All Middle East articles – Page 140

  • News

    Cinecitta Board resigns after Berlusconi changes

    2008-06-03T16:36:00Z

    Cinecitta Holding's board of directors has said they will resign in a unanimous inside decision that exiting President Alessandro Battisti said was motivated by Italy's change in government after April's national elections put Silvio Berlusconi back in power.As part of his new government, Berlusconi appointed Sandro Bondi Culture Minister. While ...

  • News

    Greece's Odeon sues newspaper over 'defamation' in film review

    2008-06-03T16:32:00Z

    The divide between critics and the film industry took an unprecedented turn in Greece this week as Manos Krezias, the head of the local production/distribution/exhibition powerhouse Odeon, filed a lawsuit against Giannis Zoumboulakis, film critic of the Athens daily newspaper To Vima as well as against Christos Memis, editorial director ...

  • News

    European Commission softens stance on multi-territory licences

    2008-06-03T11:37:00Z

    The controversial debate on multi-territory licenses for distributing content online has taken a new turn as the European Commission tenders for a study into the possible economic and cultural impact of the scheme.The Commission's proposals for multi-territory licences have already met strong opposition from film industry bodies such as the ...

  • News

    Lionsgate delivers Transporter 3 to North America

    2008-06-02T20:24:00Z

    Lionsgate has picked up North American rights to Transporter 3 in which Jason Statham will reprise his action role as the tenacious former Special Forces operative turned delivery man Chev Chelios.The Transporter films, which launched in 2002, have to date grossed more than $130m worldwide and close to $75m in ...

  • News

    Locarno's Frederic Maire will move to head Swiss Film Archive

    2008-06-02T16:21:00Z

    The Locarno Film Festival will now have to start looking for a new artistic director after the news that the present incumbent Frederic Maire is to become the successor to Herve Dumont as head of the Swiss Film Archive from November 1, 2009.According to an agreement reached with the festival ...

  • News

    European Commission set to extend state aid rules until 2012

    2008-06-02T14:58:00Z

    The European Commission is set to extend the current rules for state aid for film support schemes until 2012.The move is designed to allow more breathing space while it considers the long-term future of the rules. The announcement came jointly from European Commissioners Viviane Reding and Neelie Kroes, who are ...

  • News

    Finnish industry starts sound awards to honour Jyrala

    2008-06-02T12:40:00Z

    Film director Mika Kaurismäki, singer/actor Samuli Edelmann, producer Pete Eklund, sound designer Joonas Jyrälä and Kari Jyrälä are working together to start a new foundation to honour late Finnish sound designer Paul 'Pappa' Jyrala, who died in 2007.The new association plans to launch the Pappa Awards for New Talents. Sony ...

  • News

    Bavaria takes on new Gronenborn, Haussmann films

    2008-06-02T12:26:00Z

    Bavaria Film International has picked up worldwide distribution rights to new films by Esther Gronenborn and Leander Haussmann.Gronenborn's Kaifeck Murder, which is headlined by Benno Fuermann and Cannes competition jury member Alexandra Maria Lara, is a fictional story based on a real murder case from the small Bavaria village of ...

  • News

    The Works plans September UK release for Jar City

    2008-06-02T12:21:00Z

    The Works UK Distribution is taking on the UK release of Baltasar Kormakur's Oscar submission and local box-office hit Jar City.The thriller is based on award-winning Icelandic novel Tainted Blood (Myrin). It stars Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson as a police inspector who has to investigate a murder that might be tied ...

  • News

    Europe goes Sex mad, but Indy still on top overseas

    2008-06-01T22:32:00Z

    Knocked off its domestic perch, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull stayed on top overseas despite hot weather across Germany and central Europe as a muscular $71.5m haul from 8,439 sites in 60 territories boosted the score to $266m.This weekend's domestic champion Sex And The City came ...

  • News

    Nuri Bilge Ceylan to lead Sarajevo Competition jury

    2008-05-30T14:51:00Z

    The Sarajevo Film Festival has announced the feature film competition jury for its August event.Turkish writer/director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, fresh from his Best Director win in Cannes for Three Monkeys, will serve as president of the jury.The other jury members are UK director Hugh Hudson, Croatian actress Marija Skaricic, German ...

  • News

    The Match Factory announces further sales for Cannes slate

    2008-05-30T14:39:00Z

    Cologne-based sales agent The Match Factory has unveiled another raft of deals for this year's Cannes slate in addition to the previously annonuced sales.By the end of the market, the animated documentary and competition film Waltz With Bashir by Ari Folman had been sold to over 40 territories, the latest ...

  • News

    Films Distribution picks up Heisenberg's The Robber

    2008-05-30T11:23:00Z

    Paris-based sales agent Films Distribution will handle international sales on Benjamin Heisenberg's second feature The Robber (Der Räuber) which completed a first block of shooting last week in Lower Austria and Vienna, including scenes during the 25th Vienna City Marathon.The film is based on the novel of the same name ...

  • News

    Pathe sees strong Cannes Market; including a dozen Cheri deals

    2008-05-30T11:18:00Z

    Pathe International has announced a slew of deals after a successful Cannes Market.Stephen Frears' Cheri, making its market premiere, sold to Italy (Rai), Latin America (California Filmes), CIS (Maywin Media), South Korea (Mars Film), Portugal (Castello Lopes), the Middle East (Teleview), Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Vizion), Greece (Audiovisual), ...

  • News

    Europe joins Sex craze as Paramount pair cross $200m

    2008-05-30T02:10:00Z

    Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull will continue to dominate overseas this weekend and should soar past $200m.The adventure currently stands at more than $188.7m through Paramount Pictures International (PPI) and opens in India and several other key markets.Stablemate Iron Man will bring more good news for ...

  • News

    Cannes buyers snatch up Michael Moore's latest polemic

    2008-05-29T23:35:00Z

    Michael Moore's follow-up to Fahrenheit 9/11 led a strong Cannes sales market for Paramount Vantage, solidifying its credentials as an emergent heavyweight supplier.Moore descended on the Croisette to personally introduce the project - which he is now understood to be filming at undisclosed locations - and described it as a ...

  • News

    Counterfeiters' Markovics to play Freud in new Adlon project

    2008-05-29T16:46:00Z

    Karl Markovics, the lead actor in Stefan Ruzowitzky's Oscar-winning The Counterfeiters, is to play the legendary psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud in the fictionalised docudrama Mahler On The Couch by the father and son team of Percy and Felix Adlon.The story, which is based on actual events, eyewitness accounts and journal entries, ...

  • News

    Grandsire takes Global Networks post in Paris

    2008-05-29T12:36:00Z

    Leonor Grandsire has been appointed to managing director, France for Global Networks, an international division of NBC Universal.The announcement was made by Francois Roux, managing director EMEA, to whom Grandsire reports. The appointment, based in Paris, is effective immediately.Since December 2007, Grandsire had been head of the Internet and media ...

  • News

    New films by Popogrebsky and Voloshin to bepitched in Sochi

    2008-05-29T12:26:00Z

    New feature films by Alexei Popogrebsky, Igor Voloshin and Alexander Kott are among eight projects selected from more than 20 entries for the second edition of the Producers' Pitching to be held during the 'Kinotavr' Open Russian Film Festival in Sochi (June 7-15).Popogrebsky's new film The Last Day will be ...

  • News

    Twelve titles competing at Transilvania International Film Festival

    2008-05-29T05:53:57Z

    The seventh Transilvania International Film Festival opens Friday in Cluj, Romania, with a screening of Michael Haneke's new US remake of his 1997 Austrian hit Funny Games.Catherine Deneuve will receive a lifetime achievement award at this year festival, which will close June 8 with a gala awards ceremony and a ...