All articles by Theodore Schwinke – Page 16
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Palfi's Taxidermia wins best film at the Hungarian Film Week
The mainprize at the 37th Hungarian Film Week for Best Feature Film went to Taxidermia fromdirector Gyorgy Palfi. Szabolcs Hajdu won Best Directorwith his film White Palms. Sandor Csanyi won Best Actor forhis performance in Krisztina Goda'sJust Sex and Nothing Else. Taxidermia and White Palms shared the Gene Moskowitz Prize, ...
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Palfi's Taxidermia wins best film at Hungarian Film Week
Four years after Gyorgy Palfi burst onto the international scene withhis debut feature, Hukkle, the director's follow-up effort, Taxidermia, has won a slewof awards at the 37th Hungarian Film Week. Other big winners at the awards ceremony February 7 in Budapest wereSzabolcs Hajdu's White Palms, Kornel Mundruczo's Johanna, and KrizstineGoda's ...
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Bomb threat interrupts 37th Hungarian Film Week
A bomb threat interrupted Monday evening's programme at the 37th HungarianFilm Week in Budapest. Officials atthe Mammut Shopping and Entertainment Centre near Moscow Square [Moskva ter] in Budapestasked festival attendees and all others in the two buildings of the103,000-square-metre facility to evacuate the premises shortly after 7 p.m. local ...
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Hungary's Mafilm Studios seeking private investors
The MotionPicture Public Foundation of Hungary (MMK) is preparing to invite investors toenter into a partnership to renovate and develop the MafilmStudios in Budapest, MMK general secretary Erzsebet Toth told ScreenDaily.com."Overthe past few years, every studio has come to Budapest looking for stages. They've lovedthe crews and the city," Toth ...
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Istvan Szabo defends past involvement with communist police
Friday morning at Budapest's Millenium Theatre, Istvan Szabo spoke with journalists in an attempt to shed morelight on his involvement with the state police in the 1950s.With classmates Judit Elek,Eva Singer Karmento, Zsolt Kezdi-Kovacs and Janos Rosza, Szabo related thecircumstances that led to his unwilling cooperation with the communistauthorities: Police ...
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Czech box office at lowest level since 2001
Czech distributors knew early in the year that 2005 wouldnot be a record-breaker, but that didn't make the year's bitter figures easierto swallow. Box office admissions and sales both fell in 2005 more than 20%below 2004 level dropping to their lowest levels since 2001.Box office for the territory slipped 22.7% ...
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Czech box office at lowest level since 2001
Czech distributors knew early in the year that 2005 wouldnot be a record-breaker, but that didn't make the year's bitter figures easierto swallow. Box office admissions and sales both fell in 2005 more than 20%below 2004 level dropping to their lowest levels since 2001. December was theonly month that saw ...
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Hungarian Film Week sticks by Istvan Szabo
Istvan Szabo'sRelatives will open the 37thHungarian Film Week tonight as scheduled despite the director's admission thathe was an informant for Hungary's communist-era secret police while a filmstudent in the 1950s.Magyar Filmunio, the promotionagency of the Hungarian Motion Picture Public Foundation, would not comment onthe matter other than to say that ...
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Nu Image acquires Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria
Nu Image Bulgaria has acquiredBoyana Film Studios and plans several major Hollywood productions for theformerly state-owned studios. The romantic drama Napoleon and Betsy, starring Al Pacino and Scarlett Johansson, thethriller The Code, starring MorganFreeman, and a remake of the zombie classic Dayof the Dead are scheduled to shoot in Bulgariathis ...
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Czech producers enter winter of content
There's acertain cockiness in the Czech film industry at the moment. Maybe it's theholiday spirit or the professional-strength optimism that is required in thebusiness - but Prague is definitely feeling its oats.Don't call it a comeback, insiders caution. The dip in foreign orders during 2004 was,local producers say, a coincidence ...
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Barrandov Studios to expand in 2006
Barrandov Studios has announcedthat its owners have approved plans to build new stages to handle increasingdemand at the Prague studios. Work is expected to begin in the spring and willcost roughly $4.2m (3.5m Euros). The new complex will include severalsoundproof studios, one of which will be completed in 2006. Other ...
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Czech Republic to host Edith Piaf co-production
Director Olivier Dahan will begin shooting the Edith Piafproject La Momeon January 16 at Prague Studios in the Czech Republic.The film, produced by OKKO Production and Songbird Pictures Limitedand Legende Entreprises,will star Marion Cotillardas Piaf. Cotillard won a Cesar award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in A Very ...
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Chainsaw opens first European post facility in Romania
California-based film and video production servicescompany Chainsaw has opened its first European post-production facility inBucharest, Romania."Thesuccess of the movie Cold Mountain and other TV and movie projectsraised Romania's profile as an excellent place to make and produce beautifulfilms, commercials and TV for far less money,' Chainsaw founder andpresident Bill DeRonde ...
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Czechs study ways to attract film-makers
The CzechMinistry of Culture has contracted Olsberg-SPI, the London-based strategicadvisory firm, to conduct a study of the local film industry's effects on theCzech economy and to make recommendations as to how local conditions can bemade more attractive to film-makers.Radomir Docekalis managing director of the Czech Audiovisual Producers' Association (APA),which is ...
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Hollywood shoots trek to Czech Republic
This autumn two major Hollywood productions, Omen 666 and Young Hannibal: Behind the Mask, will shoot in the Czech Republic,providing a welcome injection of cash after a slow summer and a dip in foreignorders in 2004. Insiders dismiss rumours that Warner Bros. is eyeing theCzech Republic for Harry Potter and ...
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Festival director becomes new Czech culture minister
The Czech prime minister hasproposed Vitezslav Jandak, an actor and the president of the Zlin InternationalFilm Festival, as culture minister. Jandak will replace Pavel Dostal, who diedrecently of cancer.Pavel Strnad, president ofthe Czech Audiovisual Producers Association, was optimistic about the primeminister's selection. "It's good news that he's an actor and ...
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Czech relief as Omen 666 books into Prague
20th Century Fox's The Omen 666 is set to shoot in Praguein the Czech Republic from late October.Prague-based productionoutfit Etic Films will work with Fox on the new instalment in the Omenfranchise, which is directed by John Moore, Etic's head of production VeronikaFinkova told ScreenDaily.com.The Omen 666 joins YoungHannibal: Behind ...
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Hrebejk embarks on Beauty shoot at Barrandov
Leading Czech director JanHrebejk has begun shooting his new feature, Beauty in Trouble, at Barrandov Studios. The film is produced byTotal HelpArt and Czech Television in cooperation with Barrandov Studios andHBO. Beauty in Trouble is expected to be another in a string of criticaland commercial successes for Hrebejk and Total ...
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Artist biopic draws top prizes at Karlovy Vary
Polishdrama My Nikifor dominated the awardsceremony at the 40th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival last Saturday,winning three Crystal Globes.The film, basedon the life of the naïve painter Epifan Drowniak, better known as NikiforKrynicki, won the Crystal Globe for best feature and $20,000. Director KrzysztofKrauze was named best director. Krystyna Feldman, ...
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Karlovy Vary kicks off with Stone, Redford awards
The 40th KarlovyInternational Film Festival got underway over the weekend with a flurry ofawards going to veteran filmmakers. Saturday saw a Crystal Globego to Sharon Stone for outstanding contribution to world cinema. The actressalso presented a newly re-edited version of Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers. "Jim Jarmusch was notsatisfied after the ...