All articles by Mike Goodridge – Page 120
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Spyglass, Intermedia merge into indie giant
As anticipated, independent powerhouse Intermedia has signed an agreement to merge with Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum's Spyglass Entertainment. This creates an entity with an annual output of major movies as big as any studio and bringing The Walt Disney Studios (TWDS) into the company as a shareholder and potential ...
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Orange County is strong but Rings, Mind still top
Paramount Pictures enjoyed a strong estimated $15.1m opening with teen comedy Orange County over the weekend in North America but it was not big enough to topple New Line's The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Universal's A Beautiful Mind from the top two slots.Fellowship, playing ...
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ContentFilm buys into Blow Up
ContentFilm, the new production/distribution venture recently set up by Edward R Pressman and John Schmidt, and its international investors are acquiring a minority share in Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente's digital production outfit Blow Up Pictures.Blow Up, which since its launch in 1999 has been behind some of the most ...
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Goldwyn, Fireworks team for Elysian Fields
Samuel Goldwyn Films and Fireworks Pictures are teaming up again to acquire domestic rights to George Hickenlooper's The Man From Elysian Fields, the star-studded drama which world premiered at last year's Toronto Film Festival and is in the premiere section at the Sundance Film Festival this week.The film stars Andy ...
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Winchester takes Scotland, PA international
Winchester Films has acquired international sales rights to Billy Morrissette's Scotland, PA, a comedic retelling of Macbeth set in a fast-food restaurant in rural 1970s Pennsylvania. The deal was concluded between Winchester and New York-based production outfit Abandon Pictures.Domestic rights to the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival ...
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FULL LIST OF INDIE SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, with winners to be unveiled at the Spirit Awards on March 23. Films nominated were selected based on criteria such as original, provocative subject matter, uniqueness of vision, economy of means and percentage of independent ...
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Julian Levin's role expanded at Fox
Julian Levin, executive vicepresident of digital exhibition and special projects at 20th CenturyFox, has expanded his role at the studio to encompass non-theatrical sales anddistribution and large screen (70mm) and IMAX presentations. His new title isexecutive vice president for digital exhibition and non-theatrical sales anddistribution.Levin, well-known in theinternational community as ...
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Enrique Posner joins Warner Sogefilms in Spain
Well-known Spanish executiveEnrique Posner has been named deputy general manager at Warner Sogefilms AIE,the Spanish distribution joint venture between Warner Bros and Sogepaq. Based in Madrid, Posner willbe responsible for supervising Warner's distribution and marketingactivities in Spain. He will report directly to joint venture general managerLuis Hernandez and to Warner ...
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US PR agency MPRM hires Libby, promotes four
Bicoastal US publicrelations agency mPRm has promoted Paul Breton, Kristen Wareham, Chris Reichertand Jennifer Vogelmann to senior account executives, and hired Chris Libby as asenior account executive in the film division of the firm's west coastoffice.Libby joins the filmdivision after several years in independent film releasing at companies such asTrimark ...
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First Look buys US rights on A Song For Martin
First Look Pictures hasacquired domestic rights to Bille August's latest film A Song ForMartin and will open the film inspring, after a one-week awards qualifying run in December last year.The Swedish-language film isa love story featuring the late Viveka Seldahl and her real-life husband SvenWollter. Seldahl plays a symphony violinist ...
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Stephens, Yorn, Pike join cast of Bond 20
Toby Stephens, Rick Yune andRosamund Pike have joined the cast of the currently untitled Bond film, the 20thin the 007 series which starts shooting on Monday at Pinewood Studios in theUK.Pierce Brosnan returns tothe role of James Bond for the fourth time, with Halle Berry as the female leadJinx and ...
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Eight films shortlisted for Visual Effects Oscar
Eight films have beenselected for achievement in visual effects for the 74th AcademyAwards for 2001. They are AI Artificial Intelligence, Black Hawk Down, CatsAnd Dogs, The Fast And The Furious, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer'sStone, Jurassic Park III, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring andPearl Harbor.15 ...
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Sherwin, Tuckman bolster the ranks at THINKFilm
Amanda Sherwin has joinednewly formed North American distributor THINKFilm as vice president ofdistribution, while Michael Tuckman has been named director of theatricalsales. Both will work out of thecompany's New York City office and report to president Jeff Sackman andhead of distribution Mark Urman.Sherwin was previously vicepresident of marketing at Lions ...
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Paul Speaker joins Madstone as president and COO
Paul Speaker, formerpresident of Shooting Gallery Entertainment, has joined New York-based MadstoneFilms as president and COO. He will be involved in all the company'sactivities from production to distribution and exhibition.Madstone is a self-styled 'new-stylefilm studio' formed in New York in 1999 by financier Chip Seelig withformer PFE executive Tom Gruenberg. ...
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Harry Potter is number three int'l hit of all time
Warner Bros' HarryPotter & The Philosopher's Stone has passed the $500m mark in international grosses, bringing its worldwidetotal to date to an estimated $811.1m. Its international gross tips it past IndependenceDay and Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace to becomethe third biggest international hit in history after Titanic and ...
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$40m international weekend for Lord Of The Rings
New Line International hadanother rousing weekend at the international box office withThe Lord Of TheRings: The Fellowship Of The Ring,taking $40m from 34 territories to bring the film's total internationalgross to $236m.Latest major territory toopen is Korea where it took $5m since Jan 1, and $2.4m over the weekend. ...
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Robert Wise to receive PGA Milestone Award
Oscar-winning producer,director and editor Robert Wise will receive this year's Producers GuildOf America (PGA) Milestone Award at the 13th annual PGA Awards on March 3 inLos Angeles.Wise, who both produced anddirected classics such as West Side Story and The Sound Of Music,joins past Milestone winners who have included Alfred Hitchcock, ...
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Freccero, Iwanowski promoted at Sundance Channel
Paola Freccero and KirkIwanowski have been promoted to senior vice presidents at The Sundance Channel.Freccero is now senior vice president, film programming, and Iwanowski issenior vice president, marketing.In her new position,Freccero, who was formerly vice president, international, will oversee theacquisition, programming and scheduling of all acquired films on SundanceChannel, as ...
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Vortex to sell Cage-directed Sonny, two more
Vortex Pictures, the newlyformed financing and sales outfit run by Nicolas Chartier and Dean Shapiro, hasacquired three more films for international sales including NicolasCage's directorial debutSonny.The company is at Sundanceand Slamdance later this week with 13 Moons, the latest film from director Alexandre Rockwell,which opens the Slamdance Film Festival, and ...
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Apted wins filmmaker prize at Palm Springs
Michael Apted will receive the International Filmmaker Award at the Nortel Networks Palm Springs International Film Festival on Jan 12. The award, which is given to an actor or director who has "broken through the barrier of language and crossed over the borders of culture to become a film-maker of ...