All articles by Andrew Worsdale – Page 3
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News
Coronation, Little Bird to form international film finance company
South Africa's Coronation Capital and Irish production company Little Bird are to set up a financial services company that will structure and raise finance for international film producers.The two companies recently signed an agreement to produce a feature documentary on the legendary 1950s music of Sophiatown which will be produced ...
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News
Fox South Africa switches from Ster Kinekor to Nu Metro
After 37 years distributing its product theatrically through Ster Kinekor in South Africa, 20th Century Fox is transferring its theatrical business to rival distributor/exhibitor Nu Metro from the 1 August 2002. Nu Metro has handled the video distribution of Fox product since 1994 and the decision is seen as a ...
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News
Anant Singh snaps up Deepak Chopra film rights
South African producer Anant Singh, head of Videovision and Distant Horizon, has snapped up the much sought-after film rights to 'mind-body-spirit' guru Deepak Chopra's fictional works The Return Of Merlin and Soulmate. The deal was negotiated and concluded during Chopra's visit to South Africa last week. The rights to The ...
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News
South African broadcaster makes first film investment
For years, the major South African broadcasters, like M-Net, the SABC and free to air Channel e-TV have resolutely avoided investing in feature films - a move many local producers claim has prevented the rise of a viable local film industry.In an unprecedented move, however, South African cable station M-Net ...
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News
African Media Entertainment sells Moonlighting film subsidiary
South African media company African Media Entertainment (AME), has sold its film entertainment subsidiary Moonlighting Filmmakers, in an effort to reduce its heavy debt burden. Moonlighting Filmmakers, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AME Commercial Filmmakers, was sold to Philip John Key, the subsidiary's original owner and CEO, for $1m (R10.2m) in ...
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News
South Africa launches Cannes campaign - as festival outsider
South Africa will this year host its second-ever pavilion at Cannes, despite the fact that no South African films have been selected for the competition - or indeed any section of the festival.While the absence of South African movies from everywhere but independent market screenings is largely due to the ...
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News
Amitabh Bachchan's Aankhen packs South African cinemas
Aankhen, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's latest film, opened last weekend to packed houses in South Africa achieving a screen average that outperformed both Britney Spears and Bruce.Released on just five screens, Aankhen grossed $14,600 (R163,259) over the weekend and earned a massive screen average of $2, 900 (R32,651).Aankhen ...
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News
Mr. Bones to get major German release
Anant Singh's Videovision has announced that South African comedy Mr.Bones which smashed all box office records for a local film in South Africa, will be distributed by Constantin Films in Germany with a release of 400 prints across the territory. Sanjeev Singh, head of distribution at the company, says, "It ...
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News
South Africa's Ster-Kinekor boosts local revenues
By closing some of its loss-making South African cinema sites, wooing Indian and black audiences by increasing its Bollywood offer - and effective management of its labour costs, Ster-Kinekor, the territory's leading distributor/exhibitor has managed to engineer a turnaround in its fortunes at home.The company reported a 39% improvement ...
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News
Lumumba hits at South African box-office
Lumumba, the true story of assassinated African leader Patrice Lumumba, is smashing South African art-house records.The Ster-Kinekor Picturesand Film Resource Unit film has racked up more than $14,700 (R167,000) fromjust two prints. Directed by Raoul Peck, it beat the second week tally of Buena Vista Social Club, although itopened slightly ...
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News
Sasani CEO Sandra Gordon steps aside
South Africa's facilities giant Sasani Limited has announced that Sandra Gordon, who joined the group as chief executive officer three years ago, has not renewed her contract and will be leaving on 31 March 2002. In an unrelated move, Ralf Degni ...
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News
Ster Century Europe sells three national circuits
South African Media Group Primedia and Kersaf Investments have sold their cinema interests, Ster Century Europe, in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia for $18.5m.The cinemas were bought by UCI Central Europe BV, a joint venture between United Cinemas International (UCI) and venture capital and private equity fund Argus Capital ...
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News
South Africa's AME reports $18.3m fall in revenue
South African listed media company African Media Entertainment (AME) has reported disappointing end of year results, with the group's revenue falling by about a third to $18.3m (R209m).This fall in revenue was attributed largely to the disposal of struggling units and unprofitable operations. The group was a major co-financier of ...
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News
Ster-Kinekor loses Vanilla Sky in rental dispute
Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky is not screening on any of Ster-Kinekor's 190 screens throughout South Africa after negotiations between UIP/SA and Primedia's Filmco, owners of Ster-Kinekor, the country's biggest exhibitor, broke down. According to industry insiders, UIP initially wanted an opening week's film rental of 65% to which Ster-Kinekor offered ...
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News
S.A. funding strategy comes under scrutiny
Strong criticism, including accusations of misappropriation of funds and nepotism have been levelled at South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) following its recent allocation of grants of just over $530,000 (R6m) as part of its 2001/2 funding cycle. According to reports in South Africa's Mail & Guardian, the ...
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News
South African government body briefs film industry
In a sign that the South African government is starting to take the local film industry seriously, the government's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) new film division held a briefing last week for over 100 producers, directors, exhibitors and broadcasters in Johannesburg. The newly created division - Media and Motion Pictures ...
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News
South African producers team to form D-V-8
Independent South African producers Jeremy Nathan of Avatar Digital, Joel Phiri of ICE Media and Kobus Botha of Ballistic Pictures have formed an alliance to make up to eight feature films to be produced on digital over the next two years. The alliance, called D-V-8 Films, announced last week that ...
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Reviews
Long Run
Dir: Jean Stewart. South Africa. 2001. 111mins.This attempt to create a simple triumph-against-adversity story, set against the world of long distance running in post-apartheid South Africa, has many good elements including a stand-out performance from Armin Mueller-Stahl and picaresque camerawork by British lenser Cinders Forshaw. However, the script fails to ...
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News
South African film industry gets house in order
More than seventy key representatives of the South African film industry met last week in Johannesburg to address out the persistent problems plaguing them - and for once in an industry beloved of seminars and conferences the meeting seemed to yield some positive results. The event involved four panels ...
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News
South Africa's film industry looks forward
The South African film industry seems to produce more conferences than films; several have been held over the past few years, including a symposium with the EU on plans to boost the local film industry. But filmmakers themselves are still suffering from the 'begging bowl' syndrome when it comes to ...
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