All Middle East articles – Page 198

  • News

    German Minister calls for DFFF to be extended beyond 2009

    2007-08-13T14:53:00Z

    German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck has called for the term of the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) to be extended beyond its initial three-year period of 2007-2009 after seeing its effectiveness in creating employment and income. The incentive scheme was launched on January 1 with an annual budget of $81.9m ...

  • News

    Central European admissions could rise 25% by 2011

    2007-08-13T14:45:00Z

    Box-office admissions in central Europe could rise by 25% over the next five years with Czech Republic seeing the strongest growth, according to Dodona Research. In the new report Cinemagoing Central Europe, the industry analyst firm reveals that increasing investments in new cinemas throughout the region coupled with strong local ...

  • News

    Locarno's Maire sees attendance at main venue up 10%

    2007-08-12T14:08:00Z

    Attendances at Locarno's main screening venue for the International Competition and Filmmakers of the Present Competition are up 9%-10% on last year, according to artistic director Frederic Maire in a review of his second edition heading up the festival.Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily.com, Maire observed that the 2007 lineup for the ...

  • News

    The Rebirth becomes Locarno's first Japanese winner since 1970

    2007-08-12T13:56:00Z

    Masahiro Kobayashi's The Rebirth (Ai No Yokan) became the first Japanese film to receive the Golden Leopard since Akio Jissoji's The Transient Life (Mujo) was an ex aequo winner at the festival in 1970.Described by artistic director Frederic Maire as 'a very strong and edgy film', The Rebirth also received ...

  • News

    Cinecitta copes with fire on back lot

    2007-08-10T17:14:00Z

    A fire broke out on Rome's Cinecitta studios back lot Thursday night at 22:00 local time.'Last night, a fire developed around Cinecitta Studios, exclusively affecting a peripheral part of the back lot where sets are constructed in open air,' the famed studio's Friday statement read.'The fire originated inside a tent ...

  • News

    Posne to leave post as CEO of Sonet Film

    2007-08-10T13:42:00Z

    After 23 years as CEO of Sonet Film, the leading Swedish producer-distributor owned by Modern Times Group, Peter Posne is leaving the company. As of Jan 1, 2008, he will be replaced by head of legal affairs and deputy manager Mathias Berggren.Originally Posne set up Sonet to import and distribute ...

  • News

    San Sebastian plans New Nordic Cinema programme

    2007-08-10T11:58:00Z

    The San Sebastian Film Festival is planning a New Nordic Cinema retrospective of 38 films.Cold Fever will look at post-Dogme cinema in the five Nordic countries since 1995. Danish critic Christian Monggaard will write an accompanying book.Selections include Lars Von Trier's Breaking The Waves, Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher, Susanne Bier's ...

  • News

    Kinowelt takes over Cine-International catalogue

    2007-08-10T11:38:00Z

    Kinowelt International has taken over the film catalogue of the Munich-based sales agent Cine-International which declared insolvency last month.The transaction was concluded by the Kinowelt subsidiary Futura Film Weltvertrieb im Filmverlag der Autoren with the insolvency administrator Oliver Schartl.Cine-International's library includes such films as Joseph Vilsmaier's Autumn Milk (Herbstmilch), Helma ...

  • News

    Eichinger's Baader-Meinhof Komplex begins shooting in Berlin

    2007-08-10T11:34:00Z

    Bernd Eichinger's ambitious production of Uli Edel's Der Baader Meinhof Komplex has begun principal photography in Berlin and will continue shooting later at locations in Munich and Morocco before wrapping at the end of November.This weekend, the adaptation of Stefan Aust's standard work on the Red Army Faction (RAF) terrorism ...

  • News

    Svenska Bio strikes deal to acquire Astoria Cinemas

    2007-08-09T14:17:00Z

    Swedish insolvent cinema circuit, Astoria Cinemas - once the country's second-largest theatre chain - has been sold to Svenska Bio, which is 49% controlled by Svensk Filmindustri (SF), a sister company of market leader SF Bio. After the deal, with Svenska Bio, Bonnier-owned SF and SF Bio account for almost ...

  • News

    Svenska Bio strikes deal to acquire Astoria Cinemas

    2007-08-09T14:17:00Z

    Swedish insolvent cinema circuit, Astoria Cinemas - once the country's second-largest theatre chain - has been sold to Svenska Bio, which is 49% controlled by Svensk Filmindustri (SF), a sister company of market leader SF Bio. After the deal, with Svenska Bio, Bonnier-owned SF and SF Bio account for almost ...

  • News

    New Abu Dhabi festival to offer film financing with top awards

    2007-08-09T12:49:00Z

    The Black Pearl - the grand prix of the new Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), unspooling for the first time in Abu Dhabi Oct 14-19 - will come with production grants for the winners' next films. 'The festival is determined to plant its flag right away,' said festival director ...

  • News

    Brett Morgen works with Courtney Love for new Cobain documentary

    2007-08-08T17:15:00Z

    US director Brett Morgen, whose new feature Chicago 10 screens on Locarno 's Piazza Grande on Friday, has revealed further details of his new 'official' feature documentary about Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of rock band Nirvana who died in 1994. The film, made with Courtney Love's backing, will take ...

  • News

    Open Doors awards go to projects from Syria, Israel and Egypt

    2007-08-08T15:59:00Z

    Projects from Israel, Syria and Egypt received development and production awards today at the Locarno Film Festival's Open Doors co-production forum, which was dedicated to the Near and Middle Eastern cinema. The two grants of $41,890 (CHF 50,000) for development and production, provided by Switzerland's Agency for Development and Cooperation ...

  • News

    Paramount International taps key managers in Japan and Spain

    2007-08-08T12:59:00Z

    Paramount Pictures International has hired new executives in two key territories. Ichiro Okazaki will start his post as president of Paramount Pictures Japan as of Sept 1. Pierre Auger will take on the role of general manager, Paramount Pictures Spain, from December 2007. PPI was launched in January after the ...

  • News

    Sigur Ros film to get UK theatrical release after Reykjavik premiere

    2007-08-08T12:18:00Z

    Shooting People Films is working with EMI for a planned UK theatrical release of band Sigur Ros' first film, Heima. Lilo & Stitch director Dean DeBlois led the project, using an Icelandic crew. The documentary-style project was filmed at 15 locations last summer during the band's tour of Iceland. The ...

  • News

    Kinowelt International picks up Venice Days film Head Under Water

    2007-08-07T14:57:00Z

    Kinowelt International has taken on international sales for Andreas Kleinert's thriller Head Under Water (Freischwimmer) which has been selected for its world premiere at this year's Venice Days sidebar at the end of the month. This is Kleinert's first feature film for almost ten years since his Paths In The ...

  • News

    Cronenberg's Eastern Promises to open San Sebastian

    2007-08-07T14:01:00Z

    David Cronenberg's new film, Eastern Promises, is to open the 55th San Sebastian Film Festival, which runs Sept 20-29. The Spanish festival will close with Michael Radford's Flawless, a heist film starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine, playing out of competition. Paul Auster - who is to chair the official ...

  • News

    Empties and King Of England lead Czech box-office recovery

    2007-08-07T12:12:00Z

    First-half box-office admissions in the Czech Republic grew 13% year-on-year, with local cinemas earning total revenues of nearly $31.3m (CZK 637m). If the trend continues in the second half, 2007 will outpace last year's 11.5m admissions, continuing a recovery from 2005's 9.5m admissions. The Czech Republic, which has a population ...

  • News

    OTX expands film tracking service in Russia and China

    2007-08-06T16:55:00Z

    The OTX (Online Testing Exchange) International Film Tracking service is expanding to Russia and China, the first such tracking service in each country. Clients of the consumer research and consulting company will be able to use the service to evaluate marketing campaigns up to five weeks before release. OTX's weekly ...