Small MPU – Page 134

  • News

    Film Co adds pair to Cannes starting line-up

    2001-05-04T19:11:00Z

    On the eve of Cannes, UK sales outfit The Film Company has added titles from Rob Green and John Luessenhop to its slate.Green's The Bunker stars Jason Flemyng, Jack Davenport and Christopher Fairbank and is a drama about trapped German soldiers during WWII. It is produced by Daniel Figuero for ...

  • News

    ONrequest signs pay-per-view deal with Buena Vista

    2001-05-04T19:14:00Z

    Digital pay-per-view service ONrequest has signed a film licensing agreement with Buena Vista International Television.The deal gives ONrequest - a joint venture between ONdigital and SDN - digital terrestrial television pay per view rights to a package of films including Scream 3, The Cider House Rules, High Fidelity, Gone In ...

  • News

    UK's Optimum adds Grosso's Peaches

    2001-05-04T19:16:00Z

    Optimum Releasing has acquired UK theatrical rights to Peaches, a Stone Ridge Entertainment production written and directed by Nick Grosso.The acquisition follows Optimum's acquisition this week of three titles: comedy thriller Ginger Snaps; French-language film Le Secret and Suri Krishnamma's coming-of-age drama New Year's Day (Screendaily.com, May 2).Peaches is billed ...

  • News

    Intertainment opens Window to life after Franchise

    2001-05-04T20:25:00Z

    Intertainment, the rights trader which is locked in an ugly litigation tussle with Franchise Pictures, has set A Window To Atlantis as the first project to flow from its deal with Hollywood veteran Arnold Kopelson.The German group said on Friday (May 4) that it is now actively looking for new ...

  • News

    Full rundown of Writers Guild contract agreement

    2001-05-06T15:49:00Z

    The first potentially catastrophic labour strike which has hung over the Hollywood film industry for over a year now has been averted. In a press conference called for Friday afternoon, the Writers Guild Of America (WGA) said that it had reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance Of Motion Picture ...

  • News

    The Mummy Returns is a monster; opens on $70.1m

    2001-05-06T22:30:00Z

    Universal Pictures celebrated the second biggest opening in cinema history at the North American box office this weekend, as its adventure sequel The Mummy Returns grossed a spectacular estimated $70.1m. Only one film - Universal's own The Lost World: Jurassic Park - had a bigger three-day take of $72m in ...

  • News

    The Mummy Returns is a monster; opens on $70.1m

    2001-05-06T22:30:00Z

    Universal Pictures celebrated the second biggest opening in cinema history at the North American box office this weekend, as its adventure sequel The Mummy Returns grossed a spectacular estimated $70.1m. Only one film - Universal's own The Lost World: Jurassic Park - had a bigger three-day take of $72m in ...

  • News

    San Sebastian unveils three retrospectives

    2001-05-07T09:19:00Z

    Making his first announcement about content, MikelOlaciregui, the new director of the San SebastianInternational Film Festival, unveiled a 2001 programmecontaining three retrospective sections.The festival, now in its 49th edition (Sept 20-29),will feature a "classic" retrospective dedicated to USdirector Frank Borzage, a "contemporary" retrospectiveof the works of director Otar Iosseliani and ...

  • News

    Searchlight's Lisa Fragner joins Rudolph & Beer

    2001-05-07T11:04:00Z

    New York entertainment law firm Rudolph & Beer (R&B) has formed a new division R&B FM (Film & Music) to be headed by Lisa Fragner, formerly head of east coast production and development for Fox Searchlight Pictures. Fragner has been at Searchlight for four years in production and development, ...

  • News

    Barrandov dispels early sale rumours

    2001-05-07T11:48:00Z

    Rumours have flown in recent days concerning an imminent purchase of Czech film studio Barrandov, but the company says that a quick deal is unlikely.The weekly Prague Business Journal last week reported that an unnamed "small group of Los Angeles film makers" were making a bid for Barrandov and ...

  • News

    Grosvenor Park launches German fund

    2001-05-07T11:52:00Z

    Canadian-UK financier Grosvenor Park, which has specialised in funding films through the UK's sale and leaseback system, is now planning to have a piece of the action in Germany's $2.3bn (DM5bn) private media fund sector. It has set up Munich-based Grosvenor Park Media GmbH to offer private German investors the ...

  • News

    Filmbox raises cash for French video expansion

    2001-05-07T12:18:00Z

    French video group Filmbox has raised $1.05m (Euros1.2m) from a group of private investors to expand the services offered by its network of automated video dispensers.The company, which was formed in January last year by Stephane Chiche, currently operates some 3,000 dispensers located in supermarkets and other retail outlets across ...

  • News

    American Rhapsody to open 6th Nantucket Film Fest

    2001-05-07T17:17:00Z

    American Rhapsody, produced and sold internationally by Fireworks Pictures and to be distributed domestically by Paramount Classics, will have its world premiere as the opening night film of the sixth annual Nantucket Film Festival on June 20.20 films will be presented at the festival which runs from June 20 to ...

  • News

    The Piano Teacher goes to Artificial Eye for UK

    2001-05-07T18:13:00Z

    UK specialist distributor Artificial Eye Film Distribution has picked up Austrian auteur Michael Haneke's Cannes Official Competition entry The Piano Teacher.The Austrian-French title, which is represented on the Croisette by international sales outfit MK2, stars Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot and Benoit Magimel.Artificial Eye this year teamed with Metro Tartan Films, ...

  • News

    Dogtown skates into arms of Sony Pictures Classics

    2001-05-07T18:16:00Z

    Sony Pictures Classics has picked up North American and English speaking territory rights to Dogtown And Z-Boys, winner of the audience award for best documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival.Written and directed by Stacey Peralta the $600,000 skateboarding documentary was fully funded by Vans, the athletic shoe-maker most identified ...

  • News

    Granat, Anschutz become classroom mates

    2001-05-07T18:17:00Z

    Former Dimension Films president Cary Granat has teamed up with billionaire (and now exhibition mogul) Philip Anschutz to create a new production outfit Walden Media with plans to make films, TV programming, new media and publishing initiatives "that educate, foster curiosity and an ongoing interest in learning."Walden Media's key executive ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch takes worldwide rights to Madhouse

    2001-05-07T18:21:00Z

    StudioCanal specialist division Wild Bunch will handle worldwide rights on French-Spanish co-production Madhouse (Una Casa De Locos) from director Cedric Klapisch.Madhouse stars a pan-European cast of up-and-comers led by Romain Duris, Judith Godreche, Cristina Brondo and Paulina Galvez in a comedy about a group of international students sharing an apartment ...

  • News

    Amelie dropped for surprise Cannes film

    2001-05-07T18:55:00Z

    A surprise film is to replace the outdoor screening on Sunday (May 13) of local hit Amelie From Montmartre, which has been cancelled.Amelie was shoehorned into the festival after pressure from its producer and other Cannes leading lights, who upbraided the selectors for its non-inclusion. Cannes' artistic director Thierry Fremaux ...

  • News

    Cine Expo honours Cripps, Working Title duo

    2001-05-07T19:43:00Z

    Working Title Films co-chiefs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are to be honoured as producers of the year at Cinema Expo International 2001, while UIP president and chief operating officer Andrew Cripps is distributor of the year.The awards will be dished out at the final night gala bash at the ...

  • News

    Charlotte screenwriter joins English Civil War

    2001-05-08T17:13:00Z

    Jeremy Brock, who adapted FilmFour and Ecosse Films' World War 2 romantic adventure Charlotte Gray, is to turn his hand to the English Civil War.The as-yet-untitled project is an epic love story which will re-unite with Brock and Ecosse. Along with the $25m Charlotte Gray, which was adapted from ...