Large MPU – Page 672

  • Reviews

    The 40 Year-Old Virgin

    15 August 2005

    Dir: Judd Apatow. US.2005. 116mins.Marking the featuredirecting debut of acclaimed TV comedy writer Judd Apatow and the featurestarring debut of in-demand comic actor Steve Carell, The 40 Year-Old Virginis a sex comedy that's sweet-natured one minute, enthusiastically raunchy thenext and sporadically very funny. Relatively subtle and character-driven by sexcomedy standards, ...

  • News

    Bignardi plans life after Locarno

    12 August 2005

    Locarno's outgoing artistic director Irene Bignardi says she hopes hersuccessor will build on the work of the last five years to give the festivalits own unique place in the international festival landscape.Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily.com, she diplomatically skirtedthe issue of confirming who her successor would be (the name of Frederic ...

  • News

    Films Sans Frontieres acquires Golden Bowl

    17 May 2000

    James Ivory's Cannes competition title The Golden Bowl, which is being sold by TF1 International, has been acquired by French arthouse distributor Films Sans Frontieres.Films Sans Frontieres - which previously acquired Peter Greenaway's Eight And A Half Women from TF1 - intends to give Golden Bowl a 150-print outing, the ...

  • News

    Oz opens applications for $15.5m tax fund

    12 August 2005

    The Australian government has called for applications fromlocal companies interested in winning a licence giving them the right to raise$15.5m (A$20m) over the next two years for investment in the film andtelevision industry.Investment inproduction in Australia already delivers a 100% tax deduction but under theFilm Licensed Investment Company (FLIC) Scheme ...

  • News

    Bleiberg leaves Dream to pursue new vision

    12 August 2005

    DreamEntertainment principals Ehud Bleiberg and Yitzhak Ginsberg are parting ways,with Ginsberg staying on to run the Los Angeles-based production and salesoutfit and former chairman Bleiberg leaving to set up his own venture.Both parties will share rights and jointly sell a number of projects in variousstages of readiness including the upcoming ...

  • News

    Kindred picks up techno-thriller Phreaker

    13 August 2005

    Musicproducer Joe Nicolo's fledgling boutique distributor Kindred Media Group haspicked up universal rights from Tasty Pixels to Mark Young's techno-thriller Phreaker.The Los Angeles and Pennsylvania-based Kindred plans a limited 2006 release on the story of a digital-age entrepreneur who falls foul of the police and a vicious thug.Eric Wippo stars ...

  • News

    First Hand takes on sales for Oliveira's Magic Mirror

    15 August 2005

    First Hand FilmsWorld Sales will handle international sales on venerable Portuguese directorManoel de Oliveira's Venice competitor Magic Mirror.The Zurich-basedcompany picked up the film prior to the announcement that it would compete inVenice, one of the cities where the film also partially shot.Mirror (Espelho Magico)is about an innocent ex-con who goes ...

  • News

    Garcia's Nine Lives takes top Locarno prize

    14 August 2005

    RodrigoGarcia's Nine Lives has becomethe first US film to win Locarno's top award, the Golden Leopard for Best Film,for 14 years.The last US film to win thetop honour was Tom DiCillo's feature debut Johnny Suede at the festival in 1991.Nine Lives, which was the only US title selected for thisyear's ...

  • News

    ...as Garcia enjoys acclaim with festival hit

    14 August 2005

    Rodrigo Garcia'sNine Lives proved thehit of the 58th Locarno International Film Festival, with the jury awarding itboth the Golden Leopard grand prize and the best actress award, which wasshared between the film's nine leading actresses.2005 jurypresident, Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, revealed the jury's finaldiscussions went on until 3am. He told ...

  • News

    Warner duo claim $13m apiece at overseas theatres

    15 August 2005

    The Warner Bros Pictures International duo of The Island and Charlie And The Chocolate Factoryruled the roost over theweekend, grossing an estimated $13.9m and $13.6m for $63m and $90.9m respectiveinternational running totals.Launching at number one in Mexico, The Island grossed $1.9m in that territoryincluding previews. Released on 500 prints, it ...

  • News

    Four Brothers opens top in North America with $20.7m

    15 August 2005

    Another successful result for the newly-installed Brad Grey regimeat Paramount saw its revenge drama Four Brothers open top in North America on anestimated $20.7m as overall domestic tickets sales plunged again.Opening in second place on $15.8m was Universal's Gothic thriller SkeletonKey directed by the UK'sIain Softley, while the comedy sequel ...

  • News

    Liberator set to line up Zentropa France slate

    17 May 2000

    Liberator Films, the Paris-based arm of the expanding Zentropa Entertainment empire, is seeking to develop a slate of films that go beyond the titles associated with Dogme95 and Lars Von Trier."There has never been a better time to make French films as so many other French film-makers are turning their ...

  • News

    Four Brothers opens top in North America with $20.7m

    15 August 2005

    Another successful result for the newly-installed Brad Grey regimeat Paramount saw its revenge drama Four Brothers open top in North America on anestimated $20.7m as overall domestic tickets sales plunged again.Opening in second place on $15.8m was Universal's Gothic thriller SkeletonKey directed by the UK'sIain Softley, while the comedy sequel ...

  • News

    Thai martial arts pic smashes box office records

    15 August 2005

    SahamongkolfilmInternational's martial arts flick TomYum Goong has smashed box office records in both Thailand and Hong Kong onits opening weekend.The US$8mpicture, a follow up to Ong Bak thatreunites director Prachya Pinkaew and action star Tony Jaa, has grossed amassive $2.4m (THB98m) after four days of release on a record 243 ...

  • News

    Euro films set for Industry Screenings in New York

    16 August 2005

    European Film Promotion (EFP) is tolaunch a series of Industry Screenings in New York in November 2005 with theaim of introducing new European films to North American buyers. Thisinitiative, supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, will featureone screening each of four new European films. The screenings will ...

  • News

    Austrian box office plunges in first half of 2005

    16 August 2005

    Mirroring the general internationaltrend, Austrian exhibitors have reported year-on-year falls in box-officerevenues and admissions for the first half of 2005, but are bullish aboutprospects for the next six months.According to figures collated by theAustrian exhibitors' association FLA, 7.35m tickets were sold in the first sixmonths - down 18.3% on 2004's ...

  • News

    Queensland unveils post-production incentive

    15 August 2005

    TheQueensland Government has added a post-production incentive scheme to the raftof temptations it already offers local and overseas film and televisionproducers who decide to shoot in the North-East corner of Australia.Themove makes Queensland a one-stop production shop, said the Minister for ArtsRod Welford, who announced the scheme when he officially ...

  • News

    Circle Work scores at Oz pitching contest

    15 August 2005

    Afeature called Circle Work by Edwina Exton, a Melbourne-basedactor-turned-screenwriter, has won the high-profile pitching competition heldas part of the annual Australian producers conference.Shedescribed the film as a highly commercial romantic comedy set amid the chaos ofa B&S (bachelor and spinster's) ball, an iconic event in rural Australia. Thetitle refers to ...

  • News

    Wine guru to advise Australian film industry

    15 August 2005

    IanSutton, founding chief executive of The Winemakers Federation of Australia, hasbeen hired as a consultant to the working party advising on the creation of anAustralian Screen Council (ASC).Suttonis credited as the architect of the evolution of the modern Australian wineindustry.Usingthe first day of the annual conference of the Screen Producers ...