All articles by Tim Dams – Page 82

  • News

    UK's Optimum acquires Thousand Months, Since Otar Left

    2003-07-31T00:00:00Z

    Optimum Releasing have acquired UK rights to A Thousand Months and Since Otar Left from Fortissimo and Celluloid Dreams respectively. Faouzi Bensaidi's A Thousand Months, selected for Un Certain Regard at this year's Cannes Film Festival, tells the story of Amina and her son Mehdi who live in the heart ...

  • News

    Neeson parts company with 20th Century Fox International

    2003-07-29T00:00:00Z

    Scott Neeson, president of 20th Century Fox International Theatrical, is stepping down from his position at the end of the month.In a statement, 20th Century Fox said he had "elected to re-direct his interests."Neeson began his association with 20th Century Fox International Theatrical in 1989 as general manager of the ...

  • News

    Carlton takes over at UK's Film Four Lab

    2003-07-29T00:00:00Z

    Peter Carlton has been appointed as head of Channel 4's experimental film division, Film Four Lab.Carlton joins Film Four Lab having set up and run regional film fund EM Media Investments (EMMI) based in the East Midlands. Joining in mid-September and reporting to Film Four head Tessa Ross, he will ...

  • News

    San Sebastian unveils Spanish competition premieres

    2003-07-28T00:00:00Z

    Three films from high profile young Spanish directors - Iciar Bollain, Cesc Gay and Achero Manas - have been selected for the official section of this year's San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept 18-27). One other Spanish film will also screen out of competition, while at least two works by ...

  • News

    UIP strikes Croatian licence deal

    2003-07-28T00:00:00Z

    United International Pictures is to distribute its films in Croatia through a new licence arrangement with Blitz Film and Video effective from August 1.UIP used to distribute in Croatia through Zagreb-based Kinematografi.Amongst the line-up of Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks films that UIP will bring to Croatian audiences through the new ...

  • News

    Australia/UK co-productions benefit from FFC cash

    2003-07-24T04:05:00Z

    Two 'commercial' Australia/UK co-productions are among four feature films to receive backing from Australia's Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) in its latest round of funding.Irresistible, a thriller about a woman who believes she is being stalked by her husband's beautiful co-worker, is written and directed by Ann Turner and executive ...

  • News

    Calendar Girls set for open air world premiere

    2003-07-24T00:00:00Z

    Nigel Cole's highly anticipated Calendar Girls is set to make its world premiere at the Locarno International Film Festival (Aug 6-16), as an outdoor screening in the Piazza Grande in front of a potential audience of 7,000.The high profile, public screening is seen by distributor Buena Vista International as an ...

  • News

    Cannes pays tribute to Alexander Walker

    2003-07-16T00:00:00Z

    Cannes president Gilles Jacob has paid tribute to film critic Alexander Walker, who died suddenly yesterday."It is with great sadness that I heard about Alex's passing. Alex was a close friend, a great critic and historian," Jacob told Screen. "I believe that he didn't miss a single Cannes Film Festival ...

  • News

    Diller, Redstone weigh up joint bid for Vivendi

    2003-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Barry Diller has been talking to Viacom chief Sumner Redstone about a possible joint bid for Vivendi Universal's U.S. show business empire, Reuters reported on Tuesday quoting 'sources close to the auction.'Diller, a former Vivendi executive who owns a stake in company's entertainment assets, is eyeing the multi-billion-dollar auction of ...

  • News

    Chadha's Bride And Prejudice begins Ealing shoot

    2003-07-14T00:00:00Z

    Filming begins today (July 14) on Bride And Prejudice - The Bollywood Musical, the Bollywood style re-telling of the Jane Austen classic by the team behind Bend It Like Beckham - director/producer Gurinder Chadha and producer Deepak Nayar.The film stays faithful to Jane Austen's central story of a mother and ...

  • News

    France wins 'cultural exception' fight in EU charter

    2003-07-11T00:00:00Z

    France won a last-ditch battle this week to maintain its right of veto in a future European Union constitution to protect its film and television industry in international trade negotiations. The committee drafting the EU's first constitution agreed to add a clause sought by Paris on the so-called "cultural exception" ...

  • News

    Mellis & Scinto to script Potsdamer Platz for Scott, Searchlight

    2003-06-27T04:00:00Z

    Louis Mellis and David Scinto, writers ofSearchlight's Sexy Beast, have been signed to write the screenplay for Tony Scott's planned film version of the novel Potsdamer Platz which is being developed at Fox Searchlight Pictures.The $15m project, based on abook by Buddy Giovinazzo, centres on the intergang turf wars that ...

  • News

    UK scriptwriters learn to pitch in 25 words or less

    2003-04-29T04:05:00Z

    Four feature films pitched using 25 words or less have been granted development funding from UK support body the Film Council.The films were pitched to the Council as part of their "25 Words or Less" programme which was launched last year and called for applicants to present their concept for ...

  • News

    UIP to distribute Sony films in Poland

    2003-04-28T04:00:00Z

    United International Pictures (UIP) and Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (CTFDI) have unveiled a long-term agreement that will see UIP release CFTDI pictures in Poland. UIP will distribute CFTDI films in Poland such as Maid In Manhattan (June 13), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (July 4), Anger Management (July 25), and ...

  • News

    CineNova strikes MGM, Fox deals

    2003-04-24T00:00:00Z

    Amsterdam based movie channel CineNova has signed new film licensing agreements with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and 20th Century Fox. CineNova already sources movies from shareholders Sony Pictures Entertainment and Buena Vista International Television, as well as movies from outfits such as Indies Entertainment Group, RCV Entertainment Group, Three Lines Pictures, Les ...

  • News

    Warner Bros kicks off Matrix marketing onslaught

    2003-03-28T04:00:00Z

    Warner Bros kicked off in earnest its international marketing campaign for The Matrix sequels this week, with a major London presentation - titled The Year Of The Matrix - to introduce the two films to the industry.Warners invited over 300 press, exhibitors and retail partners to the presentation on Thursday(March ...

  • News

    Global ticket prices keeping ahead of inflation

    2003-03-25T04:05:00Z

    Ticket prices are rising faster than inflation in most of the major cinema markets around the world - with the notable exception of Japan.Japan still has the most expensive tickets in the world, with an average price of Euros 9.48 ($10.47). However, prices have been either stagnant or falling for ...

  • News

    UK Film Council funds seven company slates

    2003-03-10T04:00:00Z

    The UK Film Council has invested US$1,878,401 (£1,171,000) in seven company slate deals with British film production outfits.The money is the second part of a proposed three year business investment scheme set up by the Film Council's Development Fund, originally announced in July and November 2001, following a review of ...

  • News

    BBC Worldwide to co-produce feature documentary with Germany's Greenlight

    2003-03-04T00:00:00Z

    BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, is working on a theatrical version of its acclaimed natural history documentary series The Blue Planet. BBC Worldwide has signed a co-production agreement with German production and international distribution company Greenlight Media to fund the feature length documentary.Greenlight Media will co-ordinate all ...

  • News

    Bloody Sunday director prepares Jimi Hendrix project

    2003-02-20T04:05:00Z

    Paul Greengrass, the award winning director of Bloody Sunday, is preparing to shoot a film about the last days of rock-legend Jimi Hendrix.Called Cross Town Traffic, the film is to be scripted by Oliver Parker (It Was An Accident) and produced by Number 9 Films' Elizabeth Karlsen (Little Voice, The ...