All News articles – Page 5144

  • News

    Spain's Grupo Planeta launches documentary arm

    2002-02-06T19:47:00Z

    Spain's Grupo Planeta has launched new documentary production-distribution label "Planeta D" to be overseen in the group's Barcelona headquarters by former Media Park executive Jonathon South.Capitalising on the current popularity of documentaries in Spain, Planeta envisions the new division as "the brand of reference of documentaries of prestige in Spain."Planeta ...

  • News

    Thailand's Major Cineplex sets IPO for June

    2002-02-06T19:45:00Z

    Thai cinema operator Major Cineplex is set to become the country's dominant exhibitor after announcing plans to float shares on the stock exchange of Thailand (SET) in June. The initial public offering (IPO) of 20m shares at a value of five baht each will be used to fuel the circuit's ...

  • News

    Berlinale 2002 gets under way - Heaven can wait

    2002-02-06T19:43:00Z

    The stars and the crowds turned out in force for Tom Tykwer's opening night film Heaven. The high security gala ceremony, with 2,500 guests, was attended by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, star Cate Blanchett and Miramax Films' co-chief Harvey Weinstein. Co-producers Maria Köpf and Anthony Minghella, Blanchett and Tykwer also ...

  • News

    Winchester boss faces share-selling investigation

    2002-02-06T19:25:00Z

    Winchester Entertainment chief executive Gary Smith could reportedly face an investigation after selling shares in the UK media concern less than two weeks before it issued a profit warning on revenues.Smith sold 400,000 shares for $837,400 thirteen days before the company warned full-year results would be below those of the ...

  • News

    Fox International ups key execs McLaren, Hanneman

    2002-02-06T01:28:00Z

    20th Century FoxInternational, the recently created division of the studio which combinesinternational theatrical and international home entertainment divisions underStephen Moore, has promoted three of its key executives.Mary McLaren, who waspreviously executive vice president for home entertainment international, hasbeen promoted to executive vice president of business operations for 20thCentury Fox International, ...

  • News

    LAFF and sponsor Target offer top prize of $50,000

    2002-02-06T01:26:00Z

    The 2002 Los Angeles FilmFestival is to introduce a new prize awarded to the director of the bestdramatic feature in competition worth $50,000. IFP/West executive director DawnHudson unveiled the award yesterday which will be furnished by thefestival's key sponsor Target, one of the biggest retail store circuitsin the US.The prize, ...

  • News

    Lagaan gets second US release, now through SPC

    2002-02-06T01:25:00Z

    Sony Pictures Classics willgive Ashutosh Gowariker's Indian epic Lagaan a new theatrical outing in the US in the late springamid buzz that the 223 minute-film received a rapturous reception at itsAcademy Award foreign language film committee screening. The Academy Awardnominations are announced next Tuesday (Feb 12).The film was released on ...

  • News

    Mickie switches back to sales at Alliance Atlantis

    2002-02-06T01:22:00Z

    Charlotte Mickie, to manythe international face of Canada's Alliance Atlantis Communications, hasbeen promoted to managing director, international motion picture sales, at itsEntertainment Group, returning to a sales role at the company which last monthaxed over 80 staff and dramatically reduced its feature film department.Locatedat the company's head office, Mickie will ...

  • News

    Venice fest denies Barbera resignation reports

    2002-02-05T18:33:00Z

    The Venice Film Festival has denied reports that artistic director Alberto Barbera has already resigned from his position. Rumours about Barbera's resignation and replacement began to emerge at the end of last week, when the Venice Biennale's board of directors stepped down three months before their contract officially expired. ...

  • News

    ApolloMedia lines up Hyams, Duguay projects

    2002-02-05T18:29:00Z

    German private film fund ApolloMedia is lining up another three features in the Euros 25m-Euros 70m bracket with producer Moshe Diamant, which will see the fund reunited with directors Peter Hyams and Christian Duguay after working on D'Artagnan (The Musketeer) and The Extremists, respectively.According to the fund's production coordinator Jan ...

  • News

    Germany's VIP fund to back Richter's The I Inside

    2002-02-05T18:26:00Z

    Munich-based Film & Entertainment VIP Medienfonds (VIP) is to back the first English-language project by Der Tunnel director Roland Suso Richter.VIP is to supply just over half of the budget for The I Inside which will go into production in March by Rudy Cohen's RCD Productions with a cast understood ...

  • News

    Korean investors swarm to country's first film IPO

    2002-02-05T18:23:00Z

    South Korean major CJ Entertainment celebrated a triumphant IPO on Korea's over-the-counter KOSDAQ exchange on Feb 5, seeing its share price double in value during the day.CJ Entertainment is the first of Korea's film companies to hold an initial public offering. It floated a 30% stake worth $34m (Won ...

  • News

    Hong Kong film studio plans come under threat

    2002-02-05T18:20:00Z

    Ambitious plans for a new film studio complex in Hong Kong could be under threat as three investors in the project - Hong Kong's Media Asia and Mei Ah Entertainment and Taiwan's Era Group - have decided to pull out.A consortium of six companies, led by Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers, ...

  • News

    Gosford Park charms the box office

    2002-02-05T18:13:00Z

    UK audiences turned out in force at the weekend to greet the latest local production, Gosford Park. The film, which won director Robert Altman the best director Golden Globe last month, opened at just 156 venues to record an impressive $1.2m (£837,589) taking fourth place in the national chart. This ...

  • News

    Bavaria Film Int'l, X-Filme expand relationship

    2002-02-05T17:55:00Z

    German world sales company Bavaria Film International (BFI) and X-Filme Creative Pool, producer of the Berlinale's opening film Heaven, have agreed to expand their existing working relationship."Our goal is to intensify the co-operation with X Filme on an informal basis, which could go over and above the world sales business ...

  • News

    France, Spain and UK dominate Cartoon market

    2002-02-05T17:51:00Z

    More than half of the 42 feature projects selected for this year's Cartoon Movie market (March 14 - 16) to be presented to investors and distributors come from animation production companies from France, Spain and the UK.As the leading centre for animation in Europe, France leads the field with 10 ...

  • News

    Ster-Kinekor loses Vanilla Sky in rental dispute

    2002-02-05T17:49:00Z

    Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky is not screening on any of Ster-Kinekor's 190 screens throughout South Africa after negotiations between UIP/SA and Primedia's Filmco, owners of Ster-Kinekor, the country's biggest exhibitor, broke down. According to industry insiders, UIP initially wanted an opening week's film rental of 65% to which Ster-Kinekor offered ...

  • News

    Winchester issues profit warning for year to March

    2002-02-05T04:50:00Z

    Winchester Entertainment hasissued a profit warning for the financial year to March 31, 2002, in which itsays it will make a one off write-down of approximately£2 million to itschildren's TV programming assets.However, the board of the companystressed in a statement that the expected low results are due to a number ...

  • News

    Mark Reinhart heads sales at Regent gay arm HERE!

    2002-02-05T01:17:00Z

    Mark Reinhart, the veteransales executive who has worked at companies including The Samuel Goldwyn Co,Artisan/LIVE Entertainment and GRB Entertainment, has been hired by RegentEntertainment to oversee sales for HERE! Films, the specialty marketing anddistribution arm of Regent focusing exclusively on gay-themed films. His titleis vice president, international, and he reports ...

  • News

    Splendid Pictures lures de Bont to The Courier

    2002-02-05T00:07:00Z

    Jan de Bont is in finalnegotiations to make his next film as a director for newly formed SplendidPictures, the joint venture between Splendid Medien and Cutting EdgeEntertainment. The film, The Courier, is being produced by Newman/Tooley Films and is set to go intoproduction in late spring.The film is the firstproduct ...