Small MPU – Page 445
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News
New Swiss arthouse distributor launches
A new player has appeared on the Swiss distribution scene with thelaunch of Lucerne-based Cinepix Distribution in collaboration with the KiwiGroup arthouse cinema chain.Speaking to Screendaily.com in Locarno this week,Cinepix's managing director Patrick Riesen said that he plans to release 3-5films per year with a particular - although not exclusive ...
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UK/IRELAND 10 August
A well placed pieceof counter-programming proved effective for Columbia TriStar in the UK thisweek as the company launched 13 Going On30 against Fox's I, Robot.While it wasinevitable that the Will Smith sci-fi vehicle would triumph, the Jennifer Garnercomedy held its own to take second place. Aimed largely at the female ...
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Venice pre-screenings cancelled
AIP (Audiovisual Industry Promotion) has cancelled theVenice pre-Screenings it was due to host on the Lido from August 30 toSeptember 1.Giovanni Galoppi, president of AIP, the new organisationformed by Cinecitta and Fiera di Milano, MIFED's parent company, had originallyannounced that around 30-40 international buyers would be invited to thescreenings of ...
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Seven Arts aims for London stock market listing
PeterHoffman's Seven Arts Filmed Entertainment is to secure a listing on London'sAIM stock market for smaller stocks through a reverse takeover of costumejewellery business Cabouchon.Cabouchonwill purchase Seven Arts for £4.8m in new shares, changing its name to SevenArts Pictures and selling its current business and assets to Julie Ann Wing,its ...
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Canal Plus abandons search for Italian partner
France's Canal Plus has abandoned its search for a local partner for Italian pay-TV platform Telepiu, according to French daily newspaper La Tribune.Canal Plus, which hold nearly 100% of Telepiu, was going to sell a share in the loss-making operator to Italian utilities and communications group Enel. However, the deal ...
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Goldwyn joins ensemble of IFC Films' American Gun
Tony Goldwyn has joined thecast of Aric Avelino's ensemble drama American Gun, which began filming in Los Angeles last month andwill be released domestically through IFC Films.Goldwyn recently appeared inThe Last Samurai and will next beseen in the drama Ghosts Never Sleep with Faye Dunaway, and John Turturro's musical Romance ...
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Katz promoted to vice president, acquisitions, at THINKFilm
Daniel Katz has beenpromoted to vice president of acquisitions at THINKFilm. He will remain in thecompany's New York offices and report directly to head of theatricaldistribution Mark Urman and senior vice president of acquisitions and businessaffairs Randy Manis.Katz began his distributioncareer in 1999 when he moved to New York, eventually ...
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News
Hot Canadian actor Noble dies at 25 in poisoning accident
The promising young Canadianactor Andre Noble, who starred in John Palmer's gay and lesbian festival hit Sugar, died on Jul 30 from inadvertent poisoning. He was25.Born in the Canadian fishingvillage of Centreville, Newfoundland, in 1979, Noble studied at the Sir WilfredGrenfell School of Fine Arts in Newfoundland before moving to ...
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Tiffany Bair joins Samuel Goldwyn & Roadside Attractions
Tiffany Bair has joinedSamuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions as director of publicity.In the new position, Bairwill develop stories and oversee publicity efforts on the West Coast, workingalongside vice president of publicity and marketing RJ Millard.Bair began her career atFirst Look Pictures as a theatrical and home entertainment publicist working ...
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Toronto announces more high wattage world premieres
Jiminy Glick In Lalawood, Vadim Jean's big screen treatment of Martin Short'soutrageous alter ego talk show host, will close the 29th Toronto InternationalFilm Festival (TIFF) on Sept 18.The world premiere, some ofwhich was shot at TIFF two years ago, is one of several announced by festivalorganisers today (August 10) in ...
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SPC closes multi-territory deal on Heroes
Sony PicturesClassics has acquired North American, UK, Italian and German rights to DanHarris' coming-of-age story Imaginary Heroes, which makes its world premiere atToronto next month.Harris'directorial debut stars Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Emile Hirsch andMichelle Williams in a tale about a dysfunctional American family on a shakycourse of self-discovery.Illana Diamantand Art ...
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Reviews
Niceland
Dir. Fridrik ThorFridriksson. Ice-Ger-Den-UK. 2004. 87mins.A modern fairytale for disenchanted adults, thelatest Fridrik Thor Fridriksson opus looks pretty and cute but lacks the edgeand authenticity that distinguish most of his previous contributions.Wrapped up inToyland colours for the first half, their tonality soiled later when the storyshifts to a junkyard, Fridriksson's ...
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Discoveries finds Duck Season
Discoveries - the annualfilm programme established by BBC Four, Optimum Releasing and the EdinburghInternational Film Festival to showcase up-and-coming international filmmakersand actors for UK audiences - has acquired Mexican coming-of-age comedy Duck Season.Directed by first timewriter-director Fernando Eimbcke, the former Critics' Week title will premiereat the Edinburgh festival this month.Duck ...
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Reviews
Wall (Mur)
Dir/scr: SimoneBitton. France. 2004. 99minsA poetic reflectionof the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Simone Bitton's documentary focuses itsattention on the massive wall put up by the Sharon government to separate theJewish community from the Arab and, arguably, defuse the terrorist threat.Born a Jew into the Arabian culture ofMorocco but brought up in Israel, ...
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Local title is hot in Chile
In a summer marked by local box office successes across ahost of international territories, Latin American country Chile has not beenleft out.Local drama Machucalaunched last Thursday (Aug 5) in the country and has quickly become the mostsuccessful Chilean film ever, selling over 100,000 tickets in less than a week.The film's ...
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Euro cinema foundation suspends operations
The MonteCinemaVeritaFoundation, which was one of the backers of this year's Locarno competitionfilm The Hunter (Okhotnik) byKazakhstan's Serik Aprymov, has suspended operations and laid off coordinatorLaurence Hoffmann in order to restructure its organisation.Over the last ten years, theSwiss Foundation has supported the production and post-production of film projectsfrom the South ...
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Impact of DVD boom on Cinema measured
The DVD boom is having a major impact on cinema-going -but it is a positive one and probably more pronounced in Australia than in anyother territory."As DVD sales continue to grow, and as rental behaviourstays strong, more people - not less -are attending the cinema," Video Ezy chief executive Stephen ...
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Horror rocks Korean box office
The top eight positions may have remained unchanged fromlast week but there was still plenty going on in the international market. I, Robot cemented its lead with a hostof massive openings led by the UK, Germany and Russia that saw its weekendearnings nearly three times its nearest rival.South Korean horror ...
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Korean majors finalise separation
After a well-publicised and contentious struggle, SouthKorean major Cinema Service has reached an agreement to secure its formalseparation from the rival CJ Group.Nevertheless, it paid a much higher price than originallyhoped for, as CJ is poised to take over 70% of Cinema Service's exhibition armPrimus.Although Cinema Service will be guaranteed ...
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German home entertainment market hits new high
Turnover in the German homeentertainment market continues to boom with revenues from sell-through andrental videos and DVDs increasing by 14% to Euros 720m in the first half of2004, according to the German Federal Film Board (FFA).The results for videosell-through were particularly impressive with overall turnover rising by 19%from 2003's Euros ...