All articles by Martin Blaney – Page 190
-
News
Studio Hamburg launches English-language division
Studio Hamburg Produktion (SHP) has launched an English-language division Studio Hamburg International Production (SHIP) to focus on internationally marketable productions as part of the reorganisation of SHP's production activities by CEO Sytze van der Laan. Operating from Hamburg and Los Angeles, SHIP's head of production will be former independent ...
-
News
Henson family buys Jim Henson Company from EM.TV
Having been reportedly courted by Haim Saban and Walt Disney, Germany's EM.TV & Merchandising has sold all of its shares in the 100%-owned subsidiary The Jim Henson Company (TJHC) to the children of its founder Jim Henson.The transaction is worth approximately $89m, including a cash purchase price of $78m and ...
-
News
Germany's BetaCinema moves into English-language films
German sales agent BetaCinema has moved into English-language features for its line-up at the forthcoming Cannes market. The Munich-based outfit, which is now headed by Andreas Rothbauer (international sales) and Robert Czajkowski (acquisitions), has picked up Canadian filmmaker Ruba Nadda's feature debut Coldwater, starring Arsinee Khanijan, Simon Abkarian ...
-
News
Solo takes German rights on Jester Till
Peter Heinzemann's Solo Film has picked up theatrical and video/DVD rights for producer-director Eberhard Junkersdorf's (pictured) latest animated feature Jester Till (Till Eulenspiegel).The Euros 15m co-production between Junkersdorf's Munich Animation, the UK's Scala Productions and Illuminated Film Company, Belgium's DFJ Motionworks and German media fund CP Medien will be ...
-
News
Out Of Control wins top Britspotting prize
Dominic Savage's Out Of Control has won the Best Feature Film Award at the 4th 'britspotting' British Independent Film Festival in Berlin.The award for the hard-hitting study of three juvenile delinquents from the poverty stricken estates of South London includes Euros 13,000 worth of post-production and online editing work to ...
-
News
Constantin continues to fend off Highlight's advances
The board of Germany's most successful producer/distributor Constantin Film has failed to reach a decision on a response to Swiss media group Highlight Communications' planned take-over of the company.Despite holding a specially convened meeting to discuss Highlight's intention of acquiring the 58.6% of Constantin it does not already own, the ...
-
News
Germany's CMW Film boards Russendisko adaptation
A film version of Wladimir Kaminer's cult novel Russendisko has been announced as one of the projects in the slate of international co-productions by German producer Christoph Meyer-Wiel's new Berlin-based production outfit CMW Film Company.The adaptation of Kaminer's collection of short stories will go into production in Berlin next year ...
-
News
Eurimages supports 15 European co-productions
New features by Sergio Bodrov (Alone With The Moon), Manuel Pionier (Chemins De Travers), Patricio Guzman (Salvador Allende), Frederic Fonteyne (La Femme De Gilles) and Silvio Soldini (Agata E la Tempesta) are among 15 European co-productions awarded over Euros 4.1m in production support by the Council of Europe's pan-European fund ...
-
News
WorldWide Pictures gears up for English-language productions
Studio Hamburg WorldWide Pictures (WWP) is planning to produce and fully finance five to six English-language films in the $5m-$20m budget range this year after receiving a placement guarantee from its capital market partners. WWP, the international production arm of Studio Hamburg and the first German media fund to be ...
-
News
Highlight bid met with hostility from Constantin
Highlight Communications' bid for additional Constantin shares has sparked 'controversial discussion' within the German distributor-producer's supervisory and management boards about the possibility of the Swiss media concern effecting a complete takeover.In a statement, Constantin announced that 'alternative scenarios and possible counter-measures in the sense of Constantin Film's shareholders' were presented ...
-
News
Bertelsmann raises $500m from US private placement
German media concern Bertelsmann has raised $500m from US investors in a private placement to offset existing bank loans.The issue, which was more than three times oversubscribed and represents the biggest US private placement to date by a German group, is divided into three tranches: one of $100m with a ...
-
News
EM.TV sells stake in Constantin Film to Highlight Communications
Germany's EM.TV has sold its stake in production company Constantin Film to Highlight Communications for Euros 7.5m.Swiss media concern Highlight Communications will increase its stake in Constantin Film's ordinary capital from 25% to 41.4% after signing a purchase agreement with EM.TV & Merchandising for 2,083,333 Constantin shares at a price ...
-
News
Freedom To Speak project extends to Tribeca and Cannes
The Freedom To Speak (f2s) forum, which gave filmmakers an opportunity to express their views during February's Berlinale, is also to be created at the forthcoming Tribeca (May 3-11) and Cannes (May 14-25) film festivals. "Our goal is to bridge the gap of communication between France, Germany and the US ...
-
News
Bruno Ganz cast as Hitler in Eichinger drama
Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, known internationally for his roles in such films as Wim Wenders' Wings Of Desire and The American Friend, will play the part of Hitler in Oliver Hirschbiegel's Euros 13.5m feature Der Untergang - Hitler Und Das Ende Des Dritten Reiches which will begin shooting in St ...
-
News
Media funds pledge to invest in German industry
German media funds have said they are willing to spend a set amount of the money they raise each year on films shooting in Germany.The move, announced by Verband Deutscher Medienfonds (VDM), the interest group founded last year by 18 of Germany's private media funds, is expected to bolster Germany's ...
-
News
MEDIA programme to be extended to 2006
The European Commission is to propose to the Council of Ministers and European Parliament that the existing MEDIA Plus and MEDIA Training programmes be extended for another year until the end of 2006. According to a statement, the aim of this extension would be "to ensure continuity of Community action ...
-
News
German producer readies Alone In The Dark adaptation
Infogrames Entertainment's video arcade game Alone In The Dark is to be given the silver screen treatment by German director-producer Uwe Boll after his film version of Sega's cult game The House Of The Dead.Boll told Screendaily.com that this new feature, which will be financed by the private film fund ...
-
News
Proposed new German film law comes under increasing fire
The draft German Film Law has drawn further criticism from four film industry trade associations and a group of independent producers. The home entertainment trade body, the exhibitors association, the multiplexes' association and the arthouse cinemas' guild described the bill as "inconsistent, half-baked and not acting in solidarity".And while they ...
-
News
Good Bye, Lenin! - Hello Lolas!
Wolfgang Becker's box-office triumph Good Bye, Lenin!, which is now approaching 5 million admissions (Euros 28.4m), received six nominations for Germany's Oscars, the Lolas - for Best Film, Best Direction and in four acting categories.Meanwhile, Zueli Aladag's Elefantenherz and Eoin Moore's Pigs Will Fly both received nominations in three categories ...
-
News
Constantin prepares big-budget Hitler feature
Constantin Film's Bernd Eichinger (pictured) is producing a film on the last days of Adolf Hitler with director Oliver Hirschbiegl in his first feature outing since the award-winning Das Experiment.The screenplay for Der Untergang - Hitler Und Das Ende Des 3. Reichs (The Downfall - Hitler And The End Of ...