All articles by Tim Dams – Page 68

  • News

    Ladies In Lavender kicks off for Dance

    2003-09-25T00:00:00Z

    Charles Dance's directorial debut, Ladies In Lavender, has kicked off seven weeks of principal photography in Cornwall, London and at Pinewood Studios.Good Bye, Lenin! star Daniel Bruhl plays Andrea, a handsome and charismatic Polish castaway who is discovered by two spinsters - played by Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie ...

  • News

    UPI appoints Suzuki as Japan president

    2003-09-25T00:00:00Z

    Universal Pictures International (UPI) has appointed Mutsumi Suzuki as president of Universal Pictures Japan (UPJ). Based in Tokyo, Suzuki will report to Wayne Borg, vice president, Universal Pictures, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The appointment is effective from Sept 30..Suzuki succeeds Tada Wakabayashi, who has held the role ...

  • News

    Online DVD rental market hots up in UK

    2003-09-23T04:00:00Z

    Two ambitious online DVD rental services have launched into the UK within a week of each other - both looking to tap into the booming DVD market.Screenselect.co.uk is backed by the founder of Amazon UK, while the directors of rival service Videoisland.com include Simon Franks, chief executive of distributor Redbus.Both ...

  • News

    UK Film Council offers funds to short film-makers

    2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

    The UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund is inviting filmmakers and production companies with unfinished short films to apply to the £50,000 Completion Fund. The Fund, now in its second year, was developed to provide vital funds for the completion of short film projects.The Completion Fund is part of the ...

  • News

    Dirty Pretty Things leads BIFA nominations

    2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

    Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things has emerged as the frontrunner for this year's British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), earning seven nominations. Sixteen Years of Alcohol and Buffalo Soldiers received five nominations followed by Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself, Young Adam, In This World and Bright Young Things, each of which ...

  • News

    BSkyB chief Ball announces decision to step down

    2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

    Tony Ball has officially confirmed that he is to step down from his job as chief executive of British Sky Broadcasting.Rumours of his departure have been circulating for the past week in the UK press, with James Murdoch - son of Rupert Murdoch - being tipped to replace him.Ball will ...

  • News

    Vatican cardinal backs Gibson's Passion

    2003-09-19T00:00:00Z

    A top Vatican cardinal has praised Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion as "a triumph of art" and has rejected fears it could spark a wave of anti-Semitism. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Vatican department in charge of priests, who saw an unfinished version of the film, told ...

  • News

    UK producers pair up for Magic Light Pictures

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    UK producers Martin Pope and Michael Rose have joined forces to launch a new UK based film company Magic Light Pictures which they will jointly own and run.Specialising in comedy and family entertainment, Magic Light Pictures aims to produce talent driven, quality feature films for a worldwide, commercial audience - ...

  • News

    Scott Free's Tristan & Isolde begins shoot in Ireland

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Filming has begun in Galway, Ireland on Scott Free's Tristan & Isolde, directed by Kevin Reynolds.Set in the Dark Ages, it is the story of a princess and young warrior's love affair which threatens to tear apart an uneasy peace between England and Ireland.Written by Dean Georgaris (Lara Croft Tomb ...

  • News

    UK Film Council calls on distributors to apply for support

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    The UK Film Council has called on film distribution companies planning to release British films at UK cinemas between Dec 1 and March 31, 2004 to apply for support from its UK Film Distribution Programme.The £1m funding programme is retrospective and aims to reward distributors who release British films in ...

  • News

    Zein named as chair of UK producers body Pact.

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Tiger Aspect Productions managing director Andrew Zein is to replace Eileen Gallagher as chair of UK producers association, Pact. Margaret Matheson, managing director Bard Entertainment will continue as vice chair of film for a second year.Eileen Gallagher, managing director of Shed Productions and current chair of Pact said: "I've thoroughly ...

  • News

    Awards favourites line up for London Film Festival

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    The Times bfi London Film Festival (Oct 22 - Nov 6) has lined up a string of Oscar buzz films for its main programme up this year.The Festival opens with Jane Campion's psychological thriller In The Cut, starring Meg Ryan, Mark and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The Closing Night film is ...

  • News

    Pathe banks on UK production future

    2003-09-16T04:00:00Z

    Pathe Pictures has secured a $32m (£20m) revolving facility deal with banks SG Corporate and Investment Banking (SG CIB) and Natexis Banques Populaires. The move signals Pathe's ambitions to continue backing big budget productions out of the UK after the expiry of its National Lottery franchise in Spring 2004, which ...

  • News

    Barclays to bankroll 'Valleywood'

    2003-09-16T04:00:00Z

    Barclays Bank has emerged as the lead funder of Dragon International Film Studios, the planned international studio complex in Wales being championed by Lord Attenborough.The deal with Barclays is still subject to due diligence and a formal announcement of the bank's involvement is expected within a fortnight.Dubbed 'Valleywood', the £140m ...

  • News

    High Point takes on Godforsaken sales

    2003-09-15T04:00:00Z

    The producers of Dutch hit and Oscar candidate Twin Sisters, IdtV, have appointed High Point Films to handle international sales - excluding Benelux - on their thriller Godforsaken.Also produced by Reiner Selen of Rinkel Film, Godforsaken is directed by first time director Peter Kuijpers and has been chosen for the ...

  • News

    Merchant Of Venice shoot pushed back

    2003-09-15T04:00:00Z

    Shooting on Michael Radford's The Merchant Of Venice has been pushed back until the 10 November.Set to star Al Pacino as Shylock opposite newcomer Lynn Collins as Portia, the $20m-$30m Shakespeare adaptation had been scheduled to begin filming last week.Roughly half of the film will shoot in Luxembourg on a ...

  • News

    Ejiofor, Okenodo triumph at UK's 'Black Oscars'

    2003-09-12T00:00:00Z

    Dubbed the UK's Black Oscars, the Screen Nation Film and Television Awards 2003 (formerly the bfm Awards) - the UK's only awards ceremony to celebrate and reward the achievements of Black professionals in film - took place on Sept 10 at The Empire, Leicester Square. The winners were:Honorary and major ...

  • News

    EFA unveils 2003 film awards shortlist

    2003-09-11T00:00:00Z

    Forty-three European films have made it onto the selection list for the European Film Awards 2003.Choosing from this list, the 1,600 members of the European Film Academy will, in the coming weeks, select the nominations in the different award categories. More than 360 films were submitted for the selection. The ...

  • News

    Goal! scores as FIFA lends support

    2003-09-10T04:00:00Z

    International footballing body FIFA is to lend its support to Goal!, the ambitious football trilogy being put together by Pulp Fiction producer Lawrence Bender and Milkshake Films.Full details of the co-operative agreement between FIFA and the film's producers are set to be unveiled at a press conference on Thursday in ...

  • News

    Vivendi Universal sells Nordic pay-TV unit

    2003-09-10T00:00:00Z

    Vivendi Universal has struck a deal to sell Canal Plus Television AB, its pay-TV unit in the Nordic region, to a consortium of equity firms for about 70 million euros. Vivendi said the transaction would cut debt at its Canal Plus Group unit by a net amount of Euros 54m. ...