Small MPU – Page 849
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Ring 2 leads international pack with $14.8m weekend
DreamWorks International'shorror sequel The Ring 2 added anestimated $14.8m through UIP in 4,245 sites in 46 territories at the weekend,raising the international running total to $55m.The picture opened top inItaly on $1.9m and approximately 30% market share, a remarkable result giventhat theatres were closed on Friday for the Pope's funeral. ...
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Paramount tops box office with action adventure Sahara
Paramount'saction-adventure Saharaopened top of the North American charts at the weekend, drawing mixed reviewsbut an estimated $18.5m in ticket sales.The picture,which stars Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz as environmental adventurers,averaged $5,865 on 3,154 screens. It was directed by Breck Eisner, the son ofdeparting Disney chief Michael Eisner, and financed by ...
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Sahara tops US box office for Anschutz, Paramount
Paramount'saction-adventure Saharaopened top of the North American charts at the weekend, drawing mixed reviewsbut an estimated $18.5m in ticket sales.The picture,which stars Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz as environmental adventurers,averaged $5,865 on 3,154 screens. It was directed by Breck Eisner, the son ofdeparting Disney chief Michael Eisner, and financed by ...
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ReviewsSahara
Dir: Breck Eisner. US. 2005. 124 mins.Sahara is a brave attempt by an independent company - Phillip Anschutz’s Anschutz Film Group - to launch a new action hero franchise, this one modeled on Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt character. The film is a lavishly mounted, old-fashioned adventure picture which pitches Pitt ...
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HanWay beefs up back catalogue
UK-based sales agency HanWayFilms has beefed up its back catalogue by acquiring rights to two libraries.The director-driven companyhas taken on the Wim Wenders films in the Reverse Angle Library and selectedpictures from HanWay's sister production company, Recorded Picture Company.The Wenders films include Paris,Texas, Wings Of Desire and Buena Vista Social ...
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Melancholia spreads around the world
Three Rooms Of Melancholia, the latest documentary byveteran Finnish filmmaker Pirjo Honkasalo (Flame, Cannes 1980, TheFire-Eater, AFI Grand Prix 1998) emerged as the hottest title at theThessaloniki Documentary Festival and the Doc Film Market that wrapped hereyesterday.The film looks set to join the growing number of full-lengthdocumentaries that secure extensive ...
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6ixtynin9, 2H share critics prize at Hong Kong
Chinese director Li Ying's Japanese production 2H and 6ixtynin9 by Thai director Pe-nek Ratanaruang shared the FIPRESCI prize at the 24th Hong Kong International Film Festival (April 12-27). In a statement to the press, Romanian critic Mihai Chirilov stated that the jury "wanted to make a statement and to be ...
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Arts Alliance names Kiedaisch as chief financial officer
Arts Alliance Media, which was recently appointed to runthe UK Film Council's digital cinema network, has appointed Howard Kiedaisch aschief financial officer. Kiedaisch joins Arts Alliance Media from UniversalPictures International (UPI) where he was senior vice president of businessoperations and chief financial officer.In addition to his six years at UPI, ...
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Cognac toasts Iglesia's El Crimen Ferpecto
Alex de la Iglesia's blackcomedy El Crimen Ferpecto was the big winner at the 23rdannual Cognac Thriller Festival which wrapped on Sunday night. The film was a crowd favoritetaking the Premiere magazine audience award as well as the Grand Prize from thejury headed up by American director Joel Schumacher.The Jury ...
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Ghobadi's Turtles flies off with NatFilm prize
Bahman Ghobadi's Turtles Can Fly won theaudience prize at the 16th NATfilm festival in Denmark.The film, which is set in an Iraqi refugee camp priorto the US led invasion, is a follow up to Ghobadi's arthouse hit A Time ForDrunken Horses.The Critics Award went to the only documentary runningin competition, ...
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UK exhibitors call for cinema rentals rethink
Thevexed issue of UK cinema rentals - the sums paid to distributors by exhibitors- has come into sharp focus following remarks by John Wilkinson, chiefexecutive of the Cinema Exhibitors' Association.UKrentals are reputed to be among the lowest in Europe, but Wilkinson has told ScreenInternational that in some cases they should ...
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Myriad to handle worldwide sales on Liotta-starrer Comeback Season
Myriad Pictures has come on board family comedy Comeback Season starring Ray Liotta, Shaun Sipos, RachelBlanchard and Glenne Headly and is handling worldwide rights excluding Canada.Set to begin principalphotography in Canada on May 9, the film is directed by Bruce McCulloch andtells of an unfaithful husband who moves in with ...
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Dying Gaul, Adam & Steve bookend Miami Gay Film Fest
Craig Lucas’ Hollywood drama The Dying Gaul starring Peter Sarsgaard, Campbell Scottand Patricia Clarkson will open the 7th annual Miami Gay & Lesbian FilmFestival, which runs from Apr 22-May 1.Marco Kreuzpaintner’s sports comedy Summer Storm starring Robert Stadlober and KostjaUllmann is the centerpiece gala screening, while Craig Chester’srelationship drama Adam ...
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Film Sales Co to handle Tribeca premiere Aurora Borealis
Andrew Herwitz's New York-based Film Sales Company has picked upworldwide rights to James Burke's directorial debut and drama AuroraBorealis, which starsDonald Sutherland and Juliette Lewis and will premiere at this month's TribecaFilm Festival.Produced by Entitled Entertainment, the picture is a coming-of-agedrama about an irresponsible slacker who is challenged to reconsider ...
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Fox veteran Grace gets key publicity job at Sony's TriStar
Florence Grace, a ten yearveteran of 20th Century Fox, where she most recently served assenior vice president of corporate publicity, has been named senior vicepresident of publicity at TriStar Pictures, the recently revived label of SonyPictures.TriStar, which is headed byValerie Van Galder, is a marketing, production and acquisitions unit devoted ...
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Heart, Amore share 12 Donatello nods
Ferzan Ozpetek'sdrama Sacred Heart and Giovanni Veronesi's romantic comedy Manualed'Amore have earned the lion's share of nominations for the Donatellos,Italy's top film awards.Sacred Heart, about a successful ruthlessbusinesswoman who comes face-to-face with poverty on the streets of Naples, andManuale d'Amore both scored 12 nominations. It is the secondyear running that ...
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Hutton signs on for Filmax's The Kovak Box
Timothy Hutton has signed on for the lead in Spanishproduction The Kovak Box, the latest English-language thriller fromFilmax.Hutton plays a best-selling science fictionauthor invited to an apparently idyllic island for a conference only to findhimself wrapped up in a nightmarish plot where people are mysteriously drivento commit suicide.Daniel Monzon (The ...
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Bossa Nova shows legs at Brazilian box office
Bruno Barreto's Bossa Nova has racked up Real2.5m ($1.4m) after four weeks at the domestic box office - a solid result for a local title which looks set to be repeated by at least two other domestic productions in the coming year.The romantic comedy - which also started its international ...
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Snow Cake cranks up in Canada
Snow Cake, the long-gestating drama starring Alan Rickman,Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss, has finally started shooting in Canada.The UK-Canada co-productionbegan shooting in Ontario this week and relocates to Toronto at the end of themonth, wrapping on May 19th. Marc Evans, whose creditsinclude Trauma and My Little Eye, is directing, with ...
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Mitchell wins Buena Vista International promotion
Robert Mitchell has beenpromoted to senior vice president, marketing/sales and deputy managing directorat Buena Vista International (UK).Mitchell, previously vicepresident, marketing/sales and deputy managing director, has worked alongsideBVI UK chief Daniel Battsek almost since the division's birth in 1992. 'I not only respect andadmire Robert's expertise in the field of marketing, ...