All articles by Theodore Schwinke – Page 8
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News
Karlovy Vary - Bohemian Rhapsodies
This month's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4-12) in the Czech Republic boasts a diverse line-up of more than 200 local and international films.The diversity is most evident in the main competition where titles battling for the Crystal Globe include the world premieres of Michaela Pavlatova's Czech drama Night ...
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Features
Production - Bulgaria - Footloose and fancy free
"There are more than a dozen films a year done here," says Les Weldon, a US producer who has shot 15 films over more than 10 years in Bulgaria, most of them with Nu Image-owned Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia. "We've had Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, John Cusack, Ben ...
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Features
Production - Romania - From the mountain to the black sea
Romania is a territory on the rise. Adding to the buzz arising from local productions at Cannes in recent years, the territory is one of the new Eastern European sweet spots for international footloose productions.The problem is, demand is now outpacing supply. Earlier this year, French producer-writer-director Alexandre Aja planned ...
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Karlovy Vary announces competition line-up
The 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has announced its final line-up.The festival will conclude July 12 with a gala screening of Mamma Mia!, Phyllida Lloyd's adaptation of the musical inspired by the music of Abba.As previously reported, Barry Levinson's What Just Happened' will open the festival July 4.Robert ...
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Features
Production - Eastern Europe - Pole star
As a filming location, Poland is building a reputation as a healthy alternative to its bigger, more established neighbours. In recent years, major productions such as The Chronicles Of Narnia films and David Lynch's Inland Empire have been lured by Poland's cheap costs, contrasting scenery and established reputation as a ...
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What Just Happened' to open Karlovy Vary
Barry Levinson's What Just Happened' will open the 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on July 4.The film's producer and star Robert De Niro will introduce the film and receive a Crystal Globe in recognition of his Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the opening-night gala.Nick Nolte will also ...
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Shakespeare And Victor Hugo takes prize at Transilvania
The Intimacies Of Shakespeare And Victor Hugo, a feature-length documentary from Mexican director Yulene Hugo, took the top prize at the seventh Transilvania International Film Festival.Director Yulena Olaizola received the festival grand prize, and Euros 10,000, from Catherine Deneuve. Deneuve was likewise honored with a lifetime achievement award, which she ...
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Czech government rejects tax incentive for filmmakers
The Czech government has rejected a proposal to create a tax rebate for filmmaking, saying such an incentive would create special, beneficial tax conditions to a single industry.The proposal would have offered a 20% tax rebate on producers' Czech spend and would have allowed the government to specify what costs ...
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Twelve titles competing at Transilvania International Film Festival
The seventh Transilvania International Film Festival opens Friday in Cluj, Romania, with a screening of Michael Haneke's new US remake of his 1997 Austrian hit Funny Games.Catherine Deneuve will receive a lifetime achievement award at this year festival, which will close June 8 with a gala awards ceremony and a ...
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Benedek Fliegauf's Womb wins Krzysztof Kieslowski award
Womb receives Krzysztof Kieslowski award Benedek Fliegauf's cloning project, also in Atelier at Cannes, takes top prize in second annual ScripTeast competition. Benedek Fliegauf's script Womb has received the second annual Krzysztof Kieslowski TVP Award for Best Eastern and Central European Script in Cannes. Special Mention went to ...
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Holland ready to finish historic outlaw story after five-year delay
Agniezska Holland is set to resume filming on The True Story Of Janosik in July. The project is billed as an epic story of Juraj Janosik, a historical Slovak figure whose legend is often compared to that of Robin Hood. Production was halted in 2003 when financing ran into ...
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Kuba resigns as head of Barrandov Studios
Vladimir Kuba has stepped down from his position as general director of Barrandov Studios. The announcement came as a sudden surprise inside Barrandov Studios, a source inside told Screen International. 'My view of the situation was different from the owners,' Kuba told Screen International. 'I thought it was better to ...
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Bulgarian studio expands facilities
UFO International Productions has announced the opening of a new stage facility in Sofia, Bulgaria.The Bulgarian Film and Television Centre (BFTC) claims to be the largest studio in the Balkans, with nearly double the stage capacity of any other studio in Bulgaria.Sofia is already home to Nu Boyana Studios. Nu ...
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Swipe to handle Cannes market title Vanechka
Frank Mannion's UK-based Swipe Films will be handling international sales at Cannes on the Russian film Vanechka, which will have its international premiere in the Cannes market on May 17.The film is set during 1998, against the backdrop of Russia in an economic crisis and centres on an aspiring actress ...
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Edinburgh unveils new cult section calledUnder the Radar
The 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) will host a new section celebrating cult film, Under the Radar.'The term 'cult cinema' has become mere marketing-speak in recent years,' EIFF artistic director Hannah McGill said in statement issued to the press. 'With this new section, we want to re-animate the spirit ...
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Little Girl Blue takes top honours at Plzen
An international jury at the 21st Finale Plzen film festival awarded the Golden Kingfisher for Best Film to Alice Nellis' Little Girl Blue. Produced by Jan Sverak, the film tells the story of one fateful day in the life of a middle-aged woman, played by actress and musician Iva Bittova. ...
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Twelve titles to compete for Plzen's Golden Kingfisher
The 21st Finale festival of Czech films begins April 21 in Plzen, Czech Republic. The annual event is a competitive and comprehensive overview of Czech feature-length films released in the past year.Twelve titles will compete for the Golden Kingfisher for Best Feature Film, including the French-UK-Czech co-production La Vie En ...
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Fox sues former Russian partner Gemini
20th Century Fox has filed suit against its former Russian partner Gemini Film International, according to Russian press reports.The suit alleges that Gemini, which was exclusive distributor Fox titles in Russian and CIS between 2000 and 2006, did not pay royalties for the rental of Fox titles including the Star ...
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Karlovy Vary announces first titles including Deti Noci
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has offered a first glimpse at its official selection and sidebars.The official selection competition will include Deti Noci, an urban youth story from Czech director Michaela Pavlatova. Pavlatova's short film Words, Words, Words was nominated for an Oscar in 1991. Her short Repete won ...
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Cinema City wants to invest millions in Czech Republic
Cinema City International has announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the Czech Republic in the coming years. The Israel-based company recently opened its fifth multiplex in the Czech Republic and its first outside the capital city of Prague: a 10-screen, 1,721-seat facility at the new ...