All News articles – Page 5014
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Potter-proof Rabbit leads art house success
The spectre of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets previews loomed large over the UK box office holdovers this weekend, however several of the previous week's openers, led by 28 Days Later, held up valiantly. Meanwhile Buena Vista International's Rabbit-Proof Fence led this week's openers in a strong week ...
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BVI scores with exclusive Treasure Planet run in France
Buena Vista International (BVI) opened Treasure Planet in an exclusive presentation in France, grossing a worthy $280,000. The animated feature is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel Treasure Island and is scheduled to open in the US on Nov 29. Signs took $3.6m over the weekend for a $166m ...
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Internet video-on-demand system launched
Movielink, the first internet video-on-demand (VoD) system backed by the Hollywood studios, got off to a "soft launch" yesterday.The service, which is available to US-based broadband homes, starts life with 170 films provided by its five studio backers, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. It will ...
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XXX crosses $100m barrier for CTFDI
Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International's XXX passed $100m toward the end of last week and now has an international running total of $110m after a $7.1m haul on 3,100 screens over the weekend. The action thriller opened number one in Argentina where enduring economic instability meant that $110,000 from 61 ...
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Film Momentum takes US rights to Last Party 2000
Film Momentum, Larry Meistrich's subscription-based distribution company, has acquired all US rights to Last Party 2000, the election campaign documentary narrated by Philip Seymour Hoffman. In the full-length picture Hoffman takes a behind-the-scenes look at electioneering and the American political process as he interviews politicians, activists and celebrities at Democratic ...
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Mannheim meetings to expand in 2003
The "Mannheim Meetings" co-production market plans to expand next year to include projects from Asia in addition to the present line-up from Europe, Latin America and North America. The Meetings co-ordinator Olaf Aichinger told screendaily.com that he has a scout based in Korea who would recommend Asian projects for participation ...
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German media fund adds two more titles, re-affirms local production
German private media fund CP Medien has added the Pathe production The Night Of The Medicis and the Joseph Vilsmaier-produced "bizarre horror comedy" Diamond Dead to its production slate which already includes Robert Altman's The Company which began shooting in Chicago last month.The new Pathe project, which will be shot ...
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Pusan film critics announce annual awards
Park Chan-wook's hard-hitting Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance has been named Korea's top film of the year in the annual Pusan Film Critics Awards. The film, also honoured with a Best Director prize, will be presented with its awards on November 15 at the upcoming Pusan International Film Festival.Other top ...
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Bavaria Film Int'l celebrates successful MIFED
Leading German sales agent, Bavaria Film International had a successful MIFED selling all rights for Japan on its local hit Bibi Blocksberg to Gaga Communications. The film, an adaptation of a popular children's novel directed by Hermine Huntgeburth, has grossed Euros8m in Germany and was also sold to Thai distributor ...
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Spice Factory, Bigel Mailer team for The Great Turrell
UK production company The Spice Factory has optioned the rights to The Great Turrell, a script by Michael Mailer which it will co-produce with New York-based Bigel Mailer Films. The script is based on the 19th Century French novel Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Fournier and is a coming-of-age story ...
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Senator's Boogeyman chased by int'l buyers
Last week's MIFED saw Senator International strike its first deals on films from the genre-film label recently launched with Sam Raimi and Rob Tappert.On Boogeyman, it licensed French rights to Hachette Filipacchi Films (formerly known as Film Office) for France, Manga for Spain, Village Roadshow for Australia, Singapore and Greece, ...
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Danes win multi-million film support package
The Danish government has won political backing to pass a new $237m support plan for the film industry, spread over four years and provided by both public broadcasters and the state.The package, put together by the new right-wing cultural minister of Denmark, Brian Mikkelsen, was passed by all political parties ...
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Fortissimo lines up double Dutch treat
Netherlands-Hong Kong-based sales outfit, Fortissimo Film Sales has struck an output deal with Benelux distributor A-Films and picked up a new Dutch picture which it expects to sell worldwide.The first Fortissimo titles acquired by San Fu Maltha and Pim Hermeling's A-Film Distribution/Fu Works under the new output deal are Wong ...
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Box-office records fall to Potter a week before launch
The second instalment in Warner Bros Harry Potter franchise, The Chamber Of Secrets, got off to a magical start at the UK box office this weekend, despite not officially opening until Nov 15.Figures for the weekend reveal the film grossed a mighty $12.5m (£7.86m) over its three-day preview weekend - ...
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Spain, Israel name foreign language Oscar hopefuls
Fernando Leon's Mondays In The Sun was named Spain's submission for the foreign language Oscar today, beating the other shortlisted films, Pedro Almodovar's Talk To Her and Jose Luis Garci's Story Of A Kiss .Mondays In The Sun, which stars Javier Bardem as an out-of-work dock labourer, took home ...
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Tracker adds to Aussie awards haul
The Tracker, produced by Julie Ryan and the film's writer/director Rolf de Heer, has again taken top honours on its home soil. A week after winning the best film prize at the Film Critics Circle Awards, it won best film at the annual IF Awards, which were broadcast live on ...
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Pathe, Momentum strike joint venture UK aquisition deal
UK distributors Momentum Pictures and Pathe Distribution have struck a joint venture deal which will see the companies sharing acquisition and distribution costs on larger budget titles. Under the deal, the companies will take turns handling theatrical and home entertainment releases.The first film acquired under the joint venture is Robert ...
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Australian production numbers move Upstream
Some US$74m (A$131m) was spent on Australian feature film production in the 12 months up to June 30 - a sixty percent year on year increase. 30 films were produced in the same period - four more than in the previous year.However, the latest figures are much the same as ...
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Sweet Sixteen, Shopping dominate BAFTA Scotland talent awards
Sweet Sixteen and Late Night Shopping dominate the nominations for the 2002 BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards. Held every two years to reward emerging talent on both sides of the camera, the awards have previously provided early recognition for director Lynne Ramsay and digital pioneer May Miles Thomas. This year, ...
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Telefilm Canada backs pair of French-language projects
Telefilm Canada is to finance two Quebec features, both in French. The investments constitute the third round of the selective component of the Canada Feature Film Fund (CFFF). Littoral, by playwright/director Wajdi Mouawad, is a majority Canada-France (70%-30%) coproduction, produced by Montreal-based Les Productions E.G.M and Paris-based Films de Cinema. ...