Small MPU – Page 576
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Cruz, DeVito join the cast of Paltrow's The Good Night
Penelope Cruz and Danny DeVito have joined the cast of InfernoDistribution's $15m New York-set romantic comedy The Good Night.As previously announced Gwyneth Paltrow, Martin Freeman and SimonPegg star in the story of a former pop star relegated to writing advertisingjingles who lives through his dreams.Cruz will play the female lead ...
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Saskatchewan boosts tax credit to 45%
The Canadian province ofSaskatchewan has announced it will boost its labour-based production tax creditto 45% from 35% of total eligible costs for film and television productionsshooting in the region. The Saskatchewan FilmEmployment Tax Credit (SFETC) can increase to 55% if certain criteria are met,including a new 5% bonus tax credit ...
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Rezo scores Europa, Avex sales for Russian Countdown
Headinginto the AFM, French outfit Rezo Films has drummed up an impressive list ofsales on its Russian action picture Countdown. LucBesson's EuropaCorp. has bought the film for France for a 2006 release.Originally distributed by Gemini in Russia, the film has also sold to Japan'sAvex Entertainment, Brazil's Conquest Films, Hong Kong's ...
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Push Worldwide moves into production with Cold Cream
Mike Elliott, Rob Kerchnerand Joe Genier's fledgling international distributor Push Worldwide is movinginto production with the aim of releasing three to four features a year,kicking off with Richard Halpern's horror thriller Cold Cream. Elliott and Genier willproduce the story, set to begin production in autumn 2006, about an overweightwoman whose ...
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Silverstone, Gallo sign on for Luna's Moscow Zero
Alicia Silverstone andVincent Gallo have been confirmed as leads in $12 million psychological horrorpicture Moscow Zero, the new feature from Luna (Whore, Stranded). The film, due to shoot next month, is the firstproject from aggressive new Spanish production and sales outfit ValentiaPictures.On the first morning of theAFM, Valentia pre-sold several ...
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Paramount Classics goes North with nature doc
Paramount Classics has picked up US, UK and Latin American rightsto Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson's hot documentary Call Of The North, which follows a polar bear and a walrusover the course of five years as they battle for survival on a disappearingcontinent.The $7m National Geographic Feature Films production is ...
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MK2, Rialto take Tsotsi from Little Film Company
Robbie Little's Little Film Company has closed more sales on GavinHood's Toronto Film Festival's People's Choice Award winner Tsotsi.Rights have gone to MK2 in France, Rialto in Australia and NewZealand, Castello Lopes in Portugal, and Rosebud in Greece.The picture will be released through Miramax in North America,Kinowelt in Germany, and ...
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Helkon takes majority control of Newmarket
Adding to its flurry of US production deals Germany's Helkon Media has taken majority control of US film finance boutique Newmarket Capital Group.The deal was conducted through the wholly-owned Helkon International and involved the exercise of options on a further 32% of Newmarket's capital in addition to the 19% it ...
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Pressman horror duo goes to Voltage
Voltage Pictures has picked up worldwide sales on two horrorpictures to be produced by Ed Pressman, a remake of Brian De Palma's 1973 Sisters and The Hill.Both projects are set to begin production in February 2006 throughNew York-based Pressman & Company's No Remorse genre label and will beco-financed by Grosvenor ...
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Chicken Little goes big in Mexico, Russia & South Africa
Impressive holds during the All Saints Day holiday in manyterritories this week means that The Legend Of Zorro stands at more than $41m going into theweekend.Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) licensed the majorityof international rights from the picture's co-financier Spyglass Entertainmentand executives expect strong holds in all territories following last ...
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Andreas Klein joins BMD board of directors
Splendid Medien managementboard chairman Andreas Klein has joined the board of directors of BauerMartinez Distribution.“Philippe Martinez is putting together one of the mostexciting entertainment companies in the business and I’m thrilled to be part of it,” Klein, who served as executive producer on Traffic and the Agent Cody Banks franchise, ...
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Hopkins, Gosling star in Fracture for New Line
Anthony Hopkins and RyanGosling have signed to star in Castle Rock's crime drama Fracture that New Line is handling worldwide.Gregory Hoblit will directthe story of an assistant District Attorney who takes justice into his ownhands after an assailant tries to murder his wife and leaves her in a coma.New Line ...
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Wolf Creek finally gets teeth into Australian market
Greg McLean's horror title WolfCreek has finally opened in its Australian home territory, scoring a numberone opening on Thursday on an estimated $142,639 (AU$193,045).The film had been delayed because of its similarities with a murder trial still in progress. It is still barred from opening in the Northern Territory, where ...
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Japan's Nikkatsu snaps up Welcome To Dongmakgol
Korean major Showbox hassold drama Welcome To Dongmakgolto Japan's Nikkatsu for a sum ofaround $2m. The $5.5m film has racked upmore than 8 million admissions since its local release in August and is nowKorea's fourth biggest ever film. It was also selected asSouth Korea's entry for the foreign-language category of ...
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Taiwanese-Kiwi venture plans $69m film of Chinese myth
Taiwaneseand a New Zealand companies haveset up a joint venture to produce a $69m English-language feature based on aChinese myth and set for release during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.Lady White Snake has been written by Chinese musician Hou Dejian, owner of Taipei-basedEquinox Film. He is working with USwriter/director Patrick ...
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Minghella hails best ever London Film Festival
"The best festival ever," was Anthony Minghellas description of the 49th The Times London Film Festival, which closed last night withGeorge Clooney's Good Night, And GoodLuck.Theevent broke all previous records, boasting 161 sold-out performancesin a festival of 180 feature films and 130 shorts.Theend of festival awards went to:The Sutherland Trophy ...
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Silver City goes to Cannes through Myriad
Myriad Pictures will bringJohn Sayles' political satire Silver City to Cannes after acquiring international rights to the all-star ensemblecomedy from production company Anarchists' Convention.Newmarket Films acquired USrights in spring and plans a September 17 release ahead of the Presidentialelection in November.Written and directed bySayles, Silver City takes placeduring an imagined ...
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Bill 2 adds $10m in week two in 27 territories
Miramax's Kill Bill Vol 2 reigned supreme in the UK, Taiwan and a host of smaller territories atthe weekend as it added an estimated $10m on 2,562 screens in 27 territoriesthrough Buena Vista International for a $36.1m total.In its secondweekend in the UK the Quentin Tarantino sequel took $2.5m on ...
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Dates opens top in Brazil, Turkey, still rules Germany
Powered bynumber one bows in Brazil and Turkey, the romantic comedy 50 First Dates grossed $7.1m on 2,560 screens to raiseits international running total to $46.1m.The picture,released through Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (CTFDI),opened in Brazil on $705,000 on 169 screens and grossed $216,000 on 75 inTurkey.Dates stayed top in ...
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MPAA Asian piracy strategist Ellis gets senior vp stripes
Mike Ellis, the MPAA's topanti-piracy strategist for the Asia-Pacific region whose hands-on approachresulted in the seizure of roughly 44m illegal optical discs from 13 countrieslast year, has been promoted to senior vice president and regional director,Asia-Pacific.Ellis will continue todirect strategic control of regional operations - as he has done since ...