All Middle East articles – Page 176

  • News

    MEDIA increases EFP funding to $1.73m for 2008

    2007-11-21T12:37:00Z

    The EU's MEDIA Programme has increased its funding for multi-country promotional group European Film Promotion (EFP). MEDIA will contribute $813,810 (Euros 550,000) for EFP activities in Europe and $924,304 (Euros 624,000) for activities outside of Europe. The total of $1.73m (Euros 1.17m) is greater than 2007's $1.6m (Euros 1.08m). The ...

  • News

    Sony Classics to distribute Menzel's King Of England in North America

    2007-11-21T11:30:00Z

    Sony Pictures Classics will distribute Jiri Menzel's I Served The King Of England in North America. The deal was signed at AFM, according to the film's Czech producer AQS. The film is the Czech Republic's submission for foreign-language Oscar consideration. 'We are very proud to have as our American distributors ...

  • News

    Corsan starts Canadian shoot for Breuls' directorial debut

    2007-11-21T11:08:00Z

    Director Paul Breuls has started production on The Hessen Affair, a WWII-era thriller starring Billy Zane, Lyne Renee, Michael Bowen and Noah Segan.Corsan, the Belgian company Breuls runs, is producing with Phyllis Laing's Buffalo Gal Pictures co-producing. Corsan is also handling international sales.Nicholas Meyer and Ronald Roose wrote the screenplay, ...

  • News

    Berlin's WCF backs films from Armenia, Indonesia, Iran and Israel

    2007-11-21T10:15:00Z

    Four film projects from Armenia, Indonesia, Iran and Israel have been backed by the Berlinale's World Cinema Fund (WCF) with a total of $325,680 (Euros 220,000) at its latest funding session chaired by festival director Dieter Kosslick. The four were selected from 108 submissions from 40 countries.The selected projects include ...

  • News

    Swedish Film Institute plans to double specific grants

    2007-11-21T05:00:00Z

    In a response to 'the rapid technological development, new audience patterns, and the concentration of power in the cinema market,' the Swedish Film Institute has devised a new plan of action to support the promotion and distribution of quality films in the newlandscape. The recent bankruptcies of quality film ...

  • News

    Balkan Fund selects four projects for $59,000 funding

    2007-11-20T15:03:00Z

    The Balkan Fund, a script development initiative created in November 2002 by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, has handed out its latest grants to four new projects. The projects that received $14,789 (Euros 10,000) each are: Mother from writer/director Juraj Lertic and producer Dana Budisavljevic (Croatia) Rio from writers Nicolas ...

  • News

    After strike, Hellstedt's Land Under Water gets Finnish backing

    2007-11-20T14:47:00Z

    The Finnish Film Foundation has backed the first local feature film project after the producers' strike, chipping in $739,000 (Euros 500,000) production funding for Finnish director Lenka Hellstedt's Land Under Water (Maata meren alla). Current box-office figures suggest the importance of domestic product in the cinemas: last weekend, three Finnish ...

  • News

    Labadie to kick start new distribution company with Le Cahier

    2007-11-20T14:28:00Z

    After being unexpectedly ousted last month from Bac Films, a company he founded 21 years ago, Jean Labadie is back with a new independent distribution company. Le Pacte will release its first film in February - Hana Makhmalbaf's Le Cahier - and carry on through the year with a total ...

  • News

    Beart and Lieifers to host 20th EFAs on Dec 1

    2007-11-20T13:07:00Z

    The 20th European Film Awards, to be held Dec 1 in Berlin, will be hosted by French actress Emmanuelle Beart and German actor Jan Josef Liefers. EFA president Wim Wenders will deliver opening remarks to the 1,400 guests at Berlin 's Arena. Other guests will include Jeanne Moreau and Liv ...

  • News

    Angelopoulos dusts off first English film with Willem Dafoe

    2007-11-20T12:58:00Z

    Theo Angelopoulos starts shooting today in the northern Russian city of Nizni Novgorod his new film, The Dust of Time, the second part of the trilogy undertaken three years ago with The Weeping Meadow. The impressive international cast includes Irene Jacob taking the role as Eleni, played in The Weeping ...

  • News

    NonStop sells Gnomes and Trolls to Turkey and China

    2007-11-19T16:43:00Z

    NonStop Sales has sold further territories on its animated family feature Gnomes and Trolls. The project has gone to China (HGC Entertainment) and Turkey (A Arti). NonStop previously did a deal for CIS (Ukranian Rights Management). White Shark's 3D animated project is in production now, with executive producers Joel Cohen ...

  • News

    AAM strikes virtual print fee deal for entire CGR chain in France

    2007-11-19T11:50:00Z

    Arts Alliance Media has signed a digital cinema virtual print fee agreement for 400 screens in France. The deal with Circuit George Raymond (CGR), one of France's largest chains, is an exclusive deal for AAM to deploy digital distribution services on all of the chain's 400 screens throughout France. The ...

  • News

    Gaumont eyes acquisition of animation house Alphanim

    2007-11-19T11:10:00Z

    French major Gaumont is currently negotiating to acquire French animation house Alphanim, the company said in a statement. Alphanim was founded by Christian Davin in 1997 and boasts more than 700 hours of programming. Its catalog notably includes series Galactik Football, Robot Boy and Delta State. In 2007, Alphanim expects ...

  • News

    Clooney to come to Dubai for Michael Clayton festival opener

    2007-11-19T11:02:00Z

    The Dubai International Film Festival will open this year with Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton starring George Clooney. Clooney will attend the gala opening, which marks the film's Middle East premiere. 'Mr. Clooney's return to the region means we have come full circle, from Dubai as a backdrop for the film ...

  • News

    Costa Gavras returns to Greece for 2008 shoot of Eden Is West

    2007-11-19T10:56:00Z

    Forty years after the Oscar-winning Z, the poignant account of the political turmoil in Greece during the 1960s, Costa Gavras is set to return to his native country to direct his next film structured as a French-Greek co-production. The project was announced today at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival where ...

  • News

    Pathe's hot AFM sellers include The Duchess and Eden Lake

    2007-11-16T16:48:00Z

    In addition to the recently announced sales for Walter Salles' Linha De Passe, Pathe International has announced a slew of further sales done at the recent AFM. Saul Dibb's The Duchess, which Pathe launched in Toronto, sold to Benelux (Cineart), Poland (Best Film), Greece and the Balkans (Audiovisuals), Portugal (Lusomundo), ...

  • News

    Switzerland to lead European Audiovisual Observatory in 2008

    2007-11-16T11:34:00Z

    The European Audiovisual Observatory has announced that Switzerland will hold the group's presidency in 2008.The Strasbourg-based Observatory, which is part of the Council of Europe, elected Switzerland its president as the executive council on Nov 9.The country is represented on the executive council by Frederic Riehl, deputy director of the ...

  • News

    After record 2007, Babelsberg eyes more European projects in 2008

    2007-11-16T11:22:00Z

    The looming threat of Hollywood actors and directors going on strike from mid-2008 has prompted Germany's Babelsberg Studios to concentrate more on enticing European and German feature film projects to shoot on its sound stages next year. Speaking on Berlin's InfoRadio on Thursday afternoon, Studio Babelsberg's President and CEO Carl ...

  • News

    Telepool takes on teamWorx's Mogadishu Welcome

    2007-11-16T11:18:00Z

    Germany-based sales company Telepool has added Mogadishu Welcome to its sales slate.The deal was done with teamWorx Television & Film before the project started principal photography in Casablanca.Roland Suso Richter will direct the Degeto Film/SWR 90-minute feature, intended for TV. Telepool will handle world sales excluding the co-production territories, France ...

  • News

    Estonia's Black Nights unveils full competition line-up

    2007-11-15T10:54:00Z

    The Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the program for its eleventh edition, to be held Nov 15-Dec 9 in Tallinn, Estonia.This year's event features 205 films from more than 60 countries. Among the 11 titles in the Estonian Feature Film Competition are 186 Kilometers, from Andres Maimik and Autumn ...