All articles by Theodore Schwinke – Page 12
-
News
Local production: riding Romania's wave
Following the Cannes triumph of Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, Romanian film-making is on a high. Theodore Schwinke reportsDespite the international festival success of such films as The Death Of Mr Lazarescu, 12:08 East Of Bucharest, California Dreamin' and 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, ...
-
News
On location: Hero Wanted
Small-town America has been recreated in detail on a Bulgarian backlot. Theodore Schwinke visits the set of Hero Wanted. The traffic lights are always green and the theatre posters promote only Nu Image pictures. Otherwise Nu Boyana's Ilientzi set, on the ourtskirts of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, is a convincing replica ...
-
News
Romania: youth and experience
Romania's potential as a location gained momentum with the arrival of Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth last year, but can the territory keep pace with its neighbours' Theodore Schwinke reportsRomania is in a unique position in Eastern Europe in being better known for its homegrown cinema than as a ...
-
News
The East European picture
Eastern Europe is well-established as a cheaper alternative to shooting in the US or the UK. But how do international producers choose between the packages on offer' Theodore Schwinke reportsBudapest airport on a Friday night is like the canteen at Pinewood,' says Chris Symes, executive producer of Universal's Hellboy 2: ...
-
News
Poland: film city targets pole position
Despite a lack of tax incentives, an ambitious new studio and financial support from the Polish Film Institute is making the territory an attractive prospect for international film-makers. Theodore Schwinke reports.The Polish Film Institute recently unveiled plans to build Film City, a 10-stage studio near Warsaw. When completed in 2009, ...
-
News
Czech Republic: 'More expensive than Budapest'
Can the Czech Republic retain its competitive edge when it comes to production' Theodore Schwinke reportsOn paper, the Czech Republic's production service sector is looking healthy. Andrew Adamson is shooting Walden Media's The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian at Barrandov's new 4,000 square metre stage, which also hosted Eli Roth's ...
-
News
Bulgaria: Nu Boyana on the block
Nu Image's transformation of Boyana studios has placed Bulgaria on the film map. Now other producers want a piece of the action. Theodore Schwinke reportsBulgaria is a country showing significant promise. Since the transformation of Boyana studios by Nu Image last year there has been a steady stream of low-budget ...
-
News
Hungary: on the ascendant
New studios and a significant tax rebate mean that Hungary is challenging the Czech Republic as the hottest production hub in the region. Theodore Schwinke reportsThe Hungarian capital of Budapest and its surroundings are packed with productions, despite a recent rise in the Hungarian forint against the dollar and euro. ...
-
News
Major studio complex planned for Poland
The Polish Film Institute hasannounced plans to build a modern, 10-stage studio complex by 2009. Film City, as the project is being called, will be built on a 476-hectare military airbase in Nowe Miasto nad Pilicou, about 80 kilometers south of Warsaw. Hangars will be converted into 10 stages, the ...
-
News
Tested titles among the contenders at Karlovy Vary
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced its complete competition lineup for its 42nd edition, which runs June 29-July 7. As suits the main festival in Central Europe, the selections are strong on titles from former socialist bloc countries. Few competition features come from outside Europe. Main competition titles ...
-
News
La sagrada familia takes top honors in Transilvania
Chilean director Sebastian Campos' comedy La sagrada familia collected the Transilvania Trophy and $13,344 (Euros 10,000) for Best Picture at the closing ceremony of the sixth Transilvania International Film Festival in Cluj on Sunday. In an act of good sportsmanship, Cristian Mungiu pulled his Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 ...
-
News
Guillermo Del Toro begins shoot for Hellboy 2 in Budapest
Guillermo del Toro begins principal photography today on Universal's Hellboy 2 in Hungary.With an estimated budget of $72m, the film is biggest ever to shoot in Hungary. The production also benefits from the country's 20% tax rebate, which helped Budapest woo the shoot away from Prague, where del Toro filmed ...
-
News
Transilvania competitors include 4 Months, 3 Weeks
Twelve films are set to compete for the grand prize at this year's Transilvania International Film Festival, among them Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days. This year's festival, which opens Friday, will also feature the world premiere of Nae Caranfil's The Rest Is Silence, ...
-
News
Palme d'Or winner Wajda plans September release for Katyn
Polish director Andrej Wajda will premiere his new film Katyn Sept. 17 at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. 'It's a personal story for me because my father was killed in Katyn,' Wajda told Screen International.Katyn (Post-Mortem) examines the Katyn massacre of 1940, in which Soviet troops killed thousands of ...
-
News
Global Entertainment buys remake rights for Hungarian comedy
Australian company Global Entertainment has purchased English-language remake rights of Hungarian romantic comedy S.O.S. Love! 'It is a great script and a great story,' said Scowcroft. 'It has universal appeal - everyone wants to be loved.' Global Entertainment's Stuart Scowcroft and Rezso Bodonyi said that they had purchased English-language remake ...
-
News
Nu Image to distribute Balkan Beats worldwide
Nu Boyana is today signing a cooperation agreement with Bulgaria's National Film Center on Balkan Beats, a Bulgarian-English language comedy.Balkan Beats will be shot mainly in English with talent from Bulgaria and nearby Balkan countries. Director Zornitsa-Sophia previously wrote and directed the 2004 feature Milla From Mars, which won prizes ...
-
News
Palme d'Or winner: Andrzej Wajda
Polish director Andrzej Wajda won the Palme d'Or in 1981 with Man Of Iron, but he says winning the Special Jury prize in 1957 for Kanal made him a European director overnight. 'I couldn't believe Cannes would notice an unknown young directorand a film from Poland which presented viewers an ...
-
News
Danish WWII thriller Flame & Citron wrapping Prague shoot
Production on Danish WWII thriller Flame & Citron is scheduled to wrap Saturday in Prague before moving on to Germany and Denmark, producer Lars Bredo Rahbek told ScreenDaily.com. Director Ole Christian Madsen (En Kærlighedshistorie) started filming March 19 in Prague, using a retro-fitted warehouse as a studio. Other studio spaces ...
-
News
Karlovy Vary includes Sverak's Empties in early competition titles
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced the first competition films for its 42nd edition this summer, including titles from three recent Crystal Globe winners. From the Czech Republic comes Empties, the latest film from Jan Sverak. The director won the Crystal Globe in 1995 for The Ride and ...
-
News
Hungary: inward production
Although it offers a 20% tax rebate on film production, Hungary has been hampered in the past by its lack of studio space. This could be set to change. The new Korda Film Studio in Etyek, about half an hour's drive from Budapest, is expected to host Hellboy 2 this ...