Small MPU – Page 1015
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News
Kung Fu Panda breaks China record for animated features
Paramount Pictures International's Kung Fu Panda has become the highest-grossing animation ever in mainland China, raking in $14.6m (RMB100m) in ten days. The film is also the first animated feature film that has grossed over RMB100m, which is generally seen as a benchmark for blockbuster films in China.Previously, the best-selling ...
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Admisions down 8% in Argentina for first six months 2008
Cinema attendance figures in Argentina dropped by an estimated 8% for the first half of 2008. The period saw 16.7 million admissions as opposed to 18.2 million in 2007.However, total box office gross was 11% up from last year because of a 23% rise in the average ticket price. Hollywood ...
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New Zealand adjusts its 40% grant for local films
The New Zealand Government has dropped the expenditure threshold by $760,000 (NZ$1m) to $3m (NZ$4m) for New Zealand films and New Zealand co-productions wanting to claim back 40% of this expenditure under the new Screen Production Incentive Fund (SPIF). The initiative was announced in May and, since then, the government ...
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Cracks sells to StudioCanal for France, UK, Benelux
StudioCanal has taken all rights for the UK, France and Benelux for Jordan Scott's debut feature Cracks. (StudioCanal's Optimum Releasing will handle the UK release.)Also, Alain Goldman's Legende Enterprises (La Vie En Rose) has joined the project, which is backed by Scott Free, Future Films and HandMade Films International.The Irish ...
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Metrodome plans multi-platform UK release of CSNY Deja Vu
Metrodome Distribution has announced plans for a simultaneous multi-platform release for Neil Young's CSNY Dejà Vu.Metrodome will release the concert documentary in cinemas and on video-on-demand platfomrs FilmFlex (Virgin Media) and 4oD (Channel 4) on July 18.Peter Urie, CEO of Metrodome, said: 'We are very excited to be offering consumers ...
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Canada's Alliance Atlantis bans Globe and Mail critics
Canadian distributor Alliance Atlantis has banned critics from the Globe and Mail newspaper from its advance previews.According to a source at the newspaper, Globe reviewers stopped receiving invitations to screenings during the past week. When they made inquiries, they were told the paper was banned for the foreseeable future. The ...
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Sarajevo Panorama section to open Aug 15 with 24 City
The Sarajevo Film Festival (Aug 15-23) has unveiled this year's Panorama section, which 'strives to bridge avant-garde and mainstream films with exceptional narrative films.'Panorama will open Aug 15 with Jia Zhang-ke's 24 City and will close with Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale. Both were well received in Cannes Competition.The other ...
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Tilda Swinton launches unusual film festival in Scotland
Actress Tilda Swinton has unveiled plans for the newest, most unusual film festival in the UK. The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema Of Dreams, as the event is currently called, will take place over 8 1/2 days in a Ballroom in Nairn, in the north-east of Scotland, next month (Aug 15-23).The festival ...
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Germany's DFFF extended from 2010 to 2012
The German Government has agreed to extend the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) for another three years from 2010 to 2012 with an annual budget of $94.2m (Euros 60m).The DFFF's incentive scheme was launched at the beginning of last year with an annual budget of $ 94.2m (Euros 60m) for ...
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Renaissance adds Gilliam, Hytner projects to slate
Terry Gilliam has for the second time this year secured financing out of Europe for a large-scale production, partnering with the UK's Renaissance Films to direct $50m comic fantasy Good Omens. Renaissance has also announced that it will handle Los Alamos, a $25m romantic thriller to be directed by Nicholas ...
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BAFTA calls for UK foreign-language Oscar submissions
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will again be the organisation appointed by AMPAS to select the UK's submission for consideration for the Foreign Language Oscar in 2009.Producers and distributors must declare their intention to submit UK foreign-language films by July 22 to deenam@bafta.org.Eligible films must have been ...
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Zbanic, Belvaux, Radford films backed by Eurimages
At its 111th meeting (June 29-July 1), the Board of Management of the Council of Europe's Eurimages Fund has announced its latest funding round of $6.7m (Euros 4.275m) to 12 feature co-productions.The backed films are:The Flowers of Kirkuk - Fariborz Kamkari (Italy, France, Switzerland) Na Putu - Jasmila Zbanic (Bosnia ...
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Alex Cox plans Repo Man sequel Repo Chick
Maverick British writer-director Alex Cox (Sid & Nancy, Walker) is plotting a follow-up to his 1984 cult hit, Repo Man.Cox has already completed the screenplay for the project, Repo Chick, and is looking for studio backing. The original Repo Man was distributed domestically by Universal.The new film comes billed as ...
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Asia House launches new UK festival at London's Renoir
Asia House will launch the first Asia House Festival of Asian Film this August in London.The series will screen films from Singapore, South Korea, Iran, Indonesia and China.Asia House is partnering with Curzon Cinemas for the showcase of festival favourites.The event runs Aug 22-28 at London's Renoir Cinema. The opening ...
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Jan-Pelgrom de Haas takes CEO post at Kinowelt Group
Jan-Pelgrom de Haas has been appointed as CEO of the Kinowelt Group with immediate effect as the successor to Bertil Le Claire who stepped down from this post at the end of May.Commenting on the choice of de Haas, Kinowelt's founders Michael and Rainer Koelmel said that the 45-year-old media ...
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SPRI unleashes Hancock on 5,500 prints across the world
Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) unleashes Will Smith in half the world's multiplexes this weekend to tie in with the action picture's Independence Day holiday launch in North America.The story of an alcoholic superhero who makes good will touch down on approximately 5,500 prints in 50 territories.Despite a mostly lukewarm ...
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UK film-makers should spread co-production wings, conference told
Co-productions may open up opportunities to UK film-makers that are restricted by thelimitationsinlocal film finance, the third International Screenwriters Festival in Cheltehnam was told.Producer Mike Downey of Film and Music Entertainmentsaid international deals were an opportunity for UK film-makers to sidestep the usual cornerstone funders of British film: Channel 4, ...
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Screen Opinion: Feel the fear and do it anyway
A word that has recurred with increasing frequency over the last few weeks is 'scary'.It is not an unknown word, of course: film is a scary business. It is, at heart, about betting the house on predictions of future audiences' tastes, and showing blind faith in a limited distribution infrastructure.Showing ...
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In Focus: World cinema arrives in India
Despite its huge population, India is still classed as a tiny territory by international sales agents, one where even the US studios have failed to make much of a dent in the Bollywood juggernaut.But whereas Indian buyers used to pick up occasional genre films to squeeze in around local product ...
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In Focus: Fox Filmed Entertainment
When New Regency's adventure movie Jumper opened through Fox in Korea in February, Fox co-chairman and co-CEO Jim Gianopulos called New Regency president of filmed entertainment Sanford Panitch to deliver the good news.The film had grossed $4.8m to score Fox's seventh biggest ever opening in the territory.But, Panitch recalls, that ...