Small MPU – Page 490
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News
Almodovar to tango with Cruz in Volver
Pedro Almodovar is plottinghis return to female-centred comedies with what looks set to be his next film, Volver, starring Penelope Cruz.The director said the project, one of several he has in development, would be hisnext over the weekend in Rome where his Bad Education (La Mala Educacion) was honored with ...
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News
Sundance Channel buys de Lestrade's Staircase
The Sundance Channel haspicked up pay television rights to Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's true-crimedocumentary The Staircase.The eight-part miniseriesfollows the investigation into the cause of death of Nortel executive KathleenPeterson, and will premiere as a special Sundance Channel DOCday seriesbeginning on Apr 4.The Maha Films production isthe latest release from de Lestrade, ...
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News
Boyle's Millions wins top film prize at Sarasota
Danny Boyle's Millions won the 2005 Narrative FeatureCompetition Award at the 7th Annual Sarasota Film Festival closing ceremony (6)and Stephen Vittoria's One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer OfGeorge McGovern tookdocumentary honours.In the audienceawards, Dave McKean's Mirrormask won best narrative feature, Rebecca Dreyfus's Stolen took best documentary, Prachya Pinkaew'sThai picture ...
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News
Lions Gate sells Rwanda to Germany, France, Australia
Lions Gate FilmsInternational (LGFI) has closed a raft of sales on its Oscar nominated HotelRwanda, which makes itsinternational premiere in official selection at the 2005 Berlinale.Tobis has picked up the Rwandan genocide drama forGermany, Metropolitan for France, Village Roadshow for Australia, and AscotElite for Switzerland.Hotel Rwanda co-producer Mikado is set ...
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News
Aviator continues to soar for Miramax in Germany, France
The Aviator grossed an estimated $6m through MiramaxInternational at the weekend, raising its international running total to $31.6mfrom five territories.Highlightsincluded a climb to number one in Germany on $1.4m in The Aviator's third weekend for a $6.3m runningtotal, and $2.2m for $6.6m in its second weekend in France, where it ...
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News
Top Euro buyers swallow Throat rights
Ahead of moreanticipated business at Berlin later this week, Summit Entertainment hasannounced a slew of key European sales on Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato'sdocumentary Inside Deep Throat.The picture, which received its world premiere at Sundanceand plays in Berlin's Panorama programme, sold to Momentum in the UK.Constantin in Germany, Metropolitan FilmExport ...
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News
Alexander conquers $120m mark over weekend
Alexander grossed an estimated $4.2m through alldistributors on 1,890 screens in 52 territories at the weekend, raising itsinternational running total to $120m.In its only major release of the weekend the epic openedin the top five in Japan through Summit Entertainment on $1.9m on 261 screens.Alexander added $303,000 on 302 in ...
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News
Echo Bridge buys domestic DVD distributor Platinum Disc
LosAngeles-based independent Echo Bridge Entertainment is consolidating its NorthAmerican distribution enterprise with the announced merger of leading NorthAmerican home entertainment distributor Platinum Disc Corporation and its2,000-title library.TheWisconsin-based Platinum Disc Corporation will become Platinum Disc, asubsidiary of Echo Bridge Entertainment, and will continue to operate as beforewith its 225 staff intact."This ...
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News
Dream gets international on Tell Them Who You Are
LosAngeles-based production and international sales company Dream Entertainmenthas picked up international rights to Mark Wexler's documentary Tell ThemWho You Are and willbegin sales at the European Film Market in Berlin.The picturepremiered at Venice last year and offers a portrait of the filmmaker's fatherHaskell Wexler, the legendary cinematographer, outspoken left-wing activist ...
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News
Skoll to back Deutchman's US digital network
New York-basedEmerging Pictures is preparing to launch its long-gestating digital cinemanetwork with the backing of former eBay founder Jeff Skoll's Los Angeles-basedParticipant Productions.The initiativewill establish a nationwide network for the distribution and exhibition ofspecialty films in museums, performing arts centres, science and technologyinstitutions, and restored movie palaces.The venues willscreen English-language ...
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News
Momentum celebrates biggest UK opening
Jumping the gun on theupcoming schools half-term holiday, UK independent distributor MomentumPictures has bred a champion with family pick-up Racing Stripes.The film gave Momentum itsall-time biggest opening with $2.16m (£1.145m) from 394 sites, beating March2002 Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads which took $2.12m (£1.126m) from373 sites.Racing Stripes is the official film ...
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News
NETHERLANDS 8 February
Dutch actioner VetHard!, a remake of Danish 2002 hit film Old Men In New Cars,achieved an impressive second place in the local chart with Euros 233,000 on 79screens. 25-Year old debutdirector Tim Oliehoek has proven himself quite a media personality for the lastfew weeks, appearing extensively in all possible papers, ...
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News
New Legend Media capitalised as Euro buying power
A new multi-territory German-backed buyer has emerged in New Legend Media AG, a privately held production and distribution outfit founded from the merger of Munich-based ACC Entertainment and LA-based Legend Entertainment.Two German venture capital companies - Hamburg-based GBK Beteiligungen and Munich-based CEA - have joined the consortium of private investors ...
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News
South Africa, Australia co-production treaty mooted
The governing council of theScreen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) is expected next week toendorse a report arguing the case for a co-production arrangement to be put inplace with South Africa.If it happens, the reportwill be presented to the Australian Film Commission (AFC), the governmentagency that administers such arrangements. The ...
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News
Kadokawa, Intermedia to remake One Missed Call
Kadokawa Pictures USA andIntermedia are to jointly remake One Missed Call, the Takashi Miikehorror that grossed $14.6m (Y1.5bn) in Japan following its release in January2004. The deal was announced byYasushi Akimoto, who wrote the novel on which the film was based, at the Tokyopremiere of One Missed Call 2 on ...
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News
Greenaway to write, direct Rembrandt project
Peter Greenaway iswriting and will direct a film about Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Thefilm, titled Nightwatching, is initiated by Dutch Kasander Film Companyand is due to be released next May (2006) to co-incide with the 400th anniversary ofthe famous painter. The film is based onthe painting of The Nightwatch, ...
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News
Hong Kong has a new box-office champion
Stephen Chow's Kung-fuHustle has become the highest-grossing local film ever at the Hong Kong boxoffice, overtaking the previous record holder, Shaolin Soccer, alsostarring and directed by Chow. As of Feb 7, the comedyblockbuster, which was backed by Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia, hadgrossed $7.81m (HK$60.89m) in 47 days.In comparison Shaolin ...
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Reviews
Boogeyman
Dir:Stephen Kay. US. 2005. 86mins. Hollywood'srun of low-cost, high return horror movies looks set to continue with Boogeyman,a young-skewing chiller that's better than its generic sounding title suggests.With a stronger than expected US opening under its belt, this second projectfrom Ghost House Pictures - the joint venture between Mandate Pictures(formerly ...
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News
Koltai's Fateless steps up to Berlin competition
Fateless (Sorstalansag), the directorial debut of celebrated Hungariancinematographer Lajos Koltai, will make a splash in Berlin as a last minuteentrant to the official competition. It will play on Wednesday (Feb16) in a time slot vacated by Heights, Chris Terio's New York-set drama, which was previously announced as playing in official ...
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News
Miramax Films acquires Pathe's Mrs Henderson Presents
Miramax Films has acquired the North American, Latin American, and German distribution rights to Stephen Frears's Mrs. Henderson Presents.Starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, Mrs. Henderson Presents is a Pathe Pictures-BBC Films production written by Martin Sherman and produced through Heyman-Hoskins Productions by Norma Heyman, and executive produced by ...