All articles by Wendy Mitchell – Page 116

  • News

    Blue Star takes on sales of three Cameo FJ titles

    2005-11-04T04:00:00Z

    Blue Star Movies has come onboard for international sales of three films from LA-based production companyCameo FJ Entertainment: Erik MacArthur's Bottoms Up and Josef Rusnak's Victims, which are both in final post-production, and DerekCianfrance's Blue Valentine, inpre-production.Bottoms Up is a $4 million comedy starring Paris Hilton andJason Mewes in the ...

  • News

    Woody Allen's second UK film gets a title: Scoop

    2005-11-04T04:00:00Z

    Woody Allen'snext film finally has a title: Scoop.The film, knownfor months as the Woody Allen Summer Project, or WASP, shot in London this summer and iscurrently in post-production. Delivery is expected in summer 2006. ScarlettJohansson, who also stars in Allen's London-set Match Point, plays an American journalism studentvisiting London who ...

  • News

    UK Film Focus sets dates for June 2006

    2005-11-04T04:00:00Z

    The London UKFilm Focus has announced the dates for its third sales showcase, to be heldJune 26-29.The three-dayevent promotes British films to 150 international buyers. About 40 UK titlesare expected to screen at this year's showcase. Networking events will also beorganized.In changes for2006, Film Focus will start earlier on Monday ...

  • News

    Bedford, Geronimo form production joint venture

    2005-11-03T04:00:00Z

    New York-based BedfordEntertainment and Belfast-based Geronimo Productions have formed a jointventure, Mick 'n' Mack Productions, to produce a slate of feature films to beshot in Northern Ireland and the UK.The slate of eight films, tobe shot over the next two years, will have individual budgets of $1 million to$20 million. ...

  • News

    Blue Star CEO Maggi steps back to set up financing outfit

    2005-11-03T04:00:00Z

    European production andsales company Blue Star Movies has announced that Pietro Dioni and IreneMasiello have taken over as managing directors, overseeing day-to-dayoperations of the business, while former CEO Pete Maggi will assume the titleof Chairman and kick start his new financing company, Movie Finance.Movie Finance, an equityfund to be launched ...

  • News

    Momentum, Aurum buy The Hoax for UK and Spain

    2005-11-03T04:00:00Z

    UK distributor MomentumPictures and its Spanish sister company Aurum Producciones have acquired threefilms for release in 2006: Lasse Hallstrom's The Hoax for the UK and Spain, Mark Neveldine and BrianTaylor's Crank for Spain, andGavin Hood's Tsotsi for the UK.Momentum's vice president of acquisition Lara Thompson spearheaded all threedeals.The Hoax, currently ...

  • News

    Fortissimo sells new territories on UK drama Snow Cake

    2005-11-03T00:00:00Z

    Fortissimo Filmshas sold UK feature Snow Cake to several more territories. The new dealsare with DCA in Argentina, A Film in Benelux, United King in Israel, Media FilmInternational in Korea and Thailand, Monolith in Poland, and Lusomundo inPortugal.Marc Evans'dramatic feature, written by Angela Pell, stars Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaverand Carrie-Anne ...

  • News

    Moviehouse boards UK mockumentary Exhibit A

    2005-11-03T00:00:00Z

    UK-based salescompany Moviehouse Entertainment has come on board for Dom Rotheroe's ExhibitA, a psychologicalmockumentary that recently wrapped shooting in the UK.Bent Films'Darren Bender, a former commissioning editor at Channel 4, is producing ExhibitA. Mark Herbert, HugoHeppell and Sheryl Crown are executive producing alongside Moviehouse's GaryPhillips and Mark Vennis.Exhibit A, about ...

  • News

    Pathe, Reason team on Apted's football documentary

    2005-11-02T04:00:00Z

    Pathe Pictures and LA-based ReasonPictures are teaming up for Michael Apted's new feature documentary aboutfootball around the world. The film will feature sixintertwining stories in what Pathe calls a "moving examination of the socialimpact of the game across the world."It is currently inproduction, with footage already shot in South Africa, ...

  • News

    Indie thriller shoots in Oxford and London

    2005-11-02T00:00:00Z

    UK-based Cat's Paw Productions hasstarted production on low-budget independent film Framed on location in Oxfordand around London. Shooting started on September 28 and will continue throughNovember 6. Jon Kirby (Jack of Diamonds,Requiem)is directing, with Crispin Manson and Matthew Stradling producing and Stephan Evans(Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Mother) ...

  • News

    Indie thriller shoots in Oxford and London

    2005-11-02T00:00:00Z

    UK-based Cat's Paw Productions hasstarted production on low-budget independent film Framed on location in Oxfordand around London. Shooting started on September 28 and will continue throughNovember 6. Jon Kirby (Jack of Diamonds,Requiem)is directing, with Crispin Manson and Matthew Stradling producing and Stephan Evans(Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Mother) executive ...

  • News

    Rotunda starts crime shoot in UK second city

    2005-11-02T00:00:00Z

    UK production company Rotunda Films will start shooting this weekfor Lycanthropy, a feature film set in Birmingham.Kevin McDonagh (Open Window, Idol of Evil) iswriting, directing, and producing, with David Beaumont executive producing andserving as cinematographer. ITN Distribution are handling pre-sales and arelaunching the project during this week's AFM.The producers ...

  • News

    Aardman Licenses Mobile Content In Global Deals

    2005-11-02T00:00:00Z

    Aardman Animations, theUK-based company behind Wallace and Gromit, has signed a numberof deals licensing its content for mobile phone platforms. Tied to the release of Wallaceand Gromit: The Curse of theWere-Rabbit, Aardman has struck an exclusive partnership withOrange UK to cover movie downloads, wallpapers, voice tones and screensavers. Aardman has ...

  • News

    ContentFilm chairman talks up restructured company at AGM

    2005-11-01T00:00:00Z

    ContentFilm chairman Alton Irbysaid that the company has seen at "encouraging results" after its acquisitionof the Fireworks International library and restructuring. Since the Fireworksdeal closed in July, that TV and film library has generated $10 million in cashflow and $4.5 in new contractual sales. Speaking at the company's annualgeneral meeting, ...

  • News

    Vaughn sprinkles Stardust on struggling UK industry

    2005-10-28T13:40:00Z

    The beleagured UKindustry has received a much-needed boost with news that British directorMatthew Vaughn is planning to shoot his next film primarily on home soil. Vaughn’s £50 million fantasy film Stardust, basedon a Neil Gaiman book, will be based at PinewoodStudios. It will also shoot at locations elsewhere in Britain. ...

  • News

    Gaule takes High Point global sales role

    2005-10-28T00:00:00Z

    UK-based sales company HighPoint Films has appointed Tara Gaule as its newsenior sales executive. Gaule will be responsible forworld sales outside English-speaking territories. Gaule previously worked for Mercury Media International,Minotaur International and Nelvana.The company noted that Gaule would boost its presence in France; High Point recently took on sales forFrench-language ...

  • News

    Foreign producers take issue with UK tax proposals

    2005-10-27T04:00:00Z

    The UK is in danger of losing its status as a topco-production partner for international film-makers if the government pressesahead with its new tax proposals, foreign producers argued at a heated filmseminar this week.The Co-production Express,presented by the UK MEDIA Desk, the UK Film Council (UKFC), and the Times bfi ...

  • News

    Newcastle's Northern Lights fest plans industry summit

    2005-10-27T00:00:00Z

    Newcastle Upon Tyne'sthird-annual Northern Lights Film Festival is planning a two-day industrysummit to be held November 18-19. This year's keynote will be presented by JimStark, the producer of Factotum, Coffeeand Cigarettes and Mystery Train.The summit will also includepitching sessions, case studies, panels, and speed meetings. The expectedattendees include Julia Short ...

  • News

    Glawogger's Death takes London's Grierson prize

    2005-10-27T00:00:00Z

    The Times bfi London Film Festival has givenits inaugural Grierson Award to Michael Glawogger for Workingman'sDeath. The award is presented to the director of the best feature-lengthdocumentary shown at the LFF. Austrian film-maker Glawoggerwill accept the award at a special screening of the film on November 1. The festival's artistic ...

  • News

    UK's Trinity acquires Magician from Moviehouse

    2005-10-27T00:00:00Z

    New UK distributor Trinity Filmed Entertainment has madeits first acquisition, for Scott Ryan's TheMagician, in a deal struck with sales company MoviehouseEntertainment.The film is a darkly comic mockumentary about a professional hitmanbeing documented by an amateur film-maker. Ryan wrote, directed, and plays thelead character. Michelle Bennett (Chopper) and Nash Edgerton ...