Small MPU – Page 1139

  • News

    Planeta set to sell 10% stake in Telecinco

    2000-10-16T19:41:00Z

    Spanish publishing and multimedia giant Grupo Planeta looks set to sell off its entire 10% stake in private broadcaster Telecinco, and not just 5% as previously rumoured. Sources at Planeta said that talks are underway with Telecinco backer Mediaset to take at least a 5% share. But Planeta president Jose ...

  • Features

    United States - High roller

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Barry Mendel is speaking from the set of Peacock in Iowa, an intense drama featuring Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman and Josh Lucas, which is financed by Mandate Pictures. But Mendel is not on the phone to talk about that intriguing project but another Ellen Page-starrer with ...

  • Features

    United Kingdom - Hard truths, soft money

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Earlier this spring, when the UK government clamped down on "sole trader" schemes, it seemed like the last hurrah for a gold rush era in UK film financing. The old Section 48 and Section 42 tax reliefs were no longer in place. A period in which hundreds of millions of ...

  • Features

    United Kingdom - Burning bright

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Poetry is a drug really, it goes into your head and it sticks," says the Oscar-winning writer-director Jane Campion. If that is her drug, Campion is getting plenty of buzz from her latest project Bright Star - the story of the unlikely love affair poet John Keats had with his ...

  • Features

    Germany - Funding station

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Look, it's not Speed Racer. It's not Iron Man. But this is a quality film, it's really fun and it's an amazing cast," says Jens Meurer of Egoli Tossell, the German producer of Michael Hoffman's English-language The Last Station, now shooting in Cologne.Set in 1910, the film tells the story ...

  • News

    Harris to join Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers

    2000-10-16T19:46:00Z

    Ed Harris is expected to join Joaquin Phoenix in the cast of Buffalo Soldiers, FilmFour's $15m tale of US soldiers stationed in West Germany circa 1989.Anna Paquin is also understood to be in talks to star in the film, which starts shooting in Germany next month. Directed by Gregor Jordan, ...

  • Features

    International - Iron man still rules

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    Four new entries broke into the top 10 in this week's international chart with What Happens In Vegas and Speed Racer debuting in second and third position respectively.Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher star in the romantic comedy What Happens In Vegas as strangers who wake up after a night of ...

  • Features

    International - Building up sticks

    2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

    The global summer season may have just kicked off with Iron Man, but one big film has been warming up the French box office since its release in February. Pathe's Welcome To The Sticks (Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis) took $40.2m on its first week on release on February 27, 465% ...

  • News

    TrustNordisk racks up sales for projects including Mammoth, Dark Floors

    2008-05-23T10:40:00Z

    At its first Cannes as a joint operation, TrustNordisk has reported multiple sales on its Cannes slate. Deals closed include Dark Floors to Japan (Presidio Corporation) and Germany (MIG), Go With Peace Jamil to Portugal (Pantheon), The Green Butchers to Hungary (Cirko), and Heaven's Heart and Just Another Love Story ...

  • News

    Eleven Arts sells Man, Woman & the Wall to US-UK

    2008-05-23T10:47:00Z

    US-Japanese sales agent Eleven Arts has sold US and UK rights for Masashi Yamamoto's Man, Woman & The Wall (Kikareta Onna) to TLA Releasing. Eleven Arts is handling the title for Tokyo-based producer Transformer. Billed as an erotic suspense thriller, the film stars famed adult film performer Sora Aoi as ...

  • News

    Goalpost takes on sales for Al-Daradji's Um-Hussein

    2008-05-23T10:49:00Z

    UK-based sales company Goalpost has come on board for world sales of Mohamed Al-Daradji's Um-Hussein.Al-Daradji previously made Oscar submission Ahlaam and War, Love, God and Madness. The project is being backed by the UK Film Council's Develpment Fund, Fond Sud (CNC), Screen Yorkshire's Development Fund, and the Kurdish and Iraqi ...

  • News

    Met Film student shoots Kenya-based Ndugu

    2008-05-23T10:55:00Z

    Aman Sahota, a student at London's Met Film School, has just finished the Kenya-based shoot for her short film Ndugu (Brother). Fellow students Judy Tjin, Michael Ghelfi and Ricardo Nunes assisted with the shoot.Kenya-born Aman wrote, directed, shot and co-produced the film about two friends from different tribes. She wrote ...

  • News

    Fandango Portobello continues strong Gomorrah sales

    2008-05-23T12:15:00Z

    Fandango Portobello sales has closed deals with eight additional territories for Matteo Garrone's competition screener Gomorrah, which has earned $4.9 million (E 3.1 million) at the Italian box office since its release a week ago.Sales have been confirmed with Spain (Alta Classics), Greece (Film Trade), Israel (Orlando), Russia (Maywin Media), ...

  • Reviews

    Ocean Flame

    2008-05-23T17:24:00Z

    Dir: Liu Fendou. Hong Kong. 2008. 130minThis over-stylized tale of mad love Hong Kong-style, featuring gangsters and copious sex and nudity, plays like a more modest but no less ambitious companion piece of sorts to last year’s steamy Lust, Caution. Tailored for a western audience, its ...

  • News

    Warlords conquers more territories including India, Brazil

    2008-05-23T17:41:00Z

    Hong Kong-based Media Asia Distribution has sealed several more deals on Peter Ho-sun Chan's The Warlords, including the sale of Indian rights to Palador Pictures. The war epic, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, also went to Rialto for Australia, Imagem for Brazil and Dutch Filmworks for Benelux.Rialto ...

  • News

    Ed Gein wins best film award at Sitges

    2000-10-16T19:48:00Z

    US title Ed Gein, directed by Chuck Parello, walked away the big winner on Saturday from the International Film Festival of Catalunya, better known as Sitges (October 5-14).The horror film about the real-life serial killer who inspired films such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence Of The ...

  • News

    Imagina sells Chef's Special to 20+ territores.

    2008-05-23T19:03:00Z

    Nacho G Velilla's debut feature Chef's Special has been sold by Imagina sales to several key territories, including the US, on the back of its success at the Spanish box office. TLA releasing has taken rights to the family comedy for the US, Canada, UK and Ireland; Cine, Video Y ...

  • News

    Lanners' Eldorado takes Europa Cinemas Label in Cannes

    2008-05-23T19:12:00Z

    Belgian director Bouli Lanners' Eldorado has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in the Directors' Fortnight section in Cannes.This marks Europa Cinemas sixth year giving the prize; last year's winner was Anton Corbijn's Control.The jury was comprised of four exhibitors: Christine Beauchemin-Flot (France); Maeve Cooke (Ireland); Mark ...

  • News

    Liberation takes US rights to Just Buried

    2008-05-24T01:40:00Z

    Liberation Entertainment has picked up US rights from Submarine Entertainment to Chaz Thorne's horror tale Just Buried.The fledgling distributor plans an autumn release for the Trilogy Entertainment and Standing 8 Productions film, which premiered at Toronto last year.Jay Bucharel and Rose Byrne star in the story of a man who ...

  • News

    Elad Keidan's Anthem wins Cinefondation top award

    2008-05-24T08:39:00Z

    The Cannes Cinefondation has awarded Elad Keidan's Anthem with its top prize.The film hails from Israel's Sam Speigel Film & TV School. Each of the contenders for the Cinefondation prize comes from a film school student.This year 17 films from Asia, Europe, North and South America vied in the competition. ...