All articles by Sandy George – Page 64
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Jacqui Feeney promoted to CEO of World Movies
Jacqui Feeney has been promoted to chief executive officer of Australian pay-TV channel World Movies and Irene Anast has left her role of research and planning manager at pay TV platform Austar to take Feeney's old position of channel manager. Feeney replaces Hugh Watt, who retired from the business some ...
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Oz movie convention boasts stellar line-up
Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush will accept the international star of the year award during Australia On Show, the first night of the 56th Australian International Movie Convention, being held at Queensland's Gold Coast from Aug 14 to 18. Eric Bana will be named the Australian star of the year for his ...
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Hoyts Cinemas returns to Oz distribution
Major Australian exhibitor Hoyts has acknowledged that it will be re-entering the distribution business and announced that the head of the new division will be Robert Slaviero, who recently stepped down from his role of managing director at 20th Century Fox Film Distributors in Australia. It will acquire both international ...
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Scarfies producer Lisa Chatfield joins NZFC board
Wellington-based producer Lisa Chatfield is one of three new members appointed to the board of the New Zealand Film Commission. Chatfield produced the 1997 film Scarfies, the fourth biggest local hit in the last decade. Arts patron, former exhibitor and producer of the 1993 film Desperate Remedies, James Wallace, and ...
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Becker Entertainment tempted by Bennett's thriller
Becker Entertainment has acquired Australasian rights to local writer/director Bill Bennett's US film Tempted from TF1 and will release it early next year. The sexual thriller about betrayal, passion and deceit was shot entirely on location in the stately homes and surrounding swamps of New Orleans. Peter Facinelli plays a ...
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Oz tax confusion hurts location shooting prospects
Australia's Government has been publicly lambasted for prolonging confusion about whether tax laws actually allow Australian investors to get relief when they support offshore productions such as Moulin Rouge that shoot in the country.The outburst, by New South Wales Treasurer Michael Egan, coincided with the revelation that the Australian ...
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Beyond adds Ron Saunders to production stable
Beyond International has added Ron Saunders to its stable of joint venture production companies.Pacific & Beyond will focus on emerging international opportunities in quality children's television, features and documentary. Saunders is best known for his children's programming and animation. He has been both an independent producer and held senior positions ...
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Australian exhibitors appoint industry negotiator
The Cinema Owners Association of Australia (COAA) has appointed exhibitor Andrew Halkett as a negotiator, a role that positions him between members and film distributors when disagreements occur over film policy or terms.The appointment is one of a number of outcomes and changes that have flowed from meetings this month ...
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Brisbane fest launches feature competition
The Brisbane International Film Festival's tenth anniversay edition is mounting a retrospective on the work of Roman Polanski and a spotlight on the new UK directors such as Jonathan Glazer. Australian film La Spagnola, starring Spanish actor Lola Marceli, opens the event, which runs July 26-August 4. Glazer's Sexy Beast ...
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AFC increases producers' development fund
The Australian Film Commission (AFC) has put aside $596,000 (A$1.16m) in public money for this financial year for producers -- and writer/directors in exceptional circumstances - to develop a slate of projects. This is nearly double last year's allocation although the cap on individual awards remains $35,975 (A$70,000). The extra ...
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Four films break Australian drought
Australian government agency: the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) has approved investment in features for the first time since March, when funds for the 2000/2001 year ran dry.First is Craig Lahiff's Black And White starring Robert Carlyle, based on the true story of injustice done to an Aboriginal man. A rare ...
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Seven Network partners with magazine group
Australia's Seven Network has announced it is to spend $33m (A$65m) to take a 50% interest in PMP Limited's many magazine businesses, which include the titles New Idea, TV Week, That's Life and Home Beautiful. The deal also includes the magazine distribution company Gordon and Gotch and an option for ...
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Moulin Rouge outdances Strictly Ballroom in Oz
Baz Luhrmann's compatriots have voted Moulin Rouge the best of his films - with their wallets. In its seventh week on release in Australia it has overtaken his debut Strictly Ballroom to become the fourth biggest local film ever, with a domestic gross of $11.3m (A$22.4m). Strictly Ballroom grossed $8.11m ...
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Divided We Fall wins UIP prize at Sydney festival
Czech Director Jan Hrebejk's Divided We Fall was voted the inaugural winner of the UIP-sponsored Prix UIP for best European film at the Sydney Film Festival.The prize, awarded in the contemporary world cinema section, carries a cash prize of $12,930 (Euros15,000) for producers Ondrej Trojan and Pavel Borovan.Audiences also voted ...
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Alibrandi producer takes ABC role
Robyn Kershaw, the producer of last year's award-winning film Looking For Alibrandi, will take up the role of head of drama at Australian national broadcaster ABC from July 2. Changes to ABC staffing, programming and operations have been the source of some controversy over the past year, with managing director ...
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Australia moves towards film-friendly tax rules
Taking a leaf out of film-friendly tax laws in countries such as Canada, Ireland and the UK, Australia has taken a first step towards film-specific legislation providing a clear-cut pathway for local taxpayers to invest in offshore films shooting in Australia. Australians, in theory at least, can invest in such ...
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Australia's Southern Star posts 35% rise in sales
Australia's Southern Star Group registered sales revenues of $101m (A$193m) in the 12 months to March 31, a 35% rise over the previous year. The company's operating profit before tax and abnormals was $4.4m, double the previous result. Executive chair Neil Balnaves attributed the improvement to better cost controls, foreign ...
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Kimatrai to take over Fox office in Australia
Korean cinemas were besieged by a raft of new releases, but it was not the predicted winner that took the spot. Beating Blade II, was CJ Entertainment's unlikely blockbuster The Way Home. It also had a mighty impressive two-day screen average of $13,700.It is the story of a seven-year old ...
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Oz industry reacts bitterly to tight Govt budget
"We are fighting for survival," said Catriona Hughes, chief executive of Australia's Film Finance Corporation (FFC), in reaction to the very small increases for film announced in this week's budget.Other commentators noted that the proposed A$50m budget for the FFC, the Australian industry's biggest film investor, is only half that ...
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Australia unveils $16m funding boost
Australian film-makers and Australia-based productions have secured a funding boost worth $16.6m (A$31.6m) for the next four years from the state government of Victoria.Film production secured an extra $8.2m over the period, bringing the toal available to about three times current levels. Local film administration and support agency Film Victoria, ...