Small MPU – Page 386

  • News

    Frappier prepares English-language remake of La Grande Seduction

    2006-11-05T00:00:00Z

    Roger Frappier'sQuebec-based Max Films, whose The Secret Life Of Happy People is screening in AFI FEST, has announced details of aslate of new English and French-language projects.First off is hisEnglish-language remake of Jean-Francois Pouliot's box-office hit La GrandeSeduction aka Seducing Dr Lewis which is being scripted by Ken Scott.Other English-languageprojects ...

  • News

    THINKFilm closes sales on three titles with distributor trio

    2006-11-05T00:00:00Z

    THINKFilm is drawing stronginterest on its sales slate at AFM and has closed a number of deals on threetitles.Rights to Ripple Effect have gone to Luxor in Russia, HollywoodEntertainment in Greece, and Front Row in the Middle East.Ripple Effect stars Forrest Whitaker, who is earning rave reviewsfor his portrayal of ...

  • News

    Jinga closes Netherlands deal on Winstone-starrer Everything

    2006-11-05T00:00:00Z

    At its first AFM, recentlyformed UK sales outfit Jinga has closed deals on a raft of titles.The UK-based company, run bydirector-producer-sales agent Julien Richards, Rosana Coutinho and Mike Tims,has now sold BAFTA-nominated Everything, starring Ray Winstone (The Departed) to Indie Films for the Netherlands and is fieldingoffers from the US, ...

  • News

    Six Sales sells titles to Beverly Hills, Quality in Latin America

    2006-11-05T00:00:00Z

    Madrid-based sales outfitSix Sales has sold Latin American rights to Beverly Hills Enterainment for itsnew CGI animated feature Noah's Lark. The film is directed by LA-based Raul Garcia, whose previous creditsinclude Aladdin, through new company Kandor Graphics. Itwill be ready for delivery in 2008.Six Sales is also doing aroaring trade ...

  • News

    Miramax, Affleck, Damon launch writing contest

    2000-07-11T03:24:00Z

    Miramax Films, Miramax Television, HBO and Good Will Hunting writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are teaming up to launch a US contest in which a totally unknown writer will have his or her screenplay greenlit.Starting in the summer, anyone in the US can submit a screenplay electronically to www.projectgreenlight.com. ...

  • News

    Gaga moves into genre production with Ryuhei Kitamura

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    Japan's Gaga Communications,which has recently made a push into production with a slate of dramas, is nowmoving into genre filmmaking with cult Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura.Kitamura, who shot tointernational recognition with sword-fighting splatterfest Versus in 2001, is developing three projects for Gaga. Thefirst, entitled Yoroi, is anaction horror title about ...

  • News

    Rotterdam festival increases international industry reach

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    International Film FestivalRotterdam (IFFR) has launched a major initiative to raise its internationalindustry profile. At AFM this week, IFFR's new head of international PR Marnixvan Wijk has been assiduously courting sellers and buyers in a bid to lure themto the Netherlands for next year's event, which takes place Jan 24 ...

  • News

    Writer/director Leonard Schrader dies of heart failure

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    Oscar-nominated screenwriterand director Leonard Schrader died of heart failure in Los Angeles on Nov 2. In his work, Leonard shared hisyounger brother Paul Schrader's obsession with exploring death and violence.Some of his best-known filmsare those he wrote with his brother, among them The Yakuza and Blue Collar. He also ...

  • News

    The Core sells two to WPM in Thailand

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    Korean sales company TheCore Studio has sold two titles to Thailand's WPM -black comedy actionpicture No Mercy For The Rude andLee Myung-Se's new project M. No Mercy For The Rude, about a killer who abides by his own rules to onlykill rude people, recently premiered at the Vancouver International FilmFestival. ...

  • News

    All the buyers love Mandy Lane

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    The Weinstein Company has closed multiple territories on Jonathan Levine'shorror title All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, which recently received its world premiere at Toronto.Rights have gone to the UK (Optimum), Germany (Senator), France(TFM), Australia and New Zealand (Village Roadshow), and Russia (West Film Group).Deals also closed in South Korea ...

  • News

    Wide finds more buyers for Fissures and Gradiva

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    France-based Wide Managementhas booked several new deals at the AFM. Pierre-Yves Borgeaud's Youssou N'Dourdocumentary Return To Goree hasbeen sold to Alcine Terran for Japan, with US and UK deals being negotiated.Alain Robbe-Grillet'serotically charged drama Gradivaand David Tamagi's romantic story Paper Moon Affair were both bought by AT Entertainment for Japan. ...

  • News

    Borat, Prada give Fox international leadership

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    Fox International scored a one-two punch at the weekend as Borat and The Devil Wears Prada ruled the roost.Boratcrushed the competition as it grossed an estimated $17.7m from 993 screens in17 markets, powered by a stunning $11.5m number one debut in the UK.The comedy, which dominated the North American charts ...

  • News

    Black Sheep continues sales frenzy

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    Hot New Zealand horrorcomedy Black Sheep has stirred upa bidding frenzy in several territories including Germany, where rightshave gone to Ascot Elite. Kathleen Drumm and James Thompson of NZFilm negotiated the deal with Stephan Giger for Ascot Elite.Jonathan King wrote anddirected the story of a reckless genetic experiment that transformsinnocent ...

  • News

    San Fu Maltha buys slew of films at AFM for new Indonesian operation

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    San Fu Maltha, the Dutch producer of Holland's Oscar entry BlackBook, has a dualexistence as joint managing director of new Indonesian distributor andexhibitor, Blitz. Through Queen, the acquisition arm of Blitz, he has picked upa raft of titles in the market.Films that Blitz will be releasing in Indonesia include TheSpirit ...

  • News

    Fortissimo on board for Hamilton's Mama's Boy

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    FortissimoFilms has picked up international rights outside North America to comedy Mama'sBoy from Warner Independent Pictures(WIP).Directedby Tim Hamilton, whose short film Truth In Advertising screened in competition at Cannes in 2001, Mama'sBoy stars Jon Heder who first cameto notice in indie hit Napoleon Dynamite.DianeKeaton, Jeff Daniels and Anna Faris also ...

  • News

    Matt LeBlanc cast in Atlantic Streamline war pic

    2000-07-11T03:26:00Z

    Friends star Matt LeBlanc is to head the cast of All The Queen's Men, a $15m German-set comedic drama set in World War II which is being produced by Atlantic Streamline.Bernd Eichinger's Constantin Film has taken rights in German-speaking Europe to the film which is being directed by Stephan Ruzowitsky ...

  • News

    Song Kang-ho gets batty with Park Chan-wook

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    The Host star Song Kang-ho will reteam with Park Chan-wook onhis next film Bat (workingtitle).Park and Song previouslyworked together on JSA (2000) andSympathy for Mr. Vengeance(2002).CJ Entertainment iscurrently selling Park's next film I'm A Cyborg, But It's OK and CJ will also sell Bat, a vampire movie being scripted by ...

  • News

    Borat make glorious box office benefits for Fox

    2006-11-06T00:00:00Z

    Sacha Baron Cohen'soutrageous faux Kazakh journalist Borat had too much chutzpah for the competition at the weekend and opened topthrough Fox on an estimated $26.4m.The result is remarkablegiven that Fox only launched the picture on 837 screens for a stunning $31,511average. Larry Charles directed.Borat's domestic resultovershadowed Buena Vista's comedy sequel ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch takes on Maverick's Stanford Prison Experiment

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    Paris-based Wild Bunch hasboarded Maverick Films' upcoming The Stanford Prison Experiment.Wild Bunch will handleinternational sales while John Ptak and Philip Elway's Arsenal will representUS rights.The $11m film is to bedirected by Christopher McQuarrie who will produce alongside Mark Morgan andBrent Emery. Guy Oseary and Para Pirria will executive produce.The film ...

  • News

    Red Envelope gets US rights to to Strike from Telepool

    2006-11-06T04:00:00Z

    Munich-based Telepool hasclosed a deal with Netflix-owned Red Envelope Entertainment for US rights toVolker Schloendorff's Strike, thestory of a female crane operator who co-founded the Solidarity movement inSoviet-era Poland in the 1980s.The film had its world premiere at the TorontoInternational Film Festival in September.Meanwhile, Telepool has soldits 3-D animated feature ...