All News articles – Page 4913

  • News

    Rampling heads South with Cantet

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Haut Et Court, the French production company behind competition film Tiresia and anticipated Un Certain Regard picture Who Killed Bambi, has cast Swimming Pool-star Charlotte Rampling in the new psychological drama by hot shot Laurent Cantet. The film, Heading South (Vers Le Sud) is an adaptation of the novel of ...

  • News

    Cecchi Gori returns to production

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Beleaguered Italian media mogul Vittorio Cecchi Gori, whose production, distribution and exhibition empire recently fell apart in a morass of bad debts and corruption charges, is back. At a Cannes press conference, the carefully-coiffed helmsman of the Cecchi Gori Group, created by his father Mario, claimed that he has been ...

  • News

    Celestial goes wild in France

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Hong Kong's Celestial Pictures has signed a multi-year video distribution deal with France's Wild Side Films for numerous titles from its classic Shaw Brothers library. Wild Side will release more than 40 Shaw Brothers titles - including The One-Armed Swordsman and The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin - in French-speaking territories ...

  • News

    Curb stalks Sundance chiller

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Curb Entertainment has acquired international sales rights to Smooth Pictures' Nightstalker, the serial killer chiller which world premiered as a midnight movie at the Sundance Film Festival this year.The film, to which Columbia TriStar holds US rights, was produced by Ash Shah and Chris Fisher and written and directed by ...

  • News

    Endgame commits to Compleat, Harold

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Endgame Entertainment - the financing and production outfit formed by entrepreneur and Broadway producer James D Stern - has committed to co-finance two films through its entertainment fund The Endgame Fund.Endgame will co-finance Compleat Female Stage Beauty with Artisan Pictures and Michael Kuhn's Qwerty Films. Artisan has domestic rights to ...

  • News

    Quantum secures completion funding

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Quantum Entertainment has signed an exclusive joint venture agreement with private investment Moviebank to raise $10m to $12m to provide completion financing for the films that the company will produce over the next three years.Under the venture, Quantum has teamed with Tony Shawkat's Basra Entertainment to produce gothic thriller Vlad ...

  • News

    Cowan's grant scheme names recipients

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    US charitable foundation The Global Film Initiative has named the line-up of award recipients for its inaugural granting programme. Six grant recipients were selected from 37 submissions representing 12 countries and will receive completion funds of between $20,000 and $40,000 for their features from the Initiative. The Initiative, founded by ...

  • News

    Cruz eyes more Euro projects

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Just as Spanish talents are making greater-than-ever strides into Hollywood, Spain's leading lady Penelope Cruz looks set to rev up her European activity.Cruz has signed on with French agent Bertrand de Labbey of Art Media to seek future projects in France following her Fanfan La Tulipe experience. "She's very interested ...

  • News

    Mifed tries to remove doubts

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Fiera Milano International (FMI) has signed a contract to run Mifed for the next 15 years and is committing to investing in improved services 'We want to make the market more modern and functional,' said Massimo Viviani, Managing Director of FMI, the market's new owners. 'We have been meeting our ...

  • News

    Korean war drama sold to Universal in Japan

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Korean powerhouse Kang Je Gyu has inked its long-anticipated first deal on war drama Tae Guk Gi, aftter. Japanese rights to the $12m picture was sold to Universal Pictures Japan (UPJ), for an undisclosed sum. The deal enables Kang Je Gyu, Korean distributor Showbox and UPJ to begin immediate ...

  • News

    Miramax full of Eastern promises

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Miramax Films has acquired worldwide distribution rights excluding UK free TV to BBC Films' Eastern Promises, a contemporary thriller set in an immigrant community. The film is written by Steven Knight, who also wrote Dirty Pretty Things, another BBC Film which Miramax handled worldwide.BBC Films chief David Thompson is executive ...

  • News

    Netherlands production platform expanded

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    The Netherlands Production Platform, which is held during the Netherlands Film Festival's (NFF) Holland Meeting (September 26-29) in Utrecht, is to be extended this year to include European feature projects seeking Dutch financing or co-production partners and involving major Dutch elements.Last year, producers of two German and two Belgian feature ...

  • News

    The Eye opens wide in Italy

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Italian distributor Eagle Pictures scored a superb release over the weekend (May 16-18) for its Hong Kong-Thailand co-produced pick up The Eye.The Pang Brothers' (Bangkok Dangerous) horror title took a resounding $1.15m (Euro1m) over the three-day weekend in Italy to land the number one spot and knock 20th Century Fox's ...

  • News

    FAME targets third party pictures

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Film And Music Entertainment (F&ME), the UK independent production outfit, has launched a new division to service third party pictures, including the eight co-productions that have already been lined up alongside its own in-house pictures.The new division will be headed by FAME's Sam Taylor with Sam Lavender and newly-appointed head ...

  • News

    Pippi's father heads for international seas

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Everyone knows Pippi Longstocking, but few know that her father was a real person. But with Pippi's Father - Captain Charlie And The Cannibal Princess (working title) he should be at least as well known as Harry Potter by family audiences across the world. At least that is the ambition ...

  • News

    Taiwan overhauls film funding policy

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Taiwan's Government Information Office (GIO) has overhauled its film funding policy in an attempt to reinvigorate local production and encourage co-productions with international partners. The Taiwanese film industry is renowned for its arthouse films - from auteurs such as Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Tsai Ming-Liang - that win awards at festivals ...

  • News

    Myriad nets Little Fish

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Myriad Pictures has acquired worldwide rights outside Australia and New Zealand to Little Fish, the second film from Rowan Woods whose debut The Boys was one of the biggest Australian hits of 1998.The film is produced by Porchlight Films' Vincent Sheehan (Mullet) and will be executive produced by Myriad president ...

  • News

    Lucas Foster leaves Myriad

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Lucas Foster, president of production at Myriad Pictures, is leaving the company 'to pursue his personal projects.' Company president Kirk D'Amico issued a statement yesterday to the effect that Foster's contract would not be renewed and that he is leaving the company immediately.Foster is currently on location in Mexico producing ...

  • News

    Golino, Gassmanon, Verdecchi slate

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Valeria Golino (Respiro, Frida) has just finished shooting a new Italian film, entitled Prendimi E Portami Via.Written and directed by Tonino Zangardi, the film focuses on a young Roman boy who falls in love with a gypsy girl. Rodolfo Lagana' stars alongside Golino in the film, which is produced by ...

  • News

    Germany shows off Next Generation

    2003-05-19T00:00:00Z

    Germany may not have had a film in competition at Cannes for ten years, but the Next Generation event has now become a regular - and popular - fixture.Organised by the Export Union, Cannes screenings showcased ten short films by students from six German film schools. In addition to the ...