Small MPU – Page 3897

  • News

    Cameras to roll again on River Queen

    2004-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Director Vincent Ward's River Queen is going backinto production in New Zealand after a two-month hiatus.Cameras roll again from October 4 and continue for eightweeks according to Silverscreen Films, which is producing alongside The FilmConsortium.Filmingwas delayed in late July due to the illness of lead actress Samantha Morton.She was hospitalised ...

  • News

    INTERNATIONAL 16 September

    2004-09-16T00:00:00Z

    Day-and-date launches in Japan and Denmark saw action-horrorsequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse thehighest new entry on the international chart this week at sixth. The 2002original outperformed its domestic gross internationally with 61% ($62m) of its$102m worldwide total coming from international territories.It was not enough, however, to dethrone BVI's The Village from ...

  • News

    Hofer surfaces at BW Film Academy

    2000-04-06T19:22:00Z

    Former Studio Babelsberg Independents (SBI) chief Arthur Hofer has been appointed artistic head at the Baden-Wuerrttemberg Film Academy in Ludwigsburg. He succeeds Albrecht Ade who founded the academy in 1991.Hofer resigned from his Babelsberg post last month citing the resignation of studio boss Friedrich-Carl Wachs as a reason for his ...

  • News

    UK government clamps down on producer fees

    2004-09-17T04:00:00Z

    The UK government has movedto clamp down on excessive producer fees on British films.Under revamped co-productionguidelines published this month, the Department for Culture, Media & Sporthas targeted producer fees over 10% of production expenditure.Although producer fees over10% are not necessarily barred, the DCMS will automatically ask for additionalproof that they ...

  • News

    4Way lines up Western Story

    2004-09-17T04:00:00Z

    4Way Pictures, the UK-based company co-run by Antonia Bird,Mark Cousins, Robert Carlyle and Irvine Welsh, has announced details of ahandful of new projects.The company has now boarded A Western Story, an epicUS coming-of-age love story scripted by Naomi Wallace (Lawn Dogs). Birdwill direct the film, which will be a UK/US ...

  • News

    China moves to boost digital screen count

    2004-09-17T04:00:00Z

    In its latest digital upgrade,state-owned China Film Group has ordered ten new screen projectors due fordelivery to Beijing in October. The deal is part of the group's ongoing effortsin having 161 digital cinemas up and running by the end of 2004.The 10 new digital projectors are 2KDSR servers supplied by ...

  • News

    Senator unveils details of post insolvency plans

    2004-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Senator Entertainment plans to focus its futureoperations on the core business of its three 100% subsidiaries Senator FilmProduktion, Senator Film Verleih and Central Film Vertriebs once it has beendischarged from insolvency proceedings.However, it will selloff its interest in LA-based international sales outfit Senator Internationalas part of the insolvency plan drawn ...

  • News

    French pin Oscar hopes on Les Choristes

    2004-09-16T00:00:00Z

    France'sfilm council (CNC) has announced that Christophe Barratier's Les Choristes will represent the country as this year's submissionfor best foreign language Oscar.Budgetedat Euros 5.5m, the film is something of a phenomenon in France having garnerednearly eight million admissions since it was released in March of 2004.StarringGerard Jugnot as a music ...

  • News

    Red Dust scores first Toronto sales

    2004-09-17T04:05:00Z

    South African film RedDust scored a clutch of international sales at the Toronto festival whereit had its world premiere.The courtroom drama which is set against the Truth AndReconciliation Commission was licensed by Svensk FilmIndustri for Scandinavia, DNCSpA for Italy and RSVS for Benelux. Sales agent Pierre Weisbein of new salesagent ...

  • News

    F For Film picks up Angola's The Hero

    2004-09-17T04:05:00Z

    French seller F For Film haspicked up international rights to Toronto festival film The Hero (O Heroi),directed by Zeze Gamboa. The film is a multilayered drama about four characters inan impoverished and war-torn Angola and stars Oumar Makena Diop, Milton Coelho,Patricia Bull, Neusa Borges. TheAngola-Portugal-France co-production was produced by David ...

  • News

    Pathe takes rights trio on Black Book

    2004-09-17T04:05:00Z

    In a rare pre-sale of aDutch-language film, Pathe has picked up French, Swiss and Belgian rights toPaul Verhoeven's forthcoming wartime drama Black Book. The sales arranged by producer San Fu Maltha and salesagent Katapult Films, are understood to have been critical to the financing ofthe $15m (Euros12m). Structured as a ...

  • News

    Fine Line acquires Yao Ming doc in Toronto

    2004-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Fine Line Features kept the buying momentum going in the finaldays of Toronto yesterday, picking up worldwide rights to The Year Of Yao, the documentary about basketball starYao Ming which had its world premiere here.The company is planning a 2005 release for the film which followsthe Chinese player Yao Ming ...

  • Reviews

    Sideways

    2004-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Alexander Payne. US.2004. 124 mins.Alexander Payne entersthe very top rank of American auteurs with his fourth film Sideways, ablissfully enjoyable meditation on masculinity and loneliness which willdelight adult audiences and should be a significant contender in theend-of-year awards race. Fox Searchlight Pictures, which fully financed thefilm, is releasing it ...

  • News

    Pollock replaces Ashmore at UIP South-East Asia

    2000-04-06T19:27:00Z

    UIP has appointed Roger Pollock as vice president, sales for South-East Asia, replacing Steve Ashmore who left the company earlier this week - reportedly as part of a cost-cutting exercise following MGM's withdrawal from the joint distribution venture.Pollock will combine the position with his current role as general manager for ...

  • News

    Mobius Pictures to sell Styler trio

    2004-09-20T04:00:00Z

    Mobius Pictures, the sales operation of Elie Samaha'sformer partner, David Bergstein, has partnered with Trudie Styler'sUK-based production company Xingu Films for three pictures.Mobius is bankrolling A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, theadaptation of model-singer Dito Montiel's autobiography starring Robert DowneyJr. Montiel, who will direct from his own script, is to ...

  • News

    German remake for hit Dutch football feature

    2004-09-20T04:00:00Z

    SuccessfulDutch football feature In Orange (In Oranje) is to be remade for Germanaudiences.Germanproduction house Gemini Film struck a deal this week with In Orange producers Motel Films and Fu Worksto retell the story in German with a working-title In Die Mannschaft.Accordingto Fu Works other countries - including Spain, England and ...

  • Reviews

    Wimbledon

    2004-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Richard Loncraine, UK/US 2004, 97 minsRichard Curtis maynot have written Wimbledon but hisinfluence is evident in almost every scene of the film. As in Notting Hill and Four Weddings, a charming but stuttering Brit (in this case, ajourneyman tennis player) falls in love with a tougher, more worldly wiseAmerican. We're ...

  • News

    Spain unveils Oscar contenders

    2004-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Alejandro Amenabar's TheSea Inside (Mar Adentro), Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education (La Mala Educacion) and multiple Oscar nominee JoseLuis Garci's Tiovivo De Madrid C. 1950have made Spain's short-list for the nomination to the foreign-language Oscar.The final nominee will be announced October 1.Almodovar scored his best ever opening in Spain with BadEducation ...

  • Reviews

    Melinda And Melinda

    2004-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Woody Allen, US2004. 99 mins After a run of lightweight comedies that caused evenhardcore supporters to lose patience, Woody Allen achieves a heartening returnto form with his most idiosyncratic and substantial film in some time. Agenuine tragi-comedy - in that it counterpoints two parallel stories, tragicand comic - Melinda ...

  • News

    Chomet readies Tati screenplay for Scottish shoot

    2004-09-20T04:00:00Z

    Oscar-nominated Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets OfBelleville) is to direct an animatedversion of a screenplay by legendary French comedian Jacques Tati.Called The Illusionist,it will be produced in Edinburgh - where Chomet recently set up shop -by Mark Cousinsof 4Ways Films. Sally Chomet will co-produce through Studio Django.Other partners include Les Films ...