Large MPU – Page 2072
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Film Four, Intermedia on board for Baghdad Blog
FilmFour andIntermedia will work together on a feature film adaptation of Baghdad Blog, written by Iraqi architect Salam Paxabout his daily life in Baghdad before, during and after the invasion.Snowcake director Marc Evans will direct, withRoss Klavan, who wrote Tigerland, adapting the script. Scott Kroopf andOllie Madden will produce for ...
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BBC Films' slate includes US-set film by Lynne Ramsay
"We're in very bullishmood. We've got some great films," says head of BBC Films David Thompson. Threemonths ago, it was announced that the Beeb's investment in film production isset to rise from $17m to $26m a year, subject to the favourable settlement ofthe current licence fee negotiations.Here in Cannes, BBC ...
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Comme T'Y Es Belle strong at French box office
In its first week out, LisaAzuelos' sleeper comedy that could, Comme T'Y Es Belle, has sold nearly 350,000 tickets in France. Theticket tally was roughly on par with that of Mission: Impossible :III.French sales company WildBunch has added a screening in Cannes on Monday May 22 at 2 pm as ...
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Rapid Eye takes German rights to Yo-Yo Girl Cop
Japan's Toei has pre-soldGerman rights to Kenta Fukasaku's Yo-Yo Girl Cop, starring Japanese pop diva Aya Matsuura, to RapidEye Movies.Based on a legendary 1980sTV series, about a deadly yo yo-wielding girl detective, the film is alsowhipping up buyer interest from the UK and France. Fukasaku previously directedToei's record-breaking Battle Royale ...
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Pyramide on board for Breillat's love triangle
Controversial directorCatherine Breillat has begun shooting her latest film Une VieilleMaitresse. Handled by PyramideInternational, the film is a $11.5m (Euros 9m) period piece about a lovetriangle involving a young man, his older mistress and the young woman he mustmarry.Asia Argento plays themistress with newcomer Fu'ad Ait Aattou as the lover ...
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Tartan strikes deals for Princess and The Right of the Weakest
Tartan Films has acquired all North American, UK and Irish rights to DirectorsFortnight title Princess by Anders Morgenthaler and all UK and Irish rights toCannes competition title The Right Of The Weakest by Lucas Belvaux.The company also acquired UK and Irish rights to Back to Normandie, the new filmfrom Etre ...
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Obituary: Tony Franklin
Anthony (Tony) J.B. Franklin. Died Friday 16th June 2000, age 56, following a brief illness.Tony Franklin was my partner in DDA for 25 years. We met in Nassau in 1975, where he was the boss of one of my closest friends from Chester. Tony immediately made an impression. An accountant ...
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Cillian Murphy and Natalie Press to star in Telepathy
Rising young stars CillianMurphy and Natalie Press are to star in Telepathy, a new sci-fi feature just announced on Beyond'sCannes slate.Miranda Richardson and SamNeill are also in the cast. The project, due to shoot in October 2006, is scriptedby Stephen Volk and is to be directed by Lesley Manning (whose ...
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Serbia, Norway plan new film tax incentives
As competition to attractinternational production heats up, territories from Scandinavia to the Balkansare trying to woo big-budget, runaway films by offering new tax breaks.Serbia is the latest countrylooking to join the tax credit bandwagon. The new Serb incentive is likely tobe worth 21.5% in total to both local and international ...
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Element Films makes sales on Boy Town
John Freme's Element FilmsInternational has completed sales on rock and roll comedy Boy Town to Canada (Equinoxe), Benelux (Dutch Filmworks), andIsrael (Forun Film).Mick Molloy and SallyPhillips star in the story of a 1980s boy band that reunites for one more chanceat the big time.Sales were also concluded onthe terrorism thriller ...
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Lionsgate closes slew of deals on Rogue
Lionsgate International hasreported storming business on its upcoming action thriller Rogue starring Jet Li and Jason Statham.Filming wrapped recently inVancouver on Lionsgate's biggest production to date. Statham plays anFBI agent who pursues the notorious assassin who killed his partner.Phillip Atwell directed.Sales were concluded withJapan (Asmik Ace); Germany (Constantine); France (Metropolitan); ...
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Rocket Pictures plans new UK animation facility for Gnomeo
Elton John and DavidFurnish's Rocket Pictures is teaming with Miramax Films to create a newanimated facility in London for the Rocket/Miramax CG-animated musical comedy GnomeoAnd Juliet.Meanwhile Lee Hall, whoworked with John on Billy Elliotis writing the Elton John biopic tentatively titled Rocket Man for Disney. The project will be crafted ...
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Werner works with Vajna on Hungarian Children Of Glory
Fortissimo's Michael JWerner has teamed with Andy Vajna, his former partner at Summit Entertainment,to act as sales and marketing consultant for Vajna's epic Hungarian production ChildrenOf Glory.Children Of Glory is directed by Krisztina Goda, whose Just Sex AndNothing Else was one of Hungary'sbiggest local hits last year.The new film is ...
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SPO strikes Japan deals for Go Master and Invisible Waves
Japan's SPO Entertainmenthas snapped up two titles from Fortissimo Films - Tian Zhuangzhuang's The GoMaster and Pen-ek Ratanaruang's InvisibleWaves, which premiered incompetition at this year's Berlin.Go Master, which stars Chang Chen and Sylvia Chang, tells thelife story of Wu Qingyuan, the world's most renowned player of the ancient gameof Go. ...
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Fabrication sees brisk sales on 10th & Wolf
Fabrication Films hasreported brisk sales on crime thriller 10th & Wolf that Oscar winning Crash screenwriter Bobby Moresco will direct fromhis own screenplay.James Marsden, GiovanniRibisi, Brad Renfro and Piper Perabo star in the tale of a Gulf Warveteran who becomes embroiled in the Mob life he thought he had left ...
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Dueling Napoleon projects race to the screen
In what is becoming a Capote-esque race to get to the screen first, the twoNapoleon movies about his final days on St Helena and his friendship with a 15-year-oldare now both set to go before the cameras.Patrice Chereau has declaredthat he will shoot his $20 million The Monster Of Longwood ...
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Da Vinci Code breaks international opening record...
Riding a global wave of publicity and controversy, The DaVinci Code this weekend became the biggest international day-and-dateopener ever, with an estimated gross of $147m from 12,213 screens in 90territories. Added to the film's estimated North American gross of $77m,the international take gives Sony's Holy Grail-themed adventure a worldwidefirst-weekend total ...
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Channel Nine to invest $12m in Indian programming
Kerry Packer's Channel Nine is commissioning Indian producers after being awarded the daily 19.00-21.00 slot on Indian state broadcaster Doordarshan's Metro channel for a block of branded programming.The Australian company, which has set up offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, is investing $12m in Indian programming and plans to launch ...
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...and delivers in US with $77m debut
The Da Vinci Code opened powerfully in NorthAmerica this weekend with a gross of $77m, making it the first of the year'ssummer blockbusters to live up to expectations. Unlike Da Vinci's massive $147m internationaltake, the domestic gross - from 3,735 screens, for a $20,616 per-screen average- broke no all-time records ...
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Lau linked to Chinese classic
Korea'sTaewon Entertainment and Hong Kong's Visualizer Film Production areco-producing $15m-$20m epic Three Kingdoms - Resurrection of the Dragon.Hong Kong star Andy Lau Tak Wah is attached to the project with other castingto be confirmed.Thefilm is being directed by Daniel Lee, who previously directed Dragon Squad,starring Sammo Hung Kam-bo and Michael ...