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Lionsgate UK:Ready to roar
It's a fascinating opportunity,' Zygi Kamasa says of his job as head of Lionsgate UK. He has the power (and financial backing) of a major US player while also having the autonomy to run the UK operation as a separate business. No wonder Kamasa has just signed a new three-year ...
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Sam Taylor-Wood to direct feature about John Lennon's early years
Sam Taylor-Wood will direct Ecosse Films' Nowhere Boy recounting the story of John Lennon's early years and his first steps towards superstardom.Taylor-Wood, riding high after the Cannes screening of her debut short Love You More, plans a March 2009 shoot on location in Liverpool. Worldwide sales agent HanWay Films will ...
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Revolver and Metrodome sign deals for Film London micro-budget features
Film London has announced that the first two completed features produced through its Microwave micro-budget film-making scheme have secured theatrical distribution. Metrodome has acquired Eran Creevy's Shifty for the UK, Ireland and Eastern Europe (Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Croatia, Slovak Republic and Slovenia). The urban thriller charts 24 hours ...
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UK Film Council awards distribution support to 13 films
The UK Film Council's Prints and Advertising Fund has announced funding to support the distribution of 13 films. The P&A funding is aimed at promoting art-house, foreign and classic films to give audiences more choice.Revolver Films received $312,314 (£170,000) for The Wackness, Jonathan Levine's offbeat drama starring Ben Kingsley.The funding ...
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Pinewood Shepperton boasts big jump in half-year profits
The UK's Pinewood Shepperton studios has recorded a 31% year-on-year increase in half-year pre-tax profitsto $6.7m ($3.8m).Revenues rose 19% to $39.9m (£21.7m) with revenues from film up 20% to $23.8m (£13m).The studios have hosted the 007 film Quantum Of Solace and other major shoots, including Richard Curtis's The Boat That ...
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Film Focus: The Descent 2
Getting to the set of The Descent 2 somewhat surprisingly does not require a trip underground. Like the 2005 original, the sequel shot mostly in caves recreated on studio sets - this time for a 40-day shoot at London's Ealing Studios with some location work in England and Scotland (the ...
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Norrie leaves Capitol to become head of international at Salt
The Salt Company has appointed James Norrie as head of international.Norrie was previously head of sales at Capitol Films and previously worked at Icon International.Salt, recently relaunched from the previous sales incarnation Lumina Films, is part of the International Film Collective.The company's directors and founders are Samantha Horley, Robert Bevan ...
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Ealing Studios sells St Trinian's in three key territories
Ealing Studios International has announced that it has concludedanother three key deals for the distribution of UK box-office hit St Trinian's.The deals, announced Aug 26, have Neo Classics taking United States, Alliance taking Canada and Filmax taking Spain.Making the announcement, Barnaby Thompson, Head of Studio, EalingStudios said: 'We've had lots ...
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Scottish Screen increases slate funding to $2m over 2 years
Scottish Screen has selected five production companies to receive substantial finance through the organisation's Slate Fund. Launched in March 2008, the Slate Fund was originally intend to offer a share of $741,325 (£400,000) to a maximum of four companies. The quantity and quality of the applications has led to the ...
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London animation fest to host UK premiere of Plympton's Idiots
The fifth London International Animation Festival (LIAF) is taking place from Sept 1-7, with more than 220 animated films from 27 different countries being shown at various London venues.Films being screened at the festival include the UK premiere of Bill Plympton's graphic pencil-drawn style Idiots and Angels, the French animated ...
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Rushes' Sharon Hill named UK Screen Shining Star
Trade group UK Screen has selected Sharon Hill as winner of its first Shining Star scheme.Hill is head of library services at Rushes.The new initiative seeks to recognise non-creative employees at UK Screen member companies.A new star will be named each month and all will be recognised at the Vision ...
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The Works takes on Belgian titles Unspoken and Loft
Ahead of this year's Toronto film festival, London-based The Works International has picked up the world sales rights to a brace of Belgian films: Unspoken, written and directed by Fien Troch, and Erik Van Looy's Loft.Unspoken will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is scheduled ...
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Yume to release Nic Roeg's Puffball on DVD in September
UK-based distributor Yume Pictures will handle the DVD release of Nic Roeg's Puffball.The DVD, out from Sept 22, includes extras such as interviews with Roeg and the film stars, a making-of featurette, trailer, podcast, photogallery and more.The supernatural drama is about a young woman who moves to a remote area ...
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SKy Movies launches six new genre high-def channels
UK television company Sky Movies will launch six new genre-themed high definition channels on the Sky+ HD service in October 2008, bringing the total number of Sky Movies HD channels to nine.The new channels are: Sky Movies Action/Thriller HD; Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror HD; Sky Movies Drama HD; Sky Movies Modern ...
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MercuryMedia on board for Dominick Dunne: After The Party
MercuryMedia has taken on worldwide distribution rights (excluding Australia) to Kirsty de Garis and Timothy Jolley's feature documentary Dominick Dunne: After The Party.The 84-minute feature recently premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival.Jolley and de Garis made the film through their own Australia-based company Road Trip. Executive producers are Sue ...
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Five animated shorts nominated for Cartoon d'Or
Five animation shorts from Belgium, France and the UK have been nominated for this year's Cartoon d'Or prize which will be announced at an awards ceremony during the forthcoming Cartoon Forum (Sept 16-19) in Germany's Ludwigsburg.The finalists are:The Bridge (Le Pont) by Vincent Bierrewaerts (Belgium/France)Breakout (L'Evasion) by Arnaud Demuynck (Belgium)The ...
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Thomas Turgoose takes lead role in Tom Harper's Scouting Book
Rising UK actor Thomas Turgoose has signed on for the lead role in Tom Harper's feature debut The Scouting Book For Boys.Turgoose, who has drawn rave reviews in This Is England, Somers Town and Eden Lake, will play a troubled teenager who helps a young girl run away from home.Jack ...
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Focus Features takes on world sales for Lance Daly's Kisses
Focus Features International has come on board to handle world sales on Lance Daly's festival crowdpleaser Kisses. The film, which won the Best Irish Film Award at the Galway Film Fleadh, screened earlier this month in competition in Locarno and will also show in Toronto.'The film had freshness and honesty. ...
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Britfilms launches DVD label with Aussie hits, Black Sheep
Website BritFilms.tv has launched a new DVD label.The first four titles for the label are Henri Safran's classic Australian family film Storm Boy, John Curran's Australian drama Praise, Chris Kennedy's Australian road movie/musical/romance Doing Time For Patsy Cline, and Oliver Rihs' Swiss/German dark comedy Black Sheep. The original website is ...
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New Wave takes UK rights to Lawlor & Molloy's Helen
New UK distribution outfit New Wave Films has acquired Helen, the debut feature from Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor.Screen International criticAllan Hunter called the film 'hypnotic' and said 'Molloy and Lawlor are talents to watch.'The film, which had its world premiere in Edinburgh, is about a student who is hired ...