All articles by Patrick Frater – Page 13
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News
Fortissimo returns to roots with Hong Kong trio
Leading art-house seller Fortissimo is returning to itsroots with the pick-up of three pictures from Hong Kong.Top of the list is Jiang Hu, a gangland epic which isalready benefiting from renewed interest in the genre following InfernalAffairs and has gone on to become one of the big hits of 2004. ...
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News
French box office storms ahead in first quarter
Admissions for the first four months of the year in Franceovertook those in the same period of 2003 by a thumping 16%.According to new data from the Centre Nationale de laCinematographie (CNC) admissions between January and April totalled 68 million,boosted by a heavyweight April, 43% better than the same month ...
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News
Metropolitan takes Stratus Hostage
Metropolitan Filmexport has bought French distributionrights to Hostage, the BruceWillis-starring action thriller financed by Stratus Film Company.The film is directed by French national Florent Emilio Siri,who previously directed local-language action title The Nest (Nid De Guepes). Headed by Sami and Victor Hadida, Metropolitan is the largestindependent in France regularly handling ...
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News
French video market suffers surprise drop
The French video distributors' association(SEV) yesterday sounded the alarm, reporting that the home entertainment marketin France has dropped dramatically.The combined DVD and VHS retail marketretreated by 16% in cash terms, according to the SEV when the first quarter of2004 was compared with the same period of last year. The rental ...
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News
Breaking News added to Cannes line-up
In a late addition to its official line-up, the Cannesfestival is to show Breaking News, the latest picture by legendary HongKong action director Johnnie To.The film will screen in official selection, out ofcompetition on 12:30am on Friday 21 (00:30 Saturday 22 May) in the main SalleLumiere.Festival organisers confirmed that the ...
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News
Breaking News added to festival line-up
In a late addition to its official line-up, the Cannesfestival is to show Breaking News, the latest picture by legendary HongKong action director Johnnie To.The film will screen in official selection, out ofcompetition on 12:30am on Friday 21 (00:30 Saturday 22 May) in the main SalleLumiere.Festival organisers confirmed that the ...
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News
Justice enters new orbit with Lunar
MatthewJustice, the producer who has headed production activities at the successful UKfinancier Invicta Capital, is to strike out on his own.Justice istaking full control of the production company ICL Films that he set-up forInvicta which he joined in late 2001. Renamed as Lunar Films, the company willcontinue to plough the ...
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News
Strong Venice line-up taking shape
Marco Mueller may onlyyesterday have received board approval for his planned changes to theinfrastructure of the Venice festival on Tuesday, but he has wasted no timecoming up with big plans for the programme.His forward-thinking shouldallow the industry more of a chance to plan ahead than this year's Cannes,where many selections ...
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News
Comcast turns its attention to MGM
MGM, the venerable US studio, could be among the newacquisition targets being weighed up by Comcast, the US cable network giant.Comcast this week decided not to pursue its hostile takeoverapproach to Walt Disney. Earlier this year it had offered $54bn for Disney, butthe bid had been rebuffed by the Disneyboard ...
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News
Forman to be honoured at Cannes Europe Day
Celebrated director, Milos Forman is to be the guest ofhonour for the "Europe Day" being organised by the Cannes festival on 18 May.The event is intended to celebrate the growing EuropeanUnion (EU) and the accession next week of ten new countries including Forman'snative Czech Republic. It will take as it ...
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News
Forman to be honoured at Europe Day
Celebrated director, Milos Forman is to be the guest ofhonour for the "Europe Day" being organised by the Cannes festival on 18 May.The event is intended to celebrate the growing EuropeanUnion (EU) and the accession next week of ten new countries including Forman'snative Czech Republic. It will take as it ...
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News
Cannes launches DVD label
In an effort to build itself a year-round brand and keep up with moderntechnology the Cannes festival has launched a DVD label and a new prize.The festival will not be moving into the rights market, but rather givea badge of approval to a number of titles handled by existing homeentertainment ...
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News
Cannes Festival launches DVD label
In an effort to build itself a year-round brand and keep up with moderntechnology the Cannes festival has launched a DVD label and a new prize.The festival will not be moving into the rights market, but rather givea badge of approval to a number of titles handled by existing homeentertainment ...
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News
Mikhalkov to head Cannes short film competition jury.
Russiandirector Nikita Mikhalkov is to head the jury that will judge the short filmcompetition at Cannes.Also on thejury are actress-director Nicole Garcia, actress Marisa Parades and directorsNuri Bilge Ceylan and Pablo Trapero.They willpreside over the short and medium films from film schools presented in theCinefondation section.Prizes forthe Cinefondation will be ...
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News
Mikhalkov to head short film competition jury
Russiandirector Nikita Mikhalkov is to head the jury that will judge the short filmcompetition at Cannes.Also on thejury are actress-director Nicole Garcia, actress Marisa Parades and directorsNuri Bilge Ceylan and Pablo Trapero.They willpreside over the short and medium films from film schools presented in theCinefondation section.Prizes forthe Cinefondation will be ...
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News
Asian jewels to shine at Udine
Udine's festival of Far Eastern Film (23-30 April) looks set to present many of the most commercially successful films of the year from Asia.Bookended by Feng Xiao Gang's Cell Phone and Kang Je Gytu's Tae Guk Gi the main programme is a line-up of 41 films from China, Hong Kong, ...
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News
NEW Slimline Cannes hides its surprises in the detail
Cannes' competition holds few surprises in that the line-up has been widely predicted. But it contains a number of innovations and presents a genuinely diverse panoply of film-making around the world.In the spirit of small is beautiful, the number of films in main competition has been cut from 23 last ...
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News
Slimline Cannes hides its surprises in the detail
Cannes' competition holds few surprises in that the line-up has been widely predicted. But it contains a number of innovations and presents a genuinely diverse panoply of film-making around the world.In the spirit of small is beautiful, the number of films in main competition has been cut from 23 last ...
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Reviews
Goddess Of Mercy
Dir: Ann Hui. China. 2004. 109mins.A word of warning for viewers of a nervous disposition: there is precious little mercy in this lifetime for anyone, especially the men, connected with the heroine An Xin. But Goddess Of Mercy is not a man-hating diatribe. Experienced director Ann Hui delivers an understated ...
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News
Fortissimo earns Forgiveness
Hong Kong and TheNetherlands-based Fortissimo Film Sales has picked up international rights to Forgiveness,a timely South African drama from the DV8 stable.With a cast headed by TheMummy star Arnold Vosloo, the story is that of an anti-hero. A former Apartheidpoliceman is psychologically tormented by the atrocities he committed in hispast. ...