Small MPU – Page 1724

  • News

    Venice names jury members

    2003-08-12T00:00:00Z

    The Venice Film Festival has unveiled the jury members for both its competitions, confirming that veteran Italian filmmaker Mario Monicelli will head the jury of the traditional Venice 60 competition (ScreenDaily.com Aug 12)Joining Monicelli, who received Venice's Golden Lion award in 1959 for his classic film The Great War, will ...

  • News

    Human Stain producer Steindorff wins backing

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    ProducerScott Steindorff, whose credits include the upcoming Miramax drama The HumanStain, has teamed up with Las Vegas business-people Andrew Molasky and Danny andRobin Greenspun to form Stone Village Entertainment.Thedeal transforms Steindorff's existing Stone Village Productions into a broaderentertainment company that will handle film production through Stone VillagePictures and television through ...

  • News

    Newmark/Echelon snaps up Chinese duo for US

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Worldwidedistribution, marketing and sales company Newmark/Echelon Entertainment Group has acquired North American rightsto the award-winning Chinese films For The Children and 25 Kids And One Dad.YangYazhou's drama For The Children follows an inspiring teacher's impact on thelives of her students and colleagues in a small rural school.Itwon multiple awards at ...

  • News

    Political docs take centre stage at Toronto

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Themes of politics and international affairs dominate the line-up of documentaries playing at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.Special Presentations includes Errol Morris' The Fog Of War - a profile of Robert S. McNamara - which receives its North American premiere, while Ron Mann's Go Further - which follows ...

  • News

    Constantin figures show sales plunge

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Germany's Constantin Film has cut its sales forecast for 2003, blaming factors such as the hot summer weather and the 'shakeout of the German media market' for the revision.Releasing its half-yearly and second quarter figures today (Aug 13), the Munich-based producer-distributor announced sales of Euros 36m, compared to Euros 63.4m ...

  • News

    Grosvenor steps up sale and leaseback activity

    2000-02-18T16:46:00Z

    Canadian-UK financier Grosvenor Park has started providing funding for films through the UK's tax-based sale and leaseback system at financing or production stage rather than after the film is completed.Grosvenor aims to provide about 6% of the budget on projects its finances at this stage. The company is finalising deals ...

  • News

    Love Song set for UK 'e' premiere

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    UK thriller This Is Not A Love Song is to receive what is being billed as the first-ever 'e' premiere in the world.Written by The Full Monty's Simon Beaufoy, the cat and mouse thriller set on desolate moors is being made available for streaming and downloading on the web and ...

  • Reviews

    Work Hard, Play Hard (Violence Des Echanges En Milieu Tempere)

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Dir. Jean-Marc Moutout. France/Belgium. 99 min.Another addition to the rapidly growing number of French films dealing with economic globalisation and its various ways of affecting human condition, Jean-Marc Moutout's feature debut may not reach the high standards established by outstanding films like Human Resources or L'Emploi Du Temps. But by ...

  • News

    Tsui Hark readies Chinese pair

    2003-08-14T04:00:00Z

    Film Workshop's Tsui Hark is lining up two US$3.9m (HK$ 30m) Chinese-language dramas to be directed by Tsui himself later this year and early next year.The first is titled Initial D, adapted from a hit Japanese comic book of the same name, which tells the story of a delivery boy ...

  • News

    Hammer partners on horror with Paradise

    2003-08-14T04:00:00Z

    British horror company Hammer Films is to develop a slate of low-budget horror movies with Australian production outfit, Pictures in Paradise.The partners aim to deliver a slate of up to six horror films over five years. The films will be targeted at young cinemagoers and designed to have strong potential ...

  • News

    Swiss producers set for broadcaster boost

    2003-08-14T04:00:00Z

    Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR plans to inject an additional US$11m (CHF15m) into the local film industry between 2004-2007.SRG SSR director-general Armin Walpen revealed at the Locarno Film Festival this week that the TV station proposes to provide an additional US$2.7m per year on top of the current annual budget ...

  • News

    VIP Group fund backs first German film

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Munich-based media fund VIP Group boarded its first local German-language project, co-producing the latest feature film with German comic Otto Waalkes, Sieben Zwerge - Maenner Allein Im Wald (Seven Dwarves - Men Along In The Forest), directed by Sven Unterwaldt.The comedy, which is currently being shot in the Cologne MMC ...

  • News

    Locarno Piazza programme comes in for criticism

    2003-08-14T04:00:00Z

    Locarno's Piazza Grande open-air programme has come under harsh criticism from Roger Crotti, general manager and vice president of Buena Vista International (Switzerland) - whose world premiere screening of Nigel Cole's Calendar Girls was seen by an audience of 9,500 on Saturday (Aug 9).In an interview with the Swiss daily ...

  • News

    Federbush, Bing join Warner Independent

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Inthe first wave of recruits to join the newly established Warner IndependentPictures, Paul Federbush and Tracey Bing have been named senior vice presidentof production and acquisitions and vice president of production andacquisitions respectively at Hollywood's newest specialty division.Federbushmost recently served as vice president of acquisitions and co-production atGaylord Films/Pandora, while ...

  • News

    Zsigmond to lead masterclass in Budapest

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Vilmos Zsigmond, the acclaimed cinematographer who won an Oscarfor Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, will lead a workshop for young film-makers in Budapestfrom Aug 24-Sept 7.More than 27 aspiring cinematographers, directors andscreenwriters will convene for the 2003 Masterclass conducted by the Academy ofDrama and Film and the Hungarian Society ...

  • News

    Wrubel spearheads film-buying for Global Film Initiative

    2003-08-13T00:00:00Z

    Former Madstone Films and New Yorker Films executive Susan Wrubelhas joined US charitable foundation The Global Film Initiative as head ofacquisitions and programmes.In the newly created role Wrubel will be responsible foracquisitions, contract negotiations, grants, international marketrepresentation, distribution strategy, marketing and publicity.Noah Cowan, the Initiative's former executive director, willrelinquish day-to-day ...

  • News

    AtomFilms swoops on Primedia's Short And Curlies

    2000-02-18T16:48:00Z

    South Africa's Primedia Pictures has signed a distribution deal with US-based AtomFilms for distribution of its 'Short And Curlies' series of short films following their acclaim at international film festivals such as Venice, Edinburgh and Cannes.The agreement encompasses on-line and air-line distribution in all languages for five years. Seattle-based AtomFilms ...

  • News

    Moreau presides over Flanders jury

    2003-08-14T00:00:00Z

    Jeanne Moreau, the iconic star of more than 100 films includingFrancois Truffaut's Jules Et Jim, has been confirmed as president of the jury of the 30th FlandersInternational Film Festival.Moreau joins the directors Ahmed Imamovic and Gaston Kabore andcomposers Daan Stuyven and Stephen Warbeck on the jury panel for the event,which ...

  • News

    Kim's Spring, Summer gathers Locarno heat

    2003-08-14T00:00:00Z

    Prolific Korean film-maker Kim Ki-duk's Locarno competition film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And Spring has been picked up by Israel's United King Films. "Strong interest" has also been reported from Brazil by sales agent Bavaria Film International after Wednesday's press show and ahead of today's public world premiere screening.The tale about ...

  • News

    Eastwood's Mystic River pulls out of Edinburgh

    2003-08-14T00:00:00Z

    The critically acclaimed Clint Eastwood thriller Mystic River has been pulled from the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Aug 13-24) programme. One of the Festival's star attractions, the film was set for two sell-out screenings next week but has been withdrawn by distributor Warner Brothers who have claimed 'unforeseen scheduling conflicts' ...