Large MPU – Page 714
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News
TWC and IFC to co-distribute Wordplay in North America
The Weinstein Company(TWC) and IFC Films will co-distribute Patrick Creadon's crossword documentary Wordplay in North America.Christine O'Malley produced the picture, which was an instant hit when itpremiered at Sundance and profiles New York Times crossword editor Will Shortzand the national tournament he founded.IFC Films acquired North American rights in January ...
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News
The Little Film Company adds eclectic trio to Cannes slate
Robbie and EllenLittle's Los Angeles-based worldwide sales and marketing house The Little FilmCompany has bulked up its Cannes slate with worldwide rights to three projectsin pre-production.Sean Mathias' multi-layered political drama The Colossus based on Ann Harries' novel Manly Pursuits is being produced by Lisa Katselas.Thriller Ghost Maker is writtenand will ...
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News
FACB founder Rob Fisher dies in Sydney
Today was a black day forthe Australian film industry with the death last night of Rob Fisher, thefounding chief executive of one of only two long-standing completion bondcompanies in the country.Fisher was known as astraight shooter and was very popular. He was a watchdog at the financial endof what is ...
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News
Germany's H5B5 acquires stake in Unapix
Boutique German TV producer H5B5, has bought a 25% stake in fast-moving US mini-conglomerate Unapix Entertainment.The German outfit said: "this strategic shareholding is a very important step. It sustains [our] goal in selling high quality products on the US TV market and allows H5B5 Media to exploit all distribution channels."The ...
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Cannes announces final juries for Un Certain Regard and Camera d'Or
Cannes festivalorganizers have announced the final compositions of the juries for the UnCertain Regard and Camera d'Or juries.As previously announced US director and producer Monte Hellman will preside over the Un Certain Regard jury joinedby Iranian author Marjane Satrapi,American journalist Laura Winters, Italian journalist Maurizio Cabon, French journalist Jean-Pierre Lavoignatand ...
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Reviews
Just My Luck
Dir: Donald Petrie. US.2006. 103mins.Apparently designed to help teen queen Lindsay Lohan, Just My Luck ends up feeling like a teenromantic comedy not very convincingly dressed in adult clothes. Lohan's existing fan-base may still respond to the mix oflifestyle aspiration and fairy-tale romance, and the appearance of real-lifepop-rock group McFly ...
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News
Act, Knatchbull acquire UK distributor Artificial Eye
In a further shake-up to the UK distribution market,Artificial Eye Film Company, for 30 years the UK's leading distributor of arthouse and foreign language films, has been acquired byAct Entertainment Group, owner of Curzon Cinemas, andKnatchbull Communications Group.Terms of the acquisition were not released.The deal comes just as Artificial Eye ...
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News
Eurimages backs nine new European co-productions
Eurimages, the Council of Europe's film fund, has announced aslate of nine films to receive its latest round of support. Eurimageswill back the European co-productions with a total investment of $3.6m (Euros2.8m). The films are:Noemie Lvovsky's L'ami de Fred Astaire (France-Switzerland) Eric Rohmer's Les amours d'Astree et de Celadon(France-Spain-Italy)Sinisa Dragin's ...
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News
SCB pacts with Kong for Golden Flower financing
Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) has signed an agreement with award-winning local producer Bill Kong toprovide financing for the production of Zhang Yimou's Curse Of The Golden Flower. Currently shooting at China's Hengdian World Studios, the $45m film is producedby Kong and Beijing New Picture Film Co with Focus Features ...
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News
Verhoeven on board for adaptation of Kneeling on a flowerbed of violets
Paul Verhoevenhas taken on a new directing job in the Netherlands. Joining forces with the Dutch production company NLFilm & TV, Verhoeven will adapt the awarded Dutchnovel Kneeling on a flowerbed of violets (Knielenop een bed violen) forthe big screen.The project reunites Verhoeven and long-term collaborating writer Gerard Soeteman, who ...
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News
Danish director Simon Staho readies third feature
For his third feature Simon Staho is rounding up an impressive cast of Danish film andtheatre actors. The shoot of DaisyDiamond is scheduled to begin on May 22.The romantic drama stars Sofie Grabol (Accused), Trine Dyrholm(A Soap), Sonja Richter (Open Hearts) and Jens Albinus among others. Albinus willalso star in ...
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News
Alonso and Musaluppi recruited for Locarno juries
Leadingfigures from the New Argentine Cinema have been invited to serve on new jurieswhich are being established at this year's LocarnoFilm Festival under the new artistic director Frederic Maire.FilmmakerLisandro Alonso, whosedirecting credits include La Libertad, Los Muertos and the as-yet-unreleased Fantasmas, will be a jury memberof the new Leopard for ...
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News
Newmarket takes Sundance winner God Grew Tired Of Us
Newmarket Films haspicked up North American rights to Christopher Quinn's Sundance DocumentaryGrand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner God Grew Tired Of Us.The distributor plans an autumn release on the picture, which profiles theodyssey of three refugees from Sudan's civil war as they try to establish a newlife in the ...
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News
DeLoach takes top role at Fox Searchlight
SheilaDeLoach has been promoted to senior vice president and general sales manager atFox Searchlight, where she has been vice president of distribution for the pastnine yearsShe willrelocate from new York to Los Angeles reporting to chief operating officerSteve Gilula, who called her a "pioneer in film distribution' and a mentorfor ...
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News
Chance joins Granada Media board
Former BSkyB deputy managing director David Chance has joined UK media operation Granada Media as a non-executive director.The appointment comes as parent Granada Group is preparing to float its media division by mid-July. Granada is expected to stress Chance's experience in pay-TV and new media in the run-up to the ...
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News
French sales house looks for rich seam from the Pit
RisingFrench sales house Funny Balloons has acquired worldwide rights to Juan CarlosRulfo's award-winning In The Pit.Thefilm, produced by La Media Luna Producciones, Juan Carlos Rulfo and EugeniaMontiel, will have its market premiere at Cannes.InThe Pit is the Mexican director's second feature-lengthdocumentary and focuses on a Mexican legend which holds that ...
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News
Stasi thriller takes seven Lolas at German Film Awards
FlorianHenckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives Of Others (Das Leben Der Anderen)was the big winner at this year's German Film Awards in Berlin.The Stasithriller picked up seven Golden Lolas for best film, best direction, best leadactor (Ulrich Muehe), best supporting actor (Ulrich Tukur), best productiondesign (Silke Buhr), best cinematography (Hagen Bogdanski), ...
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News
Hassid heads foreign film buying for Canal Plus
The CanalPlus Group has appointed Laurent Hassid to the post ofdirector of foreign film acquisitions.Hassidwill report to head of film Evi Fullenbach. His responsibilities will includeoverseeing acquisitions of foreign films, excluding films from the US majors,and pre-buys on French films shot in foreign languages for Canal Plus, CanalPlus Cinema and ...
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News
The Day On Fire adds heat to Bleiberg's Cannes slate
LosAngeles-based sales house Bleiberg Entertainment will begin worldwide sales atCannes on thriller The Day On Firestarring Olympia Dukakis.JayAnania directed the tale of four women from different backgrounds whose livesintersect over the course of a turbulent 12 hours in New York punctuated by abombing.CarmenChaplin and Martin Donovan also star and Larry ...
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News
High-flying Snakes director claims Asylum
LosAngeles-based Hyde Park Entertainment has signed David Ellis to direct the darkthriller Asylum, which becomes the latestproject to join Hyde Park International's (HPI) dynamic Cannes slate.Thedeal represents a coup for Hyde Park as Ellis' upcoming thriller Snakes On APlane is tracking at a phenomenal level months ahead of itsUS release ...