All articles by Wendy Mitchell – Page 60
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BSkyB promotes Macdonald to deputy director of Sky Movies
British Sky Broadcasting has promoted Lisa Macdonald to Deputy Director, Sky Movies and SBO. In her new role, Lisa will continue to oversee all Sky's film acquisition and rights negotiations. Additionally, she will take on responsibilities including overseeing the development of Sky's VOD and PPV movie services. Macdonald has been ...
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Vito Rocco wins $2m feature funding from MySpace's MyMovieMashUp
Vito Rocco has won the MyMovieMashUp competition from MySpace, Film4 and Vertigo Films. Rocco, a 35-year-old Londoner wins $2m (£1m) to direct his debut feature Faintheart, written by David Lemon. The comedy is about hobbyists who re-enact Viking battles. A panel of experts selected the competition's 12 shortlisted directors and ...
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Pretty Pictures strikes deal for Kenyan comedy Malooned in Zanzibar
At the 10th annual event which ended July 8, the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) can report its first deal. France's Pretty Pictures acquired world rights (outside Africa) to Kenyan comedy Malooned directed by Bob Nyanja. Pretty Pictures also acquired the remake rights to the story, which is about a ...
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Paramount takes UK and otherrights to How To Lose Friends
Paramount Pictures International has licensed UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa distribution rights for How To Lose Friends And Alienate People from Intandem Films. Intandem has also struck deals for Portugal, Benelux, CIS, Greece, Cyprus, Scandinavia and the Middle East. The total value of pre-sales so far is $4.8m. ...
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Halo-8 takes rights to documentary Your Mommy Kills Animals
Halo-8 Entertainment, the label distributed by Ryko Filmworks and Warner-Elektra-Atlantic, and taken worldwide theatrical and home video rights to animal rights documentary Your Mommy Kills Animals from Indie Genius Productions. Curt Johnson, who previously worked on Thoth, directs the project about young animal rights activists and their detractors. 'Curt Johnson ...
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Sky opens environmental issues short film competition
UK-based broadcaster Sky has launched a short film competition related to climate change, Green Shoots. Sky, The World Wildlife Fund and the Energy Saving Trust, are calling for public submissions of shorts about environmental issues. The winning short will be aired on Sky. The competition is also tied to Universal's ...
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Bafta calls for submissions for UK entry for foreign Oscar
Again this year, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) will select the UK 's submission for the foreign-langauge Oscar in 2008. Eligible films must have a UK release for at least seven consecutive days for a public paying audience between Oct 1 2006 and Sept 30 2007, ...
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Film4 FrightFest lines up seven world premieres
UK horror film event FrightFest, now backed by Film4, has selected 26 films for its forthcoming run at London 's Odeon West End Aug 23-27. The selections represent seven world premieres, six European premieres and six UK premieres. The Film4 FrightFest opens with Jonathan King's hit New Zealand zombie sheep ...
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Murrell named president of UK industry charity CTBF
The UK-based Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) has elected David Murrell as its president. Murrell joined the CTBF council in 2000 and had been vice president since last year. He was the founder and chairman/chief executive of KPMG's global media and entertainment practice from 1984-1999. He is on the ...
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Britdoc announces international and UK competition titles
The second Britdoc festival (July 25-27) has announced its programme of international and UK documentaries, which will all receive their first UK screenings at the Oxford-based event. Among the highlights are Tribeca award winners We Are Together and Taxi To The Dark Side, Morgan Spurlock-produced What Would Jesus Buy', and ...
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Nick Moran starts UK shoot for big-screen version of Telstar
First-time feature director Nick Moran started principal photography today for Telstar, which will shoot for six weeks at Twickenham Film Studios in the UK. The tragi-comedy is based on the true story of Joe Meek, the first independent record producer whose rise to fame led to a tragic downfall.Moran, an ...
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Muriel Sauzay joins Pathe to head international sales
Muriel Sauzay has been named deputy managing director of Pathe Distribution (France) in charge of international sales. She will be based in Paris, while head of international sales Mike Runagall will continue to be based in London. The two offices will work together under Sauzay's supervision. She had been director ...
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Peter Greenaway to be special guest at Halifax's Strategic Partners
The Atlantic Film Festival has invited director Peter Greenaway to be its special guest during its annual Academy Luncheon.The luncheon, presented during the Festival's co-production market Strategic Partners, is presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers in partnership with the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. This year's event will be held Sept 16. ...
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Witi Ihimaera to work on Matriarch adaptation with Binger Lab
The Netherlands-based Binger Filmlab will welcome Maori novelist Witi Ihimaera as a writer in residence for six months, and Ihimaera will also follow Binger's Script Development Programme. The author, who previously wrote The Whale Rider, will be working on the screen adaptation of his 1986 novel The Matriarch, about the ...
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Michael Wailes to join UK's Vertigo as head of sales
Vertigo Films has hired Michael Wailes in its new head of sales post. He will start the new position at the end of August.Wailes has worked in theatrical sales for more than 10 years, most recently at Tartan Films. Vertigo's Rupert Preston said: ''We are thrilled that Michael is joining ...
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Rupert Friend to star opposite Blunt in The Young Victoria
Rupert Friend has been cast as Prince Albert to Emily Blunt's Queen Victoria in the forthcoming feature The Young Victoria. Jean Marc Vallee will direct from a script by Julian Fellowes. Graham King and Martin Scorsese are producing. Denis O'Sullivan will oversee the project for King's GK Films. The Young ...
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AV Pictures strikes UK deal for The Tournament with Entertainment
AV Pictures has sold UK rights to action thriller The Tournament to Entertainment Film Distributors. The film, starring Robert Carlyle, Ving Rhames and Kelly Hu, is about a fight between the world's greatest assassins. AV likens it to 'a grown-up Battle Royale.' First-time feature director Scott Mann will start shooting ...
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MARV Films: the magic touch
Matthew Vaughn and Kris Thykier of MARV Films are moving into the big league with Stardust and a new Sony deal. Wendy Mitchell reports. Anyone bemoaning the decline of the UK film industry should open their eyes to the banner year at Matthew Vaughn's Marv Films. Marv has made the ...
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Tom Collins: immigrant song
Northern Irish film-maker Tom Collins comes home to his favourite festival in Galway with his debut feature, Kings. Wendy Mitchell reports. The 2007 Galway Film Fleadh will be a homecoming for Tom Collins (above left), who will be screening his debut theatrical feature Kings at the event on July 13.The ...
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Metrodome plans August theatrical run for Wild Style
Metrodome is planning the first UK theatrical release of hip-hop classic Wild Style. The 1982 film by Charlie Ahearn will hit cinemas on August 10. The film is a slice-of-life from the South Bronx , starring the likes of Grand Master Flash , Grand Wizard Theodore, D.St,, Grand Master Caz, ...