Small MPU – Page 1574

  • News

    Adjani to receive special tribute at Montreal Film Festival 2004

    2003-12-10T00:00:00Z

    Next year'sMontreal World Film Festival will pay tribute to French actress IsabelleAdjani. Making the announcement, MWFF president Serge Losique deemed Ms. Adjani"an extraordinary artist, an actress who is equally at home in transformingherself into her films' profound and exceptional characters or playingseemingly light roles with an expert touch." Despite thisyear's ...

  • News

    ITALY

    2003-12-10T00:00:00Z

    Sofia Coppola's Oscar hopeful Lost In Translation opened on a high at the Italian box office, scoring the weekend's second highest screen average after BVI's Finding Nemo with a superb $6,250 per screen.On its first release in a major international territory, the Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen picture, which screened ...

  • News

    Nippon Herald to slash Hollywood acquisitions

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    Leading Japanese independent distributor Nippon Herald plans to reduce its acquisition of major Hollywood titles to improve revenues in its film distribution business.This year, the company recorded an $11.8m loss in operating profit in the half year from April to September. The main cause of the decline was ...

  • News

    BAFTA Scotland to launch annual awards event

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    BAFTA Scotland is to establish an annual awards ceremony recognising excellence in the Scottish screen industries. The organisation hosted a major ceremony every two years throughout the 1990s until the Scottish Media Group (SMG) withdrew their support for the event in 1999. SMG owns Scottish Television and Grampian Television. BAFTA ...

  • News

    India's distribution, box office system to be upgraded

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    India's chronically out-dated film distribution and box-office infrastructure is set to enter the 21st century with the announcement of a major distribution tie-up between Zee Telefilms and Rajshri Pictures.The companies will jointly distribute films produced, co-produced and acquired through the 20 distribution offices of Rajshri in India. Zee is one ...

  • News

    Montreal film fest to fete Adjani

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    Next year's Montreal World Film Festival will pay tribute to French actress Isabelle Adjani. Making the announcement, MWFF president Serge Losique deemed Ms. Adjani 'an extraordinary artist, an actress who is equally at home in transforming herself into her films' profound and exceptional characters or playing seemingly light roles with ...

  • News

    Committee appointed for alternative Diagonale

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    The alternative Diagonale (3-7 March, 2004) has taken another major step forward towards realisation with the appointment of a seven-person committee to select the films and programme the festival.The programme committee's members are: film journalist Frank Arnold, film academic Robert Buchschwenter, film academic Birgit Flos, curator and writer Marcy Goldberg, ...

  • News

    Astala quits Finnish Film body for broadcaster YLE

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    After eight years as head of production at the Finnish Film Foundation, Erkki Astala, has been wooed by public broadcaster YLE to become its new head of co-productions. Astala replaces veteran Eila Werning, who retires after holding the position since 1990. The shuffle is part of a bigger restructuring at ...

  • News

    UK film industry welcomes pre-budget report

    2003-12-10T00:00:00Z

    The UK industry has welcomed a surprise signal from Chancellor Gordon Brown that he intends to renew tax-based support when the influential Section 48 expires in 2005.The government's pre-budget report stated that it would unveil the results of talks with the industry about a so-called son of Section 48 in ...

  • News

    Israeli satellite channel launched for local films

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    Israeli satellite broadcaster Yes has launched a new channel dedicated to locally produced feature films. Israeli filmmakers have long been aware that while their films are often shunned theatrically, they score high ratings when they are broadcast.They will also benefit from one more, much needed, source of income, though ...

  • News

    Spain's Goya Award nominations announced

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    Domestic abuse drama Take My Eyes and Civil War feature Soldiers Of Salamina led the nominees with nine and eight nods, respectively, for Spain's annual Goya Awards, to be held January 31.Antonio Mercero's surprise nominee 4th Floor (Planta Cuarta) will compete for best film against Iciar Bollain's Eyes (Te Doy ...

  • News

    Dutch producer Egmond boards Alexander

    2003-12-11T04:05:00Z

    Dutch production company Egmond Film and Television (responsible for Oscar-winner Antonia's Line) has become one of the major backers of Oliver Stone's Alexander, currently shooting in the UK. Egmond, which is investing Euros 15m - some 10% of the budget, will in return participate in the film's profits - which ...

  • News

    Canton unveils new production/finance outfit Atmosphere

    2003-12-11T04:00:00Z

    Former studio chief MarkCanton and investment manager Mark J Kimsey have launched AtmosphereEntertainment, a fully funded production and finance company that already hasseveral theatrical projects in development.The partners plan to producethree to five features a year as well as a television slate and say they haveacquired "substantial" film assets from ...

  • News

    Parallel seeks rebirth in Internet venture

    2000-03-08T10:56:00Z

    Troubled UK production outfit Parallel Pictures is planning a rebirth as part of a new Internet group backed by Easynet co-founder Keith Young and Rank Group former director of treasury Clifford Perkins.Parallel, whose shares have been suspended since October, aims to raise £3m to push into business-to-business Internet activities. The ...

  • News

    Lynton steps in for Calley at SPE

    2003-12-11T04:00:00Z

    Michael Lyntonhas been named chairman and chief executive officer of Sony PicturesEntertainment (SPE), stepping into the void left by John Calley's retirement inOctober.SPE vicechairman Amy Pascal is promoted to chairman of the motion picture group andwill assume responsibility for all films produced and distributed by SPE. Bothappointments become effective in ...

  • News

    Deschanel, Gyllenhaal to present at Sundance Awards

    2003-12-10T04:00:00Z

    Zooey Deschanel and JakeGyllenhaal will co-host the 2004 Sundance Film Festival awards ceremony on Jan24 2004, which will be broadcast live in the US by Sundance Channel.Both actors are festivalalumni. Deschanel and Gyllenhaal appeared together in The Good Girl (Sundance 2002), Gyllenhaal starred in DonnieDarko (2001) and Deschanel starredin All ...

  • News

    Slamdance unveils 18-film lineup for tenth festival

    2003-12-11T04:00:00Z

    Twelve world andtwo US premieres are among the biggest ever line-up of 18 features at theupcoming 10th annual Slamdance Film Festival, which runs in Park City, Utahfrom Jan 17-24 2004.The rosterincludes 11 narrative features and seven documentaries, which for the firsttime will be judged by two separate sections of the ...

  • News

    Alliance Atlantis makes sweeping cuts in production

    2003-12-11T04:00:00Z

    Toronto-based entertainmentcompany Alliance Atlantis plans massive cuts to its production arm, cutting upto 60 positions nearly half the division's workforce - and axing the twomost senior production executives, EntertainmentGroup CEO Peter Sussman and Seaton McLean, the group's president for productionand one of the founders of the original company, Atlantis ...

  • News

    Cowan's in at Toronto, to run festival alone by 2007

    2003-12-11T04:00:00Z

    The Toronto InternationalFilm Festival has appointed Noah Cowan to the new position of co-director. Theappointment, which was widely anticipated, will see Cowan sharing programmingduties with Piers Handling during a three-year transition period before takingover the festival's reins. Handling will assumefull-time duties as the CEO of the Toronto International Festival Group ...

  • News

    FRANCE

    2003-12-11T00:00:00Z

    Lots of new entries this week as Finding Nemo retains the top spot with a slight drop off from last week down 22%. Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 1 stays in second spot but with a serious drop down 43%. Richard Curtis Christmas cracker Love Actually entered the top ten ...