All articles by Liz Shackleton – Page 153

  • News

    Kite Runner banned from release in Afghanistan

    2008-01-16T10:49:00Z

    Afghanistan has banned the import and exhibition of DreamWorks-produced drama The Kite Runner on the grounds that it could incite violence. Based on the best-selling novel by US-based Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini, the film depicts a young boy's rape and scenes of conflict between members of the Pashtun and Hazara ...

  • News

    Olympic challenge for international film in China

    2008-01-04T00:00:00Z

    As the finishing touches are being made to Beijing's sports venues, there is an air of nervous anticipation in the Chinese capital.The Beijing 2008 Olympics (August 8-24) will either be the biggest international coming-out party that China has ever seen, or a public-relations nightmare, with human-rights protesters spilling onto the ...

  • News

    Japan, Korea make strong showing in HAF 2008 line-up

    2008-01-02T21:30:00Z

    Japan's Nakata Hideo (Ring series) and South Korea's Park Chan-wook (Old Boy) and Bong Joon-ho (The Host) are among the world-renowned Asian filmmakers who have had projects selected for the 2008 edition of the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF). A total of 25 projects have been selected for the ...

  • News

    China Film raises capital for digital production centre

    2007-12-19T08:24:00Z

    Continuing its capital-raising streak, Chinese state-owned conglomerate, China Film Group Corporation, has issued $67.7m (RMB500m) in corporate bonds to finance digital film production and cinemas. The seven-year bonds have a fixed annual coupon rate of 6.1% and are available to domestic institutional investors. China Merchants Securities is the lead underwriter. ...

  • News

    Hong Kong's Pang Brothers to direct Storm Riders sequel

    2007-12-12T15:31:00Z

    Hong Kong-based Universe Entertainment is lining up a sequel to 1998 martial arts fantasy The Storm Riders, to be directed by the Pang Brothers (Bangkok Dangerous, Re-cycle). The Storm Riders II (working title) is budgeted at $12m and scheduled to start shooting in March 2008 for tentative delivery in October ...

  • News

    3D dominates discussions at biggest ever CineAsia

    2007-12-06T02:31:00Z

    3D and digital cinema have been the major talking points of this year's CineAsia conference (Dec 4-6), which is being held for the first time in the gambling mecca of Macau. The move from Beijing, where the December event ran into freezing cold weather and red tape, has boosted attendance ...

  • News

    Taiwan's Wall takes top honours at IFFI Goa fest

    2007-12-04T07:31:00Z

    Taiwanese director Lin Chih Ju's The Wall was awarded the Golden Peacock and a cash prize of $25,500 (Rs1m) at the closing of the 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa last night. The Silver Peacock for most promising director and a cash prize of $12,700 (Rs500,000) went ...

  • News

    Lumiere, Infinity FCS join forces for Indo-Brazilian alliance

    2007-11-30T11:24:00Z

    Indian film completion guarantor, Infinity Film Completion Services, has taken a 25% stake in Brazilian producer-distributor Lumiere as the first step in an Indo-Latin American alliance spanning production and distribution. The deal was inked by Lumiere founder and CEO Marc Beauchamps, Joshua Skurla who also recently joined Lumiere as an ...

  • News

    Mumbai, London sign co-operation agreement

    2007-11-22T07:11:00Z

    London and Mumbai have solidified the relationship between their two film production industries by signing a city-to-city agreement. Signed by Film London and the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, the agreement sees the two cities pledge to 'share ideas and best practice on domestic and international film production ...

  • Features

    Indie India - A parallel reality

    2007-11-16T00:00:00Z

    Just as the US has film-makers working outside the studio system, India has a whole army of directors and producers attempting to carve a niche away from the vast and all-consuming Bollywood film industry.Theoretically, these film-makers have strong export potential as they are outward-looking, open to alternative financing methods, including ...

  • News

    Indie India - Get set, Goa!

    2007-11-15T22:39:00Z

    After struggling to find its feet in the past few years, the film market of the International Film Festival of India (Iffi) in Goa is undergoing a radical overhaul this year in partnership with government agency, the National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc). This year, Film Bazaar (November 24-26) will ditch ...

  • News

    Korea's Studio2.0 scores sales on Epitaph, Lovers

    2007-11-15T07:48:00Z

    Korean production and sales company Studio2.0 clinched a string of sales on new titles Epitaph and Lovers Of 6 Years at the recent AFM. Horror title Epitaph, directed by the Jung Brothers and starring Kim Tae-woo and Kim Bo-kyung, was sold to Taiwan 's Scholar Multimedia and Encore for Singapore, ...

  • News

    Tanovic, Lichtenberg among mentors for Goa script workshop

    2007-11-12T20:30:00Z

    Danis Tanovic, Bernd Lichtenberg and Olivia Hetreed are among the high-profile writers who will mentor eight students at a script development workshop, Screenwriters Bloc, to be held next week in Goa, India (Nov 18-23). Organised by India's National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), and held in the run-up to the International ...

  • News

    Paramount, DreamWorks pact for Chinese DVD distribution

    2007-11-08T03:25:00Z

    Warner Home Video has inked an agreement with Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation to distribute their upcoming DVDs in mainland China. DreamWorks and Paramount's Transformers and DreamWorks Animation's Shrek The Third will be the first two titles distributed under the new partnerships. Transformers hit the shelves on November 1 while ...

  • News

    Korea's Megabox snaps up Penelope, Ramen Girl

    2007-11-05T05:00:00Z

    Continuing the Korean buying spree at the AFM, Seoul-based exhibitor Megabox has snapped up two titles - romantic comedy Penelope, starring Reese Witherspoon, from Hyde Park International, and The Ramen Girl, starring Brittany Murphy, from Media 8 Entertainment. Megabox entered acquisitionsat this year's European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin andwas ...

  • News

    Film Library picks up Chinese dramaBefore The Sunrise

    2007-11-05T05:00:00Z

    Hong Kong-based sales outfit The Film Library has picked up international rights to Derek Chiu's historical drama Before The Sunrise (previously known as Road To Dawn). The film follows the story of the 'founder of modern China' Sun Yat-sen - whose Republican revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty - during his ...

  • News

    Da Silva launches boutique consultancy Novo Films

    2007-11-05T05:00:00Z

    EuropaCorp artistic advisor Francois Da Silva has left the company to establish his own boutique consultancy, Novo Films. The Paris-based outfit will advise on international co-production projects and acquisitions, with a focus on emerging territories, for a range of clients including EuropaCorp. Among the projects that Da Silva is advising ...

  • News

    iDream sells Shelley to South Africa, Australia

    2007-11-05T05:00:00Z

    India's iDream Independent Pictures has sold Lorraine Senna's Americanizing Shelly, starring Beau Bridges and Namrata Singh Gujral, to several territories including South Africa 's Ster Kinekor and Rialto for Australia and New Zealand. The film has also gone to RRS Entertainment (Germany), Falcon Films (Middle East) and DD Dream International ...

  • News

    Korea's Mirovision startscreating Tomorrow News

    2007-11-05T02:03:00Z

    Korea's Mirovision has unveiled two new productions - disaster thriller Tomorrow News and epic romantic comedy Once Upon A Time. Tomorrow News is based on the cult manga of the same name for which Mirovision has acquired rights for both big screen and TV formats. The project is currently in ...

  • News

    Japan's Madhouse sells Ninja Scroll remake rights

    2007-11-05T00:30:00Z

    Japanese animation studio Madhouse has sold live-action remake rights to cult anime title Ninja Scroll to Warner Bros Pictures. Directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the film sold more than 1 million DVD copies in the US and had a successful theatrical run in its home market. The remake deal with Warner ...