All News articles – Page 5345
-
News
Macleod quits Channel 4 International
Bernard Macleod is stepping down as managing director of UK programming distributor Channel 4 International (C4I).Macleod is leaving to pursue interests in further education and will act as a media consultant. He joined C4I in 1998 from his own TV production outfit Cahoots."We will be sad to see Bernard depart, ...
-
News
Italy's Mikado bags Venice closing film Vengo
Italian distributor Mikado has acquired Venice closing night film Vengo, directed by Tony Gatlif, a French-Spanish co-production that is being sold worldwide by France's Flach Pyramide International.Following the international arthouse success of Gatlif's award-winning titles Latcho Drom and Gadjo Dilo, Vengo - in which Gatlif once again explores his gypsy ...
-
News
Antonine Films unveils scheme for Scottish shorts
UK production outfit Antonine Films has launched a short film initiative, "8 1/2", designed to nurture new talent based in Scotland. Named after the Federico Fellini classic, the title also represents the running time of each short to be produced under the scheme. Supported by a wide range of Scottish ...
-
News
Rogers goes to court over Videotron merger
Canada's largest cable operator Rogers Communications has gone to court in an effort to lift an injunction, handed down in April, that effectively prevents its merger with the country's third-largest cabler Groupe Videotron.Rogers tendered a bid for the company in April, only to have it blocked by Videotron shareholder Caisse ...
-
News
Harvey buys first film for theatrical distribution
The Harvey Entertainment Company has acquired US distribution rights to UK/French animated family film A Monkey's Tale from Pearson Television International and plans to release it through a distribution partner on a limited 150-screen release at the end of January 2001. Universal Home Video will then release it on video ...
-
News
Kinowelt first-half turnover soars by 63%
German mini-studio Kinowelt reported a 63% increase in turnover for the first six months of 2000 to $115.5m (DM247.3m) compared to $70.7m (DM151.5m) in the first half of last year.Interim net profit rose to $9.5m (DM20.3m) compared to $10.3m (DM22.1m) for the whole of 1999.Kinowelt's home entertainment division achieved the ...
-
News
ScriptNet picks out Ghanaian shorts
ScriptNet 2000, a charitable British skill-sharing project between the UK and Ghana, is currently preparing five Ghanaian short films for production in the country from December.ScriptNet 2000 launched a nationwide scriptwriting competition in Ghana last October and initially received 150 story treatments, which were then developed through a series of ...
-
News
Specialist to get outing at London Jewish fest
The Specialist, a US documentary that follows the 1961 Jerusalem trial of Nazi henchman Adolf Eichmann, will get a UK theatrical screening at next month's London Jewish Film Festival.The film uses a montage of original footing from the trial to contrast the apparently ordinary Eichmann with his horrific crimes. It ...
-
News
Polish producers battle over Sienkiewicz' Knights
Two Polish production companies - MT Art and Studio A - are going head-to-head with separate adaptations of Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz' 1905 novel Teutonic Knights. The historical novel is based on Poland's 14th century struggle with invading Teutonic knights. It covers events between the death of the Polish Queen ...
-
News
Verhoeven mulls shoot in native Holland
Director Paul Verhoeven, currently in Europe to promote his latest feature Hollow Man, has said he is considering two projects that would take him back to his native Holland: a Dutch-language thriller and an English-language adaptation of French author Guy de Maupassant's short story Mont Oriol.Former Endemol chief Joop van ...
-
News
Toronto adds Bigelow, Fields titles to line-up
The Toronto International Film Festival has added four premieres to its line-up: Kathryn Bigelow's The Weight Of Water, Joel Hershman's Greenfingers, Michael Corrente's A Shot At Glory and US actress Sally Field's directorial debut Beautiful.Suspense saga The Weight Of Water stars Sean Penn, Catherine McCormack and Elizabeth Hurley. Greenfingers, also ...
-
News
UPC reports lower than expected losses
Dutch cabler UPC's shares surged 11% today when it reported lower than expected second-quarter net losses of Euros368.2m against analysts' estimates of Euros440m. However the result was more than five times its losses of Euros72.9m in the same quarter last year.Revenues rose 19% to Euros238m compared with Euros199.6m the previous ...
-
News
TV1000 divestment boosts Kinnevik profit
Swedish conglomerate Kinnevik, which has interests ranging from forestry to telecoms, has reported a slim first-half profit of $7.8m (SEK72m), compared to a loss of $58.8m (SEK541m) the previous year, which was mainly due to its divestment of Sweden's TV1000 channels. Kinnevik sold its two TV1000 movie channels to local ...
-
News
Verhoeven to replace Jones as head of AFI
Australian broadcaster and critic Deb Verhoeven will replace Ruth Jones as chief executive of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) which is currently under-going a period of uncertainty following a reduction in funding.Jones will have been with the AFI for five years when she departs on August 30. AFI chair Denny ...
-
News
Sydney Film Festival plans to get competitive
The Sydney Film Festival will become a competitive event for new directors, probably starting with its 50th edition in 2003, if it raises enough funding. The International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF), which accredits international film festivals, has already given its formal approval for the plan.Sydney director Gayle Lake ...
-
News
Canada's Nelvana eyes Cinar acquisition
Canadian animation company Nelvana is considering buying the assets of troubled family entertainment producer Cinar Corp, estimated to be worth anywhere between $235m and $765m.Toronto-based Nelvana, known for such animated hits as Bob & Margaret and Dumb Bunnies, said it has been holding discussions with Montreal-based Cinar's investment banker, Merrill ...
-
News
Village Ten Online rebrands as SCAPE
Australia's Network Ten and Village Roadshow have rebranded their joint internet portal, previously known as Village Ten Online, as SCAPE. Exhibitor-distributor Village and broadcaster Ten signed the joint venture late last year and plan to launch the leisure-oriented portal later this year. Among the services on offer will be on-line ...
-
News
Dutch industry launches appeal to save Ketelhuis
A group of prominent Dutch film professionals have launched a campaign to rescue the Ketelhuis, the permanent showcase cinema for Dutch film in Amsterdam. Both the Dutch Council for Culture and the Amsterdam Arts Council are opposed to giving the cinema any further support as they have serious doubts about ...
-
News
European Film Institute launches exchange scheme
The European Film Institute (EIKK), based in Karlsruhe, Germany, is launching a new initiative, entitled EUR*USA, aimed at improving collaboration between film-makers from Europe and the US.The initiative, which will be added to EIKK's existing student placement programme for European film school graduates, is divided into three strands: EUR*USA 1 ...
-
News
Gone In Sixty Seconds holds onto top spot
Gone In Sixty Seconds held on to the number one spot at the UK box office last weekend, grossing $1.5m (£1m) from 393 situations. It fell an average 35% from its opening weekend and reported the highest site average over what was a lacklustre box office weekend with $3,850 (£2,599).The ...