Small MPU – Page 3811
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News
Hong Kong government plans film guarantee fund
The Hong Kong government has issued a consultation paper proposing the establishment of a Film Guarantee Fund to help local companies obtain bank loans for film production.The paper suggests that $6.4m (HK$50m) of the existing $12.8m (HK$100m) Film Development Fund should be used to guarantee loans to filmmakers from banks ...
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South Korea adds to list of foreign-language Oscar submissions
Lee Chang-dong's third film Oasis has been picked to represent South Korea for the best foreign language Oscar. The film joins a rapidly-growing list of national submissions, including, most recently, Bohdan Slama's Wild Bees from the Czech Republic and Fernando Lopes's O Delfim from Portugal Oasis (pictured) an ...
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Jackie Chan, Arclight join EMG's Twins Effect
Jackie Chan has joined Hong Kong pop idols Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung in the cast of Emperor Multimedia Group's The Twins Effect.In addition, EMG announced that Sydney-based production and sales house, Arclight Films, will represent the film, which started shooting in Hong Kong on Tuesday, in all territories outside ...
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Locally-produced family films dominate Nordic box office
Locally-produced family films are enjoying a strong run at the Nordic box-office, with home-grown films proving more than a match for US product. Hayflower And Quiltshoe (Heinähattu ja Vilttitossu) (pictured) had the biggest opening for a family feature in Finland this year with a weekend gross of Euros 224,453 and ...
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French porn ban could cost national film industry dear
Appearing late at night exclusively on encrypted channels, pornographic films have been a staple of the French pay-TV scene since Canal Plus launched in 1984. Now elements of the political establishment and the broadcast regulator, the CSA, are considering banning X-rated films from television. The Association of Cable and Satellite ...
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Digital opener for 36th Hof Film Days
Marc Ottiker's digitally shot feature Halbe Miete will have its world premiere as the opening film of the 36th International Hof Film Days today (Wednesday October 23).Ottiker's film and Hanno Hackfort's Junimond, which is also showing at the festival, are the first projects completed under the 'Radikal Digital' initiative ...
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Diesel fuels hot UK box office opening
Latest action icon Vin Diesel enjoyed his biggest UK opening yet with Columbia TriStar's XXX at the weekend. The film, intended to be the first in a franchise for which part two is already scheduled for a 2004 release, took a mighty four-day opening gross (Oct 17-20) of $5.3m (£3.4m) ...
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MGM pleased with 'better than expected' third quarter results
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM) has posted 'better than expected' third quarter earnings,powered by revenues from its film and television library, increased televisionprogramming and the number one comedy, Barbershop.Revenuesfor the third quarter ending Sept 30, 2002 were $381.2m compared to $393.3mfrom the same period last year. The studio also reported net income of $11.7m,overturning ...
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News
Cohen's Manhattan picks up US rights to 12 Hours
Manhattan PicturesInternational has picked up US rights to Puerto Rican festival favourite 12Hours with an eye on an early March2003 release. Raul Marchand-Sanchez's 93-minute picture was showcased at theTribeca Film Festival and won the Audience Choice Award at the Chicago LatinoFilm Festival. A socially relevant drama, 12 Hours was produced ...
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Sobini joins Permut in long-gestating Julia Pastrana
MarkAmin's Sobini Films has teamed up with David Permit's PermutPresentations to co-produce Julia Pastrana, based on the real-life Victorian English romance between a deformedentertainer and the man who turned her into an international star. Although nodirector and cast have been attached, Meg Richman, who co-wrote and directedthe 1998 romantic drama ...
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News
Spencer Proffer moves to Mandalay Branded Entertainment
MandalayEntertainment Group offshoot Mandalay Branded Entertainment (MBE) has acquiredthe operations of Spencer Proffer's film, music and television outfit MorlingManor Music and Media, with Proffer coming on board as MBE executive vicepresident. Proffer, a former United Artists and CBS Records executive andlawyer, will oversee all music integration and implementation for MBE ...
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Coote says that Intertainer Asia is doing just fine
Singapore-basedIntertainer Asia issued a statement yesterday saying that the imminent (Oct 23) suspension ofIntertainer Inc's video-on-demand service in the US will have "no impacton, or consequence to" its operations. Jonathan Taplin's Intertainer Incsaid last week that it was temporarily shutting down the service for its147,000 broadband subscribers to save costs ...
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News
Hyman leaves Miramax to head physical production at Focus
Kevin Hyman has joined Universal Pictures' specialty films unit Focus Features as executive vice president of physical production. Hyman, who previously worked at Miramax Films, will be in charge of physical production and post-production on Focus' in-house productions and will oversee post-production on other Focus acquisitions. He will be based ...
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Hollywood Hong Kong scoops record number of Golden Horse nods
Fruit Chan's Hollywood Hong Kong has scored a record number of nominations - 14 in all - for the 39th Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan's equivalent of the Oscars, including best picture, best director, best actor for Glen Chin and best actress for China's Zhou Xun.The film, which beat Crouching Tiger, ...
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Reviews
800 Bullets (800 Balas)
Dir: Alex De La Iglesia. 124mins. Spain.A spoof on the classic western, 800 Bullets (800 Balas) is one of the funniest, most original and stylistically adventurous pictures to emerge from Spain in recent memory. Perhaps heir to that other local master of invention, Pedro Almodovar, director Alex De La Iglesia's ...
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Reviews
Abandon
Dir: Stephen Gaghan. US. 2002. 99mins.The directorial debut of Oscar-winning Traffic screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, Abandon is not so much a teen thriller as a Bright Young Thing thriller - and like some of its Ivy League student characters it may be a bit too clever for its own good. US ...
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Spain selects three contenders for foreign-language Oscar submission
The Spanish Cinema Academy's preliminary selection of three titles for the foreign-language Oscar submission includes Pedro Almodovar's Talk To Her, Jose Luis Garci's Story Of A Kiss and Fernando Leon's Mondays In The Sun.The pre-selection will be whittled down to one nominee, unveiled on November 11. The Academy introduced the ...
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13th Stockholm International film festival unveils line-up
The Stockholm International Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up of its 13th edition, to be held November 14-24. During the course of 11 days - and nights - the festival will present more than 150 films, as well as seminars and festivities. This year's program includes 68 first-time filmmakers ...
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Two titles share China's top film honours
Yang Yazhou's Pretty Big Feet and military drama Charging Out Amazon by Song Yeming, were jointly awarded best film at the 22nd Golden Rooster and One Hundred Flowers Awards - China's top film honours - which took place in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province on Tuesday night.The best director prize was also ...
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Italian producers speak out in support of Eurimages
Italian producers are distancing themselves from the inflammatory comments made by Gianni Massaro about Eurimages when he announced his shock resignation as president of the Fund last week.Massaro left his position two months before the end of his non-renewable 2-year term, blaming crippling bureaucracy as well as behind-the-scenes feuds between ...