All articles by Martin Blaney – Page 189

  • News

    Macedonia becomes 29th member of Eurimages

    2003-06-03T04:05:00Z

    As of July 1, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" will become the 29th country to join Eurimages, the Council of Europe's pan-European support fund for the co-production, distribution and exhibition of cinematographic works.Consequently, projects involving Macedonian co-producers may be presented for the forthcoming deadline for applications of support on ...

  • News

    Flanders festival changes awards policy

    2003-06-02T04:05:00Z

    In the light of the present crisis in arthouse distribution, Ghent's Flanders International Film Festival (FIFF) will be revising its awards policy for the 30th edition from October 7-18.While the festival will be increasing the total prize money by 10% to just over Euros 81,000, the major change is that ...

  • News

    Kinderfilmfest tribute for Iran's Mohammad Ali Talebi

    2003-06-02T04:05:00Z

    Iran's Mohammad Ali Talebi is to receive the first ever showcase at a film festival of a selection of his feature films with the staging of a Director's Portrait by this year's Kinderfilmfest during the Munich Film Festival (June 28-July 5).Among the five films being shown are his 1992 film ...

  • News

    Bavaria Film closes multiple Cannes sales

    2003-05-30T04:05:00Z

    Bavaria Film International (BFI) has sold the FIPRESCI Award-winning Spanish film Las Horas De Dia to France's ARP and the UK's ICA among a raft of deals concluded by the German sales agent in Cannes.ICA also picked up Argentinian director Santiago Loza's Extrano which won a Tiger Award at ...

  • News

    German DVD boom gathers pace

    2003-05-28T04:05:00Z

    Germany's DVD boom continues at the expense of the VHS video market, according to figures released by video trade body BVV for the first quarter of 2003.The number of DVDs sold increased year-on-year by 57% from 7.4m units to 11.6m, while that for sell-through VHS cassettes dropped by 37% from ...

  • News

    Controversy sparked at Diagonale festival director appointment

    2003-05-28T04:05:00Z

    The Diagonale festival of Austrian cinema and Austria's Secretary of State for the Arts Franz Morak have once more hit the headlines - this time with the appointment of Miroljub Vuckovic as the festival's Artistic Director and Tilmann Fuchs as Business Affairs Manager to succeed Christine Dollhofer and Constantin Wulff.Speaking ...

  • News

    Highlight reports increased revenue and profits

    2003-05-23T00:00:00Z

    Swiss media concern Highlight Communications has posted a 16% increase in consolidated revenues for the first quarter of 2003 in spite of difficult market conditions.The group, which is currently looking to acquire majority control of Germany's Constantin Film where it has a 41.4% interest, reported revenues of $32.7m (CHF 42.3m) ...

  • News

    Netherlands production platform expanded

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    The Netherlands Production Platform, which is held during the Netherlands Film Festival's (NFF) Holland Meeting (September 26-29) in Utrecht, is to be extended this year to include European feature projects seeking Dutch financing or co-production partners and involving major Dutch elements.Last year, producers of two German and two Belgian feature ...

  • News

    German-UK development venture formed

    2003-05-14T04:05:00Z

    Germany's MagicWorx has formed a development joint venture with What's The Story, the production outfit of UK casting directors Ros and John Hubbard (Lord Of The Rings) to join forces on developing high-profile feature projects budgeted at between $2m-$20m, with the majority being between $5m-10m.This move comes after the two ...

  • News

    Kinowelt back in distribution business

    2003-05-14T04:05:00Z

    The reincarnated Kinowelt will be back in business as a theatrical distributor from July 1 under the management of Michael Koelmel and Bertil le Claire.Kinowelt's distribution activities will concentrate in future on 10-12 select titles each year and the distribution arm is set to begin in August with the animation ...

  • News

    Outlook remains stagnant for German market

    2003-05-13T04:05:00Z

    The German advertising market will remain stagnant until next year, according to a survey by accountancy firm KPMG of 129 managers from the fields of film, broadcasting and publishing. The study found that almost half (48%) of the managers were not expecting an upturn in the advertising sector until 2004 ...

  • News

    Flanders Image selects producer for Cannes showcase

    2003-05-13T04:05:00Z

    Flanders Image has picked Bart Van Langendonck of the young Brussels-based production house CCCP as its very first 'Producer in the Picture' to be showcased during the Cannes Film Festival.Only eight months after its launch in September 2002, CCCP has some 15 projects at different stages of production or development, ...

  • News

    Sequels awarded Bavarian fund backing

    2003-05-13T04:05:00Z

    Sequels of Dennis Gansel's 2001 teen-comedy hit Girls On Top (Maedchen Maedchen) and 2002's most successful German film Bibi Blocksberg are among nine projects awarded Euros 6.6m by Bavaria's regional fund, FFF Bayern.Maedchen Maeedchen II, which will reunite screenwriter Maggie Peren and producer Olga Film's Viola Jaeger with lead actresses ...

  • News

    Constantin to explore alternatives to Highlight takeover bid

    2003-05-13T04:05:00Z

    Constantin Film's supervisory board has given its management board headed by Fred Kogel the green light to explore 'alternative measures' to counter a takeover bid by Swiss media concern Highlight Communications.At a specially convened meeting of the supervisory board at the weekend, the management board was also "authorised to ...

  • News

    Germany's VCL looks to US distribution

    2003-05-12T04:05:00Z

    Germany's VCL Film + Medien has announced that it is advanced negotiations with an unnamed US major to have part of its feature film repertoire distributed by the studio through an independent label.In a statement, the video/DVD distributor-license trader stated that this deal "would give [..] the urgently needed ...

  • News

    Bavaria Film takes int'l sales on Spanish Hours Of The Day

    2003-05-12T04:05:00Z

    Bavaria Film International (BFI) has picked up international sales rights to Spanish filmmaker Jaime Rosales' directorial debut The Hours Of The Day (Las Horas Del Dia) which will have its world premiere in Cannes' Director's Fortnight sidebar on May 19.The story about the monotony of life in a small town ...

  • News

    Constantin Film reports decreased sales, improved earnings

    2003-05-09T04:05:00Z

    Constantin Film has announced increased earnings for the first quarter of 2003 ahead of a May 10 meeting to decide on a response to the takeover bid from Highlight Communications.Earnings improved by Euros 600,000 over the first quarter of 2002 to Euros 1m, but sales fell 35% from 2002's Euros ...

  • News

    Sarajevo festival to launch CineMart-inspired CineLink

    2003-05-08T04:05:00Z

    This year's Sarajevo Festival (August 15-23) will be launching its CineLink project which has been inspired by Rotterdam's CineMart.CineLink is being organised in cooperation with the Rotterdam festival to bring key producers, sales agents and public funders to meet regional filmmakers.Screenplays from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro ...

  • News

    Argentina's Toys wins Int'l Student Film Fest

    2003-05-07T04:05:00Z

    Argentine filmmaker Esteban Puenza's Toys (Juguentes) won the Euros 5,000 Feature Film Prize at this year's 'Sehsuechte' International Student Film Festival which attracted more than 10,000 spectators to the festival venues in Babelsberg.Meanwhile, the Documentary Award was presented to Sandra Jakisch for 08/15 - Leben Am Rand Von Koeln which ...

  • News

    Universum picks up 80 Days for Germany

    2003-05-07T04:05:00Z

    RTL Group's theatrical distribution arm Universum Film has picked up the German theatrical and video/DVD rights to Frank Coraci's Around The World In 80 Days which began shooting in Berlin yesterday.Universum acquired the film from German rights trader Telepool and will now have to decide which of its physical distribution ...