All News articles – Page 4535
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Hong Kong has a new box-office champion
Stephen Chow's Kung-fuHustle has become the highest-grossing local film ever at the Hong Kong boxoffice, overtaking the previous record holder, Shaolin Soccer, alsostarring and directed by Chow. As of Feb 7, the comedyblockbuster, which was backed by Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia, hadgrossed $7.81m (HK$60.89m) in 47 days.In comparison Shaolin ...
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Kadokawa, Intermedia to remake One Missed Call
Kadokawa Pictures USA andIntermedia are to jointly remake One Missed Call, the Takashi Miikehorror that grossed $14.6m (Y1.5bn) in Japan following its release in January2004. The deal was announced byYasushi Akimoto, who wrote the novel on which the film was based, at the Tokyopremiere of One Missed Call 2 on ...
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Greenaway to write, direct Rembrandt project
Peter Greenaway iswriting and will direct a film about Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Thefilm, titled Nightwatching, is initiated by Dutch Kasander Film Companyand is due to be released next May (2006) to co-incide with the 400th anniversary ofthe famous painter. The film is based onthe painting of The Nightwatch, ...
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ITALY 9 February
BVI's Finding Neverlandwas the clear winner at the weekend, as it shot straight to the top of theItalian box office and rallied $2,120,139 from 269 screens for an impressiveaverage of $7,875 per screen.The Johnny Depp vehiclepushed The Aviator down into second place, with the Martin Scorsesepicture shedding a huge 44% ...
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NEW ZEALAND 9 February
It was a very unusualweekend at the New Zealand box office with nearly half the films rising up inthe chart instead of dropping down. This was caused by a combination of factorsincluding children being back at school, which has given more grown-up films aboost, strong word of mouth being created ...
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EASTERN EUROPE Production Listings - Feb 9
RUSSIA PRE-PRODUCTION BASTARDS (SVOLOCHI)(Rolan Bykov's Fund/ Rithm telecompany). Co-prod: Paradise. Genre/synopsis:drama, action. Almaty 1943. Colonel Vishnevsky has a governmental task: toprepare a diversion group of fighters, consisting of 14-15 years old orphans,to block all activities of selected German formations Edelweiss. All these guysshould not only to destroy fascist military base, ...
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FFC Australia bankrolls four new features
Four new Australian features - Two Fists One Heart,Razzle Dazzle - A Journey Into Dance, Footy Legends and Macbeth -are all are going into production thanks to investment decisions madetoday by Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC).The country's principal film backer is also puttingpost-production finance into The Magician, which has already ...
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Fockers maintains international box office lead
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) ...
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Famous Players target of 'family values' boycott
Canada's largest exhibitor Famous Players has found itselfthe target of a boycott campaign over objections to a pre-show advertisement insupport of marriage rights for same-sex couples.The Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC), which opposes same-sex marriage, iscalling for a national boycott of Famous for having "subjected patrons to apro-gay 'marriage' ad," ...
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De Hadeln takes helm at new Montreal festival
Moritz De Hadeln, the veteran festivaldirector of Berlin and Venice, has accepted the top job at the new filmfestival in Montreal, Festival Internationale du Films de Montreal (FIFM).The new event was announced last Decemberfollowing a long simmering dispute between the Montreal World Film Festival(MWFF) and its principal public sector financiers ...
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Survey highlights pay inequality for film industry women
Women working in the UK film industry earn less thantheir male counterparts despite being better qualified, according to a majornew survey conducted by the UK Film Council and Skillset.The Feature Film Production Workforce Survey, which isbased on responses from 903 people working in feature films, also found that mostpeople working ...
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Quebec films lead Genie nominations
Films from Quebec held sway as Canada's Genie Awardsannounced its 2005 nominees, however the big news was the absence of GoldenGlobe winner and Oscar nominee Annette Bening in the best actress categorydespite a best picture nod for the Robert Lantos-produced Being Julia.Also shut out of major prize contention was Don ...
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Goldwyn, SPE snap up The Squid And The Whale
Samuel GoldwynFilms and Sony Pictures Entertainment have jointly acquired worldwiderights to Noah Baumbach's Sundance prizewinner The Squid And The Whale.Samuel Goldwyn will take the lead on distribution in North America and expectsto release the picture this autumn, while Sony Pictures Releasing Internationalwill handle the international roll-out.Baumbach's autobiographical tale chronicles the ...
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Obituary: Joan Weidman
Joan Weidman, president ofproduction at International Film Guarantors (IFG) and one of the industry'smost knowledgeable veterans, passed away on Feb 6.Weidman oversaw allproduction and financial aspects of completion bonding for IFG, a leadingcompletion bond company, and was a key player in the financing and productionof such pictures as The Aviator, ...
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Alexander conquers $120m mark over weekend
Alexander grossed an estimated $4.2m through alldistributors on 1,890 screens in 52 territories at the weekend, raising itsinternational running total to $120m.In its only major release of the weekend the epic openedin the top five in Japan through Summit Entertainment on $1.9m on 261 screens.Alexander added $303,000 on 302 in ...
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Almodovar to tango with Cruz in Volver
Pedro Almodovar is plottinghis return to female-centred comedies with what looks set to be his next film, Volver, starring Penelope Cruz.The director said the project, one of several he has in development, would be hisnext over the weekend in Rome where his Bad Education (La Mala Educacion) was honored with ...
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Lions Gate sells Rwanda to Germany, France, Australia
Lions Gate FilmsInternational (LGFI) has closed a raft of sales on its Oscar nominated HotelRwanda, which makes itsinternational premiere in official selection at the 2005 Berlinale.Tobis has picked up the Rwandan genocide drama forGermany, Metropolitan for France, Village Roadshow for Australia, and AscotElite for Switzerland.Hotel Rwanda co-producer Mikado is set ...
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Aviator continues to soar for Miramax in Germany, France
The Aviator grossed an estimated $6m through MiramaxInternational at the weekend, raising its international running total to $31.6mfrom five territories.Highlightsincluded a climb to number one in Germany on $1.4m in The Aviator's third weekend for a $6.3m runningtotal, and $2.2m for $6.6m in its second weekend in France, where it ...
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Skoll to back Deutchman's US digital network
New York-basedEmerging Pictures is preparing to launch its long-gestating digital cinemanetwork with the backing of former eBay founder Jeff Skoll's Los Angeles-basedParticipant Productions.The initiativewill establish a nationwide network for the distribution and exhibition ofspecialty films in museums, performing arts centres, science and technologyinstitutions, and restored movie palaces.The venues willscreen English-language ...
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Boyle's Millions wins top film prize at Sarasota
Danny Boyle's Millions won the 2005 Narrative FeatureCompetition Award at the 7th Annual Sarasota Film Festival closing ceremony (6)and Stephen Vittoria's One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer OfGeorge McGovern tookdocumentary honours.In the audienceawards, Dave McKean's Mirrormask won best narrative feature, Rebecca Dreyfus's Stolen took best documentary, Prachya Pinkaew'sThai picture ...