All News articles – Page 4533
-
News
Ireland to appoint LA film ambassador
Ireland's Arts ministerJohn O'Donoghue has proposed the appointment of an Irish film ambassador.O'Donoghue made theproposal while on a trade mission to Los Angeles to meet with senior executivesat Warner Brothers, Sony, Universal, Paramount, Disney and 20th Century Fox.Speaking at a dinnerattended by Colin Farrell and other luminaries O'Donoghue said,"Attracting major ...
-
News
Obituary: Humbert Balsan
TheBerlinale began under a cloud with the news of the sudden death yesterday ofFrench producer and European Film Academy chairman Humbert Balsan. "We have lost one of our dearest friends and we willl miss him terribly," said festival director Dieter Kosslick.In a long producing career, Balsan worked with directorsof the ...
-
News
UK set for Roundabout vs Spongebob battle
It will be Europe versus USin the children's market at the UK box office this weekend as French-UKco-production The Magic Roundabout takes on The SpongeBob SquarePantsMovie for the first weekend of the school half-term holiday.Both titles are based on hittelevision shows adored by legions of pre-teens and stoner students and ...
-
News
Berlusconi plans RAI privatisation
SilvioBerlusconi's government has announced that Italian state broadcaster RAI willbe partly privatised before the end of the year."RAI'sprivatisation is something positive. It will help propel forward therestructuring of the company, which is already underway," said ItalianTreasury minister Domenico Siniscalco. He added: "It is also a guaranteeagainst political interference." Siniscalcorecommended that ...
-
News
Warner Bros: a very local engagement
The popular image ofHollywood as an American superpower steamrolling over the interests ofEurope's local filmmaking industry with one-size-fits-all global products wasgiven a sharp rebuke yesterday by Warner Bros. top international executive. Delivering the keynotespeech at Screen International's third annual European Film FinanceSummit in Berlin, Richard Fox, Warner's executive vice ...
-
News
Investors cool on UK film business
One year on from thegovernment's February 10 crackdown on tax financing, forecasts say the amountof money being offered by investors is down by as much as two thirds on lastyear's levels.The worst hit are theproduction equity schemes, which offer film-makers a larger chunk of theirbudgets but require investors to take ...
-
News
Buyers look to take Nispel's Pathfinder
With English-language projects at a premium in Berlin, buyers arescrambling to get their hands on Marcus Nispel's Pathfinder, a $45maction movie being produced by Mike Medavoy and Arnie Messer's PhoenixPictures, and being represented for territorial sales by Endeavor.Nobody from the agency ispresent at the market, but Endeavor's Modi Wiczyk said ...
-
News
Goal kicks off without Diego Luna
Kuno Becker has replaced Diego Luna as the lead actor infootball drama Goal!, which started shooting in London on January 29. Buena Vista International have picked up Internationalrights to the film, while Latino targeted film label Arenas Entertainment hasUS rights.Mexican actor Becker, whose credits include ImaginingArgentina, stars in the rags ...
-
News
X-Filme launches in-house world sales division
Berlinproduction house X-Filme creative pool has set up an in-house world salesdivision to handle the international distribution of Dani Levy's box office hitGo For Zucker - An Unorthodox Comedy (Alles auf Zucker!). PreviouslyX-Filme's titles have been handled on a deal-by-deal basis by Bavaria FilmInternational and Beta Cinema, amongst others.X-FilmeWorld Sales ...
-
News
Skillset launches flagship film industry website
UKtraining body Skillset has launched a new film website for people working orwanting to work in the UK film industry. The siteis billed as a one-stop shop for all information on getting in and getting onin film careers.Coveringall aspects of film from development through to exhibition, the site includes: - ...
-
News
Fortissimo rolls with Pen-ek's Invisible Waves
Fortissimo Filmshas secured a slew of territories on Pen-ek Ratanaruang's follow-up to LastLife In The Universe, called Invisible Waves. The film, whichreunites Pen-ek with his Last Life cinematographer Christopher Doyle andstar Asano Tadanobu, has gone to PalmPictures for North America, France's Wildside, Triangel Films has come in forScandinavian territories, A-Films ...
-
News
Fockers closing on $100m at international box office
DreamWorksInternational's Meet The Fockershas a shot at passing $100m this weekend following an explosive run that hasalready produced $31.4m in the UK, $24.9m in Australia and $8.3m in Mexico.Currently on an $88.4m cumulative total from all its markets, Fockers goes out through UIP in Italy today (11)and should prosper, bearing ...
-
News
INTERNATIONAL 11 February
MeetThe Fockers easily retained the international box officelead at the weekend, thanks to strong holdovers including the UK and six newterritory launches led by Spain's $4.7m (Euro 3.6m).Otherlaunches came in Sweden, Denmark and Taiwan (all $0.4m), Israel ($0.3m) andCroatia ($43,000). The UK has given the film a phenomenal $29.2m (£15.5m) ...
-
News
MPAA announces pair of new policy posts
Capitol Hill veteran John Feehery has been appointedexecutive vice president and chief communications officer at the MPAA, whileRich Taylor becomes senior vice president of external affairs and education.Feehery formerly served as press secretary to the Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives, Dennis Hastert. Based in Washington, the newly created postwill require ...
-
News
Daniel Taylor appointed MGM president
DanielTaylor has been appointed president of MGM following completion of the sale tothe Sony-led LOC Acquisition Company consortium.Taylor will be responsible for overseeing all operations of MGM, includingdevelopment and production of a smaller slate of theatrical and televisionproduct through co-financing and distribution with Sony.He will play a major role in ...
-
News
Columbia TriStar, SPRI pick up Brown Bunny
Columbia TriStar has pickedup DVD and television rights from Wellspring to Vincent Gallo's The BrownBunny, with Sony Pictures ReleasingInternational (SPRI) acquiring a slew of international rights from Kinetique.SPRI picked up rights to the UK, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand,India, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, and Asia, excluding Japan and Thailand.The Brown Bunny ...
-
News
Fox's Eucalyptus wilts under script rewrite
Fox Searchlight Pictures has announced that production onJocelyn Moorhouse’s Eucalyptus,which stars Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman, will not go ahead as scheduled”to allow time for further work on the script”.The news felt somehow prophetic to local film observers whohad been disturbed at the prospect of the considerably older Kidman playing ...
-
News
Russia on target to produce more than 160 films in 2005
Russia is on target toproduce more than 160 feature films this year with an economic boom drivingproduction funding and an increase of 40% at the box office last year makingfilm production start to look attractive for local backers. It also has heated up thedebate over the long stalled privatisation of ...
-
News
UK censor to take tougher action against racism in film
Films with scenes involvingracism face a tougher entrance into the UK market after the local certificationbody published new guidelines.The British Board of FilmCertification (BBFC) cited incitement to racial hatred or violence andexpletives with a racial association as a chief area of growing public concern.The body based its researchon the views ...
-
News
Lumina picks up international rights to Salles backed City
Lumina Films, the newLondon-based sales agent, has picked up international rights to the WalterSalles-produced Lower City (CidadeBaixa).The film is amusically-charged story about a group of friends who fall in love with the samewoman. It stars Lazaro Ramos of MadameSata, Wagner Moura and City Of Godstar Alice Braga.The film is the ...