All articles by Martin Blaney – Page 117

  • News

    Jerry Cotton, Flucht Aus Tibet gets top funding from FFF Bayern

    2008-07-15T15:17:00Z

    New feature films by Joseph Vilsmaier, Margarethe von Trotta, Rainer Matsutani and Maria Blumencon are among the projects awarded a total $10m (Euros 6.26m) by the Bavarian regional fund FFF Bayern at its latest sitting.The largest amount - $ 1.1m (Eu 700,000) - went to Phillip Stennert and Cyrill Boss’ ...

  • News

    Switzerland's Ascot Elite picks up 8 titles including Milk and Red Cliff

    2008-07-15T13:40:00Z

    Leading Swiss independent distributor Ascot Elite Entertainment has announced eight new acquisitions for its release lineup. As part of a strategy to consolidate its market position, theZurich-based company has secured all rights for Focus Features' HarveyMilk biopic Milk, directed by Gus van Sant and starring Sean Penn andJosh Brolin, the ...

  • News

    Yerevan plans second Regional Co-Production Forum

    2008-07-15T13:24:00Z

    Eight features and four documentary projects from Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine are being pitched to potential co-producers and financiers at the Directors Across Borders' (DAB) second Regional Co-Production Forum (July 15-17) during this week's Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan.The low-budget projects include the family drama Before ...

  • News

    Sasha Buehler moves from SquareOne to Constantin

    2008-07-11T14:41:00Z

    Film and TV veteran Sasha Buehler is to join Constantin Film's acquisitions and licensing team from Oct 1 after spending the past three years as head of acquisitions for Munich's SquareOne Entertainment.American-born Buehler started her career in the industry in 1990 with news production at broadcaster ProSieben, later working for ...

  • News

    Locarno Swiss Cinema Day to include Luftbusiness

    2008-07-11T14:38:00Z

    Three new Swiss films will have their world premieres during the Swiss Cinema Day at this year's Locarno Film Festival, while Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov's Yuri's Day (Yuriev Den) will screen in the International Competitiion.The Swiss Cinema Day, which will be held by the festival in cooperation with the Federal ...

  • News

    Match Factory to sell Somali supermodel film Desert Flower

    2008-07-09T10:31:00Z

    The Match Factory will be handling international sales on Sherry Hormann's adaptation of Waris Dirie's bestselling autobiography Desert Flower.The film is currently shooting in Berlin before being due to wrap in New York next week.Structured as a $17.4m (Euros 11m) European co-production by the 'single purpose' company Desert Flower Filmproductions ...

  • News

    German box office slips 50% from first quarter to second quarter

    2008-07-07T10:52:00Z

    Admissions to German cinemas fell by 50% in the second quarter compared to the first three months of 2008, according to figures prepared by EDI Nielsen.Exhibitors posted $188.4m (Euros 119.3m) box-office revenues from 19m admissions between April and the end of June. The half-year total is $565.8m (Euros 358.1m) - ...

  • News

    New US, Spanish buyers line up for Locarno

    2008-07-07T10:37:00Z

    Four weeks ahead of the opening of this year's Locarno filmfestival on August 6, its Industry Office has reported that buyers from the US, Spain and South Korea are among 10 companies coming to the Swiss festival for the first time this year.LA-based distributor-producer-sales outfit Eleven Arts will be represented ...

  • News

    Germany fails to keep up Q1 momentum

    2008-07-07T06:19:00Z

    Admissions to German cinemas fell by 50% in the second quarter compared to the first three months of 2008, according to figures prepared by EDI Nielsen.Exhibitors posted $ 188.4m (Euros 119.3m) box-office revenues from 19m admissions between April and the end of June.The half-year total is $ 565.8m (Euros 358.1m) ...

  • News

    Karlovy Vary and Locarno premieres unveiled at Previews in Cologne

    2008-07-04T16:02:00Z

    World premieres at this week's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Locarno's forthcoming Piazza Grande open-air programme are among 23 films being presented at the German Films Previews in Cologne from July 10-13.Tom Schreiber's Dr Aleman, which has been invited to Karlovy Vary's international competition, will have its market premiere ...

  • News

    Jan-Pelgrom de Haas takes CEO post at Kinowelt Group

    2008-07-03T16:06:00Z

    Jan-Pelgrom de Haas has been appointed as CEO of the Kinowelt Group with immediate effect as the successor to Bertil Le Claire who stepped down from this post at the end of May.Commenting on the choice of de Haas, Kinowelt's founders Michael and Rainer Koelmel said that the 45-year-old media ...

  • News

    Germany's DFFF extended from 2010 to 2012

    2008-07-03T13:45:00Z

    The German Government has agreed to extend the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) for another three years from 2010 to 2012 with an annual budget of $94.2m (Euros 60m).The DFFF's incentive scheme was launched at the beginning of last year with an annual budget of $ 94.2m (Euros 60m) for ...

  • News

    Berlinale WCF backsfive new projects with $315,770

    2008-07-02T11:49:00Z

    Five new feature film projects from Lebanon, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and Columbia have been selected by the Berlinale's World Cinema Fund (WCF) from 110 projects submitted from a total of 36 countries for production funding totalling $315,770 (Euros 200,000).The projects supported including co-productions with the Berlin-based production house Niko Film, ...

  • News

    Koelmel unveils expanded production slate for renamed company

    2008-07-01T12:30:00Z

    Following StudioCanal's takeover of Germany's Kinowelt Group earlier this year, Rainer Koelmel has now renamed his Munich-based production company Kinowelt Filmproduktion as Starhaus Filmproduktion as part of an expanded production slate.Kinowelt Filmproduktion had not been part of the StudioCanal deal and remains in the hands of Koelmel who will have ...

  • News

    Cannes hits taketop honours at Munich

    2008-06-29T20:57:00Z

    Laurent Cantet'sThe Class, Matteo Garrone's Gomorrah and Valeria Gaia Germanica's Everybody Dies But Me were among the prizewinners at this year's Munich Filmfest which closed with the world premiere of Thomas Schamoni's documentary Botero.Cantet's Palme d'Or winner - the Filmfest's opening film on June 20 - received the One Future ...

  • News

    Kolirin, Bernasconi, Toth line up for Locarno short jury

    2008-06-26T17:23:00Z

    Filmmakers Fulvio Bernasconi (Fuori Dalle Corde) and Eran Kolirin (The Band's Visit) are among the five jury members for Locarno International Film Festival's Leopards of Tomorrow competitions for Swiss and international short films.The other members are the Hungarian actress Orsi Toth, who played the female lead in Kornel Mundruczo's Cannes ...

  • News

    Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburghands out$8.7m

    2008-06-26T14:27:00Z

    Feature films by veteran US actor Dennis Hopper, German comedy star Mario Barth and the Cannes/Sochi prize-winning production house Rohfilm are among 26 German and international projects awarded over $8.7m (Euros 5.6m) by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (MBB) in its latest funding session.Hopper received backing for the project River Movie about a ...

  • News

    Davaa's new documentary project begins shooting in Mongolia

    2008-06-26T12:16:00Z

    Principal photography on the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa's new feature documentary project Two Horses Of Genghis KhanstartedMonday(June 23) in the Mongolian city of Ulaanbaatar.Shooting on the musical and mystical journey by the internationally renowned singer Urna will continue in Khentii Aimag, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, on the holy mountain ...

  • News

    Krabbe and Hershey to star in Albert Schweitzer biopic

    2008-06-26T06:28:00Z

    Jeroen Krabbe and Barbara Hershey are headlining the cast of UK director Gavin Millar's biopic Schweitzer (working title) on the life of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Albert Schweitzer.Set in 1949 in the early years of the Cold War, the film follows Schweitzer (played by Krabbe) as he arrives in ...

  • News

    Gabizon leaves Telepool after 17 years

    2008-06-25T06:47:00Z

    Marc Gabizon is to leave Telepool and its subsidiary Europool after 17 years of working for the Munich-based licensing group.Gabizon had been with Europool since 1991 and was appointed the managing director there in 2004. In addition, he had been an executive director and head of the film division at ...