Large MPU – Page 2062

  • Reviews

    Just My Luck

    2006-05-12T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Donald Petrie. US.2006. 103mins.Apparently designed to help teen queen Lindsay Lohan, Just My Luck ends up feeling like a teenromantic comedy not very convincingly dressed in adult clothes. Lohan's existing fan-base may still respond to the mix oflifestyle aspiration and fairy-tale romance, and the appearance of real-lifepop-rock group McFly ...

  • News

    Act, Knatchbull acquire UK distributor Artificial Eye

    2006-05-12T12:14:00Z

    In a further shake-up to the UK distribution market,Artificial Eye Film Company, for 30 years the UK's leading distributor of arthouse and foreign language films, has been acquired byAct Entertainment Group, owner of Curzon Cinemas, andKnatchbull Communications Group.Terms of the acquisition were not released.The deal comes just as Artificial Eye ...

  • News

    Eurimages backs nine new European co-productions

    2006-05-12T12:30:00Z

    Eurimages, the Council of Europe's film fund, has announced aslate of nine films to receive its latest round of support. Eurimageswill back the European co-productions with a total investment of $3.6m (Euros2.8m). The films are:Noemie Lvovsky's L'ami de Fred Astaire (France-Switzerland) Eric Rohmer's Les amours d'Astree et de Celadon(France-Spain-Italy)Sinisa Dragin's ...

  • News

    SCB pacts with Kong for Golden Flower financing

    2006-05-12T00:00:00Z

    Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) has signed an agreement with award-winning local producer Bill Kong toprovide financing for the production of Zhang Yimou's Curse Of The Golden Flower. Currently shooting at China's Hengdian World Studios, the $45m film is producedby Kong and Beijing New Picture Film Co with Focus Features ...

  • News

    Verhoeven on board for adaptation of Kneeling on a flowerbed of violets

    2006-05-12T13:42:00Z

    Paul Verhoevenhas taken on a new directing job in the Netherlands. Joining forces with the Dutch production company NLFilm & TV, Verhoeven will adapt the awarded Dutchnovel Kneeling on a flowerbed of violets (Knielenop een bed violen) forthe big screen.The project reunites Verhoeven and long-term collaborating writer Gerard Soeteman, who ...

  • News

    Danish director Simon Staho readies third feature

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    For his third feature Simon Staho is rounding up an impressive cast of Danish film andtheatre actors. The shoot of DaisyDiamond is scheduled to begin on May 22.The romantic drama stars Sofie Grabol (Accused), Trine Dyrholm(A Soap), Sonja Richter (Open Hearts) and Jens Albinus among others. Albinus willalso star in ...

  • News

    Alonso and Musaluppi recruited for Locarno juries

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    Leadingfigures from the New Argentine Cinema have been invited to serve on new jurieswhich are being established at this year's LocarnoFilm Festival under the new artistic director Frederic Maire.FilmmakerLisandro Alonso, whosedirecting credits include La Libertad, Los Muertos and the as-yet-unreleased Fantasmas, will be a jury memberof the new Leopard for ...

  • News

    Newmarket takes Sundance winner God Grew Tired Of Us

    2006-05-12T00:00:00Z

    Newmarket Films haspicked up North American rights to Christopher Quinn's Sundance DocumentaryGrand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner God Grew Tired Of Us.The distributor plans an autumn release on the picture, which profiles theodyssey of three refugees from Sudan's civil war as they try to establish a newlife in the ...

  • News

    DeLoach takes top role at Fox Searchlight

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    SheilaDeLoach has been promoted to senior vice president and general sales manager atFox Searchlight, where she has been vice president of distribution for the pastnine yearsShe willrelocate from new York to Los Angeles reporting to chief operating officerSteve Gilula, who called her a "pioneer in film distribution' and a mentorfor ...

  • News

    Chance joins Granada Media board

    2000-06-19T12:43:00Z

    Former BSkyB deputy managing director David Chance has joined UK media operation Granada Media as a non-executive director.The appointment comes as parent Granada Group is preparing to float its media division by mid-July. Granada is expected to stress Chance's experience in pay-TV and new media in the run-up to the ...

  • News

    French sales house looks for rich seam from the Pit

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    RisingFrench sales house Funny Balloons has acquired worldwide rights to Juan CarlosRulfo's award-winning In The Pit.Thefilm, produced by La Media Luna Producciones, Juan Carlos Rulfo and EugeniaMontiel, will have its market premiere at Cannes.InThe Pit is the Mexican director's second feature-lengthdocumentary and focuses on a Mexican legend which holds that ...

  • News

    Stasi thriller takes seven Lolas at German Film Awards

    2006-05-14T07:00:00Z

    FlorianHenckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives Of Others (Das Leben Der Anderen)was the big winner at this year's German Film Awards in Berlin.The Stasithriller picked up seven Golden Lolas for best film, best direction, best leadactor (Ulrich Muehe), best supporting actor (Ulrich Tukur), best productiondesign (Silke Buhr), best cinematography (Hagen Bogdanski), ...

  • News

    Hassid heads foreign film buying for Canal Plus

    2006-05-14T07:00:00Z

    The CanalPlus Group has appointed Laurent Hassid to the post ofdirector of foreign film acquisitions.Hassidwill report to head of film Evi Fullenbach. His responsibilities will includeoverseeing acquisitions of foreign films, excluding films from the US majors,and pre-buys on French films shot in foreign languages for Canal Plus, CanalPlus Cinema and ...

  • News

    The Day On Fire adds heat to Bleiberg's Cannes slate

    2006-05-14T07:00:00Z

    LosAngeles-based sales house Bleiberg Entertainment will begin worldwide sales atCannes on thriller The Day On Firestarring Olympia Dukakis.JayAnania directed the tale of four women from different backgrounds whose livesintersect over the course of a turbulent 12 hours in New York punctuated by abombing.CarmenChaplin and Martin Donovan also star and Larry ...

  • News

    High-flying Snakes director claims Asylum

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    LosAngeles-based Hyde Park Entertainment has signed David Ellis to direct the darkthriller Asylum, which becomes the latestproject to join Hyde Park International's (HPI) dynamic Cannes slate.Thedeal represents a coup for Hyde Park as Ellis' upcoming thriller Snakes On APlane is tracking at a phenomenal level months ahead of itsUS release ...

  • News

    THINKfilm takes Off The Black on the Croisette

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    THINKFilmhas picked up all worldwide rights to James Ponsoldt'scoming-of-agedrama Off The Black, which premiered at SundanceandstarsNick Nolte and Trevor Morgan.Thedistributor plans a November release in the US and will introduceinternationalrights to buyers on the Croisette this week.OffThe Black charts the fateful friendship between a high schoolumpireand the young man who ...

  • News

    Mission stays strong in international marketplace

    2006-05-14T00:00:00Z

    Paramount's Mission: Impossible III stayed strongover its second weekend in the international marketplace with an estimatedgross of $40.5m, representing a relatively modest 42% drop from last weekend'simpressive $70.3m opening.The weekend take - from the same 7,390 sites in 57territories at which the Tom Cruise sequel opened - brought M:I:III'srunning international ...

  • News

    David Ellis to direct Asylum for Hyde Park

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    Los Angeles-based Hyde ParkEntertainment has signed David Ellis to direct the dark thriller Asylum, which becomes the latest project to join Hyde ParkInternational's Cannes slate.The deal represents a coup for Hyde Park as Ellis' upcoming thrillerSnakes On A Plane istracking at a phenomenal level months ahead of its US release ...

  • News

    Poseidon can't sink Mission in US

    2006-05-14T00:00:00Z

    Poseidon failed to knock Mission:Impossible III off the top of the North American box office chart thisweekend, as Paramount's Tom Cruise sequel grossed an estimated $24.5m and theWarner disaster movie managed a mediocre $20.3m.M:I:III's gross was down an acceptable 49%from last weekend's less than stellar opening figure of $47.7m. Poseidon'stake, ...

  • News

    Sundance premieres bookend Seattle festival

    2006-05-15T04:00:00Z

    Twohigh-profile Sundance premieres bookend the 32nd Annual SeattleInternationalFilm Festival (SIFF), with Neil Berger's period dramaTheIllusionist opening and Michel Gondry's The ScienceOf Sleepclosingthe event.Programmershave picked 419 features and shorts including 19 world premieres for the 25-dayevent, which runs from May 25 to Jun18.Amongthe world premieres are Jordan Albertsen's youth drama The ...