Small MPU – Page 692
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News
Ice Age sequel breaks box-office record in Argentina
Ice Age: The Meltdown scored the best ever opening in Argentina with 544,158 admissions from 155 screens in its first four-day weekend (March 30-April 2). The animated sequel beat the previous record set by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with 460,489 admissions from 115 ...
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Reviews
Take The Lead
Dir: Liz Friedlander. US.2006. 118mins.The cathartic joy of dance gets drained away by thepredictable rhythms of formulaic and obvious storytelling in Take The Lead. Basedon the true story of a teacher's quest to impart the respect and dignity offormal dance to delinquent high schoolers, the debutfeature from music video director ...
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News
Pearson completes TalkBack acquisition
Pearson Television, the TV production arm of the UK's Pearson Group, has finalised its acquisition of London-based TV production outfit TalkBack Productions for $94m (£62m), Pearson announced today (June 14).The Pearson group is to finance the widely-anticipated move through existing bank facilities. The debt incurred is transferring to Pearson Television ...
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Reviews
The Valet (La Doublure)
Dir/scr: Francis Veber. Fr. 2006. 83mins.Francis Veberlacks a funny bone in The Valet,misjudging both his script and his cast in a romantic comedy about a lucklessyoung man obliged to feign cohabitation with a gorgeous top model.A curiously lifeless affairthat seems vaguely inspired by PrettyWoman, it raises some smiles but few ...
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News
Partnership not politics is key to co-productions - conference
Co-productiontreaties between governments are not a catch-all solution to creatingcross-national films, delegates to Screen International's NewFrontiers conference in London were warned.Many nations have bilateral agreements which allow film-makers from partner countries to access local tax breaks. Many more are likely to be signed with the emerging film powers like Russia, ...
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News
Focus, Random House acquire Koontz's new novel
FocusFeatures and Random House Films have acquired film rights to best sellingauthor Dean Koontz's upcoming thriller The Husband.Developmentwill begin straight away on The Husband,which will be published on May 30 in North America through Random House'sBantam Books imprint.Koontz'sstory centres on a harrowing 60-hour period in a man's life that begins ...
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News
Icon acquires Hammer library for worldwide sales
IconEntertainment International has boosted its library to more than 300 titleswith the acquisition of the Hammer film library for worldwide sales.Titlesinclude such genre classics as Dracula Prince Of Darkness starring Christopher Lee, Frankenstein and The Monster From Hell both starring Peter Cushing, and Quatermass & ThePit, which stars Andrew Keir."Hammeris ...
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News
WBITD signs output deal with Bulgaria's Nova-TV
WarnerBros International Television Distribution (WBITD) has signed a multi-yearoutput deal with Bulgarian broadcaster Nova TV.Theagreement gives Nova TV exclusive free television rights to such librarytitles as The Matrix Reloaded, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, and The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, among others.NovaTV is owned by ...
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News
LA home entertainment distributor Liberation opens in Europe
LosAngeles-based distributor of home entertainment content LiberationEntertainment has established a London office and appointed Spencer Pollardmanaging director.Thewholly owned company will be called Liberation Entertainment Ltd and will acquirefeature and television content out of the UK and Europe as well as selling andmarketing the existing library.Pollardis assembling staff to handle finance, ...
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News
Box office makes sluggish start to 2006 in most territories
Early first-quarter box office figures show little sign of a bounce-back in most territories - although local-language product has eased the pain. Nielsen EDI statistics show a marginal year-on-year dip in its first 12 weekly figures for North America (-2%), UK/Ireland (-8%), Spain (-2%) and Germany (-3%).France is proving the ...
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News
Buena Vista kicks off MIP with France Telecom VOD deal
Highlighting the buzzwords of this year's MIP TV market - content, convergence and multiple distribution channels - Buena Vista Television International (BVITV) and France Telecom have announced a multi-year video-on-demand deal set to provide a selection of BVITV's film catalogue to subscribers of France Telecom's Wanadoo broadband and MaLigne IPTV ...
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News
French government appoints Maistre as film mediator
France's Ministries of Culture and Communication and Finance and Economy have announced the appointment of Roch-Olivier Maistre to the position of film mediator. Maistre replaces Francis Lamy in the post.The role of film mediator was created in 1982 as a means to help regulate competition within the industry notably concerning ...
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News
Fewer sections and films planned for Locarno 2006
This year's edition of the Locarno International Film Festival (August 2-12, 2006) will jettison two sections and show fewer films, the festival's annual meeting was told in Locarno on Monday evening. The new artistic director Frederic Maire announced that the Video and Human Rights sidebars would not be continued in ...
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News
Balkans documentary scoops BANFF grand prize
The grand prize at Canada's BANFF Television Festival went to documentary A Cry From The Grave, which investigates the massacre of 7,000 Muslim refugees in Srebrenica.The film, produced by the UK's Antelope and BBC, the US' Thirteen-WNET and the Netherlands' Ryninks Films, also picked up the top prize in its ...
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News
Sumitomo buys controlling share in Asmik Ace
Japan's Sumitomo Corp has purchased a further 27.67% of production anddistribution company Asmik Ace Entertainment from Kadokawa Holdings. The deal gives Sumitomo a75.3% controlling share in Asmik Ace which becomes an official subsidiary ofSumitomo's media arm. The reported acquisition price was approximately Y500m($4.25m). The two companies previously held an equal ...
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News
Caiman, Crime Novel lead Donatello nominations
Nanni Moretti's The Caiman and Michele Placido's Crime Novel scooped the lion's share of nominations for the David Di Donatellos, with 13 nods each.Placido's crime epic and Moretti's political expose-cum-marital drama both earned nominations in all the main categories for Italy's top film awards, including best film, best director, and ...
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News
Goldcrest picks up worldwide rights to Arctic Son
Goldcrest Films International has picked up world sales rights toAndrew Walton's documentary Arctic Son, which explores the themes of family and self-reliance inthe Canadian Yukon region.The production from New York-based media company Arts Engine Incand Big Mouth Films will receive its world premiere at the Full FrameDocumentary Film Festival in ...
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News
Keri Moore gets senior vp stripes in Universal marketing dept
Keri Moore has been promoted to senior vice president of creativeadvertising for Universal Pictures.Moore, who most recently was vice president of creativeadvertising, is based on the studio's Universal City lot and will continue toreport to marketing president Adam Fogelson.After joining the studio in November 1999 as manager Moore rosethrough the ...
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News
IDT closes broadcast, theatrical deals on second Horror series
IDT Entertainment Sales has secured a raft of pre-sales on thesecond Masters Of Horror series that begins production in Vancouver this week.IDT Entertainment, Industry Entertainment and Nice Guy Productionsare partnering up on the series that, like the first, will air on ShowtimeNetworks in the US.Theatrical, television and home entertainment rights ...
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News
French screenwriter files Syriana plagiarism suit
A French screenwriter has filed a plagiarism complaint againstWarner Bros and Section Eight, the producers of Stephen Gaghan's Oscar winning Syriana.Agence France Presse (AFP) reported Tuesday that screenwriter StephanieVergniault had filed against the two companies and Gaghan jointly in Paris. Ahearing is scheduled for Monday April 10.According to the report, ...