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Village Roadshow expands co-production war-chest
The Village Roadshow Pictures Group (VRPG) has increased its film facilityfrom $900m to $1.4bn and extended the term of the deal until January 2011.Those close to the move said it would enable VRPG, the recentlyformed strategic alliance between Village Roadshow and Crescent Entertainment,to substantially expand its co-production capabilities.The company has ...
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Atmosphere, Platinum team up on Killing Demons
Atmosphere Entertainment's Mark Canton and Platinum Studios chiefScott Mitchell Rosenberg are teaming up to develop a film of Platinum's graphicnovel Killing Demons.Ascreenwriter will be announced shortly to adapt the story of a man whodedicates his life to tracking down the supernatural creatures that slaughteredhis family when he was a child.Canton ...
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Chinese masters crank up new productions
Two of mainland China's leading film-makers - Zhang Yimou and Jiang Wen -are currently working on new projects that look set to raise considerableinterest in international markets.Following his quietdrama Riding Alone ForThousands Of Miles, Zhang Yimou is returning to the big-budget arenawith a $45m costume drama, starring Chow Yun-fat and ...
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Americans in Paris boost inward production
Film production in the Ile De France, whichincludes Paris, was up last year, figures have revealed.Statistics released by the National Film Centre show that on any one dayin 2005, 10 film or TV productions were being shot on the region's boulevards,parks or studios, amounting to 3,363 shoot days.Feature films accounted ...
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Film and TV shooting up 18% in London
UK film production may have had a down year in 2005 - with overall film production spending down 31% -- but filming in London was up 18%, according to agency Film London. That figure, however, is not just based on film shoots but also includes TV and commercial shoots as ...
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Picturehouse, New Line Int'l take Silk road together
Picturehouse and New Line International have snapped up themajority of the world on Francois Girard's dark romantic adaptation Silk, which will stars Keira Knightley,Michael Pitt, Koji Yakusho and Alfred Molina.Filming is due to begin at the end of February in Matsumoto, Japan,and will end in late May in Italy, as ...
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UK Production looks healthier for 2006
With news earlier this weekthat UK production spending was down 31% in 2005, theindustry is on shaky ground going into 2006. The good news is that 2006 isexpected to be a stronger year in terms of both inward investment from Hollywood and wholly UK films, thanks in large part to ...
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Sony, Universal hatch co-financing pacts with Relativity
Seeking new ways to offset their production risks while holding onto global distribution rights, Sony Pictures Entertainment and UniversalPictures have each signed separate co-financing deals with investors groupsconnected to Relativity Media.The Los Angeles-based Relativity, which structured a similar $528m dealwith Warner Bros last year, retained Deutsche Bank to raise in ...
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Korean master's 100th film saved from shutdown
Korean master director ImKwon-taek's 100th film has been saved from the verge of shutdown bystart-up production company Kino2 and funding from Centurion TechnologyInvestment Corp and the Korean Film Council.The director's long-timeproducer Lee Tae-won announced that funding for the $3.5m film had fallenthrough just days before it was due to go ...
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UK production spending down 31% in 2005
As expected, 2005 wasn't abanner year for UK film production as film tax breaks uncertainty and a strong pound hurtthe industry. According to figures from the UK Film Council, film productionspending in the UK was £559m ($988m) in 2005, down 31% from 2004's £810.3m ($1432m). That'sfar below 2003's record year ...
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Nu Image acquires Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria
Nu Image Bulgaria has acquiredBoyana Film Studios and plans several major Hollywood productions for theformerly state-owned studios. The romantic drama Napoleon and Betsy, starring Al Pacino and Scarlett Johansson, thethriller The Code, starring MorganFreeman, and a remake of the zombie classic Dayof the Dead are scheduled to shoot in Bulgariathis ...
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Shochiku adds four dramas to busy Berlin slate
In addition to its upcomingsamurai films, Japan's Shochiku has added four new dramas to its international sales slate,which it will be launching at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.Heading the slate is thelatest film from prolific cult director Takashi Miike, Big Bang Love, Juvenile A, which will receive its ...
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LDM Productions to commence shooting project 8
Paris-based production house LDMProductions has announced the commencement of shooting on a new projectentitled 8.A series of short films by renowneddirectors, the project will highlight the fight against poverty and otherhumanitarian issues facing the world today.On a total budget of $4.2m (3.5m Euros)directors such as Robert Altman, Jodie Foster, GasparNoe, ...
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Beyond Films gets on board for Dragnet and Almost Adult
Sales company Beyond Filmshas acquired the rights to two films currently shooting, Steve Hudson's Dragnet and YousefAli Khan's Almost Adult.Dragnet stars Robert Carlyle, Gary Lewis, and Martin Compston in the story of a young fisherman who decides tosave the family business by trafficking in illegal immigrants. Dragnetstarted shooting Monday in ...
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Investment in UK films down a third in 2005
Investment in UK-linked filmswas $1.1 billion (£699.1 million) into 78 films in 2005, down 27% from 2004'sinvestment of $1.7 billion (£960 million) in 68 projects, according to figuresfrom ScreenFinance.ScreenFinance also noted that inward investment from Hollywood into the UK fell from $889.5 million (£503.4 million) with eightproductions in 2004 to ...
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Argentina experiencing film production boom
In a country ravaged byeconomic and political disarray just over four years ago, Argentina iscurrently enjoying a film production boom.More than 70 feature anddocumentaries films were produced in 2005, up from 2004 (54) and 2003 (67). There are 109 movies currentlybeing filmed, recently completed or in post-production and at least ...
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Czech producers enter winter of content
There's acertain cockiness in the Czech film industry at the moment. Maybe it's theholiday spirit or the professional-strength optimism that is required in thebusiness - but Prague is definitely feeling its oats.Don't call it a comeback, insiders caution. The dip in foreign orders during 2004 was,local producers say, a coincidence ...
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Barrandov Studios to expand in 2006
Barrandov Studios has announcedthat its owners have approved plans to build new stages to handle increasingdemand at the Prague studios. Work is expected to begin in the spring and willcost roughly $4.2m (3.5m Euros). The new complex will include severalsoundproof studios, one of which will be completed in 2006. Other ...
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Peter La Terriere to produce Quiver
Ex-Trainspotting hardman and former Bond villain RobertCarlyle is to star as Cupid in a new romantic comedy, Quiver, being set up by London-based First Foot Films. Frenchactress Virginie Ledoyen (The Beach) will play the woman whobreaks his heart. Also in the cast is James McAvoy.Scripted by Liam Gavin, Quiver is ...
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Disney unveils first China co-production
Disneyhas unveiled its first Chinese co-production - family-themed feature The Secret Of The Magic Gourd - which iscurrently shooting in Hangzhouin southern China. The film, which wasannounced at the CineAsia conference today in Beijing, is a co-production between Disney's internationaltheatrical arm Buena Vista International, Hong Kong-based visual effects houseCentro Digital ...