All articles by Staff writers – Page 9
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Vivendi Universal to withdraw from BSkyB board
Vivendi Universal is reportedly planning to pull its board director from UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB next month, as the first move in a strategic exit from the company.The European Commission is forcing Vivendi to dispose of its 22.7% stake in BSkyB as one of the conditions of its recent three-way ...
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Belgian film to receive tax shelter boost
Belgium's federal government will unveil plans next week for a tax shelter aimed at attracting private investors to participate in the production of feature films, documentaries and TV series. A press conference, during which Belgium's minister of finance Didier Reynders will outline the tax scheme, is scheduled for January 23. ...
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European parliament to examine film policy
Belgian MEP Luckas Vander Taelen has been assigned to draw up a parliamentary report looking at the European Union's policy towards film, as part of a broader debate on Europe's future audiovisual policy. "Europe's policy towards film has so far been far from ambitious," said Vander Taelen. "Media Plus receives ...
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Ted Turner moves on stake in Russia's NTV station
CNN founder Ted Turner has emerged as the front-runner to buy a stake in leading Russian independent TV station NTV after rival Rupert Murdoch decided not to pursue talks, according to wire reports on Wednesday.Turner is expected to pick up a stake of around a quarter of NTV, the network ...
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Berlin Children's Festival readies global line-up
Films from the US, Italy, Iran and Spain are understood to be joining titles from the UK and Scandinavia in next month’s Children’s Film Festival sidebar at the Berlin International Film Festival.Italy’s RAI Trade is representing Il Cielo Cade, which won the Giffoni Film Festival in July. Camera d’Or winning ...
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World-wide line-up set for Berlin's Panorama
Films from Sweden, Germany, the UK, Thailand, Korea, Argentina and Switzerland are among the first titles understood to have been selected for the Panorama section of February's Berlin International Film Festival.Family Secrets, a drama directed by Kjell-Ake Andersson, is expected to represent Sweden in the section. Ab Svensk Filmindustri is ...
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AOL, Time Warner merger faces regulatory delay
AOL and Time Warner stocks slipped over the holiday period as investors tried to limit tax losses and the two would-be partners were left waiting for approval for their mega-merger from US regulators.The Federal Communications Commission, the final regulatory hurdle to creating the world's biggest entertainment concern, failed to give ...
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Tom Tykwer heads Brussels line-up
The Princess And The Warrior, German director Tom Tykwer's follow-up to Run Lola Run, is expected to be one of the highlights of January's Brussels International Film Festival.The film is to screen as part of a showcase of work from new German directors of the 1990s, which has been organised ...
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Peter Mullan heads to Rotterdam's CineMart
Peter Mullan's Magdalene will be one of the projects seeking financing partners at CineMart, the industry market at January's International Film Festival Rotterdam.The UK actor-director's follow-up to his well-received directing debut Orphans joins another nine titles so far confirmed for this year's event. Also on offer are L'Amour En Blue ...
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Iranian culture minister Mohajerani resigns
Iran's culture minister, Ataollah Mohajerani, has resigned in a move which observers claim will have serious consequences for the country's freedom of expression.Mohajerani, who had held the post since Iran's pro-reform president Mohammad Khatami came to power in 1997, was credited with encouraging creative and political freedom in Iran's cinema, ...
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Meet The Parents charms German box office
UIP's Meet The Parents began its international roll-out by shooting straight to the top of the German box office chart, with a four-day gross of $2.51m (DM5.54m) from 356 screens. The film's healthy opening screen average of $7,064 is the third highest of the year in Germany behind Mission: Impossible ...
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E-M-S New Media acquires stake in Advanced
Rapidly-expanding German video and DVD distributor E-M-S New Media has secured a flow of top-flight US and European product by acquiring a 24.7% stake in film licence trader Advanced Medien, with an option to buy an additional 13%.The Neuer Markt-listed company said the deal would allow it to secure commercially ...
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Ajax documentary withdrawn from Dutch cinemas
Arthouse cinemas in the Dutch cities of The Hague, Groningen and Utrecht have pulled Roel van Dalen's feature-length documentary Ajax: Where They Heard Angels Sings off their screens following anonymous threats from football hooligans.The film, which premiered at this year's International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), follows the internationally-renowned Amsterdam ...
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UPC's Chello abandons merger with Excite
Broadband internet supplier Chello, owned by Dutch cable giant UPC, has called off its plans to merge with the international arm of similar US group Excite@Home.The move raises questions about future funding for Chello, which had been scheduled to float before UPC decided on the merger with Excite instead. UPC ...
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United invests $30m in Creative Planet
UK-based United News & Media has acquired a $30m stake in Creative Planet, a web-based entertainment industry resource backed by several high-profile venture capital firms. In a related deal, United will merge The Knowledge, its own UK-based creative services business, into the Creative Planet fold. In return, United receives a ...
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Russia calls in Interpol to track down Gusinsky
Russian authorities have reportedly asked Interpol to put embattled Media Most chief Vladimir Gusinsky, who is currently living abroad, on an international wanted list, in connection with fraud charges. A domestic arrest warrant has already been issued, but Gusinsky's lawyer has said his client has no intention of returning home. ...
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Crouching Tiger sweeps Golden Horse Awards
Ang Lee's Oscar-tipped Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon walked away with six awards including best picture at the Golden Horse Awards - Taiwan's equivalent of the Oscars - on Saturday night.The picture's other five awards were all in the technical categories and included best sound effects, best action choreography, best ...
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Kirch in talks to buy majority stake in EM.TV
Germany's Kirch Group is in negotiations to acquire a majority stake in local family entertainment rights trader EM.TV & Merchandising, which earlier this year swallowed The Jim Henson Company and 50% of Formula One motor racing company SLEC.EM.TV's shares rebounded slightly on Tuesday to close at Euros21.50 on news ...
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UK's Skillset launches new entrants scheme
UK training body Skillset's one-year-old Skills Investment Fund (SIF) is backing a new scheme to support film industry trainees in the craft and technical fields.The initiative will support trainees throughout a two-year programme of training and work placements with freelance training organisation FT2. SIF has put aside $284,000 (£200,000) for ...
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First Film Foundation launches Feedback initiative
The UK's First Film Foundation and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation are launching a screenwriting programme, entitled First Feedback, which will provide development support for 12 writers.The writers will take part in five free workshops over an period of eight months, which will be led by script tutor Phil Parker of ...