Small MPU – Page 682

  • News

    Media Asia unveils brace from Infernal Affairs duo

    2006-03-19T20:30:00Z

    Hong Kong's Media Asia isplanning to produce two films this year from Infernal Affairs directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak as part of anambitious slate of between eight and ten productions.First up is HK$60m ($7.7m)thriller Behind The Sin which isset to star Tony Leung Chiu-wai and scheduled to start shooting ...

  • News

    Universe hot to trot with Tony Au's 21 Feet

    2006-03-19T20:30:00Z

    Hong Kongproducer-distributor Universe Entertainment has added 21 Feet, veteran filmmaker Tony Au's first project asdirector in more than a decade, to the sales slate it is offering buyers at this week's Filmart convention. The $2.5m drama isabout a boy from Hong Kong who moves to China's Hainan island with his ...

  • News

    Iconic Singapore picturehouse re-opens for business

    2006-03-19T20:30:00Z

    Singapore's signature Cathaybuilding will welcome back movie-goers again this week following a $100mredevelopment effort by resurgent exhibitor-distributor Cathay.The old 16-storey building,when opened its doors to the public in 1939, was Singapore's first high-riseand housed the city's first air-conditioned cinema, the Cathay Cinema with1,300 seats.The new 17-storey building,which retains the original ...

  • News

    Ayres' family saga unites Oz and Singapore

    2006-03-19T20:30:00Z

    The firstAustralia-Singapore co-production, Tony Ayres' The Home Song Stories starring China-born American actress Joan Chen, isto start filming next month in Melbourne and later in Macau for a 2007delivery. Christopher Doyle is the cinematographerBig and Little Films'Michael McMahon and Liz Watts of Porchlight Films are producing the epic dramain collaboration ...

  • News

    Ayres' family saga unites Oz, Singapore

    2006-03-19T20:30:00Z

    The firstAustralia-Singapore co-production, Tony Ayres' The Home Song Stories starring China-born American actress Joan Chen, isto start filming next month in Melbourne and later in Macau for a 2007delivery. Christopher Doyle is the cinematographerBig and Little Films'Michael McMahon and Liz Watts of Porchlight Films are producing the epic dramain collaboration ...

  • News

    China's Lotus remakes Japanese smash

    2006-03-19T20:30:00Z

    Hong Kong and Beijing-basedproduction house Lotus Entertainment has acquired the Chinese-languageadaptation rights to 1980s Japanese blockbuster Kamata Koshin Kyoku (TheFall Guy). Based on the successfulJapanese play by Tsuka Kohei, who also wrote the screenplay, the originalJapanese film was produced by Haruki Kadokawa for Shochiku in 1982 and went onto gross ...

  • News

    Cruz reveals passion for India

    2006-03-19T11:00:00Z

    PenelopeCruz and Spanish producers Colomo Producciones and Sogecine have optioned therights to popular novel Pasion India.Cruzis set to take the lead alongside Bollywood co-stars inthe English-languagefilm adaptation, expected to shoot in Spain and India.JavierMoro's original novel (Indian Passion)was inspired by the true story of Anita Delgado, a 17 year old ...

  • News

    Making it as a scriptwriter in Hollywood: speech

    2006-03-19T00:00:00Z

    It would be true to say that I havepuzzled about screenwriting a lot. What I puzzle about is why we screenwritershave such a shitty life. Even though things have gonemoderately well for me - I think I have a success rate of something like 30%,which is not bad - that's ...

  • News

    StudioCanal to fully finance Polanski's Pianist

    2000-06-13T15:10:00Z

    France's StudioCanal is close to finalising a deal to fully finance and handle worldwide sales on Roman Polanski's next project, The Pianist, a $35m adaptation of the novel by Polish writer Wladyslaw Szpilman.Polanski's own outfit, RP Productions, is producing the project which is scheduled start shooting either at the end ...

  • News

    Screenwriters Festival launches in UK town

    2006-03-20T04:00:00Z

    The first international Screenwtiters Festival officiallylaunches tomorrow night (Tuesday) in Cheltenham, the location for the June event.The town in the English Cotswolds is already home to amajor literary festival and has strong writing and film links.The launch takes place in the town's own film studiosand will include writers and ...

  • News

    Miss Potter scores North American deal with TWC

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    The Weinstein Company (TWC) has picked up North American rights toMiss Potter fromPhoenix Pictures and David Kirschner Productions.Chris Noonan's Beatrix Potter biopic is currently inproduction in the UK and stars Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson,Barbara Flynn, Bill Paterson and Lloyd Owen.Kirschner Productions' David Kirschner and Corey Sienega areproducing alongside ...

  • News

    News From Afar takes best film prize at Mar del Plata

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Latin American filmsdominated the awards at the 21st Mar del Plata Film Festival, which closedyesterday with a record attendance of 150,000 spectators.Noticias Lejanas (News From Afar), Mexican Ricardo Benet's first feature film about a 17-year-old boy whohas grown up in a rural village and undertakes a journey of initiation to ...

  • News

    V For Vendetta is the box office victor in North America

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Warner Bros' dystopian thriller V For Vendetta vanquished the opposition at the weekenddebuting at the top of the charts on an estimated $26.1m.Directed by James McTeigue from a an adapted screenplay by theWachowski Brothers of Alan Moore's cult graphic novel, the picture stars HugoWeaving as a masked freedom fighter battling ...

  • News

    Panther beats Vendetta in international markets

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Fox International's The Pink Panther ruled the international marketplace overthe weekend with an estimated $12.3m weekend haul from 3,900 screens thatraised the film's cumulative total to $47.3m.The comedy remake stormed to the top of the UK charts with a solid$3.5m debut on 400 screens. It opened in second place in ...

  • News

    LA's Fortitude creates new studio in Croatia with Jadran Film

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Burbank-based Fortitude Entertainment Group and Croatia's JadranFilm (Croatia) have teamed up to create a new studio in Croatia.Fortitude-Jadran occupies 30 acres of land in Zagreb, Croatia,comprising sound stages, offices, and workshops. Fortitude has a project slatethat will be produced at the Croatian studio commencing this year, with budgetsvarying from $5m-$30m.Fortitude ...

  • News

    Scanbox buys video distributor DVS from Nordisk

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Denmark's Scanbox Entertainment, which was recently acquired byIcelandic-born producer Joni Sighvatsson, has signed a deal to buy leading homeentertainment distributor DVS Entertainment from Nordisk Film and SE 2001."DVS has delivered very satisfactory results throughout thelast few years," Nordisk film distribution chief Michael Junker said."The further development of the company is, ...

  • News

    Animus acquires international rights to Celestine

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Miami-based Animus Entertainment Group has picked up worldwiderights excluding the US, Canada and Puerto Rico to the upcoming adaptation ofJames Redfield's international new age bestseller The Celestine Prophecy.The rights, distributed by Animus on behalf of KingstonProperties, include television, theatrical, DVD, and licensing andmerchandising.The spiritual adventure centres on a troubled teacher ...

  • News

    C.R.A.Z.Y. takes 13 prizes out of 13 nominations at Quebec's Jutra Awards

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Jean-Marc Vallee's C.R.A.Z.Y. literally swept the 2006 Jutra Awards, thecelebration of cinema in Quebec, to continue its domination of Canada's cinemaprizes. One week after winning ten prizes at Canada's Genie Awards, includingBest Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor, the Quebecois filmwon in each of the thirteen categories for ...

  • Reviews

    Inside Man

    2006-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Spike Lee. US. 2006.129mins.In Inside Man,Spike Lee applies his jazzy and provocative directing style to the bank heistgenre and turns out an ambitious, often intriguing, but extremely uneven crimethriller. The genre and a strong cast headed by DenzelWashington suggest that this Imagine Entertainment production has the potentialto end Lee's ...

  • News

    Kinowelt acquires stake in media[netCom]

    2000-06-13T15:30:00Z

    Kinowelt Medien has bought a 10% stake in emerging German video-on-demand (VoD) player media[netCom].The move comes after several months of co-operation between the two companies, which saw Kinowelt become a supplier of content during media[netCom]'s experimental phase."The present state of development of media[netCom]'s cinema-on-demand technology shows very clearly how quickly ...