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All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 165
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News
Films and slates worth $500m to be pitched at new London market
A formidable list of delegates and producers has been announced for the inaugural Production Finance Market (PFM) being held in London later this month (Oct 22-23). An estimated $500 million worth of projects are being presented, both individually and as part of slates. Confirmed attendees include many major distributors and ...
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News
Big squeeze on the small screen
Are the UK's leading broadcasters falling out of love with film' In the multichannel digital era, scheduling a popular movie in primetime can no longer guarantee a sizeable audience and there is an increasing sense that viewers do not want to consume movies on terrestrial TV.A case in point is ...
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News
BBC Films restructures with new board working under Jane Tranter
In London this morning, Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, spelled out her vision for a newly revamped BBC Films. 'The BBC's commitment to BBC Films is as absolute as it ever has been,' Tranter said.The major change is now that BBC Films will be managed by a new four-member BBC ...
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Reviews
Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead
Dir: Stuart Urban. UK 2007. 83 minsStuart Urban's documentary is the latest in an increasingly lengthy list of films made by children about their fathers (Mark Wexler's Tell Them Who You Are, Nathaniel Kahn's My Architect and Doug Block's 51 Birch Street are three other recent examples.) Tovarisch, however, is ...
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Features
United States - The Focus Puller
It is a matter of pride for James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features, the specialised division of Universal Pictures, that he never misses a class at Columbia University, where he teaches film courses full-time in the autumn.Schamus paints a comic picture of himself this month, rushing back and forth from ...
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News
In focus - 'What about the day job''
It feels like it has got a bit out of control. It feels like there are a lot of useless festivals,' lamented a US sales agent recently. It is hard not to sympathise. On the face of it, the festival calendar seems wildly overloaded. In early autumn, distributors, sales agents, ...
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News
Robert Beeson leaves managing director post at Artificial Eye
Ending a 30-year relationship, Robert Beeson has stepped down as Managing Director of UK distribution company, Artificial Eye.His decision to leave follows on from the acquisition of Artificial Eye in the summer of 2006 by Act Entertainment Group, owner of Curzon Cinemas, and Knatchbull Communications Group. 'With the changes in ...
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News
The Queen producer in running for top BBC Films job
UK media reports have tipped Christine Langan, the producer of The Queen, to be the new head of BBC Films, in a newly created position of 'editor'. However, BBC sources refuse to confirm the appointment. 'There will be new positions but I can't confirm what they are,' a BBC spokesperson ...
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News
Ben X selected as Belgian Oscar candidate
Nic Balthazar's debut feature Ben X has been chosen as this year's Belgian Oscar candidate. The decision was made on Friday and was agreed on unanimously by both Flemish and French-speaking communities. Since its world premiere last month in Montreal, where it won the audience prize and shared the ...
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News
Dardenne brothers ready to shoot new feature
Shooting is to begin on Oct 1 on Le Silence De Lorna, the latest feature from Palme D'Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.The new film stars Arta Dobroshi as a young woman from Albania who wants to emigrate to France even if that would mean that she has to marry ...
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News
Thompson departure leaves questions about future of BBC Films
After a decade as head of BBC Films, the 'great survivor' David Thompson is to move on. Thompson will be standing down as BBC Films boss in four weeks' time to start up his own independent production company. The move comes following the summer announcement that BBC Films is to ...
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News
Rome Film Fest reschedules future to avoid London clash
In a move welcomed by exhausted sales agents, distributors and journalists, the London and Rome film festival dates are to set apart.This year, the events have an almost identical footprint - with Rome's festival running Oct 18 - 27 Oct and London's festival from Oct 17 - Nov 1.When Rome's ...
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News
Affleck feature pulled from London Film Festival
The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival has pulled Ben Affleck's directoral debut Gone Baby Gone from its programme because of fears of similarities to the case of missing girl Madeleine McCann.'The film is about the abduction of a young girl,' said festival artistic director Sandra Hebron. 'Because of the ...
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News
The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival boosts its industry profile
At the launch of The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival's full programme, itwas clearthat the festival is looking to a higher industry profile, with the introduction this year of the Production Finance Market (PFM).The event, managed by Angus Finney (formerly joint-managing director ofRenaissance Films), takes place at the Tower ...
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Reviews
Cargo 200 (Gruz 200)
Dir: Alexey Balabanov, Russia 2007, 86minsAlexey Balabanov's eleventh feature is one of his bleakest. Set in provincial Russia in 1984 as the USSR enters its death throes, it portrays a society that is sickly, violent and cynical. The title refers to the name given to corpses of Russian soldiers being ...
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News
Soderbergh plans Girlfriend Experience with HDNet
Steven Soderbergh, who directed Bubble for HDNet, has committed to making another digital film for the company. He will start shooting The Girlfriend Experience, set in the world of high-class escorts, in February 2008.Details remain skimpy on the new project. Soderbergh is currently in Latin-America filming his two Che Guevara ...
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News
Jia Zhangke plans factory worker film before 2008
Golden Lion winning director Jia Zhangke, whose new documentary Useless about the fashion industry screened in Venice's Horizons last week and in Toronto this week, has revealed further details of his next dramatic feature, which he is planning to have ready in time for the Olympic Games in Beijing in ...
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News
Loach's Free World lands more buyers in Venice
In advance of its Toronto screening, Ken Loach's It's A Free World has closed several more deals for Pathe Pictures International in Venice.The immigration-themed film has gone to Japan (Cinequanon), Portugal (Lusomundo), and Greece (Audiovisuel).Pathe's Mike Runagall is also reporting strong US interest in the film. 'Venice was very positive ...
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News
Gurinder Chadha ready to start Snogging
Production will begin on Sept 17 on Gurinder Chadha's latest feature, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, based on UK author Louise Rennison's best-selling Confessions Of Georgia Nicolson series. Georgia Groome (star of London To Brighton) is to play the lead. Also appearing are Eleanor Tomlinson and Aaron Johnson (who both ...
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News
Swedish tribute plans to screen Bergman rarities
Within a month of the director's death, a Bergman tribute plans to gather many of the auteur's key collaborators and screen rare and unseen Bergman works.The one-off Bergman tribute was announced this week in Venice by Jannike Ahlund, the organizer of the annual Bergman Week on Bergman's home island, Faro.Long ...