Small MPU – Page 493
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News
War of words erupts after De Hadeln's Montreal move
With the ink barely dry on his contract,Moritz De Hadeln, the new director of programming of the newly-launchedFestival Internationale du Films de Montreal (FIFM), has already come underfire from rival festival supremo Serge Losique's Montreal World Film Festival(MWFF).On Wednesday, the MWFF issued aterse one-page press release warning the new event ...
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Skillset launches flagship film industry website
UKtraining body Skillset has launched a new film website for people working orwanting to work in the UK film industry. The siteis billed as a one-stop shop for all information on getting in and getting onin film careers.Coveringall aspects of film from development through to exhibition, the site includes: - ...
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X-Filme launches in-house world sales division
Berlinproduction house X-Filme creative pool has set up an in-house world salesdivision to handle the international distribution of Dani Levy's box office hitGo For Zucker - An Unorthodox Comedy (Alles auf Zucker!). PreviouslyX-Filme's titles have been handled on a deal-by-deal basis by Bavaria FilmInternational and Beta Cinema, amongst others.X-FilmeWorld Sales ...
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Investors cool on UK film business
One year on from thegovernment's February 10 crackdown on tax financing, forecasts say the amountof money being offered by investors is down by as much as two thirds on lastyear's levels.The worst hit are theproduction equity schemes, which offer film-makers a larger chunk of theirbudgets but require investors to take ...
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Berlusconi plans RAI privatisation
SilvioBerlusconi's government has announced that Italian state broadcaster RAI willbe partly privatised before the end of the year."RAI'sprivatisation is something positive. It will help propel forward therestructuring of the company, which is already underway," said ItalianTreasury minister Domenico Siniscalco. He added: "It is also a guaranteeagainst political interference." Siniscalcorecommended that ...
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Warner Bros: a very local engagement
The popular image ofHollywood as an American superpower steamrolling over the interests ofEurope's local filmmaking industry with one-size-fits-all global products wasgiven a sharp rebuke yesterday by Warner Bros. top international executive. Delivering the keynotespeech at Screen International's third annual European Film FinanceSummit in Berlin, Richard Fox, Warner's executive vice ...
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Russian Oscars fete outsiders
Alexei German's Khrustalyov, My Car hit open road at the Russian Oscars after the event was snubbed by leading Russian directors Nikita Mikhalkov and Alexander Sukorov, who refused to allow their films to compete. Khrustalyov, a black and white film which screened in competition in Cannes two years ago, received ...
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Buyers look to take Nispel's Pathfinder
With English-language projects at a premium in Berlin, buyers arescrambling to get their hands on Marcus Nispel's Pathfinder, a $45maction movie being produced by Mike Medavoy and Arnie Messer's PhoenixPictures, and being represented for territorial sales by Endeavor.Nobody from the agency ispresent at the market, but Endeavor's Modi Wiczyk said ...
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Fortissimo rolls with Pen-ek's Invisible Waves
Fortissimo Filmshas secured a slew of territories on Pen-ek Ratanaruang's follow-up to LastLife In The Universe, called Invisible Waves. The film, whichreunites Pen-ek with his Last Life cinematographer Christopher Doyle andstar Asano Tadanobu, has gone to PalmPictures for North America, France's Wildside, Triangel Films has come in forScandinavian territories, A-Films ...
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Motley named UIP acquisitions vice-president
UIP has appointed EricaMotley as vice president of acquisitions.Aformer head of Film for Elisabeth Murdoch's production company Shine, Motley takes over fromNuala OHalloran, who is returning to Australia. TheUS-born andeducatedexecutive, whose was most recently managing director of Ice Productions, took up this post thismonth.HerCV includes stints at Home Box Office ...
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Obituary: Humbert Balsan
TheBerlinale began under a cloud with the news of the sudden death yesterday ofFrench producer and European Film Academy chairman Humbert Balsan. "We have lost one of our dearest friends and we willl miss him terribly," said festival director Dieter Kosslick.In a long producing career, Balsan worked with directorsof the ...
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MPAA announces pair of new policy posts
Capitol Hill veteran John Feehery has been appointedexecutive vice president and chief communications officer at the MPAA, whileRich Taylor becomes senior vice president of external affairs and education.Feehery formerly served as press secretary to the Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives, Dennis Hastert. Based in Washington, the newly created postwill require ...
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Daniel Taylor appointed MGM president
DanielTaylor has been appointed president of MGM following completion of the sale tothe Sony-led LOC Acquisition Company consortium.Taylor will be responsible for overseeing all operations of MGM, includingdevelopment and production of a smaller slate of theatrical and televisionproduct through co-financing and distribution with Sony.He will play a major role in ...
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Fockers closing on $100m at international box office
DreamWorksInternational's Meet The Fockershas a shot at passing $100m this weekend following an explosive run that hasalready produced $31.4m in the UK, $24.9m in Australia and $8.3m in Mexico.Currently on an $88.4m cumulative total from all its markets, Fockers goes out through UIP in Italy today (11)and should prosper, bearing ...
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Columbia TriStar, SPRI pick up Brown Bunny
Columbia TriStar has pickedup DVD and television rights from Wellspring to Vincent Gallo's The BrownBunny, with Sony Pictures ReleasingInternational (SPRI) acquiring a slew of international rights from Kinetique.SPRI picked up rights to the UK, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand,India, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, and Asia, excluding Japan and Thailand.The Brown Bunny ...
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Reviews
Son Of The Mask
Dir: Lawrence Guterman.US. 2005. 86mins.A decade after the aggressively manic original helped make Jim Carrey astar, New Line's family-oriented sequel to The Mask tries to make up forCarrey's absence by adding warm and fuzzy elements to the cartoonish,CG-enhanced (and still pretty in-your-face) comedy.It's a logical approach to abelated sequel: plenty ...
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Reviews
Smalltown, Italy (Provincia Meccanica)
LeeMarshall in RomeDir: Stefano Mordini. Italy. 2005. 107mins.The only Italian film in competition at Berlin this year, Smalltown,Italy depicts a bleak, post-industrial, dysfunctional Bel Paese that is along way from the tourist postcard cliches. Though the film is not without itsflaws, this is a promising debut for first-timer Mordini, a ...
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Barrandov Studios set to change owners
Prague's legendary AB Barrandov Studios is close to changing hands, according to local newspaper reports.Owner Moravia Steel is understood to be weeks away from closing a deal with a consortium of North American film industry investors known as the Kodiak Group. The deal would end Moravia's four-year search for an ...
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INTERNATIONAL 11 February
MeetThe Fockers easily retained the international box officelead at the weekend, thanks to strong holdovers including the UK and six newterritory launches led by Spain's $4.7m (Euro 3.6m).Otherlaunches came in Sweden, Denmark and Taiwan (all $0.4m), Israel ($0.3m) andCroatia ($43,000). The UK has given the film a phenomenal $29.2m (£15.5m) ...
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Reviews
Hitch
Dir: Andy Tennant. US2005. 115minsWhile it may not be on apar with benchmark romantic comedies like Pretty Woman, Andy Tennant's Hitchproves that even the unlikeliest love story works if backed up by a solid freshscript and believable, ingratiating characters.Columbia can expect a solidreturn on its this perfect date flick, both ...