Small MPU – Page 1178

  • News

    Proposed new German film law comes under increasing fire

    2003-04-15T04:05:00Z

    The draft German Film Law has drawn further criticism from four film industry trade associations and a group of independent producers. The home entertainment trade body, the exhibitors association, the multiplexes' association and the arthouse cinemas' guild described the bill as "inconsistent, half-baked and not acting in solidarity".And while they ...

  • News

    More sex please, we're British

    2003-04-15T04:05:00Z

    There is a distinctly saucy atmosphere in the country which spawned the Carry On films and The Full Monty, with two cheeky British comedies starting shooting and a third tipped to become a hit when it opens later this year.UK distributor Helkon SK and Angad Paul, one of the financiers ...

  • News

    Danish director scores production hat trick

    2003-04-15T04:05:00Z

    The Danish Film Institute has put writer-director Jesper W. Nielsen (pictured) in a highly unusual situation for a Danish filmmaker. With its $792,700 (DKR 5.5m) backing for his new comedy Don't You Know John Lennon (working title), Nielsen will have had a new film released three years in a row. ...

  • News

    Mulher Policia wins top European Film Festival prize

    2003-04-15T04:05:00Z

    The 4th European Film Festival in Lecce, Southern Italy, awarded its top Ulivo d'Oro competition prize to Portuguese director Joaquim Sapinho's Mulher Policia. The Portuguese-Spanish-French production, which won Euros 5,000, tells the story of a young widow who helps her troubled teenage son run away from the police.The Reunion, a ...

  • News

    La Caja 507 wins Cognac festival main prize

    2003-04-15T04:05:00Z

    The 21st edition of the Cognac Festival of Film Policier closed Sunday night with Enrique Urbizu's La Caja 507 taking the grand prize. The Spanish film, which was nominated for two Goyas in 2002, also scored wins with the International Critics' Prize, the Special Police Prize - an award voted ...

  • News

    Toy Story 2 receives top honours at Imagina

    2000-02-07T19:51:00Z

    Toy Story 2 has won the grand prize at this year's Imagina (Jan 31-Feb 4), the Monte Carlo and Paris-based festival dedicated to 3D animation and special effects. The first Toy Story film - also directed by John Lasseter and produced by Disney-Pixar - picked up the same prize in ...

  • News

    Melvin, Devils win prizes at Avignon/New York Fest

    2003-04-15T04:00:00Z

    Bob Odenkirk's MelvinGoes to Dinner was named BestAmerican Feature and Christophe Ruggia's Les Diables (The Devils) Best French Feature at the 9th Avignon/New York Film Festival, whichended yesterday with an awards gala at (Apr 13) at New York University's Cantor Film Centre.The week-long festivalfeatured eight American and nine French features ...

  • News

    Ghosts has strong domestic opening on 97 screens

    2003-04-15T04:00:00Z

    WaldenMedia's IMAX 3-D Titanic documentary Ghosts Of The Abyss grossed more than $1.4m over the weekendthrough domestic distributor Buena Vista, a terrific result for the largescreen format that averaged $14,520 on 97 screens.Devised and shotby James Cameron, who directed the all-time highest grossing film Titanic, Ghosts Of The Abyss follows ...

  • News

    Scott wins plot of land at Taos Film Festival

    2003-04-15T04:00:00Z

    Campbell Scottcollected perhaps the most eccentric prize on the film festival circuit overthe weekend when his second solo feature Off The Map won five acres of New Mexico land at theninth Taos Talking Picture Film Festival's award gala.Chosen by thejury for its 'inventiveness and passion', the drama focuses on theeffect ...

  • News

    Simoes tops Columbia TriStar Italy

    2003-04-15T04:00:00Z

    Paulo Simoes hasbeen promoted to general manager of Columbia TriStar Films (CTF), Italy, basedin Rome, senior executive vice president of Columbia TriStar Film DistributorsInternational (CTFDI) Mark Zucker announced today (Apr 15).For the past twoyears, Simoes served as theatrical manager for CTF Italy, where he was involvedin the record-breaking opening of ...

  • News

    TLA creates new US home for foreign-language pictures

    2003-04-15T04:00:00Z

    SergioBianchi's sardonic political comedy Chronically Unfeasible, Shion Sono's Japanesemystery-comedy Suicide Club and Manuel Gomez Pereira's steamy Spanish thriller BetweenYour Legs are among themajor festival films that will feature in a new video series launched today byTLA Releasing in the domestic market.The year-round programme will see a new title released onDVD ...

  • News

    Johnny English laughs its way to $20m opening weekend

    2003-04-15T00:00:00Z

    A wideday-and-date international launch for UIP/Working Title's JohnnyEnglish has paid off with a massive $19.98m recorded over the weekend (April 11-13)from the 22 territories that received the spy spoof. Deliberately placed a week prior toEaster, the Peter Howitt-directed film firmly addressedfamily audiences and took the number one spot in ...

  • Reviews

    It's Raining Cows (Piovono Mucche)

    2003-04-15T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Luca Vendruscolo. Italy. 2003. 95 mins.Films about the disabled tend to fall into two camps: either they are 'you can do it!' Hollywood schmaltz-fests; or so rigidly worthy and politically correct that they end up boring the audience. This little Italian gem, however, which mixes able-bodied and handicapped actors, ...

  • News

    Four S.A. majors join Dv8 in digital film initiative

    2003-04-16T04:05:00Z

    South Africa's Rand Merchant Bank, The National Film & Video Foundation, broadcaster SABC2, and distributor Ster-Kinekor have partnered with Jeremy Nathan's & Joel Phiri's Dv8 films to produce and distribute four digital feature films per year over three years.Dv8, a feature film initiative originally launched at the end of ...

  • News

    French effects, post house files for bankruptcy protection

    2003-04-16T04:05:00Z

    French effects and post-production house Duran Duboi, which provided effects for Amelie, has filed for bankruptcy protection citing a downturn in the market.The crisis affects two of the group's main companies, Duran and Duboi - the former working in digital effects for television and the latter in digital effects for ...

  • News

    Children's films honoured at Swedish and German festivals

    2003-04-16T04:05:00Z

    At the fourth edition of the Swedish children's film festival Stockholm Film Festival Junior, Finnish production Hayflower And Quiltshoe (Heinahattu Ja Filttitossu) by Kaisa Rastimo won the award for best film. The Stockholm Film Festival Junior, which saw a record attendance of 7,000 young visitors this year, is further evidence ...

  • News

    Dudley-Smith expands WBITD role

    2000-02-10T00:06:00Z

    Malcolm Dudley-Smith has been promoted to senior vice president, sales and business development, at Warner Bros International Television Distribution where he will now oversee all sales activities in Latin America, Asia and Canada including pay, cable and free TV.Dudley-Smith will also continue to be responsible for identifying equity investments, strategic ...

  • News

    German producer readies Alone In The Dark adaptation

    2003-04-16T04:05:00Z

    Infogrames Entertainment's video arcade game Alone In The Dark is to be given the silver screen treatment by German director-producer Uwe Boll after his film version of Sega's cult game The House Of The Dead.Boll told Screendaily.com that this new feature, which will be financed by the private film fund ...

  • News

    Working Title prepares to shoot Shaun Of The Dead

    2003-04-16T04:05:00Z

    Working Title Films is to start shooting romantic zombie comedy Shaun Of The Dead in May, the UK-based production powerhouse confirmed on Tuesday.Edgar Wright, who directed hit TV series Spaced, is directing the story of a group of friends who encounter a literal night from hell at their local pub. ...

  • News

    US distributors facing p&a cost rises in Argentina

    2003-04-16T04:05:00Z

    The US majors in Argentina are facing an escalation of print production costs that is forcing them to dramatically reduce their local print runs.There is even talk of some form of strike by US majors in Argentina, where they are obliged to process their prints in a local laboratory, Cinecolor ...