All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 159
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Reviews
Lamb Of God (Cordero de Dios)
Dir: Lucia Cedron. Argentina/France/Chile. 2008. 91minsFirst-time feature director Lucia Cedron makes an assured debut with Lamb Of God, a skillfully told and affecting tale which straddles the line between political thriller and family melodrama. The elaborate flashback structure - the film is set in Argentina in 1978, when the country ...
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News
Staying on the map: Screen previews Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) in the Netherlands has long held a reputation as a cinephile's delight.Still, on the eve of the 37th edition of the festival (January 23-February 3), questions are being asked about what Rotterdam can do to stay relevant to the international industry.Some say its status ...
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Features
United Kingdom - Next top model
It is looking like a good year ahead for the Bristol-based animation powerhouse Aardman. The company, formed back in 1976, had a notable 2007 after ending its relationship with DreamWorks and signing a first-look deal with Sony Pictures. Now the company behind Wallace and Gromit, Flushed Away and Chicken Run ...
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News
Keeping Rotterdam on the festival map
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) in the Netherlands has long held a reputation as a cinephile's delight. 'Rotterdam is one my favourite festivals for movies,' says James Schamus, head of Focus Features and one of its many illustrious supporters.The buzz filmsCinemart celebratesCinemart buzz filmsCase studies'They have the freedom to ...
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Features
Rotterdam - CineMart Celebrates
Rotterdam is not the kind of festival to be big on celebrating numbers," says CineMart head Marit van den Elshout of the co-production market's 25th anniversary this week. "We'll do something but we won't be making a huge celebration."Still, this is an opportune moment to take stock, "to look back ...
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Features
Rotterdam - CineMart Buzz
22nd Of May dir: Koen Mortier (Belgium, Ger-Neth)Mortier caused a stir with his debut Ex Drummer, in Rotterdam's Tiger competition last year. The film, dubbed by some as a Flemish Trainspotting, was distributed in Benelux by A-Film and was sold internationally by Loic Magneron's Wide Management. Now, Mortier is back ...
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News
Piracy undermining opportunities for exhibition, says Vue boss
Piracy remains the 'biggest threat' to cinema exhibition. That was the message yesterday from Tim Richards, Chief Executive Officer Of Vue Entertainment.Speaking at The Media Summit 2008, backed by Screen International, Richards expressed his dismay at the powerlessness of exhibitors to confront the pirates.Under current legislation, Richards said, it was ...
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News
Live action and animation divideis blurring, says Sony digital boss
As audience demand for effects-driven blockbusters grows, the lines between animation and live-action, already blurred, will come close to disappearing.That's the prediction of Yair Landau, vice-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and president of its Sony Pictures Digital (SPD) division.'Visual effects and animation dominate the moviegoing experience like at no ...
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News
Vandierendonck steps down from Eurimages post
In a surprising move, Jan Vandierendonck has announced that he will be quitting his position as Executive Secretary of Eurimages. He is expected to step down in April or May. His replacement is likely to be confirmed by autumn 2008.Vandierendonck was appointed to the post of Eurimages Executive Secretary in ...
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News
UK film industry remains upbeat despite US strike worries
Leading figures in theUK film industryare remaining upbeat about the prospects for the territory despite theimpact oftheHollywood writers' strike on shoots.Ron Howard's Angels & Demons, Ridley Scott's Nottingham and the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Prince Of Persia have either withdrawn from the UK or been postponed.The WGA strike is having an impact, ...
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News
Iain Smith plans $20m rugby drama The Originals
UK-based producer Iain Smith (Cold Mountain, Children Of Men) is in advanced development on The Originals, a Chariots Of Fire-style drama about the exploits of the famous 1905 New Zealand All Black rugby team during their tour of Great Britain. The team was known as 'The Originals.'Mark Joffe is to ...
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News
United Kingdom - English Patience
'When Paris sneezes, all Europe catches a cold,' Austria's Prince Metternich famously quipped in the wake of the French Revolution. When Hollywood sneezes, the global film industry catches a cold. That, at least, is the suggestion of British film commissioner Colin Brown as he surveys prospects for UK film production ...
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News
BAFTA organisers don't expect WGA strike chaos
In the wake of Monday’s announced cancellation of the Golden Globes big awards show, industry observers have been asking how other awards events, including the UK’s BAFTAS, will be affected.
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Features
United Kingdom - Coming up for chair
It is almost a decade since Colin MacCabe left his position as head of research and education at the British Film Institute (BFI). He is still an active producer - his latest project, Isaac Julien's Derek Jarman documentary, Derek, premieres in Sundance. Yet MacCabe cannot hide his dismay at what ...
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Features
2008 Preview - The future is rewritten
A Hollywood producer takes a shine to an up-and-coming European screenwriter. "I'm going to set you to work on the rewrite of my next film," the producer tells the writer. "Who wrote the first version'" the writer asks. "We haven't hired anyone yet," the producer replies.This story may be apocryphal ...
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Reviews
Caramel
Dir: Nadine Labaki. Lebanon-France. 2007. 96mins. Nadine Labaki's debut feature is an assured and wonderfully engaging romantic comedy. At times, its storytelling is soft-centred and self-indulgent, but there is enough barbed humour and ironic observation here to counterbalance the more syrupy moments. Caramel's status as festival crowd pleaser was quickly ...
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News
Brussels Fund starts $1.17m lab for maverick film-makers
In a move designed to ensure that maverick filmmakers do not slip through the net, Brussels-based VAF (The Flanders AudioVisual Fund) is setting up a new fund targeting new talent. The Filmlab, as the new scheme is called, will invest $1.17m (Euros 800,000) in supporting adventurous new film projects. This ...
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News
Colin McCabe demands end of 'tragic decade' for British Film Institute
Distinguished British academic and producer Colin MacCabe has today (Monday) publicly announced his candidature for the post of Chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).The current chairman Anthony Minghella is due to step down at the end of the year. Whether or not MacCabe’s application is successful, it is bound ...
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News
Free Roaming: UK producer Kevin Loader
Kevin Loader has an increasingly international outlook. The prolific UK producer (whose forthcoming credits include Good and Brideshead Revisited) is in post-production on The Oxford Murders, a co-production with Spain's Tornasol Films.Loader's Free Range Film is the UK partner on Alex de la Iglesia's $10m Spain-France-UK project. 'We had an ...