Small MPU – Page 1180

  • News

    Bruce Willis drops out of Intermedia's Me Again

    2003-04-17T04:00:00Z

    Bruce Willis and independent giant Intermedia Films have partedcompany on the thriller Me Again due to creative differences, the company announced today (Apr16).Intermedia said it would remain on schedule with the LosAngeles-set film, which is due to go into production imminently.Cheyenne Enterprises, the production company run by Willis andpartner Arnold ...

  • News

    MEDIA programme to be extended to 2006

    2003-04-17T00:00:00Z

    The European Commission is to propose to the Council of Ministers and European Parliament that the existing MEDIA Plus and MEDIA Training programmes be extended for another year until the end of 2006. According to a statement, the aim of this extension would be "to ensure continuity of Community action ...

  • News

    Media funds pledge to invest in German industry

    2003-04-18T04:00:00Z

    German media funds have said they are willing to spend a set amount of the money they raise each year on films shooting in Germany.The move, announced by Verband Deutscher Medienfonds (VDM), the interest group founded last year by 18 of Germany's private media funds, is expected to bolster Germany's ...

  • News

    Top Italian animator prepares new feature

    2003-04-18T04:00:00Z

    Top Italian animation writer, Umberto Marino, whose credits include local blockbuster Lucky And Zorba, is set to direct a new feature film, entitled La Fiamma Sul Ghiaccio (A Flame On Ice).Scripted by Marino, the film, which he describes as "a very visual and extreme love story" will be produced through ...

  • News

    UK box office lagging despite English boost

    2003-04-17T00:00:00Z

    The combination of Working Title hit Johnny English and Disney animated sequel The Jungle Book 2 may have helped the UK box office to a 50% week-on-week rise last weekend, but figures were still down for the comparative weekend in 2002.The two new releases took top and second positions with ...

  • News

    Karlovy Vary unveils first films

    2003-04-17T00:00:00Z

    The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4-12) has unveiled its preliminary programme.Among the slate of films to screen in the main competition will be two of this year's local hits, Jan Hrebejk's Pupendo (pictured) and Juraj Nvota's Czech-Slovak co-production Cruel Joys. The Festival has also announced it will honour ...

  • Reviews

    Bon Voyage

    2003-04-17T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Jean-Paul Rappeneau. 2003. France. 114mins.Thirteen years after he adapted Jean Rostand's Cyrano De Bergerac and seven years after his swashbuckling take on Jean Giono's The Horseman On The Roof, Jean-Paul Rappeneau throws off the cultural shackles of the heritage feature and returns to his first love: the romantic adventure ...

  • News

    Head of development leaves Pathe UK

    2003-04-18T04:00:00Z

    Matt Gannon has decided to leave his position as head of development at Pathe's UK operation, managing director Francois Ivernel confirmed on Thursday.Although Gannon has developed some of the company's highest-profile productions - including The Magic Roundabout and Pride And Prejudice: The Bollywood Musical - Pathe is scaling back its ...

  • News

    Italian exhibitors issue formal complaint to MPAA, distributors, government

    2003-04-18T00:00:00Z

    Italian exhibitors have formally complained to the MPAA, distributors and the Italian government about the lack of big pictures that are to be released in Italy this summer - and warned that the situation will damage future growth prospects of the local industry. In a letter published by local trade ...

  • News

    Brussels loses FIAPF status

    2000-02-08T11:49:00Z

    The recently-wrapped Brussels International Film Festival has been stripped of its approved status, by the Paris-based International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF). FIAPF said that the Brussels IFF, which specialises in films from the European Union, had lost its accredited status as a result of its use of cassette ...

  • News

    Kenneth Rive memorial

    2003-04-21T04:05:00Z

    On Tuesday next week (April 29) anall-industry event will take place at the National Film Theatre to celebratethe life and work of Ken Rive, who died on December 30 at the age of 84.His involvement in the filmindustry started at an early age when his father went to work in ...

  • News

    Anger manages to quell all newcomers

    2003-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Jack Nicholsonand Adam Sandler continued to rule the charts as Columbia/Revolution's AngerManagement grossed aterrific $25.6m in its second weekend for an $80.3m running total, according tostudio estimates released today (Sunday).The hit comedyexpanded by 19 sites into a massive 3,570 theatres and looks good to retain thecrown next week, although it ...

  • News

    Vajna and Kassar prepare fantasy trilogy for Sony Pictures

    2003-04-21T06:00:00Z

    Andy Vajna andMario Kassar's C-2 Pictures, which produced one of the summer's mostanticipated pictures in Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, is preparing an epic fantasy trilogycalled Evermere whichhas landed at Sony Pictures. Describing the project as "Lord of The Rings meets Harry Potter," Vajna told Screen that he thought ...

  • News

    Lizzie McGuire, Pokemon at Tribeca Family Festival

    2003-04-21T00:00:00Z

    The worldpremiere of Lyman Dayton and Sam Pillsbury's drama Where the Red Fern Grows and New York premieres of Disney teencomedy The Lizzie McGuire Movie and Salma Hayek's directorial debut Maldonado Miracle are among the line-up for the TribecaFamily Festival, announced today (Apr 17). The Tribeca Family Festival runs onthe ...

  • News

    Anger unleashed in Australia with $2m opening

    2003-04-21T00:00:00Z

    In the firstmajor international release for its number one US film Anger Management, Columbia TriStar Film DistributorsInternational (CTFDI) opened the comedy at number one in Australia on anaggressive $2m.In a raft ofterritory records, this was the second biggest April bow (bettered only by TheMatrix in 1999), thebiggest ever bow for ...

  • News

    BVI's Jungle Book 2 crosses $60m mark

    2003-04-22T04:00:00Z

    Buena VistaInternational's The Jungle Book 2 raised its international running total to $60.4m after a$5.9m weekend session.Demonstrating several strong gains amid a sea of mostlymodest drops, the animated family sequel fell 8% on $1.4m in its second weekendin the UK for a $5.5m cumulative score.In Spain it rose14% to $1m ...

  • News

    Pandora takes international Sayles rights from IFC

    2003-04-22T04:00:00Z

    Pandora, the internationalsales arm of Gaylord Films, has acquired international sales rights to JohnSayles' latest film Casa De Los Babys from IFC Productions.Pandora's executivevice president of worldwide sales Shebnem Askin will show footage of the filmto buyers at Cannes next month; the film is being positioned for theVenice/Toronto festival season.Casa ...

  • News

    Monk strong in Taiwan day-and-date opening for Fox

    2003-04-22T04:00:00Z

    In the latest sign ofdistributors stepping up the war against piracy, Fox International rolled outthe martial arts action-thriller Bulletproof Monk in Taiwan on the same weekend it opened in the US.The Asian bow grossed$355,000 on 50 screens for a close second place finish behind Warner Bros'horror film Dreamcatcher.Elsewhere, Just Married ...

  • News

    Brazil's Moraes gets short film-maker award in Hollywood

    2003-04-22T04:00:00Z

    Gustavo Moraeswill receive this year's Fuji Filmmaker of the Year Award at the openingnight gala of the 2003 Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood on Apr 29. Thefestival runs from Apr 29-May 1.'Gustavo issuch a talented film-maker and we are so thrilled to be honoring him thisyear,' festival director Douglas ...

  • News

    Dreamcatcher rakes in $9.5m, Two Weeks Notice crosses $100m for Warner

    2003-04-22T00:00:00Z

    The Warner Bros romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice passed $100m at the international boxoffice over the weekend, although complete figures are still unavailable due tothe ongoing Easter holidays in most of Europe.The horror film Dreamcatcher soared, grossing $9.5m and 1.8m admissions from 2,463screens for a $15.7m international total including Village ...