Small MPU – Page 3269

  • News

    Sholay rights owners strike $100m deal with Pritish Nandy

    2007-08-29T15:36:00Z

    After Sholay Media and Entertainment won its court case against Indian filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, restricting him from using the title or names of characters in his alleged remake of the cult classic, the owner of the rights to Sholay has now entered into a deal with Pritish Nandy Communications ...

  • News

    Soenke Wortmann comes to the rescue of Constantin's Pope Joan

    2007-08-29T15:39:00Z

    German director Soenke Wortmann has come to the rescue of Constantin Film's planned adaptation of the Donna Cross bestseller Pope Joan after the previously attached director Volker Schloendorff was fired amidst much controversy last month.Franka Potente is still expected to take the title lead role in the international project which ...

  • News

    Universal and Studio Canal create French DVD joint venture

    2007-08-29T15:51:00Z

    Universal Pictures International Entertainment and Studio Canal are creating a joint venture to handle home entertainment titles in France.From January 2008, the joint venture will combine the sales, marketing and distribution (via ODS) businesses of all titles for Studio Canal and Universal Pictures France. The new entity will be named ...

  • Reviews

    Sugarhouse

    2007-08-29T16:11:00Z

    Dir: Gary Love, UK 2007, 92mins A claustrophobic psychodrama that never quite shakes off its stage origins, Sugarhouse is performed with ferocious intensity by its three leads. First-time director Love creates a genuine sense of menace. He also effectively cranks up the tension even if the plotting ultimately seems contrived ...

  • News

    Relativity on board for Contractors

    2007-08-30T00:48:00Z

    Relativity Media has swooped on film rights to Bob Fisher'sspeculative script Contractors and will finance, develop and producethe project with Landscape Entertainment.Fisher, who co-wrote the 2005 hit Wedding Crashers with Steve Faber,co-wrote Contractors with David Hemingson.The story centres on two contractors who land a big assignment in theHamptons, only for ...

  • News

    Red Envelope and New Line take rights to childbirth doc

    2007-08-30T00:53:00Z

    Red Envelope Entertainment and New Line Home Entertainment havejointly acquired North American rights to the childbirth documentaryThe Business Of Being Born.Ricki Lake produced the film, in which director Abby Epstein capturesfootages of women giving birth and speaks to mothers, obstetriciansand experts about whether childbirth is a natural process or a ...

  • News

    Ellis wins Palm Springs award

    2007-08-30T05:56:00Z

    Simon Ellis' UK film Soft won the 2007 Palm Springs InternationalFestival of Short Films & Short Film Market's Best Of Festival Awardand a cash prize of $2,000.The Future Filmmaker Award and a $2,000 cash prize went to Dee Reesfor the US entry Pariah, while Pop Foul's US title Moon Molson ...

  • News

    Lions For Lambs to open AFI FEST

    2007-08-30T06:03:00Z

    Lions For Lambs, the inaugural release under Paula Wagner and TomCruise's revamped United Artists, will get its North American premierewhen it opens the AFI FEST in Los Angeles on Nov 1.The announcement suggests the film is likely to receive its worldpremiere at the 51st BFI London Film Festival that runs ...

  • News

    Ruzowitzky drama is Austrian entry for Academy Awards

    2007-08-30T06:11:00Z

    Stefan Ruzowitzky's Second World War drama The Counterfeiters (Die Faelscher), which was first shown in competition at last February's Berlinale, has been selected as the Austrian entry for the 80th Academy Awards.This is the second time that a film by Ruzowitzky has been submitted by Austria for the Best Foreign ...

  • News

    Eros teams up with Dutt's White Feather Films

    2007-08-30T07:04:00Z

    India's Eros International has signed a co-production, marketing and distribution deal with local production company White Feather Films (WFF). The Mumbai production house is owned by director-producer Sanjay Gupta and actor Sanjay Dutt, who was recently released from prison pending his appeal of a conviction for arms possession. Under the ...

  • News

    Australia, China sign co-production agreement

    2007-08-30T09:35:00Z

    After almost three years of formal negotiations, Australia and China signed off a film co-production agreement in the Australian Embassy in Beijing earlier this week. The treaty with the Chinese government will cover production of films and telemovies. The first film to be produced with China as part of Australia's ...

  • Reviews

    Shoot 'Em Up

    2007-08-30T11:06:00Z

    Dir: Michael Davis. US. 2007. 87mins.Merrily amoral, shamelessly watchable and outlandishly funny, Shoot 'Em Up is not for all tastes, but those with a dark sense of humour and a penchant for knowingly excessive violence will have a ball. Short enough so that its thin premise doesn't run out of ...

  • News

    Venice opens competition with warm welcome for Wright's Atonement

    2007-08-30T13:27:00Z

    The 64th edition of the Venice Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with UK director Joe Wright's Ian McEwan adaptation Atonement, which was well received in its world premiere. All eyes were on British actress Keira Knightley as she sauntered down the red carpet flanked by British co-stars James McAvoy and ...

  • News

    Venice opens competition with warm welcome for Wright's Atonement

    2007-08-30T13:27:00Z

    The 64th edition of the Venice Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with UK director Joe Wright's Ian McEwan adaptation Atonement, which was well received in its world premiere. All eyes were on British actress Keira Knightley as she sauntered down the red carpet flanked by British co-stars James McAvoy and ...

  • News

    Austrians enter The Counterfeiters for Oscar consideration

    2007-08-30T13:32:00Z

    Stefan Ruzowitzky's Second World War drama The Counterfeiters (Die Faelscher), which was first shown in competition at February's Berlinale, has been selected as the Austrian entry for the 80th Academy Awards. This is the second time that a film by Ruzowitzky has been submitted by Austria for the Best Foreign ...

  • News

    Universal promotes Nicholas, Edwards and Perez in London

    2007-08-30T13:39:00Z

    Universal Pictures Internataional Entertainment, the international home entertainment division of NBC Universal, has announced several staffing changes in its London-based management team. Melanie Nicholas has been promoted to senior vice president, marketing. In addition to her current responsibilities for International Licensees and Russia, she will now also lead international marketing ...

  • Reviews

    Lust, Caution (Se Jie)

    2007-08-30T22:00:00Z

    Dir. Ang Lee. China/US, 2007. 156 mins. One of the main attractions in Venice this year, Ang Lee's new film promises much more than it actually delivers. Lavishly handsome and elegant, possibly too much so for its own good, this sprawling adaptation of a short story by Eileen Chang risks ...

  • News

    Lucky Red takes Italian rights to Rush Hour 3 from New Line

    2007-08-30T13:59:00Z

    Italian distributor Lucky Red has acquired rights to New Line's Rush Hour 3, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker and directed by Brett Ratner. The film has grossed over $110m in the first three weeks of its Stateside run while European grosses figure at $16.5m for the UK after three ...

  • News

    Match Factory adds second Wayne Wang film to sales lineup

    2007-08-30T14:12:00Z

    Cologne-based sales company The Match Factory has added a second Wayne Wang film - The Princess Of Nebraska - to its sales lineup to join Wang's A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers which will have its international premiere in Toronto's Masters section and screen in competition at San Sebastian. The ...

  • News

    Sebastien Beffa now overseeing acquisitions at Films Distribution

    2007-08-30T14:14:00Z

    French sales outfit Films Distribution is restructuring its sales and acquisitions department and will launch an international TV sales arm.The company announced the news Wednesday saying that Sebastien Beffa would oversee all acquisitions and also take part in corporate development alongside existing Films Distribution principals Nicolas Brigaud-Robert, Francois Yon and ...