Small MPU – Page 658
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News
Kaufman steps down at Focus to become producer
Focus Featuresexecutive vice president of production Amy Kaufman (pictured) is leaving her role to become an independent producer based at the studio.Effective in September, Kaufman will begin work asproducer or executive producer onseveral titles for Focus and its Rogue Pictures genre label.Kaufman has beenwith Focus since its formation in early ...
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Australia's RGM launches $100m Singapore facility
In a bid to strengthen itspresence in Asia, Australian production and talent management company RGM hasopened a new Singapore office armed with a US$100m media financing facilityopen to international film producers.RGM is looking to backmainly English-language projects with international potential. 'We are on the constantlookout for new materials. Through the ...
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Reviews
Charly (L'Avion)
Dir: Cedric Kahn. Fr-Ger.2005. 100mins.Making a family film thatappeals to young and more sophisticated audiences is not that easy - but it isa task that film-maker Cedric Kahn mostly succeeds in with Charly.Though no less than fivescreenwriters were involved, Kahn's feature tells the simple and well-wornstory of a young boy ...
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Lion's Gate smells Loach's Roses
Lions Gate Films has secured North American rights on Ken Loach's competition film Bread And Roses from UK sales house The Sales Co. Several other companies were circling the Los Angeles-set tale of striking janitors, but Lions Gate's Tom Ortenberg and Mark Urman clinched the deal through the company's distribution ...
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Reviews
Piccadilly Jim
Dir. John McKay. UK.2004. 97mins.John McKay's sophomorefeature Piccadilly Jim is one of those all-too common happenings incinema: a film that barely misses the mark when aiming at greatness, therebyinfuriating those who notice its failings and thus bringing the film down tothe level of 'having potential".Adapted by Oscar winnerJulian Fellowes (Gosford ...
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News
Japanese producers look to spark animal magic
Animal films are big again in Japan, after the thumpingsuccess last year of Yoichi Sai's Quill. Based on a true story, thisheart-warmer about a lovable blind dog and its grumpy middle-aged mastergrossed $20m (Y2.2bn) in Japan and was a hit across Asia. Japan's first cinematic animal wave -- or rather ...
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Mad Hot Ballroom leaps out of specialist arena
It wasclear to anyone who saw Marilyn Agrelo's appealing Slamdance documentary MadHot Ballroom earlier this year that the picture was special, and so it'sproved to be with filmgoers over the course of a storming run that promisesplenty more to come.ParamountClassics co-presidents David Dinerstein and Ruth Vitale "fell in love" with ...
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News
Empress Chung set for historic Korean release
Empress Chung, an animated feature based on a Korean folk tale, isset to become the first ever film to receive a simultaneous release in Northand South Korea.The $6m North-South Korean co-production will bere-dubbed into Pyongyang dialect by famous local actors and released into sixtheaters in North Korea on August 15.The ...
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News
Argentinean romantic comedy scores in Spain
Juan Taratuto's romantic comedy It's NotYou, It's Me is breaking records for an Argentinean film in Spain.The film's Spanish distributor andinternational sales handler, Notro Films, says it is the first Argentinean filmto remain in the top 10 in Spain seven weeks after premiere. After a14-week run in the top 20 ...
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News
Rob Moore fills Friedman role at Paramount
Brad Grey's Paramountrestructure continues apace with news that Revolution Studios partner Rob Moore (pictured) has been named president of worldwide marketing, distribution and operations.He will start work on Aug 1.Moore's arrival in the newlycreated post fills the space that will be left by outgoing chief operatingofficer and vice chairman of ...
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News
Sony buys worldwide home entertainment rights to Ringers
Sony PicturesHome Entertainment (SPHE) has acquired worldwide home entertainment rights fromPlanet BB to Carlene Cordova's documentary Ringers: Lord Of The Fans.The picturepremiered at Slamdance and charts the impact of J R R Tolkien's The Lord OfThe Rings on popularculture, featuring interviews with actors from The Lord Of The Rings films ...
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News
Fox, Sky Italia team up for local film, TV production unit
TwentiethCentury Fox Italy and Sky Italia have unveiled a joint initiative to invest inItalian film and television productions through local talent, producers,directors and writers.Osvaldo DeSantis, formerly general manager of Sky Italia, will head up the partnership asmanaging director of production and theatrical distribution at TwentiethCentury Fox Italy in Rome.De Santis ...
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News
Lions Gate gets with LL Cool J
Lions Gate Filmshas signed a multi-year, multi- picture development and production deal with LLCool J (aka James Todd Smith).LL Cool J andJason Barrett of Alchemy Entertainment will produce all pictures under theventure, while Lions Gate's president of production Michael Paseornek andsenior vice president of production John Sacchi will oversee for ...
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News
Icon takes UK rights to World's Fastest Indian
IconFilm Distribution has acquired UK rights on The World's Fastest Indian, starring AnthonyHopkins. Soldby NZ Film, The World's Fastest Indian is written and directed by RogerDonaldson (The Bounty, Thirteen Days, The Recruit). The film, based on a true story, seesHopkins play Burt Munro who set a new speed record on ...
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News
Bornedal, Obel take on Lady
Danish director Ole Bornedal, who directed 1994 chiller Nightwatch and its English-language remake for Miramax in 1996, is set to direct The Lady And The Thief with long-time collaborator Michael Obel of Thura Film producing.Obel says he is close to securing German, French and Danish co-producers on the $8m ...
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News
Seven Cecchi Gori cinemas up for auction
Seven Cecchi Gori-owned cinemas are to be put up for auctionin October, including the one-time movie mogul's jewel-in-the-crown, theAdriano multiplex in central Rome.Rome's Civil Court has announced a starting price of Euros10.12m for the 10-screen cinema. Other Cecchi Gori cinemas that will be sold atthe October 10 auction include Rome's ...
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Page 3 takes top Indian film award
Page 3 directed byMadhur Bhandarkar and starring Konkona Sen-Sharma won the best film award atthe annual Government of India's National Film Awards. The film is the story of a young journalist trying to makeher name in Mumbai.Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaarashared the most popular film award with Cheran's Tamil film, Autograph. The ...
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News
South African 'City Of God' lobbies for Oscar nod
The race to become the film submitted by South Africa to the2006 Academy Awards kicked off this week with a high profile function for GavinHood's film Tsotsi.The makers of the film lobbied senior government and filmindustry executives at a function at Johannesburg's upmarket Melrose Arch Hotel.Hood's film, which is in ...
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News
London set for 2,000 seat open-air Summer Screen festival
FilmFour and Somerset House Trust have launched the line-upfor The Summer Screen, the first annual movie season to be held in the open-airsetting of the Courtyard at Somerset House in central London.Up to 2,000 movie-goers a night, London's largest cinemaaudience, will be able to fit into Somerset House's 18th centuryCourtyard.Summer ...
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Skillset's Inside Pictures film business course invites applicants
Skillset's InsidePictures, the film business trainingprogramme now funded by the Skillset Film Skills Fund, is acceptingapplications from 18 July.Comprising three intensiveone-week modules, Skillset's Inside Pictures takes place in London and Los Angeles betweenNovember 2005 and May 2006. Seminars, workshops andstudio visits are hosted by some of the US and UK's ...