All articles by Patrick Frater – Page 50
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Rift between Kirch and BSkyB opens wider
Relations between UK satellite giant BSkyB and Germany's Kirch appear close to breaking point.Continuing losses and repeated changes of management at Premiere World, Kirch's pay-TV brand, appear to have put in doubt BSk'B's investment in the operation. With the prospect of a stockmarket flotation for KirchPayTV looking increasingly remote, BSkyB ...
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MIFED: Cineclick's Gangster scores with new buyers
My Wife Is A Gangster, the Korean hit which twists the gangster genre by putting a woman in the criminal lead, proved a hit with MIFED buyers. The film, sold by Cineclick Asia, was bought by Audiovisual Entertainment for Greece, ASG Videofilm for Russia, PT Menara Media for Indonesia and ...
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AFMA sees first revenue drop in six years
The growth of the UK market last year helped indie film sellers to offset growing weakness in the world video markets. According to new data from the American Film Marketing Association (AFMA) members' revenue dropped for the first time in six years. Overall sales were down 6% to $2.62bn. In ...
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Eight Euro distribs put Celluloid at core of pact
Eight of Europe's best known independent distributors have pacted together to form an ambitious pan-continental buying and investment alliance. In a deal finalised on Monday night (Oct 29), their first acquisition is not, however, a film but a sales company - Celluloid Dreams. The Hengameh Panahi-headed Celluloid will act as ...
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China Star lines up $13m Books And Swords
China Star has unveiled a big-budget period action-romance to be directed by veteran Tsui Hark.Pre-production is cranking up on Books And Swords, a $13m adaptation of one of China's most famous novels. The story, which will be heavy on swordfight action, is about two brothers and is set during the ...
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Juliette Lewis to star in Desire And Search
Juliette Lewis is set to star in Desire And Search, a quirky thriller being handled by Norwegian sales and finance outfit BV International.The $9m budget UK-Canadian picture is the story of an avenging angel who taps into people's secret desires and blackmails them in order to keep quiet. It ...
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Box office supports Capitol's sales frenzy
Films that cinemagoers want to see have done wonders for business at the UK's Capitol Films, which is handling the breakout Woody Allen title The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion and horror hit Jeepers Creepers."We are essentially sold out now on Jeepers Creepers," said Capitol co-chief Jane Barclay, after selling ...
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Regent rides with Media Asia's Unicorn
Regent Entertainment has boarded Media Asia's English-language action flick, The Unicorn Hunt. The film, to be directed by Li Chai Ngai, is a light-hearted action film in the mould of The Thomas Crown Affair. It is the story of a reporter and a CIA sleuth on the hunt of a ...
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News Corp withdraws Hughes/DirecTV offer
News Corp has formally pulled out of the race to buy US satellite pay-TV giant DirecTV, leaving Echostar Communications as the only other likely bidder. "We have no option but to withdraw immediately our fully negotiated and financed proposal,'' said chief executive Rupert Murdoch in a statement. "Hughes [DirecTV's immediate ...
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Jamie Bell heads supernatural WWII action drama
Jamie Bell, the child star of international hit Billy Elliot, is to head the cast of The Great War Project (working title), a supernatural action drama which tops the slate of Film and Music Entertainment (F.&.M.E.).The picture is the story of eight young soldiers trapped in the WWI trenches who ...
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Sexy Beast scores at British indie film awards
Extolled by US critics, but cooly received in the UK, British gangster drama Sexy Beast was finally feted in its home market. It triumphed at last night's British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), winning in all four categories in which it had been nominated.Sexy Beast was named Best British Independent ...
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Salma Hayek eyes The Ground Beneath Her Feet
Salma Hayek is in advanced talks to star in Raoul Ruiz's forthcoming adaptation of Salman Rushdie's novel, The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Production is through Paulo Branco's Gemini Films, with additional financing for the $18.5m film coming from StudioCanal and UK National Lottery franchise Pathe Pictures. Shooting is expected to ...
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Media Asia woos Cheung, Lau and Jackie Chan
Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, leading local actor Leslie Cheung and popstar-turned acting sensation Andy Lau have joined Media Asia's 2002 slate as the film concern launches a drive to raise its talent profile following a management shake-up earlier this year.The move is being driven by leisure magnate Peter Lam, ...
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Canton/Senator pact reduced to 24 Hours
Luis Mandoki's $40m thriller 24 Hours is to be the only film produced under the high profile alliance between Germany's Senator Entertainment and Mark Canton's The Canton Co. The two companies this week dissolved their production and financing pact, which was signed only last August. The partners were to deliver ...
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Intimate Scenes picked up by Flach Pyramide
Catherine Breillat, the director who became a cause celebre with her sexually explicit Romance, is three weeks from starting production on Scenes Intimes, a picture about making films and, in particular, shooting nude scenes.French sales house Flach Pyramide International has picked up international rights to the film, which re-teams Breillat ...
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Cineart/Cinelibre restructures ownership
Belgium's leading independent distributor, Cineart/Cinelibre, has restructured its ownership, with Eliane Du Bois buying outright control after a 25 year partnership with Thierry Abel.Du Bois took over Abel's share of the business when the duo decided to separate their interests and concentrate respectively on distribution and exhibition. Cineart, the operation's ...
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Recession watch - Part VI
In the sixth, and final, part of Screen International's analysis on the effect on the industry of the Sept 11 attacks on the US, the threat of recession on the corporate finance sector is assessed.Abstracted from Screen InternationalCorporate finance activitiesShare prices have wobbled hugely since the Sept 11 atrocities - ...
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Fortissimo gets international rights on Springtime
Fortissimo Film Sales, the Dutch-Hong Kong-based world sales group, has picked up international rights to the high-profile remake of Chinese classic Springtime In A Small Town.The new film (pictured), a story of lust unleashed on a respectable bourgeois family following the arrival of a mysterious visitor, is now being filmed ...
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Film Council to host UK's new MEDIA Desk
London is to be host to the UK's new MEDIA Desk, the system of national outposts run by the European Commission's Media Plus support programme.The MEDIA Desk is to be hosted by the Film Council, which will inject up to Euros150,000. It goes live immediately, headed by Agnieszka Moody. ...
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Justice joins Invicta Capital
Producer Matthew Justice has been appointed as consultant to Invicta Capital, the recently-launched film investor and tax advisor.Justice, whose credits include Stephen Norrington pictures Blade and The Last Minute, is expected to bring UK qualifying projects to Invicta's Invicta Filmworks offshoot. Partially-based in Los Angeles, Justice may also become involved ...