Large MPU – Page 785
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News
Cast confirmed for Pinball Films' Kaz
Nora Von Waldstattenand Gary Lewis are set to star in Pinball Films' Kaz, directed by Ashley Horner.The English-languageproject, budgeted at less than $1.2m (1m Euros), will be shot in HD. Theproject is backed by Northern Film and Media (which also put up developmentfunding), digital facility VMI, and private equity. No ...
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Babelsberg production chief slams German tax laws
Studio Babelsberg's managing director for production, Rainer Schaper, called for changes to German tax legislation during a speech at this week's Media Forum NRW in Cologne.Schaper criticised current laws under which non-German talent is taxed when shooting in the country. Earlier this year, Schaper successfully beat off rival bids to ...
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Cannes contenders queue up for the Croisette
With the dust settling onthe Berlin line-up, all eyes are already on Cannes and films vying forselection there: Croisetteregulars such as David Lynch (InlandEmpire), Aki Karismauki (Lights In The Dusk), Ken Loach (TheWind That Shakes The Barley), Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Scream ofthe Ants) and Kim Ki-duk (Time) seem ripe to be ...
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Festival verdict: The best is yet to come'
With four Berlinalecompetition films yet to screen, the critical consensus so far is that this hasnot been a vintage year for quality. It's not just that there has been nosingle standout title so far it's also the lack of pleasant off-the-radarsurprises, like last year's Golden Bear winner U-Carmen eKhayelitsha.But as ...
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Nexo eats Fortissimo's Candy
Fortissimo Films sold hot Competitiontitle Candy to Italy's Nexo just prior to its official screening in Berlin.The film directed by Neil Armfield and starring Heath Ledger, was also sold to Germany's Concorde on the eve of the market while Turkey's ANS bought itat the European Film Market.Fortissimo also solddocumentary This ...
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Weinsteins board CG-animated Escape From Planet Earth
The Weinstein Company has picked up rights to the CG-animated pitch EscapeFrom Planet Earth from Hoodwinked creators by Tony Leech and CoryEdwards.Leech will direct and Preston Stutzman of Blue Yonder Films will produce alongwith Jonathan Shestack, Brian Inerfeld and Gregory R Little of animation studioMainframe Entertainment.Escape From Planet Earth centres ...
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Momentum Pictures picks up seven titles at Berlin
UKdistributor Momentum Pictures has picked up seven titles during a busy Berlin.The acquisitions include Andrew Lau's forthcoming thriller The Flock from Bauer-Martinez; comedy Bandidas starring Selma Hayek andPenelope Cruz from Europacorp; Gregg Araki's Smiley Face starring Anna Faris from First Look; and the new Mike Leigh project thatwill start shooting ...
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Reviews
Candy
Dir: Neil Armfield. Australia.2006. 108minsAlternately dazzling andflashy, affecting and mannered, this impressive debut from feted Australiantheatre director Neil Armfield is lifted to the verge of excellence byoutstanding performances from Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish as a pair ofheroin addicts in love. If it doesn't quite scalethe final peak, it's because ...
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Reviews
Longing (Senhsucht)
Dir:Valeska Grisebach. Germany.2006. 88 mins Astory of ordinary love in a defiantly non-glamorous mode, Valeska Grisebach's Longing packs a formidable emotional punch, all the moreso for its spare aesthetic and sure-footed restraint. The director's secondfeature, following 2001's acclaimed Be My Star (Mein Stern), thrives on elliptical storytelling andundemonstratively subtle ...
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Mads Mikkelsen cast as villain in Casino Royale
MartinCampbell told reporters on the set of CasinoRoyale February 15 that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen would play the villain Le Chiffre. Campbelldescribed Mikkelsen as a 'terrific actor'. The director was less forthcoming as to who would play Bondlove interest Vesper Lynd. "We have two or threeactresses in mind," Campbellsaid. "You'll ...
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Per Holst appointed chair of European Film College
Per Holst, Danish veteran producer and creative director of Scandinavian major Nordisk Film, has been appointed chairman of the European Film College in Ebeltoft, Denmark. "We have to give our young film-making talent more and better opportunities if we are sustain the positive flow we're experiencing now," said Holst.Holst, who ...
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Reviews
A Soap (En Soap)
Dir: Pernille Fischer Christensen. Denmark. 2006. 104mins.A woman's picture by definition, ASoap, Pernille Fischer Christensen's auspiciousdebut, should play well with female audiences who will appreciate its intimatesensitivities.Portraying a woman who breaks out of a stagnating relationship and hertranssexual neighbour, the script has the earmarks of the TV soaps it emulates,while ...
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Reviews
Container
Dir: Lukas Moodysson. Sweden. 2006. 74mins. Wilfully obscure and defiantly strange, Lukas Moodysson'sblack-and-white film is as much visual art as cinema. Moodysson would havelittle patience with such subjective categories; but distributors are notoriouslysubjective, and few will touch a film that lacks even the narrative or shock ofMoodysson's previous departure from ...
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David Puttnam to receive Academy Fellowship at BAFTA
On Sunday 19 February 2006, Lord Puttnamwill receive the Academy Fellowship at BAFTA's annualawards ceremony. The Award presented by Lord Attenborough, President of theAcademy, will be for outstanding contribution to world cinema. Luminaries toreceive the Fellowship Award include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, SeanConnery and Stanley Kubrick. David Puttnam in similarfashion ...
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TLA Releasing buys rights to El Calentito
TLA Releasingacquired Alberto Rodriguez's Seville-set teen drama, 7 Virgins from Sogepaq at the Berlin Film Festival for itsBritish label and has further added to its Spanish slate by buying Chus Gutierrez' comedy ElCalentito for its American DVD label. The film set inFebruary 1981, at a time of political and social ...
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Eastern European buyers pick up rights to Toei's Yamato
TheEuropean Film Market (EFM) sales of Toei's domestic blockbuster Yamato (Otokotachi no Yamato) are progressing smoothly, with twelve countries lockedin so far. Eastern European deals were among the first closed, including Poland's Vision Films, and Slovenia's Fiviapicking up rights for Eastern Europe. Benelux was the first WesternEuropean territory to purchase ...
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Aardman animations morph into mobile phones
One of the first characters created byanimation studio Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton is to reappear on mobile phones.Morph, a plasticine model created for UK television 30 years ago, will be revived for a new generation through licensing deals with Orange,Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2 andinternational operators. All deals have ...
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Australian producers conference to include major awards
The biggest annual gathering of producers, the SPAA (ScreenProducers Association of Australia) conference, will this year move back to itstraditional November time slot but stay on the Queensland Gold Coast for thenext three years.Queensland Premier Paul Beattie also announced that the 8thLexus Inside Film Awards will be staged on Friday ...
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Wild Bunch picks up French rights to James Gray feature
In a sevenfigure deal, Wild Bunch distribution arm Pan Europeennehas acquired all French rights to James Gray's upcoming We Own The Night.JoaquinPhoenix stars as a nightclub manager in 1980s Queens who falls foul of his policeofficer brother played by Mark Wahlberg just as theRussian mafia are taking control of the ...
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Capote starts international run after Berlin premiere
Fresh from its European premiere at the Berlin FilmFestival, major Oscar contender Capote gets its first internationalopenings this weekend, a weekend that will otherwise see a few Hollywoodofferings starting their international runs and a few more continuing their roll-outs. Biographical drama Capote, with Philip SeymourHoffman starring as author Truman Capote, ...