Large MPU – Page 754

  • News

    Renaissance wraps Only Human sales

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    Disproving the notion that humorous films do not traveleasily, Only Human (Seres Queridos), theSpanish comedy about a beautiful TV presenter and her dysfunctional family,racked up a large number of sales ahead of its AFM premiere on Saturday (6 Nov)The picture, handled by the UK's Renaissance Films,has been sold to Odeon ...

  • News

    Buyers snap up Shochiku sci-fi fantasy Casshern

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    Shochiku has succeeded in finding buyers across the worldfor Japanese sci-fi fantasy Casshern.It was bought by Studio Canal in France, Momentum Picturesin the U.K. and Ireland, Noble Entertainment in Scandinavia, I-ON New Media inGermany, Mikado Films in Italy, Bright Angel Distribution in Benelux, Lusomundoin Portugal, Audio Visual in Greece, Rialto ...

  • News

    City Of God spawns feature follow-up

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    Fernando Meirelles' City Of God looks set to spawn not only a record breaking TVseries called City Of Men butanother feature film as well.Recently-launched UK-based sales outfit Lumina Films aims tolaunch sales for the full-length feature at Cannes, with shooting slated for alate 2005 start. No director is as yet ...

  • News

    Tae Guk Gi director readies new action film

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    A new action film by Kang Je Gyu, the director behind theKorean box office smash Tae Guk Gi, isin the works at the newly-formed Korean powerhouse MKB.The untitled film by Kang, whose $13m Tae Guk Gi was the record grossing film of all time in Koreawith a $65m take, is ...

  • News

    The Salon secures US deal with Avatar

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    The Salon, a beautyparlour movie directed by super-hot screenwriter Mark Brown, has curled itselfround a US sale through UK seller Visual Factory.The film, which has a convoluted history including acourtroom battle with MGM over the title of the picture, has been sold toAvatar.The $3.5m black comedy, which stars Vivica Fox, ...

  • News

    UK Film Focus sets 2005 dates

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    The UK's mini-market London UK Film Focus will returnnext year between June 27 and 30 June at the National Film Theatre after a 2004edition which attracted 180 buyers.The event is backed by Film London, UK Film Council, FilmExport UK (FEUK), the London Development Agency through Creative London, UKTrade and Investment, ...

  • News

    Christopher Lambert set for Day Of Wrath

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    Christopher Lambert is set to star as a 16th century Spanishdetective in the thriller Day Of Wrath,which Mark Lester's American World Pictures has acquired for worldwidesales.'I play this sheriff whoinvestigates a series of murders that are going on around the time of theSpanish Inquisition,' Lambert told Screen duringa brief stop ...

  • News

    Coixet embarks on Secret Life shoot

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    Spanish director Isabel Coixet begins shooting today(Monday, November 8) on her new English-language film, The Secret Life OfWords, starring Tim Robbins and SarahPolley.The Euros 4m film is a co-production between the Almodovarbrothers‚ El Deseo, which backed Coixet's award-winning My LifeWithout Me, and MediaPro. Focus Features,which also handled My Life, hasinternational ...

  • News

    Schizo takes top prize at Cottbus festival

    2004-11-07T00:00:00Z

    Guka Omarova's feature debut Schizo(Schiza) picked up the Main Prize for Best Film at this year's FilmFestivalCottbus - Festival of East European Cinema (November 2-6).TheRussian-Kazakh-French-German co-production, which was previously awarded prizesat festivals in Sochi, Copenhagen and Haifa, also won the InternationalFederation of Film Societies' Don Quixote Prize. (For Schizo review, ...

  • News

    Clark gets promoted to senior vp in Universal production dept

    2004-11-08T04:00:00Z

    Universal Pictures has promoted Dylan Clark to senior vicepresident of production and development at Universal Pictures.Clark will increase the number of projects under his purview andwill continue to report to vice chairmen of worldwide production Scott Stuberand Mary Parent"Dylan's taste in material and his ability to understand andproductively work within ...

  • News

    Powerhouse weekend for UIP at UK, Germany box office

    2004-11-08T04:00:00Z

    US horror hit The Grudge opened top in the UK on $4.1m (£2.2m) including previews of$736,000 (£396,000) at the weekend, according to estimates released bydistributor UIP.By way of comparison the Dawn Of The Dead remake opened in March on $3m ($1.6m) at339 sites, and The Ringopened in 2003 on $3m ...

  • News

    Engagement continues to engage in France in second weekend

    2004-11-08T04:00:00Z

    Jean-Pierre Jeunet's wartime romance A Very Long Engagement continued a strong run in France throughWarner Bros, registering 730,000 admissions nationwide from 707 prints.The distributor said the picture added approximately $5.8m for an$18.7m running total after dropping roughly 40%.Second weekendadmissions surpassed Les Choristes by 18%, Terminator 3 by 21%, X-Men 2 ...

  • News

    Incredible opening of $70.7m for Disney and Pixar

    2004-11-08T00:00:00Z

    The Pixar hit factory maintained its solid gold reputation at theweekend as The Incredibles opened top on an estimated $70.7m through Buena Vista.And in a result that will only confound the woes of Disney asPixar looks for a new partner after their contract expires next year, TheIncredibles registeredthe biggest ever ...

  • News

    Pixar hit factory delivers biggest opening ever in The Incredibles

    2004-11-08T00:00:00Z

    The Pixar hit factory maintained its solid gold reputation at theweekend as The Incredibles opened top on an estimated $70.7m through Buena Vista.And in a result that will only confound the woes of Disney asPixar looks for a new partner after their contract expires next year, TheIncredibles registeredthe biggest ever ...

  • News

    HONG KONG 8 November

    2004-11-08T00:00:00Z

    Two local productions - Wilson Yip's kung-fu romance The White Dragon and Yonfan's eroticdrama Colour Blossoms - topped theHong Kong box office in a relatively quiet week.The White Dragon,produced by China Star and Joe Ma's Singing Horse Productions, came in firstwith US$494,598 from 35 screens. Cecilia Cheung stars as a ...

  • Reviews

    An Italian Romance (L'Amore Ritrovato)

    2004-11-08T00:00:00Z

    Dir. Carlo Mazzacurati.It-Fr. 2004. 108mins.Two of Italy's hottestyoung stars combine with one of the country's most talented directors for AnItalian Romance (L'Amore Ritrovato), a disappointing melodrama whosefuture depends exclusively on their names; without them, it could not hope foranything better than a straight-to video release.As it is, the glamour ofStefano ...

  • Reviews

    A Way Of Life

    2004-11-08T00:00:00Z

    Dir: AmmaAsante. UK. 2004. 91mins.A bruisingdrama in social realist mode, writer-director Amma Asante's A Way Of Lifetackles racism and anti-Muslim prejudice in a deprived town in South Wales.Asante's protagonists are disaffected teenagers, badly educated, strugglingwith poverty and unemployment, who blame a Turkish neighbour for theirpredicament.The film beginsin brutal fashion, with ...

  • News

    Eagle takes Italian rights to The Saint

    2004-11-09T04:00:00Z

    EaglePictures has picked up Italian distribution rights to The Saint, a Euros10m English-language picture starring Bad Boys II's Jordi Molla.The historic action movie, which is written and directedby Italy's Antonello Bellucco, tells the story of Saint Antonio of Padua, apriest who was born in Lisbon and died in 1231 at ...

  • News

    Metrodome acquires UK rights to pair of films

    2004-11-09T04:00:00Z

    UK distributor Metrodome has acquired UK rights to TheAssassination of Richard Nixon and Private for its 2005 slate.The Assassination of Richard Nixon played in UnCertain Regard at Cannes this year. It was directed by Niels Mueller andwritten by Mueller together with Kevin Kennedy, and stars Sean Penn, NaomiWatts and Don ...

  • News

    Irish producers lobby for budget backing

    2004-11-11T04:00:00Z

    Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) has called on theGovernment to institute changes to benefit the industry in the forthcomingbudget for 2005.Increased funding for the Irish Film Board, removal ofthe cap on investment in feature film through Section 481, continuousexamination of the film investment tax incentive schemes offered in othercountries, the setting ...