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BBC Films sprinkles comic talent on Confetti
A host of leading newcomedic talent has lined up for Confetti,a mockumentary-style comedy that started shooting this month for BBC Films.Directed by Debbie Isitt,best known for hit TV series NastyNeighbours, the cast is headed by Martin Freeman from TV show The Office and Jessica Stevenson, whosecredits include Shaun Of The ...
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France allocates Euros 40m for film tax scheme
France has earmarked Euros 40m for its newlycreated tax credit scheme for the film and television sectors.The funding has been made available in an effortto stem runaway production and keep up with successful tax based film supportsystems in countries like the UK. The money will become available at the startof ...
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US studios return to tap German funds
20th Century Fox, New Line and Universal Studiosare looking to benefit once more from three new placements by German privatemedia funds this autumn.German fund specialist DCM Deutsche CapitalManagement (DCM) is launching a new fund to raise Euros 150m for projects to beproduced at 20th Century Fox.DCM has previously collaborated withInternationalmedia ...
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Spanish film-makers win major funding boost
Spain'snew Socialist government has increased funding for Spanish cinema by 89%,fulfilling its election promises to support cultural industries.The national film institute's (ICAA) Cinema Protection Fund,the key funding body for Spanish cinema, now totals Euros 63.13m.ICAA's own budget rose by 62%, part of an overall 6.5%increase to culture funding under the ...
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Village Roadshow admits to Catwoman loss
The lacklustre performance of Catwoman at the worldwide box office has hit its co-producerVillage Roadshow (VRL) hard.In an extraordinary statement released on Friday, theAustralian company said that the release of films in the next 12 months inwhich it is a production partner will be insufficient to cover the lossesincurred by ...
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China, Australia head for co-production treaty
It is highly likely a co-production treaty will be signedbetween Australia and China following an eight-day visit by a Chinesedelegation that ended on Saturday (Sept 25)"There is a great enthusiasm on their part and anintention to conclude an agreement, and the same goes for us," said KimDalton, chief executive of ...
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Thriller pair win Danish funding
The Danish Film Institute has shelled out $2.2m (DKK13.1m)in production support for two new local thrillers that begin shooting inOctober.Nordisk Film received $900,000 for their production of AakeSandgren's $1.7m Fluerne Paa Vaeggen(literally: The Flies On The Wall),which is made under Nordisk's low-budget Director's Cut label in collaborationwith broadcaster TV2/Denmark.Sandgren also ...
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NY tax credit lures Producers to Brooklyn mega-studio
Mel Brooks' $45-$50m musicalrevival of his 1968 classic The Producers will become the first major film production to shoot at New York'sgigantic new Steiner Studios, the purpose-built studio backlot about to openacross 15 acres of former shipbuilding yards on the Brooklyn waterfront.Steiner owes its success inenticing the movie version of ...
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Top UK theatre director signs for feature debut
Leading UK theatre directorLaurence Boswell, best known for the starry production of This Is Our Youth, has signed up for his feature debut, tentativelytitled D.The Gruber Films productionis a modern re-telling of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano De Bergerac, set in a south London comprehensive school. Thescreenplay by Royal Court playwright Amit ...
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Bid by Goal! producer for Liverpool FC is 'no stunt'
Reports that film producer Mike Jefferies is bidding to takecontrol of Liverpool Football Club for £100m ($100m) are serious and nota stunt to promote his football trilogy Goal!, say sources close to Jefferies.Jefferies, chairman of Milkshake Films, has teamed up withformer Miramax executive Stuart Ford and has reportedly already held ...
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German funder dishes out Euros 4.2m to co-productions
A film about aclassical music love triangle and a feature about World War 1 nurses are among13 international co-productions awarded over Euros 4.2m in support byDuesseldorf-based Filmstiftung NRW in its latest round of funding.The largest amount - Euros 1m - went to HelmaSanders-Brahms' costume drama Clara about the love triangle ...
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IPW picks up film rights to Groo The Wanderer
Marc Toberoff's IntellectualProperties Worldwide (IPW) has picked up the motion picture rights to GrooThe Wanderer, the long-running comicbook that has been described as Conan The Barbarian meets Shrek.Created by Sergio Aragoneswith writer Mark Evanier, Groowas first published in 1983 and has spawned more than 170 instalments. Thetitular hero fuses an ...
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DeA Planeta likes look of Mirror Maze
Spanish-Italianmedia conglomerate DeA Planeta has boarded new Rioja Films thriller MirrorMaze as co-producer and local distributor.Rioja chief Jose Antonio Romero and the film's director,Guillermo Groizard, unveiled the project at the San Sebastian InternationalFilm Festival (Sept 17-25).It is oneof five feature co-productions brought to DeA Planeta by new executivepresident Alvaro Zapata ...
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Crooner Connick Jr takes lead in Oz Boomerang
US crooner Harry Connick Jr has signed to play a disgracedcorporate cowboy who pays a street kid to help him commit suicide in BoomerangDeal, to be directed by Phillip Marzella from his own script.It will be Australian director Marzella's follow-up to Low-FatElephants, which he wrote, directed and produced in 2000 ...
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Bana teams with Hanson for Warner Bros
Eric Bana, Australian starof Hulk and Troy, has landed the lead role in Curtis Hanson's nextmovie for Warner Bros Lucky You.Bana, who is also scheduled to star in Steven Spielberg's Vengeance next year, will play Huck Cheever, the leadcharacter in the character-based drama set in the world of high-stakesprofessional poker.Eric ...
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Bernal to star in Gondry's The Science Of Sleep
HotMexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal is to star in the next film by EternalSunshine Of The Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry.The Science Of Sleep will also star French actress Charlotte Gainsbourgand French actor-director Alain Chabat.Productionoutfit Partizan and French major Gaumont will co-produce The Science OfSleep.Thescript was written by Gondry and ...
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Mobius Pictures to sell Styler trio
Mobius Pictures, the sales operation of Elie Samaha'sformer partner, David Bergstein, has partnered with Trudie Styler'sUK-based production company Xingu Films for three pictures.Mobius is bankrolling A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, theadaptation of model-singer Dito Montiel's autobiography starring Robert DowneyJr. Montiel, who will direct from his own script, is to ...
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German remake for hit Dutch football feature
SuccessfulDutch football feature In Orange (In Oranje) is to be remade for Germanaudiences.Germanproduction house Gemini Film struck a deal this week with In Orange producers Motel Films and Fu Worksto retell the story in German with a working-title In Die Mannschaft.Accordingto Fu Works other countries - including Spain, England and ...
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Chomet readies Tati screenplay for Scottish shoot
Oscar-nominated Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets OfBelleville) is to direct an animatedversion of a screenplay by legendary French comedian Jacques Tati.Called The Illusionist,it will be produced in Edinburgh - where Chomet recently set up shop -by Mark Cousinsof 4Ways Films. Sally Chomet will co-produce through Studio Django.Other partners include Les Films ...
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UK government clamps down on producer fees
The UK government has movedto clamp down on excessive producer fees on British films.Under revamped co-productionguidelines published this month, the Department for Culture, Media & Sporthas targeted producer fees over 10% of production expenditure.Although producer fees over10% are not necessarily barred, the DCMS will automatically ask for additionalproof that they ...