All Middle East articles – Page 103

  • News

    Central Partnership brings in law firm to protect online content

    2009-04-01T13:04:00Z

    Central Partnership (CP), one of Russia’s top distributors, has signed a deal with law consultancy firm and rights agency, O,B&Ps to protect and secure its library rights on theInternet.

  • News

    Luis Tosar joins cast of Spanish biopic Lope De Vega

    2009-03-31T18:24:00Z

    Spanish actor Luis Tosar has joined the cast of Brazilian director Andrucha Waddington's historical biopic Lope De Vega about the Spanish playwright and poet. Tosar will play Frey Bernadino De Sahagun, a Franciscan missionary who wrote the first encyclopedia of the new world and The General History of New Things ...

  • News

    Finnish Film Foundation receives $6.7m funding boost

    2009-03-31T18:00:00Z

    The Finnish Film Foundation will receive $6.7 million (Euro 5m) of state funding in addition to the 30% increase in production funding it received following last year's conflict with the industry. The new money was announced today (March 31) as part of a package to support the Finnish economy. Stefan ...

  • News

    Kino City plans to double 3D screens in Russia

    2009-03-31T17:46:00Z

    Kino City, the Russian cinema initiative to open 122 new screens in mid-sized cities, is planning to nearly double the number of 3-D screens in the country. The company is looking to install 3-D screens and digital equipment at all of the planned Multimedia and Education Film Centres. The initiative, ...

  • News

    Park Circus signs deal with Sony Pictures to distribute classics

    2009-03-31T11:45:00Z

    Park Circus Films has signed a deal with Sony Pictures Repertory to handle the worldwide theatrical distribution of its classic film back catalogue. It includes David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.The deal, which does not include North America, covers 3,500 classic and modern titles from 1924 ...

  • News

    Sex, Party & Lies takes $2.4m in its opening weekend in Spain

    2009-03-30T18:08:00Z

    Alfonso Albacete and David Menkes' local comedy Sex, Party & Lies has taken the Spanish box office by storm with opening weekend figures of $2.4m (March 27-30). It comes just a week after Pedro Almodovar's new film Broken Embraces took just $1.3m in its opening weekend (March 20-22). Sony supported ...

  • News

    The Damned United scores £618,929 in opening weekend

    2009-03-30T17:42:00Z

    Sony Pictures Releasing International’s The Damned United was the third-highest opener in the UK and Ireland this weekend, earning $875,926 (£618,929) from 236 screens for a screen average of £2,623.The film, a portrayal of legendary football manager Brian Clough’s ill-fated tenure as coach of Leeds United Football Club during the ...

  • News

    Czech Center New York to host contemporary European filmseries

    2009-03-30T17:26:00Z

    The Czech Center New York will host Disappearing Act: European Cinema from New Wave to New Wave, a series of 18 contemporary feature films running April 16-23.The films from nine countries are presented in partnership with eight European institutes. The series also marks the Czech Republic's presidency of the EU. ...

  • News

    Hamburg backs projects by Polanski, Espinosa and Guo

    2009-03-30T16:15:00Z

    International co-productions by Roman Polanski, Daniel Espinosa and Xiaolu Guo are among the projects to be supported by FilmFörderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein (FFHSH), which has handed out a total of $3.5m (Euro 2.69m) at its latest funding session. Polanski will receive $263,000 (Euro 200,000) for his adaptation of the Robert Harris ...

  • News

    Art Alliance Media (AAM) announces expansion and new appointments

    2009-03-30T16:12:00Z

    Art Alliance Media (AAM), the European digital cinema provider, has promoted Fiona Deans to chief operating officer as part of an expansion of its operations team. Deans, who was previously senior vice president of content and distributor services, takes over the role immediately. Deans, who joined the company in 2002, ...

  • News

    Norwegian features take top prizes at Nordic Film Festival

    2009-03-30T10:54:00Z

    Norwegian cinema left Normandy having won two top prizes at the Nordic Film Festival in Rouen, which wrapped on Sunday (March 29). Norwegian director Eva Sørhaug's feature debut, Cold Lunch (Lønsj), which was launched last year in the Critics' Week at Venice and has since toured the international festival circuit, ...

  • News

    German cinemas post strong first quarter with $280m takings

    2009-03-30T09:46:00Z

    German cinemas have posted a strong start to the year with one of their strongest first quarter performances in five years, according to figures from Nielsen EDI. German exhibitors reported overall takings of $280.1m (Euro 210.8m) for January 1 to March 22. The figures are down 5% on the same ...

  • News

    Knowing takes international crownwith $9.8m from 10 markets

    2009-03-29T22:33:00Z

    Summit International's sci-fi thriller Knowing finished the weekend as the biggest overseas Hollywood release in play as it launched in nine markets and grossed an estimated $9.8m including previews from 1,711 sites in ten markets. The film opened at number one in the UK on $3.6m from 390 sites including ...

  • News

    Minister'sfunding comments heighten fears for Scottish film

    2009-03-27T17:01:00Z

    Scottish Culture Minister Michael Russell has stated that there is unlikely to be any additional government funding for Scottish film production in the near future. Russell was appointed Culture Minister in February and one of his priorities is overseeing the troubled merger of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council ...

  • News

    Local heroes - the hitmakers in key territories

    2009-03-27T00:00:00Z

    Screen looks at local film-makers helping drive the box office in key international territories.GERMANYGerman cinema-owners look forward to packed screens when a new film from comedy director Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig is on the release schedule. Constantin Film is opening his next film, Wickie The Mighty Viking, in September. Promotion has ...

  • News

    Small wonder - are straight-to-TV deals on the rise'

    2009-03-27T00:00:00Z

    This year's MIPTV (through April 3) will take place in the midst of very turbulent times in both the film and TV industries. In early March, UK broadcaster ITV shed 600 jobs. Its smaller rival Five announced around the same time it would be making around a quarter of its ...

  • News

    TVE's commitment to Spanish film

    2009-03-27T00:00:00Z

    Television Espanola (TVE) is one of the first ports of call for Spanish producers and one of Europe's leading buyers of third-party titles. Last year, the public free-to-air broadcaster screened 98% of all Spanish films shown on local television. Highlights included Pedro Almodovar's Volver (3 million viewers) and Vicente Aranda's ...

  • News

    Gran Torino races ahead in international box office

    2009-03-27T00:00:00Z

    It may have been overlooked during the awards season, but Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is outperforming all five best-picture contenders in North America. Since a wide release on January 9, Gran Torino has grossed $145.2m domestically and passed $65m internationally. This brings its worldwide tally for Warner Bros Pictures within ...

  • News

    Gran Torino poised to cross $70m internationally with Mexico launch

    2009-03-26T20:34:00Z

    Gran Torino should march on towards the $70m mark this weekend through strong holdover business and a debut in Mexico on March 27 through Warner Bros Pictures International.Clint Eastwood's drama has reached $63.9m to date and crossed $210mworldwide and its prospects are looking formidable with roughlytwo-thirds of international markets yet ...

  • Golden Lion Venice Film Festival
    News

    Venice names Horizons and Lions of the Future jury presidents

    2009-03-25T16:35:00Z

    The Venice Film Festival has named independent filmmaker Pere Portabella as president of the Orizzonti (Horizons) Jury, while director Haile Gerima will preside over the Lion of the Future Jury.