Small MPU – Page 717
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Reviews
The Da Vinci Code
Dir: Ron Howard. US.2006. 152 mins.If Dan Brown's soaraway bestseller The Da Vinci Code wasclumsily written but a page-turning guilty pleasure, Ron Howard's film versionis well-made but chronically devoid of the guilty pleasures it needs to make itsucceed as first-rate popcorn entertainment. Howard and screenwriter AkivaGoldsman have remained rigidly faithful ...
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News
Dubai sets third festival dates for December 10-17
The DubaiInternational Film Festival has announced the dates for its third edition,which will be held December 10-17, 2006. The festival will inaugurate theSheikh Zayed Lifetime Achievement Award to honor a film industry personalitywho has built "cultural bridges on the world stage." Three otherlifetime achievement awards will be presented to artists ...
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Mike Leigh picked for Heart of Sarajevo award
Mike Leigh will receive this year's honourary Heart of Sarajevo awardat the Sarajevo Film Festival. Leigh has previously visited the festival to show Topsy-Turvy in 2000, to receive a tribute in 2002, andto serve on the competition jury in 2004. 'His presence and support has done a great deal in ...
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Optimum starts music, audio books division
UK distributor Optimum Releasing, which was recentlyacquired by France's StudioCanal, has launched a new division devoted tocompilation albums, audiobooks and soundtracks.Optimum Sounds will issue its first release, tripleCD Extended Seventies - The Dawning of the the 12" Era, in May. Feel The Spirit - Other Worldly FolkSongs & Psychedelics will ...
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FilmFour backs Winterbottom's Italy-set Genova
FilmFour hasannounced plans to continue its relationship with Michael Winterbottom andAndrew Eaton's Revolution Films by financing Winterbottom's next feature Genova. Eaton said theproject's budget would be around $3.9m (£3m) and shooting is likely to start inthe autumn. Laurence Coriat,who also collaborated with Winterbottom on 1999's Wonderland, wrote the screenplay. The ...
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Shochiku does Kafka in animation debut
Japan's Shochiku is launching two animatedfilms from high-profile directors at Cannes, marking the first time it hasproducedtheatrical animations in-house.The first film, The Country Doctor,is based on Franz Kafka's short prose of the same name and is being directed byKoji Yamamura who picked up an Oscar nomination for his short film ...
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High Point adds Bride Flight and Dennis P to Cannes slate
London-based sales andproduction company High Point Films has taken world rights (excluding Benelux)for Bride Flight and Dennis P.The company is also now handling sales for Frank Van Mechelen's Belgium drama Tangier,about two Belgian bus drivers that are arrested in Morocco for trafficking drugs.Pre-production has just startedon Bride Flight, which is ...
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News
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her
Despite the twin stigmas of a first-time director and a difficult narrative - women's lives - producer Jon Avnet attracted an impressive ensemble cast to Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her. John Hazelton looks at the making of the film, directed by Rodrigo Marquez, a cinematographer and ...
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MPA appoints Halli Kristinsson to Brussels-based post
The Motion PictureAssociation (MPA) has appointed Halli Kristinsson to the position of VP andregional director, anti-piracy, for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.As regional director, hewill work with the MPA's regional partners from the MPA regional headquartersin Brussels. Kristinsson reports to ChrisMarcich, senior VP in Brussels and John Malcolm, ...
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UK's One Eyed Films launches production arm
London-based One Eyed Films,a sales boutique specializing in Latin American cinema, is launching aproduction arm at Cannes.The first film on the slateis a $1.2m Buenos Aires- and Rio-set sexual coming-of-age drama called FromThe Beginning To The End. Brazilianwriter-director Aluizio Abranches (The Three Marias) is behind the project.One Eyed Films managingdirector ...
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Tartan takes UK, Ireland rights to Mr Lonely
Tartan Films has taken onall UK and Ireland rights to Harmony Korine's Mr Lonely, which is currently shooting on location in Panama,Scotland and Paris. Diego Luna stars as aMichael Jackson look-a-like and the cast also features Samantha Morton, AnitaPallenberg and Denis Lavant. Harmony Korine co-wrote with Avi Korine. MarcelZyskind served ...
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Vision Music takes world rights to Punk's Not Dead
Vision Music has picked upworldwide rights excluding Japan (King Records) and Scandinavia (FutureFilm) to Susan Dynner's documentary Punk's Not Dead.The film explores theorigins of punk and features interviews and footage of such luminariesof the genre as The Ramones, Black Flag, and current super group GreenDay.Punk's Not Dead is set to ...
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Grodnik signs five-year domestic distribution agreement with Genius/TWC
Genius Productshas signed an exclusive five-year distribution agreement with Dan Grodnik'sGrodfilm Corporation giving Genius first right of refusal on all futureproductions.Genius expects torelease six to 12 films each year under the agreement, which includes NorthAmerican home video, digital, television and theatrical rights.Theatricalreleases will be distributed through The Weinstein Company under ...
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Peace Arch takes on Roberts' In Tranzit
Peace Arch Films has boardedthe post-war drama In Tranzit,starring John Malkovich, and the drama How To Change In Nine Weeks.In Tranzit is currently in post-production and centres on agroup of German soldiers accidentally sent to a female-run prisoner of war campin Leningrad after the second world war.Thomas Kretschmann andDaniel Bruhl ...
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Kaufman to direct space shuttle drama for Media 8
Philip Kaufman will directMedia 8's space shuttle disaster drama Challenger with Oscar-nominated David Strathairn set to playthe lead.US-based Media 8 is sellingworldwide rights in Cannes on the project, which Media 8 will co-producein association with Code Entertainment and Carol Baum ProductionsStrathairn will play the scientistand Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman, who ...
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Germany's Beta Cinema takes on Salvador
Germany's Beta Cinema willhandle international sales on Un Certain Regard entry Salvador, produced by Spain's MediaPro.The film stars Goodbye,Lenin! actor Daniel Bruhl asSalvador Puig Antich, a young Catalan anarchist who was put to death at thetail end of the Franco era after years spent on the lam.Meanwhile, MediaPro chiefJaume Roures ...
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Sola/Atrix pick up international rights to Friel-starrer Bathory
German sales company SolaMedia/Atrix Films has picked up international rights to Juraj Jakabisko's Bathory, which stars Anna Friel as the murderous Countess ofTransylvania alongside Hans Matheson, Karel Roden and Vincent Regan. Friel takes over from FamkeJanssen who was previously attached to the role co-produced by Jakubisko FilmSlovakia, Film & Music ...
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Brazilian cinema launches new promotional arm in Cannes
Brazilian cinemawill have a stronger presence this year at Cannes film market. Besides GrupoNovo de Cinema e TV, the production, distribution and sales company thattraditionally represents the country at Marche du Film, the largest worldwidemeeting-place for film business was chosen for the first promotional action of ProgramaCinema do Brasil.This program ...
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Greek film gets exhibition boost from GFC
Responding to the recent spectacular growth of local film, The Greek Film Centre (GFC) is launching a scheme - Film Centre 2000 - designed to secure more exhibition slots for domestic productions. Greek films racked up 2.3 million admissions this year (September 1999 - June 2000) - an almost five-fold ...
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Toronto Film Festival creates new pass structure for delegates
The Toronto International Film Festival has instituteda new pass structure for its 2006 event for industry delegates offering moreoptions to choose a pass to meet their specific professional needs.Features of the new passes include access to publicscreenings, access to special sales premiere screenings, upgrades to includeindustry initatives programming and optional ...