All articles by de.seguin@gmail.com – Page 33
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News
Famous Players target of 'family values' boycott
Canada's largest exhibitor Famous Players has found itselfthe target of a boycott campaign over objections to a pre-show advertisement insupport of marriage rights for same-sex couples.The Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC), which opposes same-sex marriage, iscalling for a national boycott of Famous for having "subjected patrons to apro-gay 'marriage' ad," ...
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Reviews
Brick
Dir/scr. Rian Johnson.US. 2005.Shot in 20 days with alow, low budget, Brick is an exciting debut from director-screenwriterRian Johnson. Having screened in American Dramatic Competition at Sundance, thefilm sold worldwide rights to Focus Features for nearly $3m and earned aSpecial Jury prize for originality of vision - and rightly so.The ...
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...as Clarkson calls for increased per-province funding
Wayne Clarkson,the newly appointed executive director of Telefilm Canada, has called forincreased provincial funding for development and production of domesticfilmmaking instead of relying so heavily on US-financed production to supportthe nation's production infrastructure. Addressing theannual meeting of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association(CFTPA) in Ottawa, Clarkson said it has ...
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IMAX teams with Pathe for screen in Amsterdam - just in time for Cinema Expo
IMAX Corp. and PatheNetherlands have signed an agreement to install an IMAX MPX theatre system inthe nation's largest multiplex, Amsterdam's Pathe Arena.It will be the firstlarge-format screen in city, and the first in the nation capable of handling thecompany's DMR conversions of Hollywood films. The new cinema is expectedto open ...
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Canadian production levels dip in 2004
The Canadian production industry saw amodest decline in volume in 2003/2004 - down 2.1% from $4.05bn (C$5.03bn) in2002-2003 to $3.96bn (C$4.92bn) - but the bad news was concentrated in thedomestic sector. According to numbers released today by theCanadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), Canadian contentproduction was down 7% from ...
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Reviews
Why We Fight
Dir. Eugene Jarecki. US.2004. 98mins.Any serious documentary,one hopes, strives to provoke. Eugene Jarecki's scintillating Why We Fight isa marvel of restraint, making it all the more provocative. Following on fromhis 2002 title The Trials Of Henry Kissinger, he here explores themilitary-industrial complex that has been a primary engine of the ...
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Reviews
Hustle & Flow
Dir/scr. Craig Brewer.US. 2004. 114mins.Hustle & Flow sets a new standard for films about rap music, ifonly because it's a strong-piece of story-driven filmmaking in its own right.While 8 Mile was a star-vehicle for rapper Eminem, the new film exploresnot just the making of the music - by any means ...
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Reviews
The Aristocrats
Dir. PaulProvenza. US. 2004. 90mins.A documentary exploring the art and history of the world's filthiest joke, The Aristocrats is a no-frills primer onthe craft of comedy. Co-executive producers Paul Provenza and Penn Jilette (thespeaking half of the magic-comedy duo Penn & Teller) have tapped the brainstrust of professional US comedy ...
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Reviews
Dear Wendy
Dir. Thomas Vinterberg.Denmark/Germany/France/UK. 101 min. Dogme may be no more butif Dear Wendy is any indication, the artistic collaboration of itsfounders Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier is very much alive. An elaboratespoof of US politics and culture, the new film is a continuation of the themesraised in Von Trier's ...
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News
British Columbia increases labour-based tax credits for foreign film shoots
Thegovernment of Canadian province British Columbia has increased its film andtelevision production labour-based tax credits to match recent increases inrival production centres in Ontario and Quebec. Announcedon Jan. 21, the BC Production Services Tax Credit, for foreign locationshooting, will increase from 11% to 18%, while Film Incentive British Columbia,for domestic ...
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News
Rosenberg leaves Serendipity Point to produce on her own
Julia Rosenberg (pictured), head ofproduction and development at Serendipity Point Films, is setting up her ownproduction outfit, January Films. A protege of Serendipitychief Robert Lantos, Rosenberg has amassed a number of co-producer andassociate producer credits on Serendipity projects such as Istvan Szabo'stitles Sunshine and the recent BeingJulia, Atom Egoyan's Ararat ...
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Bailey named international programmer at TIFF
The Toronto InternationalFilm Festival (TIFF) has appointed Cameron Bailey as one of its internationalprogrammers. He returns to the festival after an absence of eight years.A programmer, film criticand screenwriter, Bailey will focus on films from Africa and South Asia andfilmmakers from the US and Europe. Bailey has a had a ...
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News
Holt named to English-language post at Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada hasappointed senior executive Ralph Holt to the position of national head ofEnglish-language feature film. Holt, a 17-year veteran of the agency, most ofthat serving as director for the Atlantic Region. Holt will relocate toToronto, effective immediately.'I am verypleased that Ralph has decided to take on the challenges of ...
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News
Christal to release controversial Canadian serial killer film
Karla, the US-produced true-life account of Canadianserial killer Karla Homolka, has secured a theatrical release in Canada viaMontreal-based Christal Films. The company plans open the film on 100 screensnationwide on January 20.Directed by Joel Bender andproduced by Michael Sellers of LA-based Quantum Entertainment, the film starsLaura Prepon as Homolka and ...
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Cinepolis fast-tracks Mexican IMAX expansion
Spurred by impressive results at its IMAXcinema in Mexico City, Latin American exhibitor Cinepolis has moved forward to2005 the target opening dates for two proposed Imax cinemas in other Mexicancities. The cinemas are part of a deal previouslyannounced in 2004 and were originally scheduled to open in mid-2006 andlate-2007 respectively. ...
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News
Boll announces $107m production fund for new video game movies
Frankfurt-based BOLL KG hasraised $107m with its production investment fund to finance feature films basedon video games, according to CEO and director Uwe Boll. The new money will bedirected toward the coproduction partnership Boll established withVancouver-based service production specialist Brightlight Pictures. The partners are working ona slate of projects that ...
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IMAX signs with Lark for six systems in China
IMAX Corporation and China'sLark International Multimedia have signed an agreement that will see six ImaxMPX theatre systems installed in multiplexes over the next four years. Under the agreement, new andretrofitted facilities will open in major urban areas through 2008. Specificlocations are pending. It's the largest multi-theatre deal the giant-screencompany has ...
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Quebec boosts tax credit for foreign shoots
The Quebec provincial government will boostits labour-based film production tax credit from 11% to 20%, following asimilar move in Ontario before Christmas. Ontario increased its production servicescredit from 11% to 18% and its credit for local production from 20% to 30%.Production service providers in British Columbia are calling on theirprovincial ...
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Polar Express maintains 3D heat in North America
Warner Bros' The Polar Express: An Imax 3D Experiencecontinued its record-setting running at the North American holiday box office,earning $7.18m on 62 screens during the 10-day holiday period from Dec 24 toJan 2 for a per-screen average of $116,000.The picture's three-day gross on the ultimate weekend of 2004 was $2.1m, ...
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2004: Barbarian leads the way for Canada
2004 was the year of living on the edge, as the Canadiandollar's value soared against the US currency. And thegovernment-mandated push for box-office results only served to highlight thedisparity between the popularity of French-language films in Quebec versus lackof interest in non-English-language fare in the rest of Canada.The person of ...