Small MPU – Page 358

  • News

    Reitman to direct Page, Cera in Mandate's Juno

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Ellen Page and Michael Cera have signed to star in MandatePictures' coming-of-age comedy Juno, which Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) is preparing to direct based on ascreenplay by Diablo Cody.Page, who made a revelatory breakthrough in Hard Candy, will play a quick-witted teenager whoselife takes a bizarre turn when ...

  • News

    Peace Arch hires Herne, picks up four new titles

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Peace Arch Entertainment Group has acquired US and internationalrights to four new features and hired Mary Herne as executive vice president ofinternational television and home entertainment.The projects include Melanie Orr's domestic violence drama Harm'sWay starring KathleenQuinlan, and psychological thriller The Stillborn, which stars Lukas Haas as a father wholost his ...

  • News

    Vantage picks up horror script Details, Blum to produce

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Paramount Vantage has made a preemptive purchase of Dan Kay'shorror screenplay Details.Detailsis based on a short story by China Mieville and centres on a man who searchesfor his missing daughter who uncovered a demonic force that only she could see.Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions will produce andSteven Schneider and Ian ...

  • News

    Raindance to host Sean Lennon's Friendly Fire

    2006-10-04T10:25:00Z

    Sean Lennon will present his"conceptual feature" Friendly Fire atthe 14th Raindance Film Festival in London. The screening - previously asurprise -- will be held Saturday Oct 7 at 3:45at London's Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue. Lennon will present Friendly Fire and then participate in a Q&A after the screening.The film is tied ...

  • News

    UK cracks down on film piracy

    2006-10-04T10:52:00Z

    A Scottish man has beenjailed and more are awaiting trial in a nationwide crackdown on film piracy inthe UK. The initiative is a partnership between local TradingStandards agencies, the Federation Against CopyrightTheft (FACT) and police.On Oct 2, Brent and HarrowTrading Standards Service working with Metropolitan Police and FACT targetedblack-market DVD ...

  • News

    Avex Asia appoints Koo to head production arm

    2006-10-04T20:30:00Z

    Avex Asia, the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Japan's Avex Group, has established a film production armto be headed by former Applause Pictures executive Esther Koo. Koo, who has been named headof film development, will be responsible for generating film productions in Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan. Based in Hong ...

  • News

    BAFTA confirms pre-Oscars date change

    2000-07-05T11:52:00Z

    The Oscar campaign trail just took a detour to London. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) this week confirmed it will move next year's film awards to a pre-Academy Awards slot, a move expected to boost the event's global significance by establishing it as a prime pointer ...

  • Reviews

    Un Crime

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Manuel Pradal. France. 2006. 110mins.Manuel Pradal,whose 1997 debut film Marie Baie DesAnges won universal plaudits, has unwisely decided to attempt a full-scalefilm noir for his third film. Set in NewYork City, Un Crime stars thenormally superb Emmanuelle Beart and Harvey Keitel, but there's littleconvincing chemistry between them, and even ...

  • Reviews

    Un Crime

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Manuel Pradal. France. 2006. 110mins.Manuel Pradal,whose 1997 debut film Marie Baie DesAnges won universal plaudits, has unwisely decided to attempt a full-scalefilm noir for his third film. Set in NewYork City, Un Crime stars thenormally superb Emmanuelle Beart and Harvey Keitel, but there's littleconvincing chemistry between them, and even ...

  • News

    BFI announces opening program for Southbank

    2006-10-04T12:21:00Z

    The British Film Institute(BFI) has announced the opening program of the refurbished National FilmTheatre, which is set to reopen as BFI Southbank on 1 Feb, 2007. The opening season willinclude a restored print of Luis Bunuel's Los Olvidadosand a special run of Distant Voices,Still Lives, including an onstage presentation by ...

  • Reviews

    Delirious

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Tom DiCillo. US. 2006. 107mins.Neither a spoof of the celebrityindustry nor an earnest appraisal of what this industry is all about, TomDiCillo's Delirious is anintermittently amusing rags-to-riches lark about a small time paparazzo and hishandsome sidekick who ends up a screen star. DiCillo aims his gently pointedbarbs at pop ...

  • News

    Joe Wright honoured with Hospital award

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    UK film-maker Joe Wright was honoured for his "outstanding creativecontribution" in the medium of film at the inaugural Hospital Awards.Joe Wright directed thecritically acclaimed Pride and Prejudicestarring Keira Knightley,which received four Academy Awards nominations and three BAFTA nominations, oneof which Wright won for most promising newcomer. Wright's next feature is ...

  • News

    Development package lures Mediterranean documentary makers

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Registration hasopened for Greenhouse, a development program funded by the European Union forMediterranean documentary film makers. The project wasorganised by The New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television, Turkey's Ankara Cinema Foundation, The CzechRepublic's Institute of Documentary Film and VOF Appel & Honigmann - The Netherlands.The incentivetargets film-makers ...

  • News

    Mark Jay starts shooting Dolphins in Brighton

    2006-10-04T00:00:00Z

    Writer/directorMark Jay has started filming his debut feature, Dolphins, in Brighton, UK.Themovie is a teenage love story set in Brighton's custom-car culture and stars Emmerdale's Karl Davies, FootballFactory's Frank Harper, Popcorn's Layke Anderson and sees UK hip-hop singer Roots Manuva inhis first screen role.Jay haspreviously made music videos, documentary films ...

  • News

    AFM to screen 589 films, launches online resource

    2006-10-05T00:00:00Z

    The 27th AFMwill open next month with a record 589 films, organizers said yesterday [IOct 4],an increase of 10% over last year.The numberincludes 54 titles playing in official selection at AFI Fest, and a record 384market premieres.AFM managingdirector and Independent Film & Television Alliance executive vicepresident Jonathan Wolf said the ...

  • News

    Martel's third film Headless Woman to shoot next March

    2006-10-05T00:00:00Z

    Acclaimed Argentiniandirector Lucrecia Martel is set to shoot her third film La Mujer Sin Cabeza (The Headless Woman) next March.Lita Stantic Produccioneswill finance the $2m film in co-production with Pedro and Agustin Almodovar'sEl Deseo in Spain and the support of the National Film Institute (Argentina).Both Stantic and El Deseo were ...

  • News

    CMG to rep international on Buster Keaton collection

    2006-10-05T00:00:00Z

    EdwardNoeltner's ambitious international sales house Cinema Management Group (CMG)has bolstered its AFM slate with all international theatrical and DVD rights tothe Buster Keaton Collection.The collectionincludes all 12 of the silent comedy master's features from the 1920s, as wellas 18 shorts and two specials including Vernon P Becker's 1968 documentary TheGreat ...

  • News

    Toronto to feature Crowe, Lurie premieres

    2000-07-05T12:16:00Z

    DreamWorks' untitled Cameron Crowe project and The Contender, directed by Rod Lurie and handled internationally by France's TF1, will make their world premieres at the 25th Toronto International Film Festival (September 7-16).Handled internationally by DreamWorks/UIP, Crowe's latest project is a loosely autobiographical tale about a teenage rock fan on assignment ...

  • News

    Mandate signs doc specialist Jones for Boomerang

    2006-10-05T00:00:00Z

    Documentarymaker Sam Jones is embarking on his narrative feature directorial debut Boomerangfor Mandate Pictures.Boomerang tells of a young man's attempt to reclaimhis life from his controlling parents, and is based on a screenplay by JamesMottern.Bona FideProduction partners Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, whose credits include LittleMiss Sunshine, Election andCold Mountain, ...

  • News

    Saban returns to production with virtual studio for family entertainment

    2006-10-05T00:00:00Z

    Haim Saban andSaban Entertainment Group (SEG) have launched a virtual studio to develop,produce and market family projects.Saban and SabanCapital Group chief creative officer Joel Andryc head the venture and willleverage their financial and creative contacts to develop the enterprise.'I amthrilled to return to my roots and focus on developing media ...