All Middle East articles – Page 197

  • News

    Ulrich Muehe, star of Oscar-winning The Lives Of Others, dies aged 54

    2007-07-25T10:46:00Z

    The German film industry is in mourning after the death at 54 of actor Ulrich Muehe, the star of Oscar-winning international success The Lives Of Others.Muehe, who played the secret police officer Gerd Wiesler in Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's feature about 1980s East Germany, had been diagnosed with cancer earlier ...

  • News

    Arcel prepares new feature about Danish royals for Zentropa

    2007-07-25T05:00:00Z

    Danish director Nicolaj Arcel, whose Island of Lost Souls sold 195,000 tickets domestically, is preparing a feature film about the relationship between Danish King Christian VII, Queen Caroline Mathilde and German-born physician-in-ordinary Johann Friedrich Struensee, who was executed in 1772 - 235 years ago.Over the years several projects have been ...

  • News

    Sad Vacation by Aoyama Shinji to open Venice Horizons

    2007-07-24T16:52:00Z

    The Venice Film Festival's Horizons side bar dedicated to new trends in filmmaking has announced its opening and closing film in both the feature and documentary categories.Sad Vacation by Aoyama Shinji starring Japanese super star Tadanobu Asano will be Horizons' opening film.Sad Vacation is the story of a boy who ...

  • News

    Nadine Labaki: beauty without cruelty

    2007-07-24T16:35:00Z

    It might not be about war or politics but the debut project from a young Lebanese director says much about the peace that can be achieved. Antonia Carver reportsNadine Labaki (pictured) shot Caramel in Beirut in late spring 2006, when the troubled city was in a buoyant mood following the ...

  • News

    Swedish admissions up but local productions down 3.8% in 2006

    2007-07-23T13:45:00Z

    Swedish cinemas struck back in 2006, having lost 11% both in attendance and gross box office receipts the year before: admissions reached 15.3 million and ticket sales $181 million (Eu131 million), up 5% and 7%, respectively. However, according to the annual report on the film industry published by the Swedish ...

  • News

    Medusa announces that Michael Clayton will have Venice gala

    2007-07-23T13:26:00Z

    Italian film giant Medusa announced legal drama Michael Clayton starring George Clooney by screenwriter turned director Tony Gilroy will screen as a gala event at the 64th edition of the Venice Film Festival. Medusa VP and CEO Giampaolo Letta made up the announcement one week before the Venice Film Festival ...

  • News

    Italian films lead the 16 selections for Venice Days sidebar

    2007-07-23T12:46:00Z

    Thirteen films and three documentaries - hailing from France, Spain, Russia, Canada, Germany, Italy, UK, Lebanon, United States, Poland, Mexico make up the programme for this year's Venice Days sidebar, announced Tuesday. Italy tops the entries this year with three features and two documentaries to include political satirist Sabrina Guzzanti's ...

  • News

    Potter rockets past $350m in overseas grosses

    2007-07-23T03:41:00Z

    Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix consolidated its gains from last weekend's memorable launch and seized an estimated $100.8m to cross $350m overseas after less than two weeks.Warner Bros Pictures International's (WBPI) fifth entry in the children's fantasy series drew approximately 14m admissions from 13,000 prints in 58 ...

  • News

    Constantin Film parts company with Schloendorff on Pope Joan

    2007-07-23T03:00:00Z

    Leading German producer-distributor Constantin Film has fired the Oscar-winning director Volker Schloendorff from the adaptation of the Donna Cross bestseller Pope Joan.In a letter to Schloendorff, Martin Moszkowicz, member of the Constantin board, wrote that 'it is unfortunately no longer possible for us to make the film together. I have ...

  • News

    Giffoni winners include Mid Road Gang and Keith

    2007-07-23T01:00:00Z

    Two thousand children cast their votes for winning films at the Giffoni Film Festival, the Southern Italian film festival dedicated to children and young people's cinema which wrapped its 37th edition Saturday.Led by Claudio Gubitosi, the festival brought in a record number of young jurors from several countries to vote ...

  • News

    Universal's Wanted finishes Czech leg of shoot

    2007-07-22T20:29:00Z

    Timur Bekmambetov wrapped production on Universal's Wanted in the Czech Republic on Saturday. The crew now moves on to Chicago, where they will shoot Aug 7-17. Czech press reported Bekmambetov as saying the budget of the film was $50m. The film is the first in production and distribution deal between ...

  • News

    Jonas Cuaron's Ano Una among Venice Critics Week selections

    2007-07-20T15:23:00Z

    Ano Una, the first film by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron's son Jonas Cuaron, will close Critics Week at the upcoming Venice Film Festival (Aug 29-Sept 8).The film is the story of a summer romance between a Mexican teenager and an older American woman.The Critics Week will open with two films ...

  • News

    Soderbergh gears up for Spanish shoot for two Che features

    2007-07-20T12:09:00Z

    Shooting starts Wednesday in Spain on Steven Soderbergh's two Spanish-language films about Ernesto 'Che' Guevera, El Argentino and Guerrilla. The much anticipated films will shoot consecutively for nine weeks in Spain on locations in Madrid, Castilla La Mancha and Andalusia before moving on to Puerto Rico. Benicio del Toro stars ...

  • News

    Harry Potter's own book launch poses only real competition to ever-rising Phoenix

    2007-07-19T23:38:00Z

    Every fan of the franchise knows it's not in Harry Potter's nature to be a bully, but the film version of his exploits is a different beast entirely and has been swatting rivals like flies since it was released around the world last week.The fifth episode in the fantasy series, ...

  • News

    EC approves Belgian Tax Shelter system

    2007-07-19T22:48:00Z

    There were sighs of relief in the Belgian production community withthe official announcement today (Thursday) that the EuropeanCommission has renewed its approval of the Belgian Tax Shelter system.Earlier this summer, the Commission had sent back proposals for therenewal, expressing concern about the lack of 'cultural' documentationin the proposals. Those concerns ...

  • News

    Senator Film to release next Wenders' Palermo Shooting

    2007-07-19T11:28:00Z

    Senator Film will release Wim Wenders' next feature film The Palermo Shooting, which begins shooting in Dusseldorf from September 17 before moving to Sicily.This is the second time Wenders and Senator have worked together after the director's internationally feted documentary Buena Vista Social Club took more than $7.5m (Euros 5.4m) ...

  • News

    Arts festival may pave way for cinemas in Saudi Arabia

    2007-07-19T11:07:00Z

    Speculation that Saudi Arabia is gradually moving towards opening cinemas will intensify following the second Festival of Visual Arts in Jeddah, which ends on Friday. The four-day festival, organized by local audio and visual productions company Ruwaad Media, includes 28 short films and documentaries from Saudi and other Gulf countries, ...

  • News

    Fox Home Entertainment targets emerging markets in re-shuffle

    2007-07-18T20:32:00Z

    Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) top brass have implemented a corporate restructure to accommodate emerging markets.Gary Ferguson will now focus on China, Russia and Brazil in his newly expanded role as senior vice president of emerging markets.He will also supervise Fox's worldwide licensee operation and play a key role ...

  • News

    Trust takes on sales of Szumowska's 33 Scenes Of Life

    2007-07-18T17:00:00Z

    Denmark's Trust Film Sales will handle international sales of Polish director Malgosia Szumowska's 33 Scenes of Life, currently shooting at Krakow, Poland. Denmark's Zentropa Entertainments is co-producing. 'I worked with Szumowska on Visions of Europe-25 Countries 1 Film, where she delivered the Polish entry, and we agreed we would continue ...

  • News

    Tykwer eyes Babelsberg Studios for thriller The International

    2007-07-18T16:32:00Z

    A day before shooting begins on the Tom Cruise World War II drama Valkyrie, local press reports have revealed that Babelsberg Studios is set to host its third Hollywood production this year with the shooting of Tom Tykwer's action thriller The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, from September.According ...