Large MPU – Page 634
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News
Broken Flowers to open Nantucket fest
The North American Premiere of Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers will open the 10th Nantucket Film Festival on Jun 15, while Andrew and Luke Wilson's romantic comedy The Wendell Baker Story will close the event four days later.The line-up of screenings includes a healthy volume of picturesthat premiered at Sundance earlier ...
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Star Wars looks to pass $200m international haul
Last weekend's massive international launch of Star Wars:Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith ignited the early summer season and thepicture should continue to be the main attraction this weekend.Thesixth instalment in George Lucas' sci-fi saga grossed a staggering $145.5m whenit opened day-and-date in more than 110 markets through Fox ...
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UK Film Council names cinemas joining digital network
The UK Film Council hasunveiled the list of cinemas set to participate in the roll out of its DigitalScreen Network (see full list of cinemas, below).TheCouncil is spending £11.7m of its National Lottery funding to install digitalfilm projectors and related equipment in 209 cinemas (on 238 screens) acrossEngland, Scotland, Wales ...
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Connolly chips in for Spud
Billy Connolly, the UK actor-comedian who rose to fame with an expletive-laden brand of humour, has signed to star as the Archangel Gabriel in Samuelson Productions' tentatively titled comedy Jimmy Spud.Udayan Prasad, whose credits include My Son The Fanatic, is to direct the contemporary UK comedy, on which UK-based The ...
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Oz winner of Project Greenlight flies Solo
Writer-director Morgan O'Neill faced a barrage of mediainterviews today after it was revealed that his script had won $760,000 (A$1m)in production finance ahead of 1,200 others as part of Australia's ProjectGreenlight.Reality TV show Project Greenlight originated in the USfive years ago and gives the winner prize money to bring their ...
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Spain's Vertigo stocks up with Cannes goodies
Spanish distributor Vertigo Films has acquired rights to theDardenne brothers' Palme d'Or winner The Child and Francois Ozon's UnCertain Regard screener Le Temps Qui Reste.Together with previous acquisitions made by Vertigo chiefAndres Martin earlier this year, the distributor now boasts a strong slate ofCannes titles including Jim Jarmusch's Grand Jury ...
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Irish producers ask: where's the money'
"If Neil Jordan needs more than a million Euro from the FilmBoard to get a film made then what hope is there for the rest of us'" So wentthe comment made by one Irish film-maker as word got around that Jordan'slatest film, Breakfast On Pluto, had received the biggest ever ...
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Golden Harvest, Village Roadshow deal in doubt
Through its subsidiaryGolden Screen, Hong Kong's Golden Harvest has filed a petition to wind upDartina Development, the holding company of Singapore's largest exhibitor chainGolden Village. Golden Harvest managingdirector CK Phoon said "We're not pulling out from Singapore. We just want tobreak up the joint venture with Village Roadshow, [like a] ...
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Global Film Initiative unveils latest grant beneficiaries
The Global Film Initiative has unveiled the latest batch of ninefilmmakers from the developing world to receive grants under its bi-annualallocation cycle.The filmmakers will each receive finishing funds to allowthem to complete their projects, and were chosen because their work illustrates"accomplished storytelling, artistic excellence and cultural perspective ondaily life around ...
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Rudnitsky takes distribution job at Weinstein Company
Longtime Miramax veteran Mike Rudnitsky has been namedsenior executive vice president of domestic distribution at The WeinsteinCompany.The New York-based Rudnitsky has served eight years atMiramax and will continue to report directly to Bob and Harvey Weinstein.He will continue his duties at Miramax on a non-exclusivebasis until the brothers' contract with ...
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Electric Cannes for Voltage Pictures
Voltage Pictures has reported strong business at its maidenCannes, headed up by multi-territory sales on the Moscow-set horror picture After.Rightswent to Optimum in the UK, Amuse in Japan, Alpha Filmes in Brazil, CentralPartnership in Russia, Belga in Benelux, Village Roadshow in Greece, LNK inPortugal, and Gulf Films in the Middle ...
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Constantin readies slate of international projects
While thesteady flow of German private equity into Stateside projects may now be a thingof the past, the German film industry's growing presence as a serious player onthe international stage will nevertheless be given a boost this summer byConstantin Film's busy production schedule.Constantinsaw shooting crank up in China at the ...
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Reviews
Cinderella Man
Dir:Ron Howard. US. 2005. 144mins.Beautifullycrafted and emotionally uplifting, Cinderella Man reunites ABeautiful Mind star Russell Crowe and director Ron Howard to tell the trueDepression-era story of underdog American boxing champ Jim Braddock. It's aprime example of the kind of rousing melodrama that Hollywood, when it's nottrying to lure teens with ...
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Reviews
Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel)
Dir/scr: Christian Carion.France. 2005. 115minsThe miracle of aChristmas truce in the trenches of World War One is transformed into apolished, pan-European heartwarmer in Merry Christmas. Refreshinglytraditional in comparison with many competition titles, it places its faith inthe virtues of straightforward storytelling, handsome production values and atouching real life incident. It ...
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Eagle swoops on Seven Arts
Recapitalised Italian distributor Eagle Pictures has sealed another package of pictures - with Seven Arts International - to go with the two picture deal with Summit and a three picture deal with Intermedia which it concluded at AFM.Eagle has taken theatrical rights to seven movies from Seven Arts including Rules ...
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Reviews
Chromophobia
Dir/scr:Martha Fiennes. UK-Fr. 2005. 138mins.The second film by Martha Fiennes, sister of Ralph andJoseph, is a multi-linear choral drama that aims to tell contemporary Britainlike it is. But although there is some sophisticated writing here, and some enjoyableperformances from the mostly British ensemble cast, Fiennes' attempt to do akind of ...
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Sith passes $200m international and $500m worldwide
Revenge Of The Sith swept past $200m at the international and $500m atthe global box office over the weekend as it remained the runaway number onetitle across the world.Playing on 10,554 international screens through Fox International, the sci-fisaga added an estimated $64.1m for a $248.7m international running total aftertwo weekends.Added ...
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German DVD market soars to new record
Turnover from sell-through and rental videos and DVDsreached a new record high in the first three months of this year, according tofigures compiled by GfK Panel Services Consumer Research for the video tradeassociation BVV.GfK's statistics showed revenues in the German homeentertainment market increasing by 12.8% from the previous record result ...
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Boyle, Crowley sign for Director's Cut of '25 Words'
The UK Film Council's Development Fund has launched afresh version of its "25 Words or Less" initiative, partnering withdirectors Danny Boyle and John Crowley to bring new film ideas to the bigscreen. Backed by film companies Pathe UK and Intermedia, thenew "25 Words or Less: Director's Cut" project gets bothdirectors ...
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Oz distributors return from Cannes shopping spree
All Australia's independent distributors, includingfirst-time attendee Jump Street Films and free-spending Dendy Films, cameback from Cannes with films in their suitcases. AccentAccent bought a pair of films from Wild Bunch: Sex AndPhilosophy and Sheitan. Sex And Philosophy isKandahar director MohsenMakhmalbaf's take on passion and possession through the eyes of a ...