Small MPU – Page 575
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News
Singapore exhibition market opens up
Singapore's box office is set for a shake-up following an openingup of the exhibition market which allows films to be played on more screensthan ever before.Until recently, filmsacquired by local exhibitor-cum-distributor Cathay had been excluded from the cinema circuits operated by its rivals Shaw,Golden Village and Eng Wah. Thanks to ...
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Forbidden winner of San Seb's In Progress prize
Brazil's EProibido Proibir (Forbidden To Forbid) has won the Films In Progress 8(Cine En Construccion) award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival,a prize which carries over Euros $400,000 in completion funding.Directed byJorge Duran, Forbidden was one of seven finalists selected out of 60entries to screen in front of industry ...
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Italian veterans line-up ambitious new projects
While the Italian filmindustry continues to grapple with a two-year financial crisis, the country'susual suspects are lining up ambitious new pictures. These include RenzoMartinelli, director of local special effects-heavy picture Vajont, whois currently shooting a film about terrorism entitled Il Mercante di Pietre(literally, The Precious Stones Merchant). The film is ...
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Spain's Alta snaps up Gravehopping
Spain's Alta Films hasjumped in to take Gravehopping on the day of its world premiere incompetition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.Gravehopping, produced bySlovenia's Staragara, was directed by Jan Cvitkovic, whose Bread And Milkwon Cvitkovic the Golden Lion Of The Future at Venice in 2001. Gravehopping isthe Slovenian director's ...
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NTV, Wowow to launch digital broadcast service
Japanese broadcasters Nippon Television (NTV) and Wowow have reached a basic agreement to jointly provide broadcasting services on a digital communications satellite, beginning as early as spring 2001.The satellite is to be launched this summer in the same position as a digital broadcast satellite that is scheduled to start transmitting ...
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French Oscar choice sparks Gallic rumblings
The choice of Christian Carion's World War Idrama Merry Christmas as thecountry's submission to the foreign language category of the Oscars has sparkedintense debate in France. On September 19, support body the CNC announcedthat a seven member selection committee had chosen Merry Christmas. The film, however, had yet to sell ...
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News
Revolver snags UK rights to 13, Ballets Russes
UK distributor RevolverEntertainment has acquired all UK and Ireland rights to Gela Babluani's debutfeature 13 (Tzameti), as well as all UK and Ireland rights to DaynaGoldfine and Dan Geller's Ballets Russes,a US documentary about the 20th-century dance troupe.Revolver plans a December 2UK release for 13 and a February release for ...
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Reviews
Summer In Berlin (Sommer Vorm Balkon)
Dir: Andreas Dresen.Germany 2005. 112mins.Indie director AndreasDresen is the German counterpart of Robert Guediguian: a regional maverickwithin a national system, whose drama-tinged comedies, or comedy-tinged dramas,are all set in the milieu he knows best. Dresen's preferred location is theformer East Germany, his preferred subject those who are struggling in thedepressed ...
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Reviews
Enlightened By Fire (Iluminados Por El Fuego)
Dir:Tristan Bauer. Arg. 2005. 100mins.Sometimesa film has more value as a national pain relief than as a quality piece ofcinema. Such is certainly the case with Enlightened By Fire, the firstArgentine commercial film to take on the subject of the Falklands/Malvinas war,and to deal with the traumas of the young ...
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Reviews
Hard Times (Malas Temporadas)
Dir. Manuel MartinCuenca. Sp. 2005. 115mins.Three sets of outsidersin Madrid, characters on the fringe of the accepted norm whether by choice orcircumstance, approach a crisis in the nicely-modulated and finely-acted HardTimes, Manuel Martin Cuenca's follow-up to The Weakness Of The Bolshevik.Despite its defiantly sombretone, it should find a solid audience ...
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Reviews
Flightplan
Dir:Robert Schwentke. US. 2005. 93mins.Germandirector makes a promising US debut with Flightplan, a taut suspensethriller that gets good use out of its transatlantic airliner setting and, fora while at least, produces some real emotional resonance too.Withthe very selective Jodie Foster starring, the Imagine/Touchstone productionshould be capable of strong box office ...
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News
Glickman names Pisano COO and president of MPAA
Former SAG chief executiveofficer and top studio executive Robert Pisano has been named chief operatingofficer and president of the MPAA.From Oct 1 Pisano willassume daily operating responsibility for all domestic and international MPAAoperations other than Washington DC-based external and governmental affairs.Based in the MPAA's LosAngeles offices, he will report to ...
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News
Spirit Awards raise budget ceiling to $20m
Nominations forthe 2006 Independent Spirit Awards will be unveiled on Nov 29 ahead of theawards show on Mar 4 2006.Film Independentexecutive director Dawn Hudson announced that nomination guidelines have beenmodified this year to raise the budget ceiling to $20m for all eligible titles,following controversy last year over the eligibility of ...
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News
Focus has Dream for North America
Focus Featureshas picked up North American rights to Peter Cattaneo's Opal Dream and plans a 2006 release for the familypicture, which was previously known as Pobby And Dingan. It will have itsworld premiere in the Dinard Festival Of British Film from Oct 6-9.Sapphire Boycestars in the film as a young ...
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News
Gregorian gets evp stripes at Warner Bros TV Group
Lisa Gregorian (pictured), a Warner Bros veteran of 19years, has been appointed to the new role of executive vice president ofworldwide marketing at Warner Bros Television Group.Gregorian willwork with the studio's internal television marketing teams and televisionnetworks and stations worldwide to maximise promotional opportunities forstudio properties.Her marketingteam will support and ...
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News
Warner's Factory opens in Italy, closes in on $200m
With no realistic contender in sight Charlie And The ChocolateFactory looks set tocontinue ruling international waters as it bears down on $200m.The family picture launches inItaly on Sept 23 through Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI); it currentlystands at more than $180.3m including Roadshow territories.Warner stablemate Dukes Of Hazard opens in ...
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Narnia set for royal world premiere in London
TheChronicles of Narnia: The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe is tohave its world premiere in London on December7 as the 2005 Royal Film Performance in aid of theCinema and Television Benevolent Fund.The film will screen in thepresence of HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchessof Cornwall at the Royal ...
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Czechs study ways to attract film-makers
The CzechMinistry of Culture has contracted Olsberg-SPI, the London-based strategicadvisory firm, to conduct a study of the local film industry's effects on theCzech economy and to make recommendations as to how local conditions can bemade more attractive to film-makers.Radomir Docekalis managing director of the Czech Audiovisual Producers' Association (APA),which is ...
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Swiss select Hiver as Oscar candidate
Greg Zglinski's featuredebut Tout Un Hiver Sans Feu hasbeen selected as Switzerland's entry for the race for the Foreign LanguageOscar.According toSwitzerland's Federal Office for Culture (BAK), Zglinski's film was chosen"for its broad cinematic staying power, its universally valid language,its sensitive mise-en-scene, its convincing screenplay and its cinematographywhich conveys a wonderful ...
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UK MEDIA Desk organises co-production forum
The UK MEDIA Desk, withsupport from the UK Film Council and the EU's MEDIA Programme, is organising aco-production forum to be held during the London Film Festival. The one-daysummit, entitled Co-production Express, will be held October 25.The programme will offercase studies of recent UK-European co-productions Dear Wendy, Only Human,Merry Christmas, ...