Large MPU – Page 353
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News
UPC claims lead in Polish digital market
Dutch cable giant UPC has claimed the lead in the race to deliver digital services to Poland. It has also unveiled plans for the roll-out of broadband services in the territory later this year.UPC said that at the end of June it had 378,000 subscribers to its digital cable services, ...
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News
Editorial opinion: punching its weight
Can we judge the success of a national film industry on the numbers brought in by studio productions through subsidies and incentives, asks Michael GubbinsThere was a time when terms like the 'creative economy' sounded wildly self-important to the general public - at least outside Los Angeles. Even the term ...
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News
Cultural test: yes or no'
Is a rigorous cultural test a good way to determine which projects are eligible for national tax breaks' Two Screen writers give their opinions based on the experiences of the UK and Australia, where governments are both attempting to create sustainable, long-term film industries by making state financing available to ...
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Features
Vietnam - Stepping Into The World
In 1981, Fay Kanin, the then president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Ampas), took Cyd Charisse and other Hollywood luminaries on a trip to China.Films including Charisse-starrer Singin' In The Rain were screened and meetings were held with representatives of the Chinese film industry. The trip ...
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News
Cactus Three: reality check
New York-based Cactus Three has become a key player in the growing market for documentaries. Wendy Mitchell meets its founders. Having worked together at the now-defunct US indie distributor Wellspring, Julie Goldman, Caroline Stevens and Krysanne Katsoolis established their New York-based non-fiction mini-studio Cactus Three in 2003. It proved fortuitous ...
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News
Jackson & Walsh team up with Microsoft for games
Peter Jackson and screenwriting partner Fran Walsh have partneredup with Microsoft Game Studios to create two interactive entertainment seriesexclusively for Xbox 360 and the online games series Xbox Live.The studio will also work with Jackson and Walsh to set up WingnutInteractive, an entertainment studio aimed at creating interactive titles.The first ...
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News
Astronaut Farmer to close Hamptons Film Festival
Michael Polish's drama The Astronaut Farmer starring Billy Bob Thornton will closethe 14th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival, which runs from Oct18-22. As previously announced,Philip Haas' The Situation will open the festival.15 world and eight North American premieres will be featured atthe festival. Among the world premieres are Brad ...
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News
Soros/Sundance Documentary Fund launches tenth anniversary film series in NYC
The Open Society Institute and Sundance Institute have curated a seriesof 19 international documentaries that will screen at New York's Film Forumfrom Oct 26-29.The Soros/Sundance Documentary Fund: A 10th Anniversary FilmSeries, showcases social justice and human rights documentaries made with supportfrom the fund, and opens with Mandy Jacobsen and Karmen ...
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News
Emerging to stage 14-city US tour of nine Latin films on digital network
Emerging Pictures, the New York-based digital cinema network, hascurated a 14-city US tour of nine pictures from the Film Society of LincolnCenter's LatinBeat 2006 film festival.All pictures will screen in their original language alongsideEnglish subtitles, and the tour will commence in early October following theFilm Society screenings in New York.Titles ...
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News
AFI launches first DC French Film Festival in Silver Spring
The American Film Institute (AFI), The French-American CulturalFoundation, La Maison Francaise and the National Gallery of Art have launchedthe First Annual DC French Film Festival C'est Chic: New Films From France.Running from Oct 12-28 at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Centerin Silver Spring, Maryland, the event will feature latest work ...
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News
Exhibitors refuse to pull Baise-moi
A fully-fledged censorship row has blown up in France following the decision by French high court Conseil d'Etat to give controversial title Baise-moi (Fuck Me), which is already on release, an X rating. Exhibitor MK2 and some independent exhibitors are refusing to remove the film from their screens.The Conseil d'Etat's ...
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News
Equinoxe, Milagro in Montreal sign on for Saura's Secrets
Montreal-based productioncompanies Equinoxe Films and Milagro Films have signed on as coproducers ofCarlos Saura Medrano's upcoming psychological thriller Secrets alongside Madrid-based Zebra Producciones, theproduction outfit of Antonio Saura. Saura, who wrote the screenplay, and SauraMedrano are sons of veteran Spanish auteur Carlos Saura. The Euros 3mEnglish-language project is set to ...
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News
Hong Kong selects Banquet; Taiwan chooses Cha Cha
Hong Kong has selected period epic The Banquet as its entry for the best foreign-language filmcategory of next year's Academy Awards.The film, directed by China's Feng Xiaogang, is a co-production between Hong Kong's Media Asia and Beijing-based Huayi Brothers. It recently premiered atVenice and has grossed $13m across Chinese-speaking territories ...
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News
Meek to replace Ikin at Film Finance Corp
Producer Scott Meek, whorelocated from the UK to Australia in 2004 to join ABC TV, is to replace Bridget Ikinat Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC). Ikin and Tait Brady were thefirst people employed to choose which films seeking FFC finance through theevaluation door should get the go-ahead. Both of them ...
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News
Spain backs Almodovar's Volver in Oscar race
Spain has selected Pedro Almodovar's Volver as its submission for the foreign language Academy Award.Almodovar is clearly astrong contender: Volver has alreadyearned rave reviews internationally and picked up the best script and bestactress prizes in Cannes for its female cast, led by star Penelope Cruzand early Almodovar muse Carmen Maura. ...
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News
Icon and Lionsgate projects backed in latest FFC round
A vampire filmbacked by Lionsgate, a drama marking Icon's biggest commitment to an Australianfilm, and the first co-production with China are among five Australian films that havesecured financing in the latest round from Film Finance Corporation Australia.Twinwriter-directors Michael and Peter Spierig, who sold their low-budgetself-financed horror film Undead toLionsgate, have ...
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News
Post-war Beirut festival welcomes 40 international guests
AyamBeirut Al Cinema'iya, the first festivalto take place in Lebanon since the war, wrapped Sept 23 after a nine-dayfestival that opened with the world premiere of Michel Kammoun's Falafel, and screened 40 features,shorts and documentaries, mainly from or about the Arab world.Now in its fourth year, thefestival has gained a ...
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News
Films In Progress champions Latin America's emerging talent
Celebrating its 10th anniversary,San Sebastian's Films InProgress initiative is this year backing some of the lesser lights in LatinAmerican cinema who hope to make a name for themselves on the international circuit,including controversial Chilean director Luis Vera.Films InProgress has already launched several Latin American and Spanish films,including Tristan Bauer's Falkland ...
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News
NonStop Sales picks up Paid
International sales agent NonStop Sales has picked up the English-language Dutch featurePaid. A gangster thriller in thefilm noir style, Paid is directed by first-time director Laurence Lamers and stars Tom Conti, MuriloBenicio, Corbin Bernsen andGuy Marchand.Paid is a Dutch production,produced by Slavenburg Films. The film will have itsmarket premiere at ...
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News
Transmedia gets rights to Short Order
New UK distributor Transmedia has announced theacquisition of the film Short Order,which will be released in early 2007 under the title Life Is A Buffet. The feature film was written by young Irishdirector Anthony Byrne and stars French actress Emma de Caunes, with VanessaRedgrave and John Hurt. The film takes ...