All articles by Sandy George – Page 69
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Southern Star expands TV production slate
Australia's Southern Star is stepping up television production with five new projects, worth a combined $17m (A$30m), including The Rubicon, a co-production with the UK's Warner Sisters.The slate, according to Southern Star Entertainment CEO Errol Sullivan, represents 18 months of intensive work finding new financing pathways that avoid the dangers ...
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Harrison to step down from NSW film office
Michelle Harrison resigned today (August 29) from her key role as manager of development and finance at the New South Wales Film and Television Office (NSWFTO) in order to raise money for her own project.Harrison plans to will leave her post in late November. During her two-and-a-half years with the ...
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ABS finds one third of Oz households on-line
The number of Australian households with internet access grew to 2.3 million or 33% in the 12 months to May 2000 according to research conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The figure compares to 22% in May 1999.The ABS also found that nearly half of Australia's adult population ...
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Oz exhibs slash ticket prices to counter Olympics
Australia's three major exhibitors are dropping their ticket prices by more than 60% during September in anticipation of a downturn in business as a result of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.The move was lead by Hoyts, which also took into consideration the extended school holidays in some parts of ...
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AFC confirms Zeccola, Barron appointments
Australia's arts minister Peter McGauran has announced that Antonio Zeccola, who founded and owns local distributor Palace Films and co-owns Palace Cinemas with Village Roadshow, has been appointed to the board of the Australian Film Commission (AFC). He also confirmed that Southern Star executive Maureen Barron is to stay on ...
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Mushroom, Screen Artists team up for Horseplay
Australia's Mushroom Pictures is working with Stavros Kazantzidis and Allanah Zitserman's production company Screen Artists on Horseplay, a darkly comic tale about a madcap plan to rig Australia's most famous annual horse race, the Melbourne Cup. Casting on the project, which Kazantzidis will direct, is underway. The feature will be ...
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Channel 4 boards Southern Star's Secret Life
The UK's Channel 4 has boarded Australian production outfit Southern Star Entertainment's The Secret Life Of Us, marking its first pre-production commitment to a long-running Australian series. Australia's Network Ten and pay-TV entity Optus Television are also partners in the 22-hour $5.3m (A$9m) series. Southern Star describes it as "a ...
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Seven wins access to Telstra network
Australia's Federal Court has dismissed appeals from telecommunications giant Telstra and pay-TV provider Foxtel against a decision to give Seven Network access to Telstra's broadband cable network.Seven was first granted access earlier this year (Screendaily, March 29) and now looks to have secured it, providing the aggrieved parties don't take ...
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My Mother Frank wins Melbourne vote
Audiences favoured home-grown films at this year's Melbourne Film Festival (July 19-August 6). My Mother Frank, directed by Sydney-based Mark Lamprell, scooped the Stella Artois Award for most popular film, while Melbourne director Paul Cox scored second and third spot with Innocence and Molokai: The Story Of Father Damien. A ...
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Oz producers, directors claim copyright victory
Australia's parliament has passed the Copyright Digital Agenda Bill prompting both directors and producers to issue media statements claiming they have won the long-running battle over directors' copyright. The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) claimed victory on the basis that the new legislation was passed without the controversial amendment ...
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Oz ratings chief speaks out on screen violence
Des Clark, director of Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), has claimed that Australians are concerned about rising levels of screen violence, and plans to take this into account in a review of the film classification system to take place next year.The most serious concerns are about violence ...
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Verhoeven to replace Jones as head of AFI
Australian broadcaster and critic Deb Verhoeven will replace Ruth Jones as chief executive of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) which is currently under-going a period of uncertainty following a reduction in funding.Jones will have been with the AFI for five years when she departs on August 30. AFI chair Denny ...
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Sydney Film Festival plans to get competitive
The Sydney Film Festival will become a competitive event for new directors, probably starting with its 50th edition in 2003, if it raises enough funding. The International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF), which accredits international film festivals, has already given its formal approval for the plan.Sydney director Gayle Lake ...
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Village Ten Online rebrands as SCAPE
Australia's Network Ten and Village Roadshow have rebranded their joint internet portal, previously known as Village Ten Online, as SCAPE. Exhibitor-distributor Village and broadcaster Ten signed the joint venture late last year and plan to launch the leisure-oriented portal later this year. Among the services on offer will be on-line ...
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Shunji, Zhang join line-up at third Pusan market
Several established Asian directors, including Japan's Iwai Shunji, Korea's Jang Sun-Woo and China's Zhang Yuan, will present projects at the third Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP), which runs alongside this year's Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea.A total of 22 projects from 11 countries will be attempting to raise finance ...
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UIP crowned king at Oz box office awards
UIP's Australian release of Gladiator took the top prize at the Australian Box Office Achievement Awards due to it's hefty A$30m gross. UIP and rival distributor Buena Vista International (BVI) each released seven of the 22 films that reached the all-important A$10m mark during the 12 months to June 30.UIP ...
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Technicolor invests in Southern Star Duplitek
US-based video, CD, DVD and film print manufacturer Technicolor is investing $19m (A$33m) in Australia's Southern Star Duplitek, which will use $16m (A$28m) of the cash to acquire rival optical disc manufacturer Pacific Mirror Image (PMI). Both companies will then assume responsibility for new capital expenditures at PMI totalling about ...
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My Mother Frank wins audience vote at Brisbane
Australian writer-director Mark Lamprell's debut film My Mother Frank was voted best film by audiences at the 9th Brisbane International Film Festival (July 26-August 6).Other favourite features at the event were Nabbie's Love (Japan) in second place followed by Under The Sun (Sweden), Better Than Sex (Australia), Gigantic (Germany), Titus ...
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Australia's Chopper tops local box office
Australian title Chopper has grossed an impressive $0.7m (A$1.2m) from 132 screens in its opening four days in its home territory, giving Australia its third resounding local hit this year. The Palace release, which grossed an additional $176,000 (A$300,000) in previews, is also Australia's second number one domestic title this ...
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Oz distribs choose weapons for exhibitor show
UIP has chosen to screen Billy Elliot for the hundreds of exhibitors who have booked to go to the annual Australian International Movie Convention, scheduled for August 8-12 in Queensland. Columbia TriStar will be showing off Hollow Man and 20th Century Fox has chosen What Lies Beneath. The two films ...