network to cable operators across Pakistan. "They have been directed to get their ...
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News
Ireland reports static production spend
Ireland's film and TV drama production spend grew by 12% to $129m (IR£114m) in 1999, according to industry figures just released, although figures for the audiovisual sector as a whole remained static at $165m (IR£145m).Speaking at the publication of the figures, John Cummins, chairman of the Audiovisual Federation of the ...
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News
Adelaide festival commissions series of features
The Adelaide Festival Corporation has commissioned three features and a 50-minute film which will start shooting in Australia early next year, in time to premiere at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in March 2002. It is believed to be the first time that a festival has specifically commissioned films to ...
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News
Lot 47 to hold New Zealand film fest
US distributor Lot 47 Films, in association with the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC), is staging New York's first ever festival of NZ films for seven days from February 7. The festival promises to include "new, rediscovered and undiscovered" films, eight of which will be US premieres.The opening night will ...
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News
Helkon subsidiary wins Heimatfilm contract
Germany's home-grown genre, the Heimatfilm, which was popular in the 1950s with stirring tales of love and adventure set against the backdrop of Alpine landscapes, is to be dusted down and updated by Helkon Media's majority-owned TV production house, Sonne, Mond und Sterne.The Munich-based outfit has won a $13.7m (DM30m) ...
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Reviews
All The Pretty Horses
Dir: Billy Bob Thornton. US. 2000. 117 mins.Prod co: Miramax Films, Columbia Pictures. US dist: Miramax Films. Int'l dist: Columbia TriStar. Exec prods: Sally Menke, Jonathan Gordon. Prods: Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Salerno. Scr: Ted Tally, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. DoP: Barry Markowitz. Prod des: Clark Hunter. ...
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News
Iranian culture minister Mohajerani resigns
Iran's culture minister, Ataollah Mohajerani, has resigned in a move which observers claim will have serious consequences for the country's freedom of expression.Mohajerani, who had held the post since Iran's pro-reform president Mohammad Khatami came to power in 1997, was credited with encouraging creative and political freedom in Iran's cinema, ...
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News
EIB unwraps Euros500m audiovisual fund
Upwards of Euros500m of new loans will be made available to Europe's audiovisual industries under a new scheme launched Tuesday (Dec 19) by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB)."This financial package is intended to improve the competitivity of the industry and to favour the development of European ...