All articles by Sandy George – Page 45
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SPAA plans private development fund
Australia is to utilise its existing framework for pooleddevelopment funds (PDFs) to get more development money into the film industryand help provide producers with earnings between projects.The scheme is being put together by the Screen ProducersAssociation of Australia and Content Capital, one of two companies given theright to raise private ...
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Brown, Lake named producers of the year
Chris Brown was named independent producer of the year,while Trish Lake was named feature film producer of the year at the annualconference of the Screen Producers Association of Australia.Lake was producer on Gettin'Square alongside Martin Fabinyi and Tim White, and only moved recently intofilm from book publishing, although her early ...
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Oz production slumps as foreign investment soars
New research confirms that service work on US films issoaring while Australian features remain in the doldrums in terms of numbersmade and budget levels, while co-productions have practically disappeared.Only 15 homegrown films worth A$134m were made in the 12months to June 30, according to the Australian Film Commission's latest annualsurvey, ...
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Filming suspended on Vincent Ward's River Queen
In the face of rumours of trouble on the set, it has beenannounced that director Vincent Ward's RiverQueen has been delayed due to the illness of UK actress Samantha Morton,but that she remains committed to the project and the delays are covered byinsurance."She has been treated in hospital for severe ...
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Johnny To undertakes first production as financier
Milkyway Image, prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To's production entity, is to make its first investment in a film, despite the company having produced about 30 films since the mid-1990s.Election (working title) tracks a democratic election held within the world of triads, a subject To confidently expects to have strong ...
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Film New Zealand elects new chairman
David Madigan, former technicians guild president, is the new chair of Film New Zealand, which is responsible for marketing the country's filmmaking talents to the world.Elected deputy chair was Sue Thompson, ceo of Peter Jackson's Film Unit and Park Road Post and chair for four years up to when the ...
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Scottish producer Meek named head of drama at Australia's ABC
Scottish producer Scott Meek is relocating to Australia totake up the role of head of drama at public broadcaster the ABC.Meek was involved in such features as Velvet Goldmine, Sid And Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears when chief executive at Zenith Productions. Hehas served on the British Film Institute ...
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AUSTRALIA 2 August
Fahrenheit 9/11from Hopscotch outperformed UIP's TheChronicles Of Riddickon the weekend despite beingon 110 less screens. Theywere in thesecond and thirdspots in thechart respectively. Bothfilms were intheir first weekof official release,although 9/11 was buoyedby two weeks of previews-- and continuing debate onjust how closelyAustralia should alignitself with theUS.Fahrenheit 9/11took A$1,643,953 from116 ...
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NEW ZEALAND 2 August
The Chronicles OfRiddick opened in cinemas on the weekend and pushed I, Robot off the top spot, but there wasn't much between them. Riddick took NZ$385,766 from 47 screensfor UIP, while I, Robot tookNZ$354,212 from 60 screens in its second week on release.In third was Fahrenheit9/11 on its first official ...
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Colosimo, McKenzie sign on for Australian-UK co-production
Vince Colosimo (Lantana,Chopper) and Jacqueline McKenzie (RomperStomper, Angel Baby) are to star in director Peter Cattaneo's UK/Australianco-production Pobby And Dingan forsales agent Renaissance Films.The drama starts its eight-week shoot from August 19. Thesetting is the remote Australian opal town of Coober Pedy and filming will alsotake place in the city ...
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FFC pledges backing to Jindabyne, Revelation
Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) has pledged fundingon a conditional basis to Jindabyne, arelationship drama with mystery elements by Lantana director Ray Lawrence, and The Book OfRevelation, a follow-up to HeadOn for director Ana Kokkinos.Content International has world sales rights for The BookOf Revelation, which Kokkinos and AndrewBovell have adapted ...
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AUSTRALIA 26 July
In its second weekof previews, Fahrenheit 9/11 tookA$1,134,249 for Hopscotch from 89 screens to claim the third spot after I, Robot and King Arthur. This is an amazing result for a political documentaryand especially for one that is yet to officially open.I, Robot, in its opening weekend for 20th Century ...
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NEW ZEALAND 26 July
I, Robot grossed NZ$619,601 from 60 screens for 20th Century Fox in its firstweekend, taking top honours in the box office chart and pushing Shrek 2 down into second place.The green ogre tookNZ$239,178 from 84 screens for UIP. It has lead the chart for four of the sixweeks it has ...
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Veteran producers to pitch at SPAAMart
The 14 Australian and six New Zealand projects in thepre-financing market SPAAMart in Queensland next month include second featuresfrom the directors Ana Kokkinos (Head On),Ivan Sen (Beneath Clouds), andChristina Andreef (Soft Fruit).Producers coming with projects include Jan Chapman (ThePiano, Lantana), Trevor Haysom (InMy Father's Den), Daniel Scharf (RomperStomper), Martin Fabinyi ...
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Oz funding body gets proactive about scripts
In a challenge to Australia's filmmaker-is-kingculture, state agency the Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC) istesting a couple of US people for the job of in-house development executive.PFTC head of production Henry Tefay is looking for someonewho understands cinematic storytelling and reaching audiences, could well takeexecutive producer credits on projects ...
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AUSTRALIA 5 July
Columbia TriStar secured 441 prints for Spider-Man 2 for its opening weekend, four more than UIP's Shrek 2 was released on two weeksearlier, but the A$7,132,602 gross of the red superhero came nowhere nearneither the first nor the second weekend of the green giant.Five openers besides Spideyhit the chart on ...
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NEW ZEALAND 5 July
Spider-Man 2grossed NZ$1,156,748 from 75 screens on its opening weekend for ColumbiaTriStar. The result secured it the top position but only just: the filmattracted only about NZ$3,500 more in ticket sales than UIP's Shrek 2, which is in its third weekendin cinemas and is on 10 more screens.The best performer ...
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Hopscotch takes Oz rights to 2046
Distributor Hopscotch has taken all Australian rights toWong Kar Wai's 2046 fromFortissimo Film Sales.Hopscotch managing director Troy Lum plans to release whathe calls the "scifiesque film" later this year or early next. Lumreleased Wong's previous film In The Mood For Love while he was still working at Dendy."It did reasonably ...
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Restored classic, period piece are toast of Sydney
The 85-year-old Australian silent film The SentimentalBloke, directed by prolific pioneer filmmaker Raymond Longford, anddirector Ondrej Trojan's Czech Republic/Austria/Slovakia period film Zelarywere the audience favourites at the Sydney Film Festival's two key venues.The festival wrapped on Saturday June 26 and organisers saythat the 132,500 admissions represented a 9% increase on ...
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Wax fire destroys Oz soundstage
A so-called controlled fire sequence on the set of HouseOf Wax went badly wrong on Saturday evening (June 27), sparking a blazethat destroyed one of the eight soundstages at Queensland's Warner RoadshowStudios.Aspokesperson for the film's publicist, Denis Davidson Associates, said thatthree sets and all the camera and sound equipment were ...