Small MPU – Page 1171
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News
Momentum, Bac lead charge for The Statement
Summit Entertainment hasconcluded a host of sales deals on Norman Jewison's The Statement which started principal photography on Monday inParis and Marseilles. Momentum Pictures acquiredUK rights, Bac Films took France, Gussi bought the film for Latin America,Filmax for Spain, Nordisk for Scandinavia, Columbia TriStar for Australia,Video Vision for South Africa, ...
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Downtown New York to get new film and arts centre
IFP/New York andFilm/Video Arts (F/VA) have received a $100,000 grant to conduct a feasibilitystudy for a media arts centre in Lower Manhattan.The award ispart of a federal $1m emergency aid package set up to help rebuild New Yorkafter 9/11.The announcementwas made today (Apr 1) by Empire State Development's (ESD) chairmanCharles ...
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Reviews
Salamina Soldiers (Soldados De Salamina)
Dir: David Trueba. Spain. 2003.112 mins.Based on a best-selling novel, Salamina Soldiers (Soldados De Salamina) makes the Spanish Civil War unusually accessible by weaving it into a contemporary tale less concerned with local politics and more with humanity at large. This graceful third feature film from writer-director David Trueba, seems ...
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Reviews
View From The Top
Dir: Bruno Barreto. US. 2003. 87mins.Not the absolute disaster many had anticipated, this long-delayed star-studded comedy should overcome its numerous artistic failings and produce some decent numbers on theatrical release around the world. Certainly its $7m opening from 2,508 sites in North America was nothing to be ashamed of, and ...
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News
Murdoch gets greenlight for Italian job
The European Commission (EC) watchdog has approved the long-awaited merger of Italian pay-TV companies Telepiu and Stream, paving the way for Rupert Murdoch's single pay-TV platform, Sky Italia.The antitrust authority's thumbs-up comes after an arduous two-and-a-half year battle led by News Corp's own Italian pay-TV company, Stream, and Vivendi Universal's ...
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News
FFC grants producers better terms of trade
The Australian Film Finance Corporation (FFC) has unveiled plans to guarantee producers overhead payments and give them greater access to the revenue streams generated by their projects. A group of 24 producers calling itself the Independent Producers' Initiative (IDI) emerged in November to force some action on terms of trade ...
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News
Italy follows France in big budget stakes
Taking a lesson from the French industry, Italian producers are lining up a string of big budget features in a bid to wow local and international audiences.Cast an eye over many of Italy's forthcoming films and one things stands out: despite the financial woes of the local industry, a slew ...
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News
Russian distributors focus on foreign-language films
Russia's box office grew by a stellar 45% last year - and with the chief beneficiaries being the Hollywood majors, Russian distributors are increasingly relying on foreign-language films.Animation and major releases aside, one of the things that characterises the Russian market is the popularity of French films. Thirty-eight French films ...
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News
Menemsha takes North American rights on El Bonaerense
Neil Friedman's LA-based sales and distribution outfit Menemsha Films has acquired North American rights to Argentine police drama El Bonaerense, the second feature from Pablo Trapero. Menemsha secured all rights (with the exception of pay-TV, which went to HBO) from Wild Bunch/ TVOR.Trapero won widespread critical acclaim with his ...
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News
German broadcasters to double film funding
Germany's public and private broadcasters have agreed to double their financial contribution to the German Federal Film Board (FFA) to Euros 22.4m from 2004, State Minister for Culture Christina Weiss (pictured) announced on unveiling the draft German Film Law (FFG) on Wednesday (April 2).While public channels ARD and ZDF will ...
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News
European Film Promotion to tour Argentina
Pan-European promotional body European Film Promtion (EFP) will presenting a touring programme of new European films through Argentina in May and June as part of a first collaboration this year with the Buenos Aires V Festival Internacional de Cine Independente (BA FICI) (April 16-26)Organised under the banner 'New Directors/New Directions', ...
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News
Alliance Atlantis renews pact with Miramax till 2006
Toronto-based AllianceAtlantis and has renewed its long-standing sub-distribution pact with MiramaxFilms. The all-rights, all-media deal encompasses all Miramax and Dimensionproduct through December 2006.Since AAC's precursorAlliance Communications first signed the deal in 1994, the arrangement hasproven lucrative to the Canadian company, which enjoys an overwhelmingmarketshare amongst indigenous distributors and more than ...
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News
US arthouse renamed after benefactor who donated $2.5m
As a reflectionof philanthropy many arthouse film theatres might envy, the Rafael Film Centrein northern California has changed its name to the Christopher B Smith RafaelFilm Centre to honour donations of $2.5m from benefactor Smith.Smith hails from a family of philanthropists andentrepreneurs and is a long-time supporter of the centre, ...
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News
Visionbox, Small Planet team on US release of Charlotte
Los Angeles-basedproduction outfit Visionbox Pictures has teamed up with fledgling USdistributor Small Planet Pictures on the theatrical release of itsaward-winning drama Charlotte Sometimes, with a roll-out scheduled for May in Los Angeles, SanFrancisco, Chicago and Hawaii.The film, written and directed by Eric Byler (Kenji'sFaith), centres on a love triangle betweena ...
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News
The In-Laws gets world premiere at Tribeca
FranchisePictures and Warner Bros' comedy The In-Laws, which stars Michael Douglas and AlbertBrooks, will receive its world premiere at the second Tribeca Film Festival onMay 10, co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal announced today (Apr 3).The picturefollows the uneasy relationship between two prospective fathers-in-law whosechildren are to be married. ...
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News
UIP signs content deal with Neos Interactive
UnitedInternational Pictures (UIP) has signed a non-exclusive content deal with NeosInteractive, the developers of upscale hospitality digital entertainment systemNeosTV (formerly known as IRIS).The deal wasfacilitated by content procurement specialist Federal Hill Communications,which was appointed by Neos Interactive to oversee talks with the majorstudios.The UIP packagefeatures a range of titles including ...
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News
Canal Plus reports 16% turnover increase
Canal Plus, the European pay-TV giant which has seen its shares more than double since November, reported 1999 turnover up by 16%.Driven by its international businesses and film division Le Studio Canal Plus, the group saw revenues for its majority owned operations hit $3.33bn (euro3.29bn), up from $2.78 in the ...
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Film-maker partners with HBO, Magnolia on US release of Friedmans
Capturing TheFriedmans, AndrewJarecki's galvanizing documentary which was the talk of this year'sSundance Film Festival and winner of its documentary grand jury prize, will bereleased in US theatres in a three-way partnership between Jarecki himself,Eamonn Bowles' Magnolia Pictures and HBO Documentary Films. The team hasopted for an exclusive run in New ...
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News
Filardi boards Armada's Drum
Bringing DownThe House screenwriterJason Filardi has signed on as executive producer on independent financing,production and distribution company Armada Pictures' upcoming thriller, Drum.Filardi will supply creative input on the screenplay aswell as other aspects of the production, which is inspired by real events andcentres on two South African journalists involved in ...
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News
Franchise, Warner land Monkeyface
ElieSamaha's Franchise Pictures has signed on to finance the $52m heistthriller Monkeyfaceto star Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and to be directed by StephenFrears. Laura Bickford and Mark Shorrock are producing the film which will be distributedin North America by Warner Bros per its distribution agreement with Franchise.The deal comesjust ...