All News articles – Page 4144

  • News

    Indian drama Parzania faces unofficial ban in Gujarat

    2007-02-16T03:13:00Z

    Rahul Dholakia's controversial drama Parzania has been unofficially banned in the state of Gujarat, where cinema owners have opted not to screen the film for fear of a political backlash from the ruling party. The English-language film, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika, is based on a true incident of the ...

  • News

    Daydream believers

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Blood Diamond and The Pursuit Of Happyness significantly expanded into the international marketplace earlier this month. About six months ago, the marketing and distribution staffs of the films' respective studios sat down and weighed different release scenarios. Based on available materials and the timing of the domestic debuts, they had ...

  • News

    Europe and the slate-finance boom

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The idea that there might be another big wave of funding around the corner remains one of the big hopes for the European film industry. Those dreams have until recently revolved around the idea of the discovery of a new tax loophole, which might allow a return to the sale-and-leaseback ...

  • News

    The casting cash

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Stars can be important elements when it comes to packaging elaborate European co-productions. Obviously, casting a German lead may help sell the film in German-speaking territories or raise funding in those territories. The Weinstein Company's Colin Vaines acknowledges that with lower-budget European films, directors are often what sell the work ...

  • News

    Russian film - Eastern promise

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    While Europe may include a number of mature markets working at around their effective capacity, in the east there are opportunities for exponential growth. Most obviously there is Russia.But for all its explosive box-office growth, Russia remains a problematic market where DVD revenues are minimal and an impending law reducing ...

  • News

    The European name game

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Even the most cursory list of Europe's best-known actors reveals a continent stocked with starry talent: Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren from the UK; Eva Green, Isabelle Huppert, Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche from France; Monica Bellucci and Roberto Benigni from Italy; Franka Potente ...

  • News

    European stars: France

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    In France, movie-goers will eagerly line up for the latest from revered auteurs or even more mainstream directors - think Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Luc Besson or Francis Veber. But the old-guard of French actors like Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve are no longer guarantees of box office.Many of the personalities driving ...

  • News

    European stars: Germany

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick highlights the increasing global appeal of Germany's talent base when he points out that more than 10 German actors and actresses had roles in international productions at this year's festival. These range from Julia Jentsch in Jiri Menzel's I Served The King Of England through Moritz ...

  • News

    European stars: Spain

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    The lack of a star system in Spain has long been lamented by the local industry, but the tide appears to be changing. It is no longer just the one-off Hollywood success of actors like Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, or other actors with cachet in specific territories, ...

  • News

    European stars: Italy

    2007-02-16T00:00:00Z

    A host of Italian actors have been making headway in large international productions recently. Giovanna Mezzogiorno (The Last Kiss, Facing Windows) stars alongside Javier Bardem in the upcoming adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love In The Time Of Cholera; Pierfrancesco Favino (Crime Novel) played Christopher Columbus in Night At The ...

  • News

    Viva! Film Festival to premiere Salvador

    2007-02-15T16:53:00Z

    The 13th annual Viva! Spanish and Latin American Film Festival returns to Manchester from March 15-25 and will host the UK premiere of Goya Award winning Salvador on its opening night. The festival, which will showcase up to 100 Hispanic films including features, shorts and documentaries from Spanish and Latin ...

  • News

    La Vie En Rose woos the box office

    2007-02-15T15:50:00Z

    Following its lauded opening at the Berlin Film Festival last week, Olivier Dahan's La Vie En Rose debuted in Paris on Wednesday February 14. The Valentine's Day release was met with much local love as the film took 230,370 admissions on 675 screens on its first day. By way of ...

  • News

    Unifrance opens NY event with La Vie En Rose

    2007-02-15T15:22:00Z

    The 12th edition of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema will open in New York on February 28 with recent Berlin opener La Vie En Rose by Olivier Dahan. The event runs through March 11 and takes place at Lincoln Center, where 16 recent French films will have their US ...

  • News

    Thandie Newton launches Film Club for UK schoolchildren

    2007-02-15T14:59:00Z

    Chancellor Gordon Brown, Thandie Newton and film directors Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland) and Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason) today launched Film Club, which aims to expose 10,000 primary and secondary schoolchildren in the UK to the joys of film. Funded and supported by the UK ...

  • News

    Banderas and Perez to back new Spanish talent

    2007-02-15T14:27:00Z

    Antonio Banderas' Malaga-based Green Moon Productions and Antonio Perez's Seville-based Maestranza Films have signed a new film-per-year co-production agreement. Signed in Berlin, where Banderas was on hand to present new features as both director (Panorama title Summer Rain) and actor (competition contender Bordertown), the agreement will focus on backing new ...

  • News

    UK's executive programme Inside Pictures names 15 participants

    2007-02-15T14:23:00Z

    The UK's prestigious Inside Pictures programme, now run through the Film Business Academy at Cass Business School, has selected 15 applicants for its 2006-2007 programme. The new participants are:Darren Bender, head of development/producer, Bigger PicturesEd Clarke, head of development & acquisitions, Capitol FilmsChris Collins, producer, Home Movies LtdPeter Ettedgui, producer, ...

  • News

    Delpy's latest sparks sales boom for Rezo

    2007-02-15T13:51:00Z

    The Works UK Distribution has taken UK rights on Julie Delpy's Two Days In Paris, one of the buzz titles in this year's Berlinale. The film, which screened as a Panorama special, stars Delpy, Adam Goldberg and Daniel Bruhl. It's about a New York-based couple on holiday in Europe, trying ...

  • News

    Fortissimo enjoys documentary sales

    2007-02-15T13:32:00Z

    Fortissimo Films has seen a healthy first market for its documentary Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens. The film sold to Haut et Court for France and Lucky Red for Italy, with deals to Germany, Japan, Australia and Benelux pending. 'Berlin is always a good market for us. We've done ...

  • News

    French Film Festival UK releases programme line-up

    2007-02-15T12:45:00Z

    This year's French Film Festival UK will span London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee from April 20 - May 4 with a varied and unique programme of films. The Discovery section of the line-up consists of new French films that are seeking a UK distributor. There will be screenings ...

  • News

    GreeneStreet scores UK deal on The Nines, Germany deal on Bill

    2007-02-15T04:00:00Z

    Greenestreet Films International (GSFI) continued a busy EFM here as it sold Sundance pick-up The Nines to Optimum for the UK. Sales chief Ariel Veneziano did the deal with Optimum's Will Clarke on the three-part story starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope David and Melissa McCarthy.GSFI also closed deals on the Aaron ...