All News articles – Page 5405
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Tsujihara to head up Warner Bros New Media Ops
Kevin Tsujihara has been named to the newly created position of executive vice president, new media, at Warner Bros, signalling an attempt by the studio to bring all of its new media initiatives under one overseer. Tsujihara will coordinate all new media activities within Warner - including Warner Bros Online ...
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Sony Pictures launches new digital unit
Sony Pictures Entertainment has formed a new business unit - Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment - which aims to align the studio's digital production activities with online content and game services.Yair Landau, previously executive vice president, corporate development and strategic planning, will be president of the new unit, reporting to SPE ...
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Strand Releasing wins US rights to Suzhou
Suzhou, the clandestinely-made Chinese film that became one of the hottest films at this year''s European Film Market in Berlin, has secured a US theatrical release through Strand Releasing.The Shanghai-set melodrama, which is the second feature by Chinese director Lou Ye, was produced on a budget of $600,000 by Essential ...
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Norway's producers call for end to cinema monopoly
The Norwegian Film and TV Producers Society (NFTPS) has called for the abolishment of legislation which allows local authorities to control the handing out of licences to run cinemas in Norway.Under Norway''s 1913 Cinema Act, local councils are the are only bodies with the power to grant cinema licences - ...
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Silver Screen launches in expanding Polish market
US-backed exhibitor Silver Screen Cinemas has opened its first multiplex in Warsaw marking the first phase of its ambitious plans to build a string of theatres across Eastern Europe.Silver Screen has an exclusive agreement to operate cinemas built by US-backed property developer Portico Development, which has multiplex cinemas currently under ...
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Toy Story 2 conquers final frontier in Japan
Winding up its global roll-out, blockbusting computer-generated animation Toy Story 2, scooped $3.8m on its opening weekend in Japan (March 11-13). The film's performance gives Buena Vista International the highest-opening US animated film in the territory, but was not enough to beat the distributor's record for Armageddon. It also ...
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Murdoch unveils plans to pump up Indian investment
Rupert Murdoch''s News Corp is planning a fresh investment of several hundred million dollars in India''s television and information technology markets, including the launch of a raft of new channels to add to Star TV''s present line-up.Murdoch, who is currently on a five-day tour of India, announced plans to add ...
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Unapix taps Abramowitz for new US theatrical arm
New York''s ambitious Unapix Entertainment has hired film marketing specialist Richard Abramowitz, most recently senior executive vice president of Carl Ichan's Stratosphere Entertainment, to spearhead the company''s new push into US theatrical releasing.As president of Unapix Films Theatrical, Abramowitz will oversee the release of six feature films over the next ...
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Canada's CTV accepts BCE takeover
Canada''s largest broadcaster CTV has accepted a takeover offer from telco giant BCE in a deal worth approximately $1.57bn (C$2.3bn) having held out for an extra $20m. The factor clinching the deal was BCE''s offer to buy outright CTV shareholder Electrohome Broadcasting, which owns a 12% stake, for $185m. Electrohome ...
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Telefonica grabs Venezuela's Chevere
Terra Networks, the Internet subsidiary of Spanish telecommunications and media giant Telefonica, has acquired one of Venezuela''s top web portals, Chevere (www.chevere.com). Terra aims to become the leading Internet provider for the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking markets and maintains web interests in seven countries in Latin America and the US.Terra''s move ...
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Damon takes control of Behaviour
International sales specialist Mark Damon is taking control of troubled Montreal production and distribution entity Behaviour Communications, potentially halting the piece-meal disintegration of what was once one of Canada''s leading entertainment companies. In a last-ditch rescue operation, Damon, who heads of LA-based Behaviour Worldwide, is converting $5.7m owed him by ...
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Next Friday opens well as top four hold strong
With Toy Story 2 still rooted in the UK's number one slot and Three Kings, The Green Mile and The Talented Mr Ripley holding over for the second week in second, third and fourth place, competition for box office dollar among the weekend's openers was intense. But it was Entertainment's ...
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One And Only cleans up at Denmark's Bodils
In a near carbon copy of the Danish Film Academy's recent Robert Awards (Screendaily March 3), the Danish film critics have handed three of their top Bodil Awards to Susanne Bier's The One and Only (Den Eneste Ene).The film walked away with best picture, best actress for Sidse Babett Knudsen ...
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Eagle buys two-picture package from Summit
Newly recapitalised Italian distributor Eagle Pictures has sealed a two picture deal with leading LA sales agent Summit Entertainment for horror picture The Calling and Artisan Entertainment comedy Novocaine starring Steve Martin and Helena Bonham Carter.Summit's Patrick Wachsberger implied that the deal would signal a longterm relationship with Eagle, which ...
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Cinar woes continue with fresh revelations
The beleaguered Cinar Corp issued a warning late Friday that its financial statements for fiscal 1997, 1998 and the three reported quarters of 1999 "should not be relied upon".The company said in a news release that it "appears likely" that its audited financial statements will need to be restated for ...
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CineMedia set to board Becker studio project
Aggressively-expanding German post-production group, CineMedia, is in talks to co-produce a $65-75m adaptation of an unnamed best-selling novel, to be directed by City Hall director Harold Becker.The move marks CineMedia's first foray into international feature production and brings the Munich-based company one step closer to its stated aim of becoming ...
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David Koh joins Palm as acquisitions chief
David Koh has been named head of acquisitions and co-productions for Palm Pictures' theatrical and DVD/home video divisions. He will also work closely with sputnik7.com, an entertainment-based website also founded by Palm chief Chris Blackwell.Koh was previously an acquisitions and co-production executive at WinStar/Fox Lorber where he acquired film and ...
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American Beauty dominates SAG, DGA Awards
Hollywood's final round of awards ceremonies before the Oscars took place over the weekend, and they were almost totally dominated by American Beauty. The DreamWorks film now looks set for a sweep at the Academy Awards on March 26.The film's British director Sam Mendes continued his winning streak, taking top ...
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Bzz, Suburbanites win at Brussels Animation fest
Short animated features Bzz, directed by Benoit Feroumont, and Suburbanites, directed by Stefan Vermeulen, emerged as the big winners at the Brussels Animation Festival (Feb 29 - March 11).Bzz was awarded the First Prize from the French-speaking community, worth BFr100,000, and the Freezeframe prize, worth BFr150,000. Vermeulen's Suburbanites picked up ...
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India's Penta in talks with Digital Domain
Indian computer graphics and animation company Penta Media and US-based Digital Domain are in talks about creating a joint venture.Although details of the talks are not public, the two companies are understood to be discussing both a technical and financial alliance.Meanwhile Penta and Silicon Valley-based 3D animation company 3Dmax Media ...