Small MPU – Page 3890

  • News

    French cinema admissions leap 22% during 2004

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    France's film council (CNC) has revealed very healthybox-office figures for the first eight months of the year. In total, 133.57 millioncinema tickets have been sold since the beginning of the year.This represents a 22% increase over the same period in 2003.Overall, the projection is for a 15% increase over last ...

  • News

    Twenty one features selected for Netherlands Production Platform

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    Twenty one local and foreign feature-projects have beenselected for this year's Netherlands Production Platform, which will take placeduring the Dutch Film Festival in Utrecht between Sept 24-26.The selected titles will be presented to Dutch and foreignproducers and financial backers. The Dutch entries are also aiming for TheKodak Development Prize, worth ...

  • News

    Two new Greek films get US distribution

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    Two Greek films have found distribution in the US, in whatthe state-backed Greek Film Centre describes as a promising sign for a newgeneration of Greek filmmakers.Picture This has acquired US distribution rights to Oxygen, a drama written and directed by ThanassisPapathanasiou and Mihalis Reppas.Produced by Elena Hadzialexandrou, and sold by ...

  • News

    DENMARK 7 September

    2004-09-07T00:00:00Z

    Though it actually improved on its performance from lastweek, Susanne Bier's Brothers was nomatch for Shrek 2, which on a massive119 prints swept the top of the Danish chart with 105,273 admissions (DKK6,4m).Despite winning both best script and film awards at theCopenhagen International Film Festival only a week ago, Lidija ...

  • News

    Stone's Alexander to open Stockholm

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    OliverStone will be this year's guest of honour at the Stockholm International FilmFestival (Nov 18-28). He will visit Stockholm to accept the Stockholm LifetimeAchievement Award in a prize ceremony on Nov 18, while his latest film, Alexander,will open the festival.The Stockholm festival said: "With a fearless explorationof individual lives affected ...

  • News

    MIFED's loss could become Venice's gain

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    While the Venice Film Festival has always been known for itsrelaxed atmosphere and casual meetings, the absence of many American andEnglish companies from next month's MIFED has inadvertently lead to increasedbusiness activity on the Lido, some industry figures say.On Tuesday, MIFED issued a statement revealing that at least25 American and ...

  • News

    Colonna named as new CNC chief

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    Catherine Colonna will be confirmed as the new director ofthe French film council (CNC) on Wednesday according to sources close to thesituation. Colonna will take up her functions as of the 22nd of September whencurrent chief David Kessler will step down.As previously reported by Screendaily.com, Kessler will headto France Televisions ...

  • News

    Spacey's TriggerStreet launches digital offshoot

    2004-09-08T04:05:00Z

    Kevin Spacey, who will be inToronto this weekend for the premiere of his Bobby Darin biopic Beyond The Sea,is adding to his producer credentials.Spacey and Dana Brunetti'sTriggerStreet Productions has hatched a new digital production label TriggerStreet Independent (TSI) in association with film-making brothers Adam and MarkKassen.The new company expects toproduce ...

  • News

    First Look takes near worldwide rights to Freeze Frame

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Los Angeles-based distributionand sales house First Look Media has picked up worldwide rights excluding the UK and Irelandto John Simpson's futuristic thriller Freeze-Frameand will begin sales in Torontothrough First Look International.Freeze-Frame premiered atthe Tribeca Film festival earlier this year and starsBritish comic Lee Evans as a man who is acquitted ...

  • News

    Big Bear Lake to open with Finding Home

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    The Big Bear Lake InternationalFilm Festival will open on Sept 17 with Lawrence David Foldes'Maine-set redemption drama Finding Home,which won a trio of awards including best director at the Monaco InternationalFilm Festival.Festival organiserswill also present Laszlo Kovacs with the Lifetime Achievement Award inCinematography award at the festival gala on the ...

  • News

    Pechels de Saint Sardos joins Classic Media

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Industry veteranSandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos has joined New York-based production anddistribution outfit Classic Media as sales executive.Pechels de Saint Sardos will report to Classic Media's head ofworldwide distribution Doug Schwalbe and will handle international sales,distribution and marketing of productions including the upcoming family title PeterCottontail: The Movie.Pechels de Saint ...

  • Reviews

    Mysterious Skin

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Dir:Gregg Araki USA. 2004. 99mins.GreggAraki is a film buff's director, one of those independent US mavericks, likeHarmony Korine, whose regular feature outings are staples of the internationalfestival circuit (it plays Toronto after its Orizzonti premiere at Venice) andultra-arthouse theatres, but register only the faintest bleeps on the radar ofthe cinemagoing ...

  • Reviews

    Strings

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Dir:Anders Ronnow Klarlund. Den-Swe-UK-Nor. 2004. 92mins.Say "puppet movie" and most people think of the Muppetsor, at a push, Pinocchio - who has most famously come to life on screen in cartoon and live action form.Traditional marionettes have always messed with the suspension of disbeliefthat appears to be necessary in the ...

  • News

    HUNGARY 8 September

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    King Arthur openedstrongly at the Hungarian box office but meant no real competition for Garfield which managed nearly 40,000admissions in the second week of its release and is fast approaching the200,000 admissions mark.While Budapest Film's Szezon(Season) opened strongly on eleven prints, French production Fureur flopped painfully for distributorBest Hollywood and ...

  • News

    MIFED's loss could become others' gain

    2004-09-08T04:00:00Z

    While the Venice Film Festival has always been known for itsrelaxed atmosphere and casual meetings, the absence of many American andEnglish companies from next month's MIFED has inadvertently lead to increasedbusiness activity on the Lido, some industry figures say.On Tuesday, MIFED issued a statement revealing that at least25 American and ...

  • News

    First Look takes sales rights to Freeze Frame

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Los Angeles-based distributionand sales house, First Look Media has picked up worldwide rights excluding the UK and Irelandto John Simpson's futuristic thriller Freeze-Frame.It will begin sales in Torontothrough First Look International.Freeze-Frame premiered atthe Tribeca Film festival earlier this year and starsBritish comic Lee Evans as a man who is acquitted ...

  • News

    Spain laps up Amenabar's Sea

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Alejandro Amenabar'sacclaimed The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) got off to a superb internationalstart in the director's home-territory, Spain, at the weekend.The drama, which played incompetition at the Venice Film Festival last week, sold nearly 450,000 ticketsin Spain at the weekend for a $2.8m (Euro 2.3m) gross that saw it claim ...

  • News

    Media Programme sets out Euros 1bn strategy

    2004-09-09T04:00:00Z

    With its proposed budget of over Euros 1bn, the new Media Programme (MEDIA 2007), which will run from 2007 to 2013, aims to double the number of European films that are currently distributed outside their own country of origin.During a meeting in Venice, European Union Commissioner Viviane Reding said that ...

  • News

    SERBIA/MONTENEGRO 8 September

    2004-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Openingthis weekend with only 1,400 admissions and total gross of $6,307, Hellboy managed to enter in third placeat the Serbian-Montenegrin chart for Tuck, leaving last weekend's favourites I, Robot and Jersey Girl at the top. Tuck's Will Smith vehicle declined 41%compared to the previous weekend, but still held pole position ...

  • News

    Bim boards Bellucci vehicle Combien

    2004-09-09T04:00:00Z

    Italy's Bim, which has three titles playing in competitionat the Venice Film Festival, will co-produce Bertrand Blier's next film, CombienTu Gagnes', with Italian diva Monica Bellucci.Bim president Valerio De Paolis has boarded the Euros 12mproject alongside France's Fidelite, which is Francois Ozon's long-termproduction partner. Bim also owns Italian distribution rights.The ...