Small MPU – Page 1934
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News
BBC, Film Council launch UK director-driven slate
The UK's Film Council, BBC Films and BBC 2 are to co-produce and co-finance a slate of four features in a package worth around $3.6m (£2.5m), aimed at breaking new UK directors and guaranteeing at least some exposure through broadcast on BBC 2.The scheme, which is expected to run for ...
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Reviews
Corky Romano
Dir: Rob Pritts. US 2001. 104 minutes Children are taught never to call anyone or anything "stupid," a word which all parents for some reason find objectionable. With that in mind, let it be said that the film Corky Romano has one of the lowest IQs in recent memory --probably ...
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German producers decry
The future of the German film and television sector is under serious threat from the Gerhard Schroeder administration's plans to introduce a new copyright bill to improve the situation of authors and performing artists, according to producer associations and the six major regional public funds.On the eve of Monday's public ...
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UK actors union proposes revenue percentage deal
Having won additional payment concessions from Warner Bros so that the next Harry Potter movie can shoot, UK performers union Equity has proposed that independent producers pay its members a slice of all revenues after initial investment has been recouped in order to side-step December's strike.Equity sent out guidelines late ...
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News
Constantin postpones nine theatrical releases
German producer-distributor Constantin Film has "considerably" reduced its planned earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) for 2001 after deciding to postpone nine theatrical releases from the second half of this year until the beginning of 2002.Due to current developments in the German and US distribution markets, the EBIT for the ...
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News
Recession watch - Part V: distribution, marketing
In the fifth part of Screen International's analysis on the effect on the industry of the Sept 11 attacks on the US, the threat of recession on distribution and marketing is assessed.Abstracted from Screen InternationalDistribution and marketing"The indie distribution business will be good long term, but the next year will ...
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Reviews
Invincible
Dir: Werner Herzog. UK/Germany. 2001. 130mins.After many years dedicated to stage, documentaries and guest performances in films directed by others, Werner Herzog, one of the original pillars of New German cinema, makes a return to feature-length fiction. However, as with his previous films (such as The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser ...
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News
Myriad tests German market with teen comedy sale
Myriad Pictures got the autumn film market season off to a bright start with the sale of its teen comedy Van Wilder: Party Liaison to Germany. The Walt Becker-directed film, which screens at next week's London and Milan markets, was sold in all German-speaking territories to Telepool. "We are delighted ...
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News
Japan to get Kurosawa museum
The Akira Kurosawa Foundation, headed by Kurosawa's son Hisao, plans to build a museum in Imari, Saga Prefecture to honour Kurosawa, with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese agreeing to serve as honorary directors. The directorial trio are lending their names to help the foundation raise $12.5 m (Y1.5b) ...
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News
Bandits underwhelms with $13.4m
Warner Bros' Training Day remained at the top of the box office over the weekend with an estimated $13.55m gross, some $90,000 more than MGM's Bandits which opened in second position with $13.46m. It was a disappointing performance for the action comedy starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate ...
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News
Graham King steps down from Splendid board
Graham King, the chief executive of Initial Entertainment Group (IEG), has stepped down from the board of Splendid Medien, the public German distributor which owns a 49% stake in IEG.The move comes as no surprise since the two operations have been somewhat estranged in the last few months, especially since ...
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Reviews
Riding In Cars With Boys
Dir Penny Marshall. US 2001. 132 min.What begins as fun, nostalgic highschool comedy quickly escalates into a relentlessly dreary melodrama in Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars With Boys, a two-decade chronicle of a woman who got pregnant at adolescence and found herself stuck with an undesirable marriage and ...
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News
Cowboy shoots for Iwai's All About Lily Chou Chou
Fortissimo Film Sales has secured a US release for its All About Lily Chou Chou through Cowboy Films. The film, a futuristic romance by Japanese director Iwai Shunji, premiered at Toronto and was the closing film at last week's New York Film Festival. Cowboy also announced that it had bought ...
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News
Former PolyGram boss Levy called on to head EMI
Former PolyGram chief executive, Alain Levy has been tapped to head the world's number three music group EMI. He replaces Ken Berry, who leaves the company today, three weeks after issuing a surprise profits warning.Levy, who headed PolyGram until it was sold by it parent the Dutch electronics giant Philips ...
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News
UK's FilmFour International goes for Gold
Janine Gold has been promoted to head of FilmFour's sales arm, FilmFour International (FFI).Gold, previously head of sales, replaces Sue Bruce-Smith, who left earlier this year to join Irish-based production outfit Little Bird. The former Celluloid Dreams executive is recruiting a film sales manager. FFI has also boosted sales co-ordinator ...
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News
KirchMedia reports strong first half performance
Releasing interim results for the first time, Geermany's KirchMedia has reported significant increases in sales and earnings for the six months to June 30 2001.While revenues climbed by 15% to $1.51bn (DM 3.247bn) and its EBITDA rose by 42% to $238.9m (DM 514m), the new corporate transparency showed that the ...
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News
Ramirez boosts its Mexican cinema domination
Mexico's largest exhibitor Organizacion Ramirez is fast moving towards its 1000-screen objective by the end of 2002. This week alone the company is to launch a 20-screen multiplex in Mexico City and another 18-screen site in Monterrey. "We're targeting a growth ratio of at least 100 screens per year," said ...
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News
France's Vidocq takes five awards at Sitges
French box office sensation Vidocq was the big winner at this year's 34th annual edition of the Catalan International Film Festival of Sitges, walking away with best film, new director, effects, make-up and original soundtrack nods.Directed by FX wizard Pitof, Vidocq stars Gerard Depardieu in a hi-tech suspense period tale ...
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News
Bridget Jones's Diary is the talk of Paris
Bridget Jones's Diary has attracted a massive 872,000 admissions in France in its first five days and should reach the one million admissions mark in its first week. The Working Title film, distributed in France by StudioCanal's affiliate Mars Films (which scored a hit last year with another British title, ...
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News
Palm Tree announces period drama slate
Palm Tree Productions has secured independent backing from Monaco-based media investment company IPH (IP Hedge) for a slate of four period dramas set in Scotland. Budgeted in the $5-$10 million range, the projects are Red Rose, Chopin's Widow, Voyage Of Dreams and The White Duchess. It is understood that IPH ...