All Middle East articles – Page 204

  • News

    Tornatore's Unknown is best film at Italy's Donatello awards

    2007-06-15T00:14:00Z

    Giuseppe Tornatore's noir film The Unknown picked up five top prizes at 51st edition of the David of Donatello awards, Italy's top film honors.The Unknown received awards in five principal categories including best film, best director, best cinematography, as well as best music for Ennio Morricone's score as well as ...

  • News

    Arts Alliance hires Gwendal Auffret to run new Paris office

    2007-06-14T16:34:00Z

    Digital film services company Arts Alliance Media has expanded by opening a new office in Paris, which will be the headquarters of the company's digital cinema operations in Southern Europe.The new office will cover France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.Gwendal Auffret will head the new office. He had been CEO of ...

  • News

    Norwegian government shakes up film policy

    2007-06-14T16:00:00Z

    Norway 's state film bodies will see radical change in 2008 after a government decision today. 'We have clearly defined and ambitious goals for our film policy,' said Norwegian culture minister Trond Giske, as the Norwegian Parliament - Stortinget - passed his Pathfinder of the Norwegian Film Offensive, a ministry ...

  • News

    Dutch actress Carice Van Houten to co-star in Valkyrie

    2007-06-14T11:45:00Z

    Black Book star Carice Van Houten has been cast in Bryan Singer's wartime thriller Valkyrie. The Dutch actress co-stars as the wife of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, played by Tom Cruise. The cast reportedly also includes Kenneth Branagh, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Daniel Bruehl. Based on actual events, Valkyrie tells ...

  • News

    Granada signs VOD deal with Orange for France

    2007-06-14T11:40:00Z

    Granada International has struck a non-exclusive three-year deal with Orange for VOD and SVOD platforms in France. The SVOD will launch a new drama service this month after initially concentrating on music and young people's programmes. The deal includes Granada TV titles including Brideshead Revisited as well as feature films ...

  • News

    Bodrov's follow-up to Mongol won't be ready until 2010

    2007-06-14T11:15:00Z

    Ahead of the opening of Sergei Bodrov's historical epic Mongol in Russian cinemas on Sept 21, producer Sergei Selyanov of STV has indicated that the director's second outing into the life of Genghis Khan will be ready in around three years time ('not any earlier') and stressed that both films ...

  • News

    Attendance up 38% at second Film Screenings Of Madrid

    2007-06-13T18:00:00Z

    The second edition of the Spanish Film Screenings of Madrid (June 10-12) closed on Tuesday night with a turnout that was 38 percent larger than last year.More than 138 buyers from 33 countries travelled to Madrid, where 56 recent Spanish features were screened and more than 100 tiles were available ...

  • News

    Babelgum signs up 25 new content partners

    2007-06-13T11:59:00Z

    Internet TV network Babelgum has announced new deals with 25 content owners and distributors, both newcomers and established. The content partners include the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, Minstry of Sound TV, Shine, IMG, 3DD, Off The Fence, Journeyman Films, Entertainment Rights, Film Chest and Breakthrough Films. The content includes exclusive ...

  • News

    Slingshot takes on UK distribution for Cannes debut Water Lilies

    2007-06-12T14:27:00Z

    New UK digital studio Slingshot has picked up all UK rights to Celine Sciamma's debut feature Water Lilies (Naissance des Pieuvres). The film premeried in Cannes Un Certain Regard. Water Lilies follows three 15-year-old French girls who are discovering first love. Slingshot had recently announced that it would branch out ...

  • News

    Simple Things takes award as Kinotavr ramps up business

    2007-06-12T12:19:00Z

    Alexei Popogrebsky's second feature film Simple Things was the big winner at this year's Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival in Sochi, picking up the Grand Prix for Best Film as well as prizes for Best Direction and Best Actor. Popogrebsky, who came to international prominence and critical acclaim in 2003 ...

  • News

    Norwegian Film Fund backs Gaarder project starring Askel Hennie

    2007-06-11T16:54:00Z

    After his feature directorial debut Uno in 2004, Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie will return to acting as Gabriel, the angel, in the lead role of Danish director Jesper W Nielsen's Through a Glass, Darkly, which Norwegian production outfit 4 ½ Productions will produce with Denmark's Zentropa. The Norwegian Film Fund, ...

  • News

    Momentum takes UK rights to Labaki's Cannes hit Caramel

    2007-06-11T16:48:00Z

    Momentum Pictures has taken UK rights to Nadine Labaki's Caramel. The film was one of the hits of Cannes ' Directors Fortnight. Labaki's debut feature is about five different Lebanese women who come together in a Beirut beauty salon. Louis Tisne, Momentum's acquisitions manager, negotiated the deal with Roissy Film's ...

  • News

    Tested titles among the contenders at Karlovy Vary

    2007-06-11T15:12:00Z

    The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced its complete competition lineup for its 42nd edition, which runs June 29-July 7. As suits the main festival in Central Europe, the selections are strong on titles from former socialist bloc countries. Few competition features come from outside Europe. Main competition titles ...

  • News

    La sagrada familia takes top honors in Transilvania

    2007-06-11T14:38:00Z

    Chilean director Sebastian Campos' comedy La sagrada familia collected the Transilvania Trophy and $13,344 (Euros 10,000) for Best Picture at the closing ceremony of the sixth Transilvania International Film Festival in Cluj on Sunday. In an act of good sportsmanship, Cristian Mungiu pulled his Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 ...

  • News

    German regional fund MFG makes pacts with France, Spain

    2007-06-11T14:35:00Z

    Baden-Wurttemberg's regional film fund MFG has signed an agreement with the Catalan Institute of Cultural Industries (ICIC) and Rhone-Alpes Cinema to improve cross-border cooperation for film production with the French and Catalan regions. The accord also intends to support the promotion and distribution of audiovisual productions, provide logistical support for ...

  • News

    Singer's Valkyrie set for Babelsberg shoot

    2007-06-10T22:53:00Z

    Bryan Singer's Second World War drama Valkyrie is on track to becomethe second large-scale US production this year after the Wachowskibrothers' Speed Racer to shoot at Germany's Babelsberg Studios.Principal photographyon the United Artists production about the 1944 plot to assassinateHitler is expected to commence at the studios outside Berlin on ...

  • News

    La Caja and Choking Man take top prizes at first Ibiza festival

    2007-06-08T16:50:00Z

    The Spanish island of Ibiza played host last week to its first international film festival with nightly disco parties and appearances by its all-star patrons: John Hurt, Terry Gilliam and Alan Parker.Last night, the Spanish production La Caja, directed by Juan Carlos Falcon, took the award for Best Film and ...

  • News

    Spanish industry bemoans quotas continued in new film law

    2007-06-08T11:50:00Z

    Spanish producers, exhibitors and TV networks are giving mixed reviews toSpain's controversial new film law, recently approved by the Council ofMinisters.The legislation, expected to receive fast-track treatment in Parliament, has been mired for months by bitter opposition from exhibitors, TV networks and some actors - and the controversy hasn't died ...

  • News

    New Dutch scheme to offer $17m annually in matching funds

    2007-06-08T11:29:00Z

    New Dutch regulations for film investment offer matching funds for films with two-thirds funding in place.Producers with 65% of their financing in place will be able to apply for the other 35% of their film's budget under the new incentive. To access the cash, 25% of total financing must be ...

  • News

    Guillermo Del Toro begins shoot for Hellboy 2 in Budapest

    2007-06-08T11:16:00Z

    Guillermo del Toro begins principal photography today on Universal's Hellboy 2 in Hungary.With an estimated budget of $72m, the film is biggest ever to shoot in Hungary. The production also benefits from the country's 20% tax rebate, which helped Budapest woo the shoot away from Prague, where del Toro filmed ...