All articles by Wendy Mitchell – Page 16
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Eyes on Edinburgh as festival kicks off June event with Edge Of Love
It's an especially pivotal opening night tonight for the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Not only does the festival have A-list stars Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller on the red carpet for the world premiere of John Maybury's The Edge Of Love, but also there will be more industry scrutiny on ...
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Karel De Vries takes MD post at Universal's Dutch arm
Universal Pictures International has appointed Karel De Vries as managing director of its operations in the Netherlands. He replaces Max Van Praag, who is leaving the post after 23 years with Universal.De Vries will join UPI at the end of September to work with Van Praag on the transition, and ...
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Beresford on board for Grahame biopic Banking On Mr Toad
Bruce Beresford is attached to direct Banking On Mr Toad, which is set to shoot in Dublin and nearby Irish locales in early 2009. The biopic of Kenneth Grahame is being readied as his classic The Wind In The Willows celebrates its 100th anniversary.The film's budget is $22m. Casting is ...
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Film Agency For Wales offers development funds for Mr Manchester
The Film Agency For Wales is backing Cardiff-born writer Phil Charles' feature comedy Mr Manchester, now in development.Lee Ruette and Britt Harrison's Snowball Pictures will produce.The Manchester-set comedy is about a macho cash-strapped builder who enters a gay beauty competition.Charles has been working as a TV writer and previously made ...
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Jersey to host new film festival in September
The island of Jersey, a British Crown dependency between England and France, will host the first Branchage Jersey International Film Festival from Sept 25-28.The festival describes itself as 'boutique,' to show the 'best new independent British and international films.' Branchage plans to reflect the local communities by showing Eastern European ...
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Toronto to kick off with premiere of Paul Gross's Passchendaele
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival will open with the gala world premiere of Paul Gross's Passchendaele on Sept 4.Canadian film-maker Gross wrote, directed and produced and also stars. The prolific actor previously directed 2002's Men With Brooms.Niv Fichman (Blindness), Frank Siracusa and Francis Damberger co-produced. Passchendaele is a Rhombus ...
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Power strikes DVD distribution deal with Lionsgate UK
After working together on the successful release of Flood, Lionsgate UK and production company Power have formed a long-term, exclusive home entertainment distribution partnership.Power, a TV production company that recently branched out into feature films, will release all its productions including mini-series, features and TV series, through Lionsgate UK.Power's current ...
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Inside Pictures selects 15 UK producers and execs
The Film Business Academy at Cass Business School, Qwerty Films and Skillset have selected the next 15 participants for its pretigious Inside Pictures initiative, a scheme to support rising producers andexecutives across the UK film industry.lWhile Inside Pictures has never been for newcomers, this year's group appears more advanced than ...
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UKFC funds national festivals including Birds Eye View, Doc/Fest
The UK Film Council has announced the latest recipients backed by Lottery funding as part of the national strand of its Film Festivals Fund. The funding will total $1.4m (£740,000) over the next three years.Backed festivals are:$341,000 (£175,000) to Birds Eye View, the women-centric festival in London, Glasgow, Manchester and ...
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Shane Meadows among experts for Skillset's EIFF talks
Training body Skillset will be hosting a series of Masterclasses as part of its Trailblazers initiative at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.Trailblazers, now in its second year, will host classes, breakfast sessions and panels with the likes of directors Shane Meadows, Paul Andrew Williams and Don Boyd andcinematographer Brian Tufano. ...
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Icewhole adds to industry panel judging online shorts
Icewhole.com, the new social networking site for aspiring film-makers and actors, have added new experts to its Independent Panel of Judges.The panel includes more than 170 producers, directors, writers, casting directors, talent agents, and actors including Morgan Freeman, Richard Attenborough, Derek Jacobi, Marjane Satrapi and David Yates.Each month, Icewhole.com gives ...
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Icon takes UK, Australiarights to Transporter 3 from Europa
Icon Film Distribution (IFD) has acquired all UK and Australian rights to Transporter 3 from EuropaCorp.This third instalment of the franchise again stars Jason Statham in the lead, with Francois Berleand and Robert Knepper. Transporter 3 is directed by Olivier Megaton from a script written by Luc Besson and Robert ...
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Roberts, Mortimer take new posts at UK's Contender
Growing UK distributor Contender Films has appointed Theresa Roberts as head of publicity and Rebecca Mortimer as head of marketing.Roberts, who takes the post July 1, had been head of publicity for Momentum Pictures.Mortimer, who takes her post as of Aug 5, comes from Universal Pictures (UK), where she was ...
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Hirschbiegel starts Belfast shoot for Five Minutes Of Heaven
Oliver Hirschbiegel has started shooting his new feature, Five Minutes Of Heaven, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt star as two men who are struggling to come to terms with their experiences of past conflict in Northern Ireland.Eoin O'Callaghan is producing for Big Fish Films and executive ...
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Ealing's Cannes deals include Dorian Gray to Alliance Films
Ealing Studios International has reported a number of deals closed during Cannes Market.Oliver Parker's Dorian Gray, which was announced during Cannes, has been sold to Alliance Films for Canada, the UK, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia (releases will be handled by respective subsidiaries Alliance, Momentum and Aurum and partners Eagle and ...
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Paulo Coelho recruits MySpace users for feature compilation
Author Paulo Coelho is working with MySpace on the creation of his first feature film, The Experimental Witch.The project is inspired by Coelho's most recent book The Witch Of Portobello, and will use the concept of 'mash up' videos. MySpace users will submit original videos and music and then Coelho ...
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Skillset starts new trainee plan for Fund-paying productions
UK training body Skillset has launched a new Film Trainee Scheme.The initiative was announced at a Skillset Connects networking lunch in London.The scheme will let newcomers work on productions shooting in the UK. Trainee positions will be heavily subsidised by Skillset, to help productions get suitable, diverse trainees and to ...
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UK line producers, production managers plan US visit
The UK Film Council, in an effort to stimulate inward investment production in the UK, is taking eight UK line producers and unit production managers to Los Angeles next week to meet with US studios and independent productoin companies.British Film Commissioner Colin Brown is leading the trip, also organised with ...
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Edinburgh increases industry offerings
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is ramping up its industry events this year, with a record number planned June 20-27. The festival runs June 18-29.The industry initiatives are helped by the festival's new three-year, $4m backing from the UK Film Council.Panels will discuss how to survive as an independent producer, ...
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UKFC gives $400,000+ to Pathe's release of Adulthood
The UK Film Council's Prints & Advertising Fund has supported its latest round of film releases. The funds are awarded to UK distributors working on films that might otherwise have a limited distribution, to increase viewing choices for audiences.The latest distributors and films supported are:$413,680 (£210,000) to Pathe for Adulthood$393,980 ...