Small MPU – Page 3363

  • News

    The Rocket, Bon Cop lead Canada's Genie nominations

    2007-01-09T22:15:00Z

    Hockey drama The Rocket landed 13 nominations for Canada's Genie Awards, including picture, director Charles Biname, lead actor Roy Dupuis, screenwriter Ken Scott and a host of technical and craft categories. Announced today, the nominations tilted heavily to Quebec production with police comedy Bon Cop, Bad Cop - Canada's top-grossing ...

  • News

    US music star Abdul boards Bratz: The Movie for Arad, Crystal Sky

    2007-01-09T22:32:00Z

    Paula Abdul will star in and play a key creative role in Bratz: The Movie, Arad Productions and Crystal Sky's upcoming film based on the hit fashion doll line. Lionsgate holds US rights Shooting is set to begin in February in time for an August 2007 release.Abdul, a bestselling singer, ...

  • News

    Smith promoted to director of acquisitions at Roadside

    2007-01-09T23:00:00Z

    Dustin Smith has been promoted to director of acquisitions at Roadside Attractions and will work closely with co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff in identifying new projects.Smith, who was previously involved in the acquisition of The Road To Guantanamo and The Puffy Chair, among others, will travel to Sundance later ...

  • News

    Condon, Dayton and Faris make DGA shortlist

    2007-01-09T23:02:00Z

    Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), Stephen Frears (The Queen), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) and Martin Scorsese (The Departed) will vie for the Directors Guild of America's DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2006.The DGA Award is a highly reliable barometer ...

  • News

    Fox International takes Buffalo for Latin America

    2007-01-09T23:07:00Z

    Fox International has snapped up Latin American rights to Jorge Hernandez Aldana's drama The Night Buffalo, one of the most anticipated films set to receive its world premiere at Sundance later this month.The distributor plans an April release on the film, which Guillermo Arriaga adapted from his own novel about ...

  • News

    Academy names seven films shortlisted for makeup Oscar

    2007-01-09T23:10:00Z

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its shortlist of contenders for the best make-up Oscar.The films in alphabetical order are: Apocalypto; Click; Pan's Labyrinth; Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; The Prestige; The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause; and X-Men: The Last Stand.The Academy's ...

  • News

    Leonard joins Initial to oversee marketing and publicity

    2007-01-09T23:23:00Z

    Former Myriad Pictures marketing and publicity executive Maxine Leonard has joined Initial Entertainment Group (IEG) as senior vice president of marketing and publicity, effective immediately.Leonard will oversee IEG's corporate communication strategy and reports directly to company president Graham King.She will also work closely with the worldwide marketing and publicity teams ...

  • News

    Soderbergh, Hackford to take part in MPAA symposium in Washington DC

    2007-01-09T23:30:00Z

    The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) s hosting an industry symposium entitled The Business Of Show Business on Feb 6 in Washington DC.The day-long event features three panels dealing and will cover such topics as the digital revolution, development and production, and intellectual property.Panelists include film-makers Steven Soderbergh and ...

  • News

    Morphett takes up financial role at Austar

    2000-07-17T12:26:00Z

    Jonathan Morphett has been appointed chief financial officer of Austar United Communications, parent company of Australia's third largest pay-TV service, Austar.Morphett, who takes up the post on August 21, is currently managing director of corporate finance for investment bank Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. In this role he played a leading ...

  • News

    Apple seals deal with Paramount for movies on iTunes

    2007-01-10T00:31:00Z

    Paramount has become the first Hollywood studio aside from Disney to sign a content deal with Apple. The new deal sees the studio and sister outfits Paramount Classics, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies supplying more than 100 titles to the iTunes Store including School Of Rock, Zoolander and Chinatown.The move ...

  • News

    Oster named evp of communications at MPAA

    2007-01-10T00:36:00Z

    Seth Oster has been hired as executive vice president for communications at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).Commencing Jan 15, Oster will oversee operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. He will serve as a member of the MPAA's senior management group, reporting directly to MPAA chairman ...

  • News

    Chaiken, Dungan team for LA-based production outfit

    2007-01-10T02:00:00Z

    Producers Jennifer Chaiken (My Flesh And Blood) and Sebastian Dungan (Transamerica) have launched Los Angeles-based 72 Productions.Backed by a private equity fund dedicated to the acquisition and development of feature film projects, 72 Productions arrives with four projects in the pipeline.The Perfect Hour is a period drama being produced with ...

  • News

    Summit's Mr & Mrs Smith pilot gets greenlight from ABC

    2007-01-10T00:46:00Z

    US TV network ABC has greenlit production on Mr & Mrs Smith, based on Summit Entertainment's hit thriller starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that grossed more than $470m worldwide.Regency TV will produce the pilot in association with Dave Bartis and Doug Liman's Dutch Oven Prods. Summit Entertainment's Patrick Wachsberger ...

  • News

    Singapore bounces back with 6% box office increase

    2007-01-10T00:56:00Z

    After a flat 2005, Singapore box office regained growth momentum in 2006 with a 6% year-on-year increase in total box office takings which amounted to $85.18m (S$131.08m) from 341 releases. As with previous years, Hollywood mega blockbusters ruled the box office. The top grossing film was Fox's X-Men: The Last ...

  • News

    Beta Cinema picks up controversial Hitler comedy

    2007-01-10T12:16:00Z

    Beta Cinema has picked up the international sales rights to Dani Levy's hotly debated new comedy Mein Fuehrer - The Truly Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler which X Verleih is opening with 250 prints in German cinemas on Jan 11. The Y Filme production has already aroused considerable interest internationally ...

  • News

    Australia 's 2006 box-office grosses second highest on record

    2007-01-10T12:34:00Z

    Australia's gross box office was $675.5m (A$866.609m) last year, a rise of 6% over 2005 and the second-highest year on record according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA). The best year to date for earnings was 2004 when $707.2m (A$907.2) was spent on cinema tickets. This figure ...

  • News

    Thykier to leave Freud's to produce with Matthew Vaughn

    2007-01-10T13:03:00Z

    Kris Thykier will leave Freud Communications at the end of February to john Matthew Vaughn as a partner in production company MARV. Thykier, who had been Freud's vice chairman, will now be a full-time producer. He will continue to serve as a non-executive director of Freud's and will oversee the ...

  • News

    Festivals feel the city heat

    2007-01-10T14:24:00Z

    The great city film festivals exist of course as important events in their own terms. Without the pressure of a major market and often of competitions, they often succeed in their core mission to public celebration of film and film-makers.'We can just invite what we think are the best films ...

  • News

    Piaf biopic La Vie En Rose to open Berlinale

    2007-01-10T16:29:00Z

    The world premiere of Olivier Dahan's Edith Piaf biopic La Vie En Rose will open this year's Berlinale on Feb 8 as part of the Competition section of films vying for the Golden Bear and Silver Bears. Writer-director Olivier Dahan, whose last film was 2004's Crimson Rivers II, has assembled ...

  • News

    CanWest in 'exclusive' negotiation for Alliance Atlantis purchase

    2007-01-10T16:48:00Z

    Canadian media conglomerate CanWest Global Communications and New York-based investment bank Goldman Sachs are in exclusive negotiation toward a possible purchase of Alliance Atlantis Communications ( AAC ), AAC confirmed this morning. According to a report in today's Globe and Mail newspaper, a deal, estimated at $1.8 bn (C$2.1 bn), ...