Large MPU – Page 733
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Poseidon starts major-market international cruise
Poseidon, United 93 and RV all maketheir major-market international debuts this weekend in the relative quietafter the successive worldwide launches of The Da Vinci Code and X-Men:The Last Stand. Unlike the two blockbusters that have dominated theinternational marketplace since mid-May, the new entrants - each with somethingto prove outside North ...
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MGM adds Weinstein trio to release slate
Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studioshas added three new titles to its 2006-2007 North American theatrical releaseslate, all of them supplied by The Weinstein Company, which will oversee theirmarketing.The first of these MGMreleases will be Bobby, EmilioEstevez' account of the night that Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at theAmbassador Hotel in ...
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IFTA conference to discuss new platforms & formats
The introduction of newdistribution technologies and content formats will be subject of the 8thannual Production Conference to be hosted by The Independent Film &Television Alliance (IFTA) on June 16 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.Opening with a keynote from ByronAllen, the chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios, the event will revolvearound ...
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VCL snaps up Woody Allen trio outside US
Rapidly establishing itself as a "must know" rights owner, Germany's VCL has bought international rights to the next three comedies by Woody Allen.VCL is to co-produce and co-finance the trio and will take world rights for 40 years. A deal for North America was signed with DreamWorks SKG in April ...
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Toei reports record-breaking Cannes sales figures
Japanese major Toei hasreported that it closed around $650,000 (Y73.4m) in sales during Cannes, marking the highest sales figures from a singlemarket in the company's 55-year history.The company, which had astrong slate featuring talent such as Ken Watanabe and director Kenta Fukasaku,expects to close a further $440,000 (Y50m) in sales ...
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Magnolia strikes US deal for Severance
Magnolia Pictures has takenUS rights for Severance, sold by HanWay Films during the Cannes Market. The horror-comedy isdirected by Creep's Christopher Smithand stars Danny Dyer and Laura Harris.The plot follows an armscompany that sends its sales division to a weekend retreat in Eastern Europe, where they are attacked by war-crazed ...
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Cinema Expo award goes to Francis Veber
CinemaExpo International will present this year's lifetime achievement award toFrench director, producer and writer Francis Veber. Veber will be presented with his award at theconference's awards ceremony on June 29. Gaumontchairman Nicolas Seydoux will present him with theaward."CinemaExpo is honoured to pay tribute to such a well-known figure of both ...
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Ledger, Weisz set to make Dirt Music with Noyce
Heath Ledger and RachelWeisz have agreed to play the star-crossed lovers in an adaptation of the TimWinton novel Dirt Music, to bedirected by Phillip Noyce on home soil from March 2007.Weisz won the Academy Award forbest actress this year for The ConstantGardener - and had her first childyesterday - while ...
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UKFC, Pathe and BBC start new development fund
Pathe and BBC Films areworking with the UK Film Council's Development Fund to launch a new fund todevelop film projects. The parties have committed aminimum of $560,000 (£300,000) for the fund's first 12 months - $280,000 (£150,000)from the UK Film Council and $140,000 (£75,000) each from BBC Films and Pathe. ...
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Nic Roeg to present masterclass at Screenwriters Festival
The first InternationalScreenwriters Festival, scheduled for June 27-30 in Cheltenham, has added a masterclass with Nicolas Roeg and Allan Scott, director and screenwriter of classic Don't Look Now. The pair will screen theirfilm Cold Heaven and discuss their collaborativerelationship. Other speakers confirmed forthe inaugural event include producer Kevin Loader and ...
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Celluloid Dreams racks up robust Cannes sales
Frenchsales label Celluloid Dreams has reported a "robust" Cannes on its bulging slate, ledby the newly-announced English-language remake of Michael Haneke'sFunny Games starring Naomi Watts. Thefilm, which will be released in the UK by co-producer TartanFilms, was snapped up by a raft of eager buyers including Germany's X-Verleih,Lucky Red in ...
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Break-Up beats X-Men at US box office
Universal's The Break-Up was the surpriseleader at the North American box office this weekend, opening in top spot aftera dramatic second-week drop by Fox's X-Men: The Last Stand.With Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn starring asa bickering couple, The Break-Up grossed an estimated $38.1m from 3,070theatres (for a strong average of ...
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Maverick marks debut Cannes with sales surge
US-based MaverickEntertainment Group concluded a successful Cannes with deals in Eastern andWestern Europe and Latin America through international arm Maverick Global onseven key titles.Mafia story This Thing Of Oursstarring James Caan sold to Romania, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Benelux.Action thriller Carlita's Secretstarring Eva Longoria went to Mexico and all of ...
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Genius gets US DVD rights to 16 children's titles from BKN
Genius Products has secured exclusive US DVD distribution rightsto 16 classic children's properties from BKN Home Entertainment. The slate will roll out from September 2006 into 2007 and includesa CG all-animal version of A Christmas Carol in December, preceded by a limitedtheatrical release in November through SD Entertainment.Other titles include ...
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Zombie to direct Halloween picture for Dimension
Cult horror filmmaker Rob Zombie will make an original Halloween feature for Dimension Films with ascheduled release in October 2007.Miramax Films will co-finance development with Dimension, andMalek Akkad of Trancas International will produce.Zombie will write the screenplay, direct and serve as musicsupervisor and will also produce alongside Akkad.Dimension sources said ...
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IFC buys El Aura, Family Law for US
IFC Entertainment has added two titles to its day-and-datedistribution funnel IFC First Take - the Argentinian films The Aura and Family Law - which it acquired from Paris-based CelluloidDreams.Fabian Bielinsky's The Aura centres on a shy taxidermist who accidentally kills a criminal on a hunting trip andadopts the man's scheme ...
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TWC's CG-animated Igor is big seller at Cannes
The Weinstein Company's (TWC) international chief Glen Basner hasreported lively business at the Cannes market, adding that the companyvirtually sold out on Exodus Film Group's CG-animated comedy Igor.Basnersigned key deals with Momentum in the UK, Aurum in Spain, TF1 in France, andConstantin in Germany and Switzerland.Sales were also concluded with ...
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Da Vinci strong, Poseidon mixed in international arena
The Da Vinci Code maintained its grip on theinternational marketplace this weekend, while X-Men: The Last Stand slidand Poseidon had mixed fortunes in its first major-territory launches.The Da Vinci Code's estimated $52m gross from 11,625screens in 84 markets kept the Holy Grail adventure from Sony PicturesReleasing International (SPRI) ahead of ...
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Kinowelt books strong sales at Cannes
Kinowelt International had a busy Cannes market selling packages from its back catalogue aswell as finding customers for its new acquisitions.Head of World Sales Stelios Ziannis reported that theFassbinder Collection was sold to Finland, while another package of films by Fassbinder and Adlon were pickedup by pay TV for Israel. ...
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Bruce Everett joins Pinewood Shepperton
Pinewood Sheppertonhas appointed Bruce Everett as strategy director for post production. Everett, who previouslyserved as managing director of London-based St Anne's Post, will work with thePinewood Shepperton team to bring in new post production business."Bruce brings a wealth ofexperience in all forms of post production and we are looking forward ...