All articles by Tim Dams – Page 70
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Short film channel to launch for UK mobile phones
Short films specialistShorts International is to launch a short film channel'"Shorts Tv" - which willbe broadcast to mobile phones in a pioneering UK mobile TV trial led by NTLBroadcast.The channel will launchalongside other established channels including Cartoon Network, CNN, Discovery Channel, Sky Sports News and Sky Travelas part of a ...
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Metrodome takes on Von Trier's Manderlay
UK distributor Metrodome has bought Lars Von Trier's Manderlayfrom Trust Film Sales.The Cannes competition title has now sold to over 35countries. The US is the last major territory yet to announce a deal for Manderlay,Von Trier's follow-up to Dogville.Manderlay is the first Lars Von Trier directedfilm that Metrodome has handled; ...
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Kino snaps up Cannes trio
US independent distributor Kino International hasacquired three titles at the recently-concluded Cannes Film Festival.The titlesare: Im Sang Soo's The President's Last Bang from South Korea andIranian director Mohammad Rasoulof's Iron Island - both of which playedin Directors' Fortnight - along with French director Karin Albou's La PetiteJerusalem which screened in ...
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Hidden triumphs in Screen critics' poll
It may not have won the Palme d'Or, but Michael Haneke's Hiddenhas emerged as the most popular Cannes competition title according to Screen'sannual poll of international critics.The Screen Cannes jury was made up of 12 key criticsfrom around the world who voted on every film in competition, awarding fourpoints for ...
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European Film Promotion elects new board
The members of European FilmPromotion (EFP) have elected a new Board of Directors at its general assemblymeeting during Cannes.The Board is composed of sixmembers and the term of office lasts for two years. Claudia Landsberger has beenre-elected as President and Christian Dorsch has been re-elected asVice-President, both ...
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Brussels sprouts new tax financiers
Belgian tax financiers havehit Cannes with a vengeance this year, announcing plans to launch new filmfunds while looking for new international projects to invest in.New Brussels based outfitMoviestream has already invested Euros 1.5m in a slate of four projects and isnow planning to raise Euros 15m over three years from ...
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Indican takes US for Wedding comedy
US distributor IndicanPictures has picked up rights to Laurent Firode's comedy My First Wedding, which stars Rachel Leigh Cook. The deal was negotiated byDavid Gordian of Paragraph Pictures and Shaun Hill of Indican Pictures. ChrisDavis International handling foreign sales.Cook plays blushingbride-to-be Vanessa who enlists the help of her local Priest ...
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Reding hosts Euro culture ministers for Cannes summit
EuropeanUnion media commissioner Viviane Reding has said she wants European film-makersto be able to use technology to boost the circulation of their films within theEU.Reding, who oversees theEuros 513m Media Programme, was speaking to Screen ahead of a Europe Dayconference she is hosting here on May 17.18 of the 25 ...
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Inspired Movies hits Cannes with Conquistador
Anglo-Indian productionoutfit Inspired Movies has arrived in Cannes with a slate of three new picturesto sell. The independent movieproduction house launched its UK operation in 2004 and has already producedthree full-length English language features - Red Mercury, Exitz and Take 3 Girls - featuringthe likes of Malcolm McDowell, Stockard ...
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Cannes hit by ghosts of rock stars
Two very different directors- Gus Van Sant and Stephen Woolley - hit Cannes today with films inspired bythe deaths of rock stars.Van Sant's Last Days was originally meant to be a full blown biography ofNirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, the director explained at a press conference forthe competition film. "But I ...
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Woody's next match will be on screen with Scarlett
WoodyAllen revealed that he will star alongside Scarlett Johansson in his next film,which is set to shoot in London this summer."It so happens that in thisnext film there is a very good part for me to play and I'm going to play it,"said the veteran director. He described it as ...
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Arab festivals co-ordinate to avoid date clashes
The second DubaiInternational Film Festival is to be held from December 11-17, 2005. The date of the week-longfestival was decided after a series of discussions with the organizers of theCairo, Marrakech and Damascus film festivals to enhance synergies between majorfestivals from the Arab world. The discussions focused onthe most appropriate ...
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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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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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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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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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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 ...