All News articles – Page 4928
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EU says pay-TV broadcasters to blame for rise in piracy
The European Union (EU) this week criticised Europe's pay-TV companies for creating the conditions that encourage piracy of their services.In a new report on electronic services the European Commission said: "significant amounts of piracy result from the impossibility of obtaining pay satellite-TV channels originating from other member states. EU citizens ...
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UK BOX OFFICE
Three major new openers in the UK were no challenge for homegrown hit Johnny English last weekend (April 25-27), which saw the comedy drop off a mere 10% to lead for a third consecutive week. The UIP distributed film claimed another $3.6m (£2.3m) over the three-day weekend and has already ...
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Matrix computer game does record business
Infogrames Entertainment said that it has done record business on Enter The Matrix, the video game tie-in with forthcoming film The Matrix Reloaded.The game will be released on 15 May in parallel with the premiere of the film at the Cannes festival and its simultaneous world release. Infogrames said that ...
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May Yip moves from EMG to Fortune Star
May Yip, distribution andacquisition manager at Hong Kong's Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG), is leavingthe company today to take up the position of head of distribution at FortuneStar. Fortune Star is the contentarm of News Corp-owned regional broadcaster Star TV. It owns world rights inperpetuity to a large library of Chinese-language ...
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Yip swaps EMG for Fortune Star
May Yip, distribution and acquisition manager at Hong Kong's Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG), is leaving the company today to take up the position of head of distribution at Fortune Star. Fortune Star is the content arm of News Corp-owned regional broadcaster Star TV. It owns world rights in perpetuity to ...
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Eurimages supports 15 European co-productions
New features by Sergio Bodrov (Alone With The Moon), Manuel Pionier (Chemins De Travers), Patricio Guzman (Salvador Allende), Frederic Fonteyne (La Femme De Gilles) and Silvio Soldini (Agata E la Tempesta) are among 15 European co-productions awarded over Euros 4.1m in production support by the Council of Europe's pan-European fund ...
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UK scriptwriters learn to pitch in 25 words or less
Four feature films pitched using 25 words or less have been granted development funding from UK support body the Film Council.The films were pitched to the Council as part of their "25 Words or Less" programme which was launched last year and called for applicants to present their concept for ...
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Savage to direct Blanchett in Atwood adaptation
Rising UK director Dominic Savage is to direct Cate Blanchett in an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel Alias Grace for Working Title Films.John Brownlow, whose recent credits include BBC Films' Sylvia Plath project, is adapting the novel, which tells the true story of a Canadian housemaid named Grace Marks who ...
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Sithengi reveals pan-African ambitions
The annual Southern Africa International Film and Television Market (Sithengi) is reaching out to the rest of the continent. Sithengi is translating its website (sithengi.co.za) and editorial material into French and Portuguese, introducing audio-visual competitions, and setting up partnerships with African festivals like the Pan African Film and Television Festival ...
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Nordisk Film appoints Magnusson in production push
Danish producer Kim Magnusson has been appointed general manager of Nordisk Film's film and TV drama operations across the Nordic region. The 37 year-old producer has a number of successes behind him for M&M Productions, the outfit he set up with his father Tivi Magnusson in 1995. These include Anders ...
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Distant Horizon to bring black comic book hero to the screen
Targeting the growing hip-hop and urban market, Distant Horizon, the international film financing, production and distribution company headed by Anant Singh, announced its plans to adapt urban-underground comic book Brotherman for the big screen. Rights for the comic were bought from Atlanta-based publisher Flipbook Communications.Based on the series of ...
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Miravista boards two Brazilian projects
Miravista, the joint co production venture between The Walt Disney Company Latin America and Telefonica Spain's Admira, has boarded two Brazilian projects currently in post, 1972 and O Caminho Das Nuvens (A Walk In The Clouds). According to Miravista manager Fernando Lagier, who is based in Disney's regional headquarters in ...
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Heijl joins expanding Moonlight Films
Dutch distribution veteran Jean Heijl has joined independent outfit Moonlight Films from Indies Entertainment Group. His move coincides with Moonlight opening a new distribution office near Amsterdam and a planned expansion of the number of titles it handles."With Jean Heijl on our team we believe we can be a serious ...
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India to relax foreign production regulations
The Government of India is to allow shooting of foreign films in India as well as offering post-production facilities, minister for information and broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi on 26th April."Foreign producers will not have much problems to come to India as they will enjoy single-window ...
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Johnny whips up another $13.3m
Universal'sspoof spy thriller Johnny English was the top international film for the third week in a row,grossing $13.3m from 3,167 theatres in 27 countries over the weekend.After 18 days inrelease the film has amassed a staggering $77.1m international running total.In two openings,Johnny Englishfinished third in Taiwan on $132,000 from 60 ...
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Jungle Book 2 crosses $70m international grosses
Buena VistaInternational's The Jungle Book 2 grossed $5.4m in international markets over the weekend,raising its running total to $71.8m.Highlights were a third weekend $1.8m haul in the UK,which saw box office drop 22% for a $9.6m cumulative total, and a $1m gross inGermany that slipped 31% and raised the five-week ...
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Chris Davis International takes on ACG library
American Cinema Group (ACG)has appointed Chris Davis International (CDI) the exclusive worldwidedistributor in all media for the ACG library which includes Go Tell TheSpartans and A Force Of One.CDI will be licensing video,DVD and internet rights to the titles at Cannes next month and ACG'ssenior vice president, worldwide marketing, Eric ...
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Pathe steps up for Oliver Stone's Alexander
France's Pathe hasboarded Oliver Stone's historical epic Alexander as a co-production partner and will handledistribution rights in France and Benelux. The film, which is beingfinanced by Intermedia and stars Colin Farrell, is scheduled to start shootingin the summer and is being structured as a UK-France-Germany co-production.Warner Bros has domesticrights to ...
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Warner scores its biggest opening ever in India
In its finalinternational release Warner Bros' Harry Potter And The Chamber OfSecrets scored thebiggest opening ever for the distributor in India, grossing $341,000 (Rs 16.1m)from 102 screens.The familysequel finished second in the charts behind the regional blockbuster Hero (third weekend) and ahead of opener ShanghaiKnights. The opening was44.6% higher than ...
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SARS causes Shall We Dance shift from Toronto
The SARS scare in Torontohas claimed its first feature film victim. Miramax Films' Shall We Dance, starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere, set toshoot June 23 in Toronto, will relocate physical production to Winnipeg,Manitoba. A company spokesperson toldScreendaily that Miramax production executives made the decision Monday,spurred by the World Health ...