Small MPU – Page 1872
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Albis Leasing takes control of Apollo Media
Germany's largest independent leasing fund specialist, Albis Leasing, has taken majority stakes in two subsidiaries belonging to private media fund, ApolloMedia, which backed this year's Sundance Film Festival opener My First Mister. As part of the transaction, which must still pass its supervisory board, Albis has acquired a 70% stake ...
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Belgium close to accord in rental terms war
Belgian exhibitors' federation, the FCB, and distributors' association, the ABDF, appear to be nearing an agreement in a two-year battle over the distributor-exhibitor split of box office grosses.Both sides are currently drawing up a joint proposal for a new federal accord to be submitted to the Belgian Council of Competition. ...
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Sony acquires chunk of expanding BKNI
Children's animation producer-distributor BKN International (BKNI) has sold in principle a 3.8% stake to Sony Pictures Family Entertainment as the German company gears up for expansion in the US and Asia.The sale follows BKNI's acquisition of a programme library and Los Angeles production studios for $28m from BKN, effectively marking ...
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Metro Tartan buys Japan's Battle Royale
Hamish McAlpine's Tartan Films has acquired all UK rights to Japanese gore fest Battle Royale.Tartan will release the controversial film in the UK in the autumn through releasing arm Metro Tartan Distribution. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the futuristic story follows a group of teens on a desert island who are ...
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Salles to direct Motorcycle Diaries for Wildwood
Robert Redford's Wildwood Enterprises has reeled in Brazil's Walter Salles (Central Station) to direct an adaptation of Che Guevara's renowned journal The Motorcycle Diaries. The road movie will likely be made for a "modest" budget of $6m to $8m, according to Wildwood president Michael Nozik. Principal photography is slated to ...
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Gibson hears what Australians want
What Women Want has given Mel Gibson his biggest ever opening in Australia, the country in which he grew up and which made him a star via the Mad Max movies. The film also scored Roadshow Film Distributors its biggest ever opening and the strongest ever performance in Australia by ...
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ONdigital reaches one million subscribers mark
UK pay-TV company ONdigital has reached its end of 2000 target of one million subscribers, the company announced on Wednesday.ONdigital said it was on track for two million subscribers in two years but pledged to reduce its churn - the number of customers not renewing their contracts. The broadcaster aims ...
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Spain's Alquimia buys five from Alliance
Madrid-based newcomer Alquimia Cinema has picked up all Spanish rights on five films from Canada's Alliance Atlantis Pictures International, including Berlin Panorama entry Maelstrom from French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve.The deal - brokered by Alquimia chief Francisco Ramos and Alliance Atlantis Pictures International president Mark Horowitz - could lead to ...
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Mike De Luca out, Toby Emmerich in at New Line
It was a turbulent day at New Line Cinema yesterday as president of production Michael De Luca left the company and president of music Toby Emmerich was named to replace him.The irrepressible De Luca had spent eight years in the job, turning New Line from a successful genre company into ...
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Anthony Bregman upped to senior vp at Good Machine
Anthony Bregman has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of production at Good Machine Inc, the ten year-old production and distribution outfit which is enjoying a banner year led by the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.In the past year, Bregman has produced Michel Gondry's Human Nature ...
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De Hadeln unveils Berlin competition line-up
The Berlin Film Festival's outgoing director Moritz de Hadeln has announced the competition line-up for the event's 51st edition, which as expected features a heavy European and Asian presence (ScreenDaily, Jan 15). Asia, which has always been well served by Berlin in the past, will be represented this year by ...
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ABN Amro downgrades European media stock
While their technology cousins have been staging a modest recovery, there was more bad news yesterday (Wed, Jan 17) for media shares. ABN Amro, the giant Dutch owned investment bank, downgraded its investment ratings for the shares of most of Europe's media industries.ABN said the best value to be found ...
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Gimenez-Aleman replaces Gonzalez at TeleMadrid
Francisco Gimenez-Aleman has been appointed the new managing director of Spanish regional public broadcaster TeleMadrid.Gimenez-Aleman replaces Silvio Gonzalez, who was asked Tuesday by the regional Madrid government to resign from his post following the broadcast of a programme concerning the tempestuous political situation in Basque Country. The programme has been ...
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Oz government picks up $109m from TV sector
The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) has collected $109m (A$196.9m) in commercial broadcasting licence fees from Australia's 48 commercial television services. The sum is calculated as a percentage of a licensees' gross earnings for 1999-2000. The ABA is expected to release the aggregated financial results, including expenditure, revenue and profits, in ...
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Wilkins expands portfolio with NSW arts role
The director general of the New South Wales Cabinet Office, Roger Wilkins, is set to be given the additional role of director general, Ministry for the Arts. The move links the Australian state's most important cultural institutions, including the New South Wales Film and Television Office (NSWFTO), to the state ...
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Alquimia pacts with Via Digital; unveils slate
Spanish digital satellite platform Via Digital has signed an exclusive, three-year PPV rights deal with Madrid production-distribution start-up Alquimia Cinema, to add to its accords with other local companies such as Lauren Films, Manga Films, Planeta 2010, Alta Films, Lolafilms and Filmax. Signed by Via Digital director of programming and ...
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Star to launch Hindi PPV service in the UK
News Corp's Asian satellite platform Star TV, which this week launched two channels in the UK, is months away from setting up a British pay-per-view (PPV) service for Hindi movies.Peter Mukerjea, chief executive of News Television (India), told Screen International that the Hindi film services would be operational "within a ...
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IN THE HOT SEAT - GEOFF GILMORE
Sundance's director of film programming Geoff Gilmore is held accountable every year - not just for which films are chosen or dismissed, but for the state of US independent cinema itself. Now he's rumoured to be about the leave to join one of the majors. Is he selling out' Colin ...
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Bavaria Media sets up Italian production outpost
Bavaria Media, the international production and rights arm of Germany's Bavaria Film, has established a new operation in Rome to spearhead European co-productions and increase the visibility of Italian product abroad.The Rome outfit, which represents the mini-major's first venture outside a German-speaking territory, will aim to develop and co-produce four ...
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Italian watchdog rules against TMC takeover
Italy's Communications Authority has vetoed the takeover of Cecchi Gori-owned broadcaster Telemontecarlo (TMC) by publishing giant Seat Pagine Gialle and Telecom Italia.Seat, which recently merged with Telecom Italia's internet division Tin.it, agreed last August to buy 75% of TMC from the Cecchi Gori group for L750bn ($350m), with an option ...