Large MPU – Page 727

  • News

    Gonzo goes Gaga for Peggy Sue

    2006-05-23T00:00:00Z

    Japan's Gaga Films and animation house Gonzo will collaborate on an animatedfeature adaptation of French children's book Peggy Sue And The Ghosts: Sleep Of The Demon, written by SergeBrussolo.The book is the second in aseries of eight best-sellers which have been published in France, the first six of which have ...

  • News

    Tribeca Film Festival sets 2007 dates

    2006-05-23T00:00:00Z

    The 2007 TribecaFilm Festival will take place from Apr 25-May 6.Festival organisers said 465,000 people attended this year's event,representing a rise of 69% against 2005.For more information visit the official website at www.tribecafilmfestival.org

  • News

    Punk Cinema plans Gigolos follow-up later in 2006

    2006-05-23T00:00:00Z

    UK production company PunkCinema has commissioned the writers and actors its film The Gigolos to write a follow-up.Sacha 'Tarter andTrevor Sather will write Billion Dollar Break for production in late 2006. The caper comedy is about aRussian billionaire and an office drone who find themselves on the run togetheracross Europe. ...

  • News

    Europe's MEDIA Programme gets $970m extension

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    The European Union's Media Programme has just secured over $970m (Euros 755m) to bankroll the European film industry.The Media 2007 fund will be used for training,development, distribution and promotion from 2007-2013, including atleast 20% going on development, 55% on distribution, 7% on training, 9%on promotion, 4% on pilot projects.The total ...

  • News

    Zee, Reliance join race to wire India

    2000-06-20T17:08:00Z

    India's communications infrastructure is set for two massive tranches of investment as corporate giant Reliance Industries and media conglomerate Zee Telefilms have unveiled separate plans to build major cable networks across the country.Zee, owned by Indian mogul Subhash Chandra, is investing about $2.5bn in building a hybrid fibre optic-coaxial cable ...

  • News

    Weinsteins ramp up Asian Dynasty

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Bob and Harvey Weinstein have set up the Asian labelDragon Dynasty and boosted their already sizeable library by licensing 43titles from News Corp subsidiary Fortune StarEntertainment.Dragon Dynasty will release all Asian titles in TheWeinstein Company's (TWC) stable, including recent theatricalacquisitions such as Ong Bak 2, SPL, Seven Swords and Dragon ...

  • News

    Gaspar Noe re-enters the Void

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Gaspar Noe's Les Cinemas DeLa Zone has joined forces with Wild Bunch and Fidelite to co-produce his latestfilm Enter The Void.The $13.5m English languagefilm about a drug-dealing brother and his sister is expected to shoot in Japanin September.Equity co-producers includeJapan's Comstock Org and Russia's Central Partnership.Cinetic will handle USrights. The ...

  • News

    IFC takes erotic arthouse film Destricted

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    IFC Entertainment has bought all North American rightsto the explicit 'portmanteau film Destricted.''IFC moved in following Monday's Critics Week screeningand plans a' simultaneous theatrical and video-on-demand release throughits First'Take division.''Destricted premiered at Sundance and comprises aseries of erotic' short films by such avant-garde filmmakers as GasparNoe, Matthew' Barney, Larry Clark ...

  • News

    SPC buys Starpai's comic-book autobiography for US

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) has snapped up NorthAmerican rights on 'Persepolis,Marjane Satrapi's comic book autobiography set in Iran' during theIslamic Revolution.''Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud adapted and areco-directing the project 'about an outspoken nine-year-old girl whoselove-hate relationship' with her homeland eventually forces her intopermanent exile.''Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve,Danielle Darrieux and Simon' ...

  • News

    Fortissimo signs up Wong library

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Fortissimo Films has signed a deal with Cannesjury president Wong Kar-wai's Jet Tone Films to handle the increasing list oftitles in the director's library, including films not previously represented byFortissimo.The deal is an expansion of the long-standingrelationship between Wong and Fortissimo which first worked with the directoron Chungking Express in ...

  • News

    New charter launched for downloading

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Online film downloading is to get moreuser-friendly with the signing of a new charter.In Cannes, EU and US Internet service providers andtelecom operators endorsed a new online charter, which aims to ensurethat both service providers and film companies cooperate to fight piracyand provide an attractive supply of films which can ...

  • News

    Ang Lee and Focus reunited for wartime spy thriller

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Hot on the heels of their global smash BrokebackMountain, Ang Lee and Focus Features are fast-trackingthe Chinese-language second world war spy thriller Lust,Caution.Bill Kong, who previously collaborated with Lee on CrouchingTiger, Hidden Dragon, is producing the projectwith Lee. Focus Features holds worldwide rights excludingAsia.Production is scheduled to begin this autumn ...

  • News

    Celsius racks up deals on Paris Je T'aime

    2006-05-24T00:00:00Z

    Buyers have fallen head overheels for Paris Je T'Aime.Mid-way through the market, the portmanteau picture (which opened Un CertainRegard) has been snapped up by more than 20 buyers. The French release throughLa Fabrique is scheduled for June 1. Celsius Entertainment, which co-financedthe film and is handling world sales, is in ...

  • News

    Boost to Czech film fund dies in parliament

    2006-05-24T00:00:00Z

    The Czech parliament hasfailed to override a presidential veto of a measure that would have increasedstate support for the local film industry threefold and required greatercontributions from exhibitors and distributors. In April, the Chamber ofDeputies passed legislation that would increase the annual size of the StateFund for the Support and ...

  • News

    Business as usual for Canal Plus, Universal

    2000-06-20T17:36:00Z

    Canal Plus boss Pierre Lescure played down the idea of major strategic changes to his company's role in the European and US film industries following the trans-Atlantic merger that today created Vivendi Universal and returned PolyGram to European ownership."If anything we will be producing more films over there," said Lescure, ...

  • News

    Pusan's Asian Film Market lines up companies

    2006-05-25T04:00:00Z

    The upcoming Asian FilmMarket will have a focus on Asian talent and talent agencies with companiessuch as Korea's Namoo and IHQ, Japan's Stardust and Hong Kong's Jet Tone set toattend the four-day market (October 15-18).The market also hopes tosign up agencies from the US and other Asian territories including China ...

  • News

    Ambitious auteurs at Cannes still lack the 'wow factor'

    2006-05-25T04:00:00Z

    It only takes two or threefilms to bring a festival alive. They don't even have to be touched bygreatness, just talking points that make everyone glad to be here. Cache set Cannes buzzing last year. The Brown Bunny managed it on an unforgettable scale in 2003. This year, a respectableroll ...

  • News

    Viggo Mortensen takes lead in Nazi drama

    2005-05-24T04:00:00Z

    Viggo Mortensen is to star in Good, the screen adaptation of CP Taylor's award-winning stage play set during the Nazi era. British actors Jason Isaacs and Mark Strong will also appear in the film, which will be directed by Vicente Amorin. The screenplay has been written by John Wrathall.Good tells ...

  • News

    Tartan gets US rights to The Page Turner

    2006-05-25T04:00:00Z

    Tartan USA has acquired allUS rights to The Page Turner (La Tourneuse de Pages) from Films Distribution. The film, which premiered inUn Certain Regard, is a psychological thriller, written and directed by DenisDercourt and starring Catherine Frot and The Child star Deborah Francois.Didar Domehri of FilmsDistribution negotiated the deal ...

  • News

    Trust books several deals for Red Road

    2006-05-24T00:00:00Z

    Andrea Arnold's Red Road, one of the buzz titles in the Cannes competition,has closed multiple deals following its premiere earlier this week, with Spain,France and a host of other smaller territories already gone. The film is alsoattracting strong interest from the US.The version of Red Road on Copenhagen-based that screened ...