All articles by Patrick Frater – Page 13
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News
BVITV closes raft of deals at MIP-TV
Buena Vista International Television, the rights sales arm of Walt Disney, has announced a string of deals at this week's MIP-TV programmes market (29 Mar-2 Apr).With Russian broadcaster CTC it concluded a multi-year deal covering feature films, series and TV movies. Films covered by the deal hail from the Walt ...
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Viacom extends TV accords in China
Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns Paramount, Blockbuster, MTV and CBS, announced that it had reached several new agreements with Chinese partners covering programming, production and information technology.The agreements follow a week-long tour of China by veteran Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone. However, Redstone failed to obtain the extension to the ...
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France Telecom and Canal Plus merge cable ops
Canal Plus and FranceTelecom have signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to combine theirFrench cable networks in a sign of further upheaval in the troubled sector.The groups says that mergingtheir cable operations NC Numericable and France Telecom Cable, respectivelythe country's third and second largest networks, would "create the conditionsfor the ...
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Mickie, Chesneau join Celluloid Dreams
Charlotte Mickie and Sebastian Chesneau are to bolster the sales team of French film sales powerhouse Celluloid Dreams. Their arrival coincides with the forthcoming departure of long-standing Celluloid sales executive Pierre Menahem.Having handled titles including Bowling For Columbine and Ararat, veteran seller Mickie recently saw her job eliminated by Alliance ...
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French production hits record levels in 2003
All lights went green lastyear in the French production sector.Production volume in Francereached an all-time high of 212 features; total production spend on Frenchfeatures or majority French co-productions soared by 34% from Euros861m in 2002to Euros1.15bn; and foreign investment doubled from Euros182m to Euros364m.According to new data fromthe National Cinema ...
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Rozier to be Critics Week patron
Jacques Rozier, the Frenchdirector who was one of the founding fathers of the Nouvelle Vague, has beenappointed patron of the Critics' Week (13-21 May) sidebar for the forthcomingCannes film festival.As patron Rozier willsupport and advise the event and on Monday 17 May lead an organised debate withthe directors whose films ...
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Parliament ratifies Belgian tax shelter
Members of the Belgian parliament yesterday unanimously voted in favour of the country's proposed tax shelter scheme (see ScreenDaily.com 8 Jan 2004)The scheme, which took practical effect from Jan 1, permits reductions in corporate tax bills in return for guarantees on production spending in Belgium.Investors are able to enjoy a ...
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France's Spring cinema promotion attracts 2.5 million
France's annual Spring promotional drive 'Printemps Au Cinema' clocked up 2.5 million spectators, who took advantage of the cut-price ticket offer at cinemas across the country.The three-day figure meant no change compared with the 2003 promo drive and was a touch disappointing after a strong start on Sunday, when numbers ...
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Vivendi reduces its losses to Euros 1.1bn
Vivendi Universal recorded a net loss of Euros1.14bn for 2003, down from the record breaking loss by a French company of Euros 23.3bn that it registered in 2002.The group said that the results reflected tighter management of costs and the disposal of several assets, although the sale of the US ...
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EU renews subsidy regime for three more years
The European Commission has decided to extend for three more years the structures under which European governments are allowed to financially support their local film industries.The ruling, announced today (16 March), follows some six months of consultation with governments and film-makers ahead of the expiry in June 2004 of the ...
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Liberty Media to create cable giant in France
UnitedGlobalCom, part of John Malone's Liberty Media, has confirmed that it is to buy the 50.1% controlling stake in leading French cable network Noos that is currently owned by the Suez group. The move could be the first step towards a major rationalisation of the still fragmented French cable sector.Separately, ...
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Spring bounce for French cinema promotional drive
France's annual Spring promotional drive 'Printemps Au Cinema' got off to a good start yesterday (Sunday 14 March) with 1.2 million tickets sold at the box office. That represents a 15% increase on the same day last year and is the biggest single day total in the five year history ...
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Good Lawyer's Wife wins Deauville Asian film fest
The top prize at the Deauville festival of Asian film, the Lotus d'Or was yesterday (Sun 14 March) awarded to Korean film A Good Lawyer's Wife by director Im Sang-Soo.The festival, now in its the sixth edition, was long on Korean films and martial arts pictures. It included a retrospective ...
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Beyond sells Good Woman to Japan
Beyond Films, the London-based, Australian-owned sales agent, has wrapped up a large number of deals on its AFM slate.Mike Barker's Scarlett Johansson-starring, Oscar Wilde adaptation A Good Woman was sold to Gaga Communications for Japan, Prooptiki for Greece, Bergvik for Iceland, Gulf Films for the Middle East, LNK Audiovisuais for ...
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AFM: Gemini Films scores with Ma Mere
French sales house GeminiFilms enjoyed strong sales at the American Film Market on its Christophe Honoretitle Ma Mere and on forthcoming Andre Techine picture Changing TimesMa Mere was sold to CNC (Benelux), Mont Blanc (Switzerland),Italian International Films (Italy), Audiovisual (Greece), Paradise (Russia),Shani Films (Israel), Filmax (Spain), Alfa Films (Argentina), Independenta(Romania) ...
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Renaissance strikes key Pobby And Dingan pre-sales
On the strength of its screenplay and director, but as yet no cast attachments, Renaissance Films has struck pivotal pre-sales deals on Pobby And Dingan, a rites-of-passage story set in the Australian outback that is due to start shooting on location in July.Gaga Communications of Japan and A-Film/Cinelibre of Benelux ...
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Celluloid Dreams strikes US deals for Berlinale titles
Top French sales house Celluloid Dreams managed two North American deals on its burgeoning art-house slate.Cedric Kahn's Red Lights (Feux Rouges) was sold to Wellspring Media for the US. That complemented earlier business with Bim for Italy, Films De L'Elysee for Belgium, Artificial Eye for the UK, Maywin for Russia, ...
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Arclight drums up Lord Of War sales
Arclight Films has had a busy time handling demand for its forthcoming espionage action film Lord Of War, starring Nicolas Cage.The $48m thriller is to be directed by Andrew Niccol from mid-July on location in South Africa. It co-stars Monica Bellucci and Ethan Hawke.The picture was licensed to Gaga Communications ...
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Cinema Service learns to speak Chinese
Korean major Cinema Servicehas tied up a multi-picture deal with Thomas Leong's Hong Kong productionoutfit Lotus Entertainment.While details of theagreement have yet to be finalised, the deal is understood to involve CinemaService financing a slate of Chinese pictures that Lotus will source, developand produce."We want to make genuinelyChinese films that ...
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US channel opens up for Asian films
The chances of Asian films getting North Americandistribution are set to increase with the launch later this year ofImaginasianTV, one of the US' first dedicated Asian entertainmentchannels.The company was set up last year at the initiative ofMichael Hong, a former Spelling Television and Paramount executive. Backed by aconsortium of asset ...