All articles by Patrick Frater – Page 63
-
News
Korean screen quota campaign hits Venice
Having two years ago shaved their heads in protest, Korean activists belonging to the Coalition for Cultural Diversity In Moving Images (CDMI) are now seeking more pragmatic means of combating Hollywood domination of their local film industry. CDMI general director Gi-Hwan Yang used the Venice film festival as a high ...
-
News
Stone sparkles at Amfar's Venice premiere
Sharon Stone was the undoubted star of the first ever amFAR benefit event to be held in Venice.Stone, in town to present Clint Eastwood with a Golden Lion, donated a leather vanity case that she had designed and produced by luxury luggage maker Louis Vuitton. The case was sold for ...
-
News
Renaissance/Clear Blue Sky mount first two of five
Glenn Close and Dermot Mulroney will headline an impressive cast in Rose Troche's The Safety Of Objects, a tale of suburban angst which is one of five pictures being co-financed by the UK's Renaissance Films and investor Paul Allen's Clear Blue Sky Productions. It will be quickly followed by Paul ...
-
News
Kinowelt strikes content deal with Germany's Onyx
Ever-expanding Kinowelt is understood to have struck a film sales deal with German music channel Onyx Television. The move could transform the sleepy station which rates third behind the reviving MTV Deutschland and home-grown music channel Viva, which recently floated on the Neuer Markt."Kinowelt is the ideal partner for us," ...
-
News
EC outlines concerns over AOL-Time Warner merger
The European Commission has sent out a formal set of objections to the proposed merger between America Online (AOL) and Time Warner and the linked merger between Time Warner and EMI.In June the Commission announced that it would launch full four-month investigations into the competitive effects of the two mergers. ...
-
News
Intermedia pacts with Cage's Saturn
UK and US-based film packager and financier, Intermedia, has struck an first-look deal with Nicolas Cage and Norm Golightly's Saturn Pictures, which is expected to cover two films per year in the $30m-$60m budget range.Intermedia said that the exclusive two-year deal, which is currently at the detailed longform negotiation stage, ...
-
News
UPC claims lead in Polish digital market
Dutch cable giant UPC has claimed the lead in the race to deliver digital services to Poland. It has also unveiled plans for the roll-out of broadband services in the territory later this year.UPC said that at the end of June it had 378,000 subscribers to its digital cable services, ...
-
News
Carlton sells film package to China's CCTV
The UK's Carlton International has sold a package of 15 films to Chinese broadcaster CCTV6. Titles include both classic and contemporary fare and range from Boys From Brazil, Sophie's Choice and Great Expectations from Carlton's ITC library to Often Running and Night To Remember from its Rank collection and Fire ...
-
News
MGM snaps up package of Allen titles
Bolstering its position in the library film sector, MGM has bought a package of 11 Woody Allen films. The titles were those made between 1982 and 1992 under the studio's production arrangement with Orion Pictures and include A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Broadway Danny Rose, Purple Rose Of Cairo, Radio ...
-
News
Pathe launches loyalty card scheme
French exhibition giant Pathe today launched a loyalty card scheme at its multiplex in Nantes. The scheme, which appears to be a response to the launch of a controversial card scheme by rival exhibitor UGC, is expected to be rolled out nationally.The new card, called Cine A Volonte, will cost ...
-
News
Romance director turns to period piece
With a penchant for dealing in subjects sexual there always was a danger of wide exposure for French auteur Catherine Breillat.The director of the controversial film Romance has begun work on The Old Mistress (Une Vieille Maitresse), which is to be produced through Jean-Francois Lepetit's Flach Film. The story is ...
-
News
Big Brother no longer hangs over Helkon
Endemol Entertainment, the Dutch TV production giant responsible for the worldwide Big Brother phenomenon, has sold its 25% stake in Helkon Media, setting the German producer-distributor free to pursue its own international expansion.Endemol said the move was part of a "strategic reorientation" of its activities that would focus the group ...
-
News
Media Asia unveils flotation plans
Hong Kong-based Media Asia is on course for a stockmarket flotation at the end of the year following last week's cash injection from hotels to internet group eSun. The new finance will underwrite expansion of the group's distribution and production operations. "We wanted a strategic investor, not just a financial ...
-
News
Vatel pushes Gaumont into the red
The poor box office performance of Roland Joffe's Cannes opener Vatel has sent French major Gaumont spinning into the red with a pre-tax loss of $12.5m (FF89m) in the first half of 2000 compared to profits of $5.1m (FF36m) in the first half of 1999.Gaumont's net loss added up to ...
-
News
CSA clears Vivendi Seagram merger
French broadcast regulator, the CSA, has today given its approval to the three-way merger between Canal Plus, Vivendi and Seagram. It was previously concerned that the full takeover of Canal Plus would breach the country's regulations on media ownership.The original takeover proposal involved the creation of a new company, Canal ...
-
News
Messier changes merger terms to win CSA approval
In a move that potentially clears the way towards clearance of the Vivendi-Canal Plus merger, Vivendi appears to be ready to keep more assets within the part of Canal Plus that will retain a separate identity.Vivendi boss Jean-Marie Messier is understood to have given control of the French subscriber base ...
-
News
Hong Kong's eSun buys stake in Media Asia
Ambitious Hong Kong producer and distributor Media Asia has found itself a major new backer in eSun Holdings, formerly Lai Sun Hotels International.The companies said that eSun will pay $12.8m (HK$100m) for 25% of Media Asia - with 20% coming from existing management and a further 5% made up of ...
-
News
Carlton names new boss as UK TV battle begins
Thanksgiving records collapsed over the five-day holiday weekend led by the phenomenal holdover success of Universal Pictures' Dr Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The family adventure took an estimated $73.8m from Wednesday to Sunday - about $52.4m over the Friday to Sunday period - bringing its ten day total ...
-
News
Brussels approves Vizzavi portal, with conditions
The European Commission's competition division has given its blessing to the establishment of Vizzavi, the multi-platform Internet portal launched last month by Vivendi and mobile phone group Vodafone Airtouch. However, approval came with conditions.The success of the portal is key to the proposed merger between Canal Plus, Vivendi and Seagram ...
-
News
Kosslick confirmed as head of Berlin Festival
After months of rumours, Dieter Kosslick was today confirmed as the new artistic head of the Berlin Film Festival. Kosslick will take over after next February's festival and organise his first in 2002. He succeeds Moritz De Hadeln, who after 20 years as festival head, was dropped suddenly in April ...