Small MPU – Page 1372
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News
The Pledge shows international promise
Sean Penn's latest directorial effort, The Pledge, saw strong openings in several key territories this week and continues to find solid success in others. Opening in Germany and Switzerland on Oct 11 and the UK on Oct 12 the drama, which features an all-star cast headlined by Jack Nicholson, showed ...
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France has big appetite for American Pie 2
American Pie 2 has bolted out of the starting blocks in France, with more than a quarter of a million admissions on its first day of release, making it the sixth best opening of the year so far.Debuting on 495 prints, the UIP title pushed last week's chart-topper Bridget Jones's ...
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Lars von Trier lines up Wagner and Wendy
Fully living up to his maverick reputation, Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier (pictured), will not only direct Richard Wagner's mammoth 3-day long opera The Ring Of The Nibelungen in Germany but is writing a US-set film that features guns - but not lead girls."To head a staging The Ring Of ...
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Germany's MBP launches family entertainment fund
Low budget family entertainment features are the focus of a new film fund being launched by Munich-based financier MBP whose past credits include Istvan Szabo's Taking Sides, Fred Schepisi's Last Orders and Jimmy Murakami's animation feature Christmas Carol.MBP NY 121 (NY 121 refers to MBP's address in Munich's Nymphenburger Strasse) ...
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Golden Harvest reports reduced crop
Robert De Niro, togetherwith his business partner Jane Rosenthal, formally unveiled plans yesterday fortheir new four-day film festival in downtown Manhattan that they hope can helprevitalize a neighbourhood devastated by the terror attacks on September 11th.The first annual TribecaFilm Festival will run from May 1st-May 5th and showcasesome 40 feature ...
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peppermint to launch film distribution at Mifed
The German international sales sector has seen some movement with the news that the German TV distributor peppermint is to launch a feature film distribution arm at the forthcoming MIFED market with eight titles, including Ralf Huettner's romantic comedy Moonlight Tariff (Mondscheintarif) and Stefan Jaeger's digitally shot Birthday.As part of ...
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UK's ITC argues for early Carlton/Granada merge
The chairman of the Independent Television Commission (ITC), one of the UK's broadcast regulators, has called on the government to bring in urgent interim legislation that would allow the two largest commercial broadcasters to merge.Sir Robin Biggam, said: "We are going through tough times and government needs to act quickly ...
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Baltic states embark on exhibition growth
Cinema admissions in Scandinavia and the Baltic region are set to top 60 million by 2005, as cinema development begins to take hold in the relatively under-established Baltic markets of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to a report by industry analysts Dodona Research. Lithuania, the largest of the Baltic States, ...
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Miramax burrows Down Under with Sydney offshoot
Miramax International says it has taken major steps toward more closely controlling its own distribution and marketing in Australia and New Zealand through the establishment of a new Sydney office to be headed by former Roadshow executive David Collins.Miramax says its Australasian operation will perform a similar function to its ...
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Reviews
Musa: The Warrior
Dir: Kim Sung-Su. South Korea 2001 154 MinsThis South Korean blockbuster had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival at the same time as the September 11 attacks sent journalists and buyers racing from screening rooms to watch real-life horror unfold on TV sets. Those who missed the film ...
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Cobalt taps into German WorldWide Picture Fund
Cobalt, the London and Los Angeles-based sales and financing house, is tapping into German financing through a Euro 100m fund being launched by local studio facility Studio Hamburg and the German arm of ING Bank.The partners are to finance around seven international pictures budgeted up to $20m each through the ...
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LaPlante & Balhetchet launch UK Cougar Films
Established UK television drama producers Lynda La Plante and Sophie Balhetchet have launched Cougar Films, an outfit geared towards the development and production of commercial features.The company, which has started development on several projects, will also serve as an outlet for developing Balhetchet's future television projects. La Plante will continue ...
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News
Japanese opt not to travel to London or Mifed
London and Mifed were dealt a blow this week when Japanese buyers and sellers voted to stay at home en masse due to travel fearsCompanies cancelling their trips completely include Shochiku and Asmik Ace, while companies cancelling as buyers include Toho Towa. Nippon Herald will send two buyers to London ...
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From Hell wins box office race
20th Century Fox scored another number one hit over the weekend as its R-rated Jack The Ripper thriller From Hell directed by Allen & Albert Hughes opened with an estimated $11.3m in North America.Starring Johnny Depp as a Scotland Yard inspector and Heather Graham as a Whitechapel prostitute and one ...
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News
Tim Roth tapped for Natural Nylon's $23m Cromwell
Tim Roth is in final negotiations to play 17th century English revolutionary Oliver Cromwell in IAC Film's Crowmell And Fairfax.Roth will star opposite Dougray Scott, who plays general Fairfax. Mike Barker is directing the $23m Natural Nylon production, which is to shoot in January after cutting a deal with UK ...
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Overseas takes Julie Walking Home worldwide
Overseas Filmgroup has acquired worldwide distribution on Agnieszka Holland's new film Julie Walking Home and has partnered with Pierce Brosnan's Irish Dreamtime to take on international sales on Bruce Beresford's Evelyn.Julie Walking Home, which is currently shooting in Holland's native Poland, stars Miranda Otto, Lothaire Bluteau and William Fichtner. It ...
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Lions Gate takes int'l rights on Nine Queens
Lions Gate Films International has picked up international distribution rights to the Argentinian hit Nine Queens (Nueve Reinas) which was acquired for North American distribution earlier this year by Sony Pictures Classics. The pick-up echoes Lions Gate's acquisition of another Latin American movie, Amores Perros, which became a breakout hit ...
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Beatrix Wesle joins Menemsha Entertainment
Beatrix Wesle, well-known on the European market circuit from stints at Advanced Medien and Tobis Filmkunst, has joined Neil Friedman's Menemsha Entertainment as senior vice president of international sales.Based in Munich, Wesle will co-ordinate European financing and sales for Menemsha, which has built a reputation as a leading seller of ...
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Sacker and Savay-Ross form CUE
Neil Sacker and Julie Savay-Ross have teamed up to form Creative Union Entertainment (CUE), a new LA-based international sales and financing outfit which kicks off with Wesley Snipes-starrer When The Ride Is Ruff.Sacker, a former executive vice president, business and legal affairs at Miramax Films and senior counsel at Warner ...
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The Phantom Menace takes latest DVD crown
Twentieth Century Fox has claimed a new record for first day sales of a DVD with the release of Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace. The picture racked up $17m on Tuesday Oct 16 Oct, through traditional retail outlets. Buena Vista Home Entertainment the previous week sold $20m-$25m of ...