All articles by Wendy Mitchell – Page 113
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Lovefilm to offer 500 titles in new VoD service
Lovefilm, the online DVDrental company, has launched the first UK mass-market film download service. Lovefilm expects to offerabout 500 titles by early 2006, and downloads will be priced from £2.99.The VoD servicehas signed content deals with Warner Bros. including titles such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,Alexander, Batman and ...
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Momentum picks up UK, Spanish rights to Miss Potter
MomentumPictures has acquired UK and Spanish rights to Beatrix Potter biopic Miss Potter. Thefilm is set to start Renee Zellweger as thechildren's book author and Ewan McGregor as herpublisher and love interest. ChrisNoonan (Babe) is directing the film,which will shoot in the UK's Lake District in spring 2006. Miss Potter ...
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Film London seeking companies for new work placement scheme
Film London hasstarted a new scheme to create paid work placements for film industry traineesworking in London. Under the new programme,Film London will provide up to six selected companies with 75% of the totalsalary of the placement for up to six months, HR support including trainingplans, and general recruitment advice ...
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Cinematographer Adrian Biddle dies aged 53
British cinematographer Adrian Biddle, who most recently worked onV for Vendetta, died December 7. The cause of death was an apparent heartattack. Biddle had been travelling from his home in Weybridge to a commercialshoot in London.Biddle, a member of the British Societyof Cinematographers, was Oscar-nominated for his work on Thelma ...
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Prescience launches new fund before UK's Section 48 expires
UK-based Prescience Film Finance has launchedits latest investment offering, Prescience Film Partners LLP, a film financingpartnership being promoted by financial services group Smith & Williamson. The film partnership will support films goinginto production before April 1 2006, to take advantage of the UK'sSection 48 tax relief before it expires. The ...
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Skillset offers support to women returning to film work
UK training body Skillsethas announced a new initiative to help women working in film return to work. The Timeshift programme will provide job-sharing roles on filmproductions for teams of eight women, who will benefit from a child-careallowance as well as their salaries. Eligibleapplicants will have at least three years' experience ...
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Women in Film and TV hands out annual awards
UK industry group Women in Film and Television(WFTV) announced its 15th annual awards today in London. Winners were Gail Egan, executive producer of TheConstant Gardener and VeraDrake, for The Olswang Business Award; Deborah Saban,assistant director of Shakespeare in Loveand Proof, for The Film FinancesInc. Project Management Award; Sandy Powell, costume ...
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Pact names members of 2006 council
Pact, the UK producers group, has confirmed that the 2006 PactCouncil elections have confirmed the following council leaders. Alex Graham ofWall to Wall will serve as chair; Malcolm Brinkworthof Touch Productions will serve as vice chair, TV; Andrea Calderwoodof Slate Films will serve as vice chair, film; Jonathan Peel of ...
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Picture Players wraps The Killing Of John Lennon
UK-basedPicture Players has finished principal photography on its first feature film, The Killing of John Lennon.AndrewPiddington wrote and directed the film about MarkDavid Chapman, who shot John Lennon in 1980. Newcomer Jonas Ball plays Chapman.ProducerRakha Singh is making his feature film debut afterworking in television.Piddington previously directed features Shuttlecock and ...
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Missing In Action Plans 2006 Shoot For The Sycamores
Missing In Action Films, theUK production banner formed by Mia Bays, isplanningan early 2006 shoot for its first narrative feature film, Neil Hunter andNatalie Sirett's TheSycamores. Thefilm is a mysteryset in the 1970s. Bays is producing with David Parfitt, producer ofShakespeare in Love, on board asexecutive producer."We have Natalie Press ...
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London's Everyman Expands Into Production
Everyman Media, the holding company behind theEveryman Cinema Club in London, is targeting investors toco-finance short and feature-length films by emerging directors. Everyman said it would seek to produce a slate of"original stories in commercial genres that are both set and shot in the UK." The group said that it ...
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Eureka gets UK rights to Junebug
UK DVDdistributor Eureka plans to move into theatrical releasing after licensingall UK rights for Phil Morrison's Junebug. Eureka, which previously distributed DVDs, is planning a theatricalrelease for spring 2006 with sales and distribution handled by MiracleCommunications. Eureka licensed the film from Los Angeles-based sales companyLightning Entertainment. "I have already dipped ...
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UK industry greets tax news with relief
The UK film industry is largely cheering yesterday's announcement about new film tax laws, but seeking further clarity about aspects of the plans such as co-production rules and the transition period to the new system.Experts say they are glad the percentage of benefit was higher than expected (net 20% for ...
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...but films will need to pass a cultural test
The UK government has announced details of a new "cultural test" to decide eligibility for its new film tax credit.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has set out three qualifying categories:* Cultural hubs - where production or filming is UK-based* Cultural practitioners - where the cast, crew ...
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Soda Pictures takes two from Celluloid Dreams
UK distributor Soda Pictures has picked up rights to Laurent Cantet's HeadingSouth (Vers le Sud) andChristoffer Boe's Allegro. Both deals were struck withsales company Celluloid Dreams. Soda said that it bought Heading South after its London Film Festivalshowing, and that it had considered Allegroas a potential acquisition since the script ...
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Britain's film industry back in 'business' after tax relief proposal
The long-awaited reform of UK film tax policy revealed yesterday has been widely welcomed by leading industry figures. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown yesterday announced a new net rate of tax relief of 16% for larger-budget films and 20% for lower-budget films. Both rates will apply only to ...
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Constant Gardener wins best film at British indie awards
The Constant Gardener was the big winner at the eighth-annual British Independent Film Awards in London on Wednesday night. The film won the top prize ofBest British independent film, with Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz also claiming the best actor and actress prizes. In a surprise win, NeilMarshall won best ...
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High Point invests in thriller The Front Line
London-based sales company High Point Films has invested "a substantial sales guarantee" against world rights for The Front Line, a feature film being directed by David Gleeson. Nathalie Lichtenthaeler's Wide Eye Films is producing.The thriller is shooting now in and around Dublin and Hamburg. Eriq Ebouaney (Kingdom of Heaven), James ...
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Parasol takes UK video rights to Bollywood and Vine
Parasol Peccadillo Releasing has licensed UK home video rights to Edward Jordon and Donald Farmer's comedy Bollywood and Vine. Parasol plans a video and DVD release in spring 2006. Skye Aubrey, J.R. Jones and Jamey Schick star in the film, described as a romantic satire of Hollywood films from the ...
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Balhetchet named chair of UK's WFTV
UK-based Women in Film and Television has appointed Sophie Balhetchet as its new chair. Balhetchet is a founding member of WFTV and also a producer of TV dramas as well as the co-founder of Cougar Films. At Cougar, she and partner Lynda La Plante have produced the feature Imagine Me ...