Large MPU – Page 2146
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News
Hour Of Religion tops Nastro d'Argento award nominations
Marco Bellocchio's Hour Of Religion, the story of an atheist painter who finds out his brothers want to beatify their dead mother, led the nominations for Italy's Nastri d'Argento, the country's oldest movie awards.Nominations for Bellocchio's film, which is performing well at the local box office with a running total ...
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News
UK's Film Consortium names Neil Peplow head of production
Neil Peplow is taking over as head of production at UK National Lottery franchise The Film Consortium, replacing Julie Baines with immediate effect.Peplow recently produced Mike Bassett: England Manager and The Abduction Club. He was co-producer on Waking Ned and Shooting Fish, working with Richard Holmes, the former managing director ...
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News
PACT, CineMart partner for Immersion 2002: Europe
UK producers association PACT and the Rotterdam International Film Festival's CineMart have become partners in the 'Immersion 2002: Europe' co-production gathering for Canadian and European producers held in Paris from November 18-22, 2002.The event will gather a selected group of 30 Canadian producers with a selection of up to 70 ...
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News
Cultural Cinema Consortium formed in Ireland
In parallel with the UK Film Council's ongoing plans to fund a so-called virtual circuit of art house cinemas around the country, and in contrast to continental European efforts to access EU support for similar purposes, the Irish Arts Council has formed a Cultural Cinema Consortium with the Arts Council ...
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News
Swedish TV comedy outfit plans first feature film
Sweden's most popular TV comedy production outfit, Killingganget, will celebrate its ten-year anniversary by making its first feature film.In line with actor/writer group Killingganget's hugely successful TV formula the project will be a comedy consisting of several stories tied together the central characters.The Swedish-language film, which has three different working ...
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News
Hong Kong broadcaster lowers pay-TV asking price
Hong Kong broadcaster TVB has reportedly lowered the asking price for a 50% stake in its pay-TV arm, Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting, as it struggles to find investors in the proposed platform.TVB originally planned to sell the stake for $200m, but is scaling back the project in an attempt to attract ...
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News
Judges announced for Nike Young Directors Award
Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha, producer Barnaby Thompson and BAFTA chief executive Amanda Berry are among the names on the judging panel on this year's Nike Young Directors Award.Entrants are to write scripts for a three-minute sport-themed film. Three finalists will each receive£7,000 to turn their treatments ...
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News
Poland joins EU's MEDIA Plus programme
In another step towards the European Union's (EU) enlargement, Poland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the EU enabling it to participate in the MEDIA Plus programme.The agreement, which was backdated to January 1, 2002, foresees Poland contributing Euro 1.55m per year to the MEDIA budget until 2005, with ...
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News
MDP gets $17.5m cash infusion from Cheng Family
MDP Worldwide Entertainment,the LA-based financier/distributor run by Mark Damon and publicly traded on theMontreal Stock Exchange, has closed a deal in principle with Music BoxEntertainment Ltd whereby Music Box will make a $17.5m equity investment in MDP.Music Box is a new company to be owned by Hong Kong-based entrepreneurs DrHenry ...
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News
Columbia sets up studio three-way for Peter Pan
In an extremely rarethree-way partnership, Universal Pictures and Joe Roth's RevolutionStudios have joined up with Columbia Pictures to co-produce the live actionfilm of Peter Pan which is set toshoot in Queensland, Australia, in the autumn. The film, which will be directedby Australia's PJ Hogan, is being scheduled for release at ...
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News
US Producers Guild sets up new media division
TheProducers Guild Of America (PGA) has formed The New Media Council (NMC) with aview to explore the state of the digital arena and recognize the producers whoproduce and distribute digital entertainment.Theseprojects expand beyond film and TV and are defined in five categories:movie/video production (companies such as BMW Films and Duality), ...
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News
Lucasfilm spins off THX as independent company
George Lucas'Lucasfilm has spun off theatrical audio standard outfit THX as an independentcompany. Originally a division of Lucasfilm, THX is now a privately heldcompany with Lucasfilm among several corporate and private investors. The movewas made to allow the company to expand into markets outside Lucasfilm'score areas of expertise.THX has also ...
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News
Bank loan saves RTV Family Entertainment
Animation production house RTV Family Entertainment has moved out of temporary insolvency after receiving a bridging credit line from its bank syndicate backed by a letter of credit from majority shareholder Ravernsburger AG. This step restores RTV to full financial solvency, but additional cash funds of Euros 4m will be ...
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News
Pandora returns to German distribution with Kaurismaki
Karl "Baumi" Baumgartner and Reinhard Brundig's distribution venture Pandora Filmverleih is staging a comeback on the German market nearly four years after being swallowed up by the Kinowelt empire in July 1998. Its first theatrical release - on 14 November - will be Aki Kaurismaki's Cannes prize-winner The Man ...
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News
Kissing Jessica Stein proves effective counter-programming
Spider-Man continued its box domination while Kissing Jessica Stein scored as effective World Cup counter-programming in a weekend that saw little change at the box office.Spider-Man eased off 28% in its second week, a modest fall reflecting its sluggish start due to last weekend's World Cup tournament matches. The ...
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Reviews
No Regrets (Nichts Bereuen)
Dir: Benjamin Quabeck. Ger. 2001. 104mins.A blend of comedy and pathos, No Regrets is a light-hearted coming of age story that flags up its lead, newcomer Daniel Bruehl, as one of Germany's upcoming talents to watch. The film has done well in German-speaking territories, where it has taken DM 468,065 ...
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News
Mike Newell to pilot Deighton's Bomber
Mike Newell is to direct an adaptation of Len Deighton's World War II novel Bomber.Roger Randall-Cutler, whose credits include Dance With A Stranger and The Commitments, is producing Bomber with Robert Cheek at the First Film Company. Leigh Jackson is adapting the book, which follows 24 hours in an Allied ...
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News
Tough times see Spanish producers adopt novel approach
The tough climate for film financing in Spain is causing producers to turn to literary adaptations, especially works which have already proven popular with audiences and critics. Indeed, there are currently more than a dozen films based on novels in advanced stages of production in Spain.The current batch includes director ...
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News
VU's fifth board member exit leaves Messier on the brink
Jean-Marie Messier has retained his position as chairman of the world's second-largest media group - despite the departure of the fifth board member this year and a temporary dive in Vivendi Universal share value to a 13-year low.Yesterday, June 25, Vivendi Universal shares rebounded to $19.80 following a turbulent slide ...
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German TV rights package boosts market optimism
RTL Television, Germany's leading private broadcaster, has acquired a package of films and TV series from Warner Bros. International Television (WBIT), including the free TV rights to Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, The Lord Of The Rings, Ocean's Eleven, The Matrix, and The Perfect Storm.RTL's CEO Gerhard Zeiler declared ...