All Middle East articles – Page 202
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Local production: riding Romania's wave
Following the Cannes triumph of Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, Romanian film-making is on a high. Theodore Schwinke reportsDespite the international festival success of such films as The Death Of Mr Lazarescu, 12:08 East Of Bucharest, California Dreamin' and 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, ...
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On location: Hero Wanted
Small-town America has been recreated in detail on a Bulgarian backlot. Theodore Schwinke visits the set of Hero Wanted. The traffic lights are always green and the theatre posters promote only Nu Image pictures. Otherwise Nu Boyana's Ilientzi set, on the ourtskirts of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, is a convincing replica ...
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On location: Good
Fluctuations in the exchange rate caused problems for a UK production looking for savings in Hungary. Louise Tutt reports. The $16m UK production of Good headed to Hungary in search of savings but almost lost out as a result of exchange rate fluctuations.Lured to Budapest by the 20% tax allowance ...
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Romania: youth and experience
Romania's potential as a location gained momentum with the arrival of Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth last year, but can the territory keep pace with its neighbours' Theodore Schwinke reportsRomania is in a unique position in Eastern Europe in being better known for its homegrown cinema than as a ...
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The East European picture
Eastern Europe is well-established as a cheaper alternative to shooting in the US or the UK. But how do international producers choose between the packages on offer' Theodore Schwinke reportsBudapest airport on a Friday night is like the canteen at Pinewood,' says Chris Symes, executive producer of Universal's Hellboy 2: ...
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Czech Republic: 'More expensive than Budapest'
Can the Czech Republic retain its competitive edge when it comes to production' Theodore Schwinke reportsOn paper, the Czech Republic's production service sector is looking healthy. Andrew Adamson is shooting Walden Media's The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian at Barrandov's new 4,000 square metre stage, which also hosted Eli Roth's ...
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Bulgaria: Nu Boyana on the block
Nu Image's transformation of Boyana studios has placed Bulgaria on the film map. Now other producers want a piece of the action. Theodore Schwinke reportsBulgaria is a country showing significant promise. Since the transformation of Boyana studios by Nu Image last year there has been a steady stream of low-budget ...
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Hungary: on the ascendant
New studios and a significant tax rebate mean that Hungary is challenging the Czech Republic as the hottest production hub in the region. Theodore Schwinke reportsThe Hungarian capital of Budapest and its surroundings are packed with productions, despite a recent rise in the Hungarian forint against the dollar and euro. ...
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Warner Bros Germany to distribute Breloer's Buddenbrooks
Warner Bros. Pictures Germany will distribute writer-director Heinrich Breloer's feature film debut Buddenbrooks - Ein Geschaeft Von Einiger Groesse which begins shooting from Aug 1. The adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel Buddenbrooks about the life and decline of a 19th-century mercantile family is being produced by Bavaria Film and Colonia ...
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Locarno picks 13 Middle Eastern projects for Open Doors lab
Locarno film festival organisers have selected 13 projects from 120 submission for this year's Open Doors co-production lab. The lab is focused on projects from the Near and Middle East. The selections include new films from directors Ra'anan Alexandrowicz (James' Journey to Jerusalem) and Tawfik Abu-Wael (Thirst).Open Doors runs Aug ...
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MDC takes on sales for Meletzky's Shanghai winner Plan
Berlin-based sales company MDC has picked up international distribution rights for Franziska Meletzky's According To The Plan (Frei Nach Plan) which won best film honours at the Jin Jue Awards in the competition section of the Shanghai International Film Festival this weekend. The film, which is Meletzky's second feature after ...
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Greece gets first digital screens at two Village sites in Athens
Greece will get its first two digital cinema installations as Village Cinemas digitises two of its largest screens in Athens, Village Faliro and the Village Park 20. Spacevision designed the Village system with both Kodak and Christie components, with 3D capability from Real D. Kodak's JMN3000 player has been installed ...
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Paris Cinema event announces premieres
The fifth annual Paris Cinema event will take place from July 3-14.Less a festival than a happening which is open to the public, the event does include an international competition and has upped its profile over the past several years. For the 2007 edition, 13 feature films will vie ...
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Nouri Bouzid wins best film prize at Taormina
Tunisian director Nouri Bouzid's Making Of took the Golden Tauro for best film at the Taormina Film Festival. The Film is part of the Mediterranean competition line up which is the principal competition section at the festival, which, in its 53rd edition has a new format focusing on cinema ...
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The big cinema squeeze
European exhibition has seen an influx of private equity in recent years. But can more profits be squeezed out of Europe's saturated cinema market, asks Richard Brass. Navigate links (right) to see the state of play in leading territories. When Cineworld floated on the London Stock Exchange at the end ...
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German exhibition: uneasy riders
Germany's rocky ride continues as the 2007 box office looks set to stall, writes Martin Blaney. Germany's cinema fortunes were revived in 2006 after a poor 2005, with a year-on-year increase in box-office takings of 9.6%, and admissions rising by 7.9%. But exhibitors have had little to cheer in the ...
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French exhibition: Hollywood makes a play
France's dominance of the local market looks set to be replaced by Hollywood this summer. Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte reports. While the box office for the first five months of 2007 shows a 12.6% decrease compared to last year, exhibitors are nonetheless optimistic. Last year's early numbers were blurred by the mega-hit ...
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Spanish exhibition: negative impact
Claire Wallerstein reports on the country's drop in admissions and negative impact of the new film law. Spain has the most screens per capita worldwide outside the US, and yet admissions reached only 121 million for 2006 - the lowest since 1998.Revenue increased just 0.2% year on year, to $856.6m ...
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Italian exhibition: hot shots
With distributors now braving the Italian mid-summer, Italy's box-office prospects are heating up. Sheri Jennings reports. The Italian exhibition sector is looking strong, with a 23% year-on-year increase in box-office revenue for the first quarter, and an impressive slate of summer blockbusters still to come.May ushered in Spider-Man 3 and ...
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Etgar Keret and Shira Geffe: the nextbig sting
Husband-and-wife film-making team Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen won the Camera d'Or at Cannes last month for Jellyfish, a surreal drama inspired by US indie films. Edna Fainaru reports. Etgar Keret is a celebrity at home in Israel. A prolific writer of short stories and graphic novels that have been ...