Small MPU – Page 1028
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MGM to remake Valley Girl as musical with 80s hits
Mary Parent has green lit her first musical since arriving as chairman of the worldwide motion picture group at MGM and announced that the studio will revisit its 1983 comedy Valley Girl.The inspiration comes from an idea by Idealogy Inc's Sean Bailey and Matt Smith that will update the storyline ...
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Ledger to be honoured by Brisbane Film Festival
The late actor, Heath Ledger, was this morning named as the latest recipient of the Chauvel Award, given each year as part of the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) to celebrate someone who has made a distinguished contribution to Australian cinema. Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award for his ...
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Japan sees increase in digital and Imax screens
Exhibition technology is accelerating in Japan with announcements of four new large-scale Imax screens and Japan's first all-digital multiplex. Major studio Shochiku has announced tech specifications of its new 10-screen multiplex, the Shinjuku Piccadilly, set to open tomorrow (July 19).In partnership with DLP market leader Christie Digital Systems (in Japan ...
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MegaStar Media opens fifth multiplex in Vietnam
Vietnamese exhibitor MegaStar Media has opened its fifth multiplex in Vietnam, in the central coastal city of Danang.Situated in the new shopping mall, Vinh Trung Plaza, the cinema has six screens and 854 seats, which brings MegaStar's total screen count to 36.The exhibitor, which is a joint venture between Envoy ...
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UTV releases Kismat day-and-date in Pakistan
India's UTV Motion Pictures released its fourth Hindi film of the year today (July 18), Kismat Konnection, across 720 screens in India and 200 in overseas markets. The overseas territories include the UK, US, Middle East, Australia and Pakistan, which will also have a day-and-date release.Directed by Aziz Mirza and ...
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EC approves new film tax schemes in Latvia and Sardinia
The European Commission has approved two film support schemes that address the specific problems faced by film communities in rural or smaller European areas -- specifically in Latvia and Sardinia.In Latvia, the aim is that a new $68m (Euros 43m), six-year support scheme will help audiences across rural Latvia access ...
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Sarajevo Talent Campus lecturers include Ceylan, Leigh, Lustig
Sarajevo Film Festival has announced the participants for the Second Sarajevo Talent Campus, running Aug 17-23, during the 14th Sarajevo Film Festival.After reading the application forms, and viewing the 3-minute films submitted by more than 250 applicants from all 13 countries of the region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, ...
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Ecosse teams with Control writer for John Lennon project
BAFTA-winning Control screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh is now developing Nowhere Boy, about John Lennon's relationship with his mother and aunt. Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae of Ecosse Films (Brideshead Revisited, The Water Horse) will produce. The script has been co-developed with distributor 2 Entertain.Greenhalgh is basing the script on John's sister ...
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Marquet to take strategic role at StudioCanal
Daniel Marquet, one of the most familiar faces at film markets, is to take a new role within the ever-changing StudioCanal group. From January he becomes head of corporate development (directeur delegue au developpement). A strategic role, answerable to StudioCanal principals Vincent Grimond and Michel Schmidt, he will be responsible ...
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Kinowelt's distribution chief Miros leaves company
Georg Miros, head of marketing and sales at Leipzig-based Kinowelt Filmverleih since 2003, has left the company as of today to pursue new professional challenges.Miros had been responsible for the successful release of such films as Deep Blue, Million Dollar Baby, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The March of the Penguins, ...
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Georgian drama Washington takes $10,000 Bals prize in Yerevan
At the second DAB Co-Production Forum in Yerevan, the Hubert Bals Fund Award has been given to Washington by Andro Sakvarelidze & Giga Chkheidze of Georgia.Washington was named best out of the 12 projects presented and will get the prize money of $9,970 (Euros 5,000) to support development.Washington is seen ...
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Intramovies takes on Bondi's Locarno premiere Black Sea
A day after the official announcement of this year's Locarno Festival programme, Italian sales outfit Intramovies has swooped on competition title Black Sea (Mar Nero) from new director Federico Bondi.A world premiere in Locarno,Black Seawas produced by Film Kairos.'It's an arthouse film, a quality picture with a social theme,' Intramovies' ...
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Seven Days (Shiva) is tops at 25th Jerusalem Film Festival
Seven Days (Shiva) by Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz, which opened this year's Cannes Critics Week, was the big winner competition vying for the Wolgin awards for the Best Israeli films at the 25th Jerusalem Film Festival. There were only three other competitors.Having pared down their picture by some 12 minutes, ...
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Jeff Maynard joins TWC as svp of post-production
Jeff Maynard has joined The Weinstein Company (TWC) as senior vice president of post-production.Maynard, who previously worked on various projects as a producer, technical consultant and post-production supervisor, will oversee post on all original productions and acquisitions for TWC and Dimension Films.He will be based in TWC's Los Angeles office ...
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IFC Films brings Ping Pong Playa to US theatres on Sept 5
IFC Films has acquired US rights to Jessica Yu's drama Ping Pong Playa, which will screen on closing night of the Asian-American Film Festival in New York on July 19.IFC Films plans to release Ping Pong Playa in theatres on September 5.Yu co-wrote the screenplay with Jimmy Tsai, who also ...
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Verhoeven attached to direct The Forgotten Soldier
Paul Verhoeven, whose last film Black Book was one of his most acclaimed in years, has become attached to another World War II story The Forgotten Soldier based on the memoir by Guy Sajer.The story follows Sajer's harrowing experiences as a teenager as a French recruit in the German army ...
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Local hits drive German box-office boom
Thanks to such local hits as Til Schweiger's romantic comedy Rabbit Without Ears and Dennis Gansel's school drama The Wave, box-office takings for German films increased year-on-year by almost 50% in the first half of 2008.While German films posted $ 103m (Euros 64.4m) in the first six months of 2007, ...
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The Dark Knight conquers all-time domestic opening record
Cinema's perfect storm rolled across North America and lived up months of hype as The Dark Knight tore up the record books with an all-time high $155.3m North American three-day opening weekend that consigned Spider-Man 3's $151.1m May 2007 mark to history.Warner Bros' hugely anticipated $185m sequel to the 2005 ...
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Hancock leads international but Dark Knight arrives with a bang
Sony Pictures Releasing International's Hancock returned to the top of the international arena thanks to an estimated $44.8m haul from 8,286 screens in 71 markets, however the superhero that will capture the headlines is Batman.The Dark Knight stormed out of the gates day-and-date with North America and in far fewer ...
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Tokyo Sonata wins best film at Osian's Cinefan
Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata was awarded best film at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema on Saturday night (July 19). Best director went to Turkey's Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Three Monkeys, echoing his best director win at Cannes earlier this year. Tokyo Sonata also screened ...