All articles by Tim Dams – Page 54
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UPI appoints Deeks as international marketing SVP
Universal PicturesInternational (UPI) has appointed Sara Deeks as Senior Vice President,International Marketing and Darren Linton as Vice President, InternationalMarketing, effective 16 May 2005. Deeks joins UPI fromBarclays Bank where she was most recently Brand Strategy Director with theresponsibility for devising and implementing the global brand strategy for thecompany. Prior to ...
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Cannes unveils competition screening schedule
TheCannes Film Festival (May 11-22) has unveiled the screening schedule for thefilms playing in its official selection this year.Festival watchers will scrutinise the schedule carefully tosee which films have secured strong screening slots. In recent years, most films that go on to win the Palme d'Or haveplayed in the second ...
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Fortissimo tunes into The Night Listener
FortissimoFilms is to handle worldwide sales outside of North America forTheNight Listener, the recently wrapped film adaptation of Armistead Maupin'sbestselling drama, directed by Patrick Stettner and starring Robin Williams andToni Collette.FortissimoFilm's co-chairmen, Michael J. Werner and Wouter Barendrecht who receiveco-producercredits,completed the deal with UTA, which represent theproducers Hart Sharp Entertainment, ...
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Vue swallows Ster Century's UK and Ireland circuit
The consolidation of the UK exhibition industry continuedapace last week as Vue Entertainment announced its acquisition of the SterCentury UK & Ireland circuit, comprising seven cinemas.The combined circuit will have 49 multiplexes with 496screens.Tim Richards, CEO of Vue said: "These high qualitycinemas perfectly complement Vue's current circuit of 42 cinemas ...
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UK's Labour Party outlines film policy
One week before the UK election, theruling Labour Party has published a business manifesto outlining how it willsupport the creative industries if it wins a third term.Two of the key pledges concerning thefilm industry centre on tackling piracy and securing tax incentives for filmproduction.In a statement published yesterday(April 28), the ...
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Fortissimo takes rights to Cannes pair
FortissimoFilms has acquired worldwide rights to Wang Xiaoshuai's Cannes competition filmShanghai Dreams andinternational rights to Tony Krawitz' Jewboy, screening in Un Certain Regard.Shanghai Dreams is a story of first love set inthe early 1980's against the backdrop of China's reform and opening. It stars Gao Yuanyuan, Li Bin, Yao Anlianand ...
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China claims world's third largest film industry
China hasbecome the third largest film producer in the world following the United Statesand India, one of China's top film industry officials claimed onSaturday. China shot a record number 212 films in 2004, and cinemasnationwide reported a total box office income of $180m (Y1.5bn) said ZhangPimin, vice director of the ...
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Cannes set for Nightmares
When the Cannes film festival unveiled itsofficial selection this week, media coverage focused on the many big nameauteurs who made the cut - and the move away from political documentaries likelast year's Palme d'Or winner Fahrenheit 9/11.But one of the most intriguing titles to make it throughto official selection is ...
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Branagh cranks up As You Like It
Principalphotography begins today on the feature film adaptation of WilliamShakespeare's As You Like It, directed by Kenneth Branagh.As You Like It, which isBranagh's fifth Shakespearean screen adaptation, features a cast that includesKevin Kline, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrian Lester, David Oyelowo, Alfred Molina,Janet McTeer and Romola Garai. With a setting inspired ...
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Borman steps down as Intermedia chief
Moritz Borman is to resignfrom his post as chief executive officer of Intermedia on April 30 and exitfrom the management board of parent company IM Internationalmedia.He will be replaced by MartinSchuermann who will become the new chief executive officer of Intermedia andchairman of the board of IM Internationalmedia on May ...
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Arts Alliance names Kiedaisch as chief financial officer
Arts Alliance Media, which was recently appointed to runthe UK Film Council's digital cinema network, has appointed Howard Kiedaisch aschief financial officer. Kiedaisch joins Arts Alliance Media from UniversalPictures International (UPI) where he was senior vice president of businessoperations and chief financial officer.In addition to his six years at UPI, ...
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Fortissimo launches TV sales division
Fortissimo Films has established a new sales division tohandle television, video/DVD and ancillary sales on its feature library.Long-time Fortissimo sales executive Esther Bannenberghas been put in charge of the new division and has been promoted to theposition of Senior Vice-President Television and Ancillary Sales.Fortissimo's library consists of more than 220 ...
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Pinewood share price hit by Watchmen wavering
The share price of UK studios Pinewood Shepperton has fallenover 20% this week to £1.43 on news of the likely loss of The Watchmenshoot. Pinewood Shepperton has confirmed ScreenDaily.com'sreport on Monday that Paramount Pictures are re-evaluating plans to shoot the$120m superhero thriller in the UK. PinewoodShepperton said it has a ...
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UK parties set out film policies as General Election called
Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that the UK generalelection will take place on May 5, kick starting a month of politicalcampaigning that will see the main political parties set out their policiestowards the film industry.ChancellorGordon Brown spelt out the key plank of the ruling Labour Party's policytowards film in ...
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Lions Gate mulls $1bn bid for HIT Entertainment
Independent film and television studio Lions GateEntertainment is considering a roughly $1bn bid for children's media companyHIT Entertainment, according to reports over the weekend.Lions Gate, which is based in Vancouver Canada, but has mostof its staff in Santa Monica, California, would gain London-based HIT's popularcharacters, including Barney the purpledinosaur, Bob ...
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Disney shares climb following Weinsteins split
Shares in Walt Disney Coclosed higher on Wednesday, the day after the media conglomerate announced thatit had finalised its negotiations to sever ties with Miramax co-chiefs Harveyand Bob Weinstein.Disney shares on the NewYork Stock Exchange were up 45 cents, or 1.61%, at $28.35.The long expected move waswelcomed by analysts who ...
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European indie players move into profit
Three European independentfilm outfits - Germany's Constantin and the UK's Civilian Content and Metrodome- unveiled positive financial results for 2004 this morning (March 30).Leading German producer anddistributor Constantin Film announced 2004 net profits of $9.1m (Euros 7m) onrevenues of $319.8m (Euros 246.9m). This compared with a net loss of $12.8m(Euros ...
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Fortissimo takes on sales for Berlin winner U-Carmen
Fortissimo Films has acquired worldwide distribution rights (outsideof South Africa) to U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, Mark Dornford-May's adaptation of the Carmen opera, which won the Golden Bear at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.Nelleke Driessen, Fortissimo co-managing director, and NicoleMackey, senior vice president international sales, saw the film in Berlin. Mackey said, ...
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Indian film industry on course for rapid growth
The Indian film industry is projected to be worth $3.3bn(R143bn by 2010, up from R$1.35bn according to a new industry report.India is the world's largest producer of films by volume,producing almost 1,000 movies a year but accounts for only 1% of global filmindustry revenues, the report by consultant KPMG India ...
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Candy cranks up in Sydney
Principal photography has begun in Sydney on Candy,the big screen debut of theatre director Neil Armfield which stars HeathLedger, Abbie Cornish and Geoffrey Rush.Based on Luke Davies' best seller of the same name, Candyis described by director and co-writerArmfield as "a convention-defying romantic tragedy that is at once inspiringand heartbreaking."Candy ...