Small MPU – Page 3989
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Kaufman to bring Sunshine to Karlovy Vary
The39th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July2-10) hasattracted a number of celebrity guests to this year's event.Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is expected to present MichelGondry's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, which screens in theHorizons sidebar, while screen veterans Ben Gazzara and Seymour Cassel willintroduce the films in ...
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Canal Plus joins Paramount on Travolta comedy
Canal Plus Image, the film production and distribution affiliate of European media giant Canal Plus, has partnered with Paramount Pictures to co-produce and co-finance big budget comedy Numbers starring John Travolta.Paramount will handle distribution in North America and Asia with Canal Plus Image handling theatrical, video, pay and free television ...
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Italian producers await frozen state funds
GianniProfita, the head of the Italian government's Film Department, has declaredthat the country's new film law will be implemented 'within weeks',thereby freeing funds for Italian production which has stagnated in recentmonths.Italianproducers have recently complained that the state film commission has not metfor months to greenlight local films for state funding. ...
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Early audience demand for Fahrenheit has echoes of Passion fever
In a move reminiscent of the demand that engulfed Mel Gibson's ThePassion Of The Christearlier this year, the US distributors of Fahrenheit 9/11 have set up a freephone number andwebsite to handle group and advance ticket sales.The toll-free number for the group sales programme began operatingon Jun 7, advising callers ...
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TLA picks up Calson's fist fight drama Shiner for North America
TLA Releasing has picked upChristian Calson's directorial debut thriller Shiner and plans to release it on video in October.The distributor acquiredhome entertainment rights in the US and Canada for the picture, which will makeits world premiere at the upcoming 28th San Francisco International Gay &Lesbian Film Festival.TLA Releasing's director ofacquisitions ...
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Warner International crosses $1bn gross mark in record time
Fuelled by hits like TheLast Samurai, Troy, Something's Gotta Give and the latest Harry Potterinstalment, among others, Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) claims tohave passed $1bn at the box office in record time.The distributor announced internationalbox office receipts of more than $1.2bn on Jun 7, making it the first to ...
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Palm Springs short festival & market institutes ten film-making prizes
The Palm SpringsInternational Festival of Short Films & Film Market will hand out 10student film-making awards at its upcoming event, which runs from Aug 31-Sept6.The winner of the KodakAward for Best Student Cinematography will receive an invitation to attendCannes next year and present their work in Kodak's Emerging FilmmakerProgramme.Consideration criteriainclude ...
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Horizon sells Miike's One Missed Call to North America
Rob Straight'sVancouver-based international sales outfit Horizon Entertainment has sold allUS and English speaking Canadian rights on Japanese horror master TakashiMiike's One Missed Call to MediaBlasters.The New York-baseddistributor plans platform releases in New York and Los Angeles with a nationalroll-out to follow in major cities throughout North America.Horizon Entertainmentpresident Straight negotiated ...
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Serkis reteams with Jackson for role in King Kong
Andy Serkis, who earnedplaudits and a cult following for his portrayal as Gollum in Peter Jackson's LordOf The Rings trilogy, is reunitingwith the Oscar winning director on King Kong for Universal.Serkis will play two rolesin the production, which is due to begin in New Zealand in August. He will playa ...
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Annaud's Two Brothers kicks off Maui Film Festival
Jean-Jacques Annaud's animal adventure tale Two Brothers will kick off the fifth annual Maui FilmFestival at Wailea on Jun 16, a five-day jamboree that runs until Jun 20 andincludes a heady brew of outdoor screenings, world-class culinary events andfilm-maker panels.Two Brothers will be followed by Tod Williams' relationship drama The ...
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Sundance Institute unveils details of inaugural documentary labs
The Sundance Institute hasunveiled details and participants in its first Documentary Film Editing andStory Laboratory, which is scheduled to take place from Jun 20-25.Seven fellows have been selected to participate in the five-dayprogramme, including directors, editors and producers from four projects thathave previously received funding from the Sundance Institute Documentary ...
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Azkaban, Tomorrow set to dominate world screens this weekend
Twentieth Century Fox's The Day After Tomorrow will comfortably pass the $200mmilestone this weekend, with Warner Bros' third Harry Potter instalment rapidly gaining ground closebehind.The eco-disaster picturehas amassed $199.9m since its day-and-date release two weekends ago. No majormarket bows remain through the studio's international arm Fox International,however strong continued business ...
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Till takes on strategy role for Redbus
Stewart Till, former president of Universal Pictures International (UPI), has joined the board of directors at fast-moving UK film-to-Internet operation Redbus Film Group (RFG).Till, who also oversaw PolyGram Filmed Entertainment's (PFE's) international operation, will serve in a part-time but executive role. Before PFE, Till worked at CBS Fox Video and ...
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Rome on hiatus after sets flooded in Bulgaria
Production on HBO'sambitious epic miniseries Romehas ground to a halt following the flooding of newly-built sets in Bulgaria.An HBO spokespersonconfirmed yesterday that the production, which is based at Cinecitta Studios inRome, has been on hiatus for three-to four weeks."They were meant to go toBulgaria, but weather precluded that, because the ...
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Jury begins deliberations in Franchise/Intertainment lawsuit
The jury retired yesterdayin the Intertainment vs Franchise lawsuit which has become one of the longestand most high-profile spats in the history of the international film business.The nine largely retiredand/or unemployed jurors from Orange County, California will now attempt tofind the truth among the arcane intricacies of loan documents and ...
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French cinema admissions recover
Theatrical admissions inFrance are running at levels 11% higher than last year according to latestfigures.According to the Centre National de la Cinematographie (CNC) some 83.5 millionstickets were sold in the five months to the end of May 2004. And over a runningyear the figures are 183 million, a 3% improvement ...
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UK Film Focus unveils inaugural programme
180 international buyers from 30 countries are expected inLondon at the end of the month for the inaugural UK Film Focus.24 films will be screening at the event, held atLondon's National Film Theatre, it was confirmed late last week.There are eight world premieres, among them ShaneMeadows' Dead Man's Shoes(controversially overlooked ...
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AusFilm names new Los Angeles-based commissioner
Marketeer Tracey Montgomeryhas been named as the new AusFILMcommissioner based in LA - the executive charged with leadingAustralia's efforts to attract international production to its shores.Mongomery, who is currently executive manager of locations andinternational production for the Pacific Film and Television Commission, basedin Queensland, is replacing David Pratt, who finishes ...
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Singapore Bet pays off with record haul
Singapore's satiricalcomedy The Best Bet scored$66,000 (S$113,530) on 38 prints on its June 9 opening, making it the biggestever opening day gross for a local film. It also raked in $99,000 from itssneak preview over the weekend.The $584,000 The Best Bet, made by homegrown TV comedian-turned-director JackNeo and starring a ...
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Spanish film-makers look to boost ties with Germany
Spanish producers have met with their German counterparts aspart of the Madrid's fourth German Film Festival to propose changes to aco-production deal signed in 2002.Measures agreed include lowering the minimum co-productionparticipation to 10 percent of the budget; loosening up the rules governingco-productions; setting up a fund for bi-lateral co-productions comparable ...