All articles by Martin Blaney – Page 222
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Global Motion Pictures Fund launched
Frankfurt-based IN-motion Group has launched a new private media fund to follow the five World Media Funds it has already initiated since 1998, and which have raised a total to date of $128.8m (Euro 148m) for film and television financing.The latest fund - The First Global Motion Pictures Fonds (GMP) ...
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Pleskow sells Pleswin stake to partner de Winter
Veteran producer Eric Pleskow has announced that he has sold his interest in Pleswin Entertainment Group BV to its other principal shareholder Leon de Winter.The company was launched in August 1999 by the former United Artists boss and Orion Pictures founder with Dutch novelist and screenwriter de Winter to create ...
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Locarno reveals competition line-up
While Final Fantasy - The Spirit Within and Moulin Rouge will open and close the Piazza Grande programme respectively, this year's official competition of 19 films from 13 different countries includes ten first features and 15 world premieres.Debut projects include Meng Ong's Miss Wonton (US), Riccardo Signorell's Sheherazade (Switzerland) and ...
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PrimaCom signs ppv deal with Universal
Private German cable network PrimaCom and Universal Studios International have signed a non-exclusive pay-per-view (ppv) output deal for a wide range of current and library titles from Universal, including Oscar-winner Gladiator and The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas. Commenting on the agreement, Hans Wolfert, chief corporate development officer at PrimaCom ...
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White Noise takes top Babelsberg prize
Max Ophuels Prize winner Hans Weingartner and Oscar nominee Marc-Andreas Bochert were among the recipients of the 2001 Babelsberg Media Awards presented last weekend. Weingartner, received the $15,303 (DM35,000) Best Graduation Feature Film Award for his das weisse rauschen (The White Noise), while Bochert was presented with the $21,861 (DM50,000) ...
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BerlinBeta launches digital fiction award
BerlinBeta's film festival - from August 29 - to September 5 - is to become the first event of its kind in Europe to offer a Digital Fiction Award, in conjunction with Das Werk, for the best digitally produced feature. The event will also feature a sidebar with the latest ...
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Constantin sales drop for first half 2001
Sales for Germany's Constantin Film in the first half of 2001 are down by around a third on the performance for the same period last year, according to provisional figures released ahead of the company's annual shareholders meeting in Munich.Constantin reported that sales amounted to Euro 44.1m - compared to ...
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Germany's oldest distributor folds into Kinowelt
Kinowelt's process of restructuring continues apace with news that Germany's oldest film distributor Jugendfilm will be finally wound up and its new releases and 200-plus title library administered centrally by Kinowelt's theatrical arm Kinowelt Filmverleih.Founded in 1934 by Willy Wohlrabe, the family concern of Jugendfilm had been a key player ...
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Highlight Communications seeks Neuer Markt exit
Swiss media concern Highlight Communications is considering withdrawing from the Neuer Markt following measures by the German Stock Exchange (Deutsche Boerse) to tighten up procedures and flush out so-called "pennystocks", i.e. shares trading under Euro 1.According to a survey by Financial Times Deutschland (FTD), seven companies, including Highlight - whose ...
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Christoph Ott to release VCL's Scorpion in Germany
Ahead of VCL Film + Medien's shareholders meeting on July 11 in Munich, Screendaily has learnt that the German media concern will have the local theatrical release of its films handled by the new distribution company being launched by former Senator Entertainment executive Christoph Ott.VCL's Manfred Wenzel confirmed to Screendaily ...
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German media funds set to raise $4.3bn this year
German media funds, which have raised a total of $4.3bn in the last five years, could achieve a similar volume for the year 2001 alone according to analysts, with some 20 such schemes already underway and more appearing every week.Tax analysts are predicting a surge in German media fund investment ...
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Kinowelt ditches interest in East German distrib
Beleaguered German media concern Kinowelt Medien has sold its 40% stake in Progress Film Verleih to Tellux Beteiligungsgesellschaft, making Tellux the sole shareholder of the former East German state distributor.In an official statement, Tellux stated that it plans "in future, to further expand the initiated Progress activities in distribution, world ...
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No Regrets for top Munich festival film prize
This year's $35,000 (DM 80,000) main prize at the Munich Filmfest was awarded to Benjamin Quabeck for his graduation film Nichts Bereuen (No Regrets).Commenting on the 'HypoVereinsbank' Director's Support Prize the jury noted that the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg graduate had produced a clever, entertaining film of deep humanity: a young directorial ...
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New German production company attracts F.A.M.E.
German publicly listed media concern F.A.M.E. has taken a 30% stake in the newly-founded Munich-based production outfit BUETOW MAINUSCH Filmproduktion.BUETOW MAINUSCH Filmproduktion, which is currently developing a feature film project as well as a TV a series and several TV movies, has been established by Babelsberg TV's managing director Michael ...
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CinemaxX CFO quits as expansion plans collapse
Marius Schwarz, chief financial officer at German exhibition giant CinemaxX has quit following the posting of half-year company losses of $22.5m (DM52.3m)Subsequent restructuring of the company has led to the closure of the its foreign operations and the removal of its chief, Wim Oude Kotte.Stating its intention to revise its ...
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Kinowelt divests merchandising business
As part of its announced restructuring process (Screen Daily June 19), troubled Kinowelt Medien has parted company with part of its merchandising operations.Brameier Fanworld, which operated a merchandising franchise chain with 113 Fanworld shops in city centre locations throughout Germany and in which Kinowelt had a 65% majority stake, has ...
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German film fund launches minimum guarantee scheme
German producers and filmmakers are set to benefit from a new private film investment fund, entitled German Film Productions (GFP), which is to be launched within the next six weeks to raise $21.6m (DM 50m) from private investors by the end of 2002. A total of 20 projects, split between ...
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German toon house RTV snags Australia's Energee
German animation production-distribution entity RTV Family Entertainment has taken over full strategic and operational management at the Australian animation studio Energee Entertainment.The Travers family, founders of the studio, have resigned from all operations and board seats but will continue to hold a minority interest of 32% for the time being.Commenting ...
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Helkon right on track for meeting 2001 targets
While other Neuer Markt-listed German media companies have been issuing profit warnings in the past few weeks, Helkon Media is still on course to post the $138m (DM318m) sales and $19.5m (DM45m) EBIT which were forecast for the financial year 2000/2001 last September. Announcing results for the nine months from ...
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Advanced takes step back as cash flow woes bite
Germany's Advanced Medien has failed to meet investment plans for Wolfgang Petersen's Red Cliff Productions and has been forced to end a $15.1m package deal with StudioCanal. The ailing rights trader has revealed that it had provided Petersen's US-based production outfit a certified letter of credit worth $3m instead of ...