Small MPU – Page 1473
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News
AusFILM's Pratt to step down as LA-based film commissioner
AusFILM's LA-based film commissioner David Pratt is to leave his job after six years in the post.AusFILM is responsible for marketing Australia as a location for film and television production."David has been a wonderful asset," said Sydney-based chief executive Trisha Rothkrans. "We are very grateful to him for the outstanding ...
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NonStop takes Buena Vista sequel for Scandinavia, Baltics
Stockholm based distributor NonStop Entertainment has acquired Scandinavian and Baltic rights to Musica Cubana - The Sons Of Havana, the follow up to Buena Vista Social Club.Sold by Victory Media Group, the deal was struck at MIP-TV. Produced by Wim Wenders, Musica Cubana follows a group of Cuban musicians ...
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BVIT to sell Miramax reality TV show
Buena Vista International Television, Walt Disney's film and TV sales division, has picked up its first TV product from Miramax Television.BVITV will handle Project Runway, a reality show offering a 'behind the catwalk' look at the fashion industry, and the associated format rights. The US show features supermodel Heidi Klum ...
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Prisa to acquire Spanish publisher ahead of float
Spanish multimedia conglomerate Prisa Group is acquiring Santillana de Ediciones, one of the Spanish-speaking world's largest publishing houses, for an undisclosed amount. The move is seen as an effort by Prisa to add muscle to its planned 25% stock flotation in June.The Prisa announcement coincided with media rival Telefonica's much-discussed ...
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HBO Films wraps up Mrs Harris
Production has wrapped in Los Angeles on Mrs Harris, starring Annette Bening and Sir Ben Kingsley.The Number 9 Films and Killer Films production is produced for HBO, and is written and directed by playwright Phyllis Nagy.A tale of love and obsession, Mrs Harris explores the story of Jean Harris (Bening), ...
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Senator in 'takeover talks' with mystery investor
Troubled German producer-distributor Senator Entertainment is reportedly "negotiating with a strategic investor" to invest in the company.Berlin daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday that Senator's executive board was "conducting takeover talks with a limited partnership active in the film fund business."It also quoted Bolko Hoffmann, CEO of Effectenspiegel which ...
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Chancellor Schroeder to open Oberhausen short film fest
Germany's Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is to be one of the opening speakers at the 50th edition of the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival (April 29 - May 4)The opening event will also see filmmakers Wim Wenders, Soenke Wortmann, Romuald Karmakar and Eija-Liisa Ahtila presenting short films which were screened ...
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News
Mira Nair hatches film deal with Indian poultry giant
Mira Nair's Mirabai Films has announced a partnership with Indian poultry giant Balaji Rao's Bala Entertainment to establish a film production company that will create independent Asian cinema for the world market.The new production company, International Bhenji Brigade, is looking at producing three South Asian or Asian diaspora films over ...
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Malaysia cracks down on film piracy
Malaysia scored a major crackdown on piracy on 1 April when $1.3m worth of illegal DVDs and VCDs and replicating equipment were seized from a single syndicate. Some of the discs were for distribution to India.The seizure is the biggest this year: together with 18 CD burners, more than 800,000 ...
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Top producers launch Indian awards ceremony
Indian producers body the Film Producers Guild of India is to launch its own awards ceremony next month.The nominees for the first Apsara FPGI Awards will be announced on May 5 with prizes to be unveiled at a ceremony in Mumbai on May 29.The 50-year old Guild has 153 by-invitation-only ...
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News
Grosvenor Park's Taylor to spearhead TriMedia feature push
DanielTaylor, managing director of UK tax financier Grosvenor Park, is joiningTriMedia Entertainment, the entertainment company of 90s rap mogul ChrisSchwartz, to spearhead a push into producing youth-oriented, music-drivenfeatures with European music stars.Taylortakes up the post of president at TriMedia in addition to his Grosvenor Parkduties. The two companies are hatching ...
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News
Mira Nair serves as guest director for LAFF
Film-maker Mira Nair is toserve as guest director for the 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival. In this role,she will host a two-day film-maker retreat, programme a sidebar of films thathave inspired her work and attend opening night festivities.The tenth annual Los AngelesFilm Festival runs from June 17 to June 26. ...
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News
Slamdance turns to US distribution, talent managing
The founder ofthe Slamdance Film Festival Peter Baxter has teamed up with film and TVproducer and manager Robert Schwartz and Cleveland-based businessman GeorgeKetvertis to launch Slamdance Media Group, a new US distribution and talentmanagement outfit based in Los Angeles.The company hasalready closed a home entertainment output deal with Ventura Entertainment, ...
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Passion poised for more gold over Easter weekend
Easter weekend sees somewide studio offerings hit the markets, while other pictures already in themarket, most notably The Passion Of The Christ will be looking for holiday audiences to bump theirgrosses.Most notably, The Passion opens in Italy on Friday through Eagle Pictureswhich has spent Euros 2.5m to launch the film. ...
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Reviews
My Life So Far
Dir: Hugh Hudson. UK. 1999. 93mins.Prod Co: Enigma, Hugh Hudson Films. Int'l sales: Miramax International. Prods: David Puttnam, Steve Norris. Exec prods: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Webster. Scr: Simon Donald from the autobiography Son Of Adam by Sir Denis Forman. DoP: Bernard Lutic. Prod des: Andy Harris. Ed: Scott ...
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Reviews
Bad Education (La Mala Educacion)
Dir/scr: Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 2004. 104 minsPedro Almodovar's status as Europe's most distinctive and bankable auteur is effortlessly maintained with Bad Education, a rich fusion of film noir and melodrama spun with all the intricacy of a spider's web. Autobiographical memories and Almodovar's trademark preoccupations with death and desire are ...
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Reviews
Walking Tall
Dir: Kevin Bray. 2004. US. 86mins.Former wrestler turned action hero The Rock stars in this updated and reconstituted revenge saga based on the true story of Sheriff Buford Pusser, whose vigilante exploits in a small Tennessee town set the stage for the 1970's trilogy of 'hickspolitation' films on which this ...
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Reviews
The Alamo
Dir: John Lee Hancock. US. 2003. 136mins.Reconceived and re-budgeted after the departure of original director Ron Howard and then rescheduled by Disney from its planned release date last Christmas, The Alamo finally arrives on screen with a lot of baggage. But it's not the baggage that weighs down this latest ...
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Germany's Senator files for insolvency
Beleaguered German producer-distributor Senator Entertainment filed for insolvency today (April 8) after failing to agree a rescue plan with its creditor banks and potential investors.The Berlin-based company said the filing affected parent company Senator Entertainment AG as well as the subsidiaries Senator Film Produktion GmbH, Senator Film Verleih GmbH and ...
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City Screen looks to expand UK arthouse circuit
Arts Alliance Media (AAM), the venture capital firm which owns a majority stake in City Screen, is looking to expand the art house cinema chain yet further.The company has already earmarked another unnamed London cinema outside the West End to add to the City Screen circuit, which currently stands at ...