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LAFF to open with The Devil Wears Prada
A line-up of more than 250 features and shorts - including 19 world premieres andseven US premieres - has been announced for Film Independent's 2006 Los AngelesFilm Festival (June 22 to July 2).David Frankel's comedy The Devil Wears Prada (set for US releaseby 20th Century Fox on June 30) will ...
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UK's Aquarius adds international partners
Aquarius Film is goingglobal. The London-based financing and production outfit is setting up AquariusWorld Wide, a new venture with partners from Australia, South Africa, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Germany and India. Aquarius chief executiveTerence Potter won't disclose who the new partners are, but says that dealshave already been concluded in seven ...
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Beta does brisk sales for The Lives Of Others
Beta Cinema had itsbest-ever Cannes Market this year with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Stasi thriller TheLives Of Others (Das Leben Der Anderen) now sold to 30countries.Apart from selling NorthAmerican rights to Sony Picture Classics, Beta concluded deals on the film withsuch distributors as Japan (New Select), France (Ocean Films), Spain ...
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Soda acquires Bier's After The Wedding
UK distributor Soda Pictures has acquired three new titles from Cannes2006: Susanne Bier's After TheWedding, Brice Cauvin's Hotel Harabati,and Kelly Reichardt's Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt). Trust Film sold After The Wedding, Bier's follow-up to Brothers, which Soda released in 2005. Films Distribution sold Hotel Harabati,which premiered at the Berlinale.US-based Forward ...
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Palm Pictures acquires Cannes hit Ten Canoes
PalmPictures has acquired the North American rights to Rolf de Heer'sTen Canoes. Thefilm, co-directed by Peter Djigirr, won the specialjury prize after premiering in Un Certain Regard in Cannes. Ten Canoes, billed as the first moviein the Aboriginal language, was made in collaboration with the People of Ramingining. Richard Birrinbirrin,David ...
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Italian distributors close Cannes deals
Domenico Procacci'sFandango is ramping up its upcoming distribution slate with several newacquisitions, including two Cannes competition titles.Rome-basedFandango has snapped up Italian distribution rights to Cannes jury prize winner, Red Road. Sold by Trust Film Sales, Andrea Arnold'sdrama is the first of three films to be made through Lars von Trier's ...
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Sullivan plans modern take on The Magic Flute
FollowingKenneth Branagh's UK adaptation of The Magic Flute, which is inpost-production now, Canadian producers Sullivan Entertainment are planningtheir own feature based on the classic opera. Thisversion is set during Mozart's 250th birthday celebrations in contemporary Salzburg, where a young singer is castin the lead of a production of The MagicFlute ...
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IMG to buy UK production company Tiger Aspect
IMG Media has struck a deal to acquire London-based production company TigerAspect Group, including its subsidiaries Tigress, US-based TTP and film division TigerAspect Pictures. Termsof the deal weren't released, but IMG Media will finance theacquisition with capital from its US-based parent company IMG. Thisdeal follows IMG unit TWI's recent acquisition ...
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Brian Robertson named chair of FACT
The Federation Again Copyright Theft (FACT) in the UK has appointed Brian Robertson as its chairman, effective immediately.He replaces Marek Antoniak of Sony Pictures, who recently resigned from the post after serving for 11 years. Robertson has held senior UK and European finance positions at Sony Pictures Entertainment and is ...
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Huayi Brothers' Matrimony wraps in Shanghai
Teng Hua-tao's The Matrimony (working title), producedby Beijing-based Huayi Brothers Film Investment, has wrapped after a two-monthshoot in Shanghai.Starring Leon Lai (Seven Swords) and Rene Liu (A World Without Thieves), the $2.5m filmis a supernatural thriller set in 1930s Shanghai. The story follows a recently-wed couple whosemarriage is in trouble ...
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Miramax acquires Waititi's Eagle vs. Shark
MiramaxFilms has acquired the North American rights to comedy Eagle vs. Shark, the debut feature from TaikaWaititi, previously nominated for an Oscar for his shortTwo Cars One Night.Eagle vs. Shark stars New Zealand actors LorenHorsley and Jemaine Clement in the story of two misfitssearching for acceptance. It was shot on ...
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Universal plans new VeggieTales film
UniversalPictures is planning an early 2008 worldwide launch for the next VeggieTales film. CG animated feature The Pirates Who Don'tDo Anything - A VeggieTales Movie is being developedwith family media company Big Idea and the franchise's creative team of Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki. Nawrocki will direct based on a ...
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Murdoch's Sky Global Networks files for IPO
Apparently unmoved by the prospect of links with Vivendi Universal, Rupert Murdoch yesterday filed details of Sky Global Networks with the US Securities & Exchange Commission ahead of a float in the US.Murdoch is creating the world's largest pay-TV operation by rolling into a single company all his satellite broadcast ...
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MGM splits with Sony for home video business
Aspart of ongoing business changes, MGM is severing some of itsties with Sony. MGM will no longer split itshome entertainment business between Sony Pictures Entertainment and 20th CenturyFox and will instead only work with Fox. The move is especially notable because Sony led the consortium that acquired MGM in 2005.It'snot ...
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Outfest to open with Puccini For Beginners
Outfest 2006, which runs in nine venues in Los Angeles from July 6-17, will screen 207 shortsand features from 25 countries during its 24th event. The opening nightgala film is Puccini ForBeginners and the Spanish musical 20Centimeters (20 Centimetros) will close thefestival. The awards nightfilm is Allan Brocka's Boy Culture. ...
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IFP Market adds cash documentary prizes
IFP has announced the first cash prizes for the IFP Market.IFP and The Fledgling Fund are presenting $20,000 in new cash awards to documentaryfilmmakers during the 28th annual IFP Market in New York from September17-21. The two juried awards of $10,000 will go to filmmakers withprojects in the Spotlight on ...
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Santa Barbara festival starts Kirk Douglas award
TheSanta Barbara International Film Festival has announced plans to inaugurate itsnew Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film with a presentation to Douglasthis summer.Thefestival will present Douglaswith the new award at a black-tie gala on July 30. The award is expected to begiven to other honourees in subsequent years. Theaward ...
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Sweden shuts down file swappers The Pirate Bay
Swedish authorities haveshut down The Pirate Bay, a file-swapping site that had been used for onlinepiracy of films, music, software and games. The Pirate Bayhas more than one million users as a BitTorrent "tracker"site. The film industry had filed a criminal complaint in Sweden against the site in November 2004. ...
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EEAP signs licensing deal with The Weinstein Company
Berlin-based licensing and distribution company EasternEuropean Acquisition Pool (EEAP) has struck a licensing agreement with TheWeinstein Company for exclusive rights to distribute a group of 15 WeinsteinCompany films in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria. EEAP will also represent selected titles from thatgroup of 15 films in the ...
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Volver tops Screen's Cannes critics poll
Ken Loach'sThe Wind That Shakes TheBarley may have captured the Palme d'Or, but by a notable margin Screen International's juryof critics voted Pedro Almodovar's Volver as thebest film in Cannes competition. Volver lead the pack of 20 competition titles with a 3.4 average (out of amaximum 4), followed by Alejandro ...