Small MPU – Page 251
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News
Sundance names six composers for Composers Lab
The Sundance Institute has announced the six composers who have been selected for the Sundance Composers Lab which will be held in Utah from July 24 to Aug 6.The Sundance Composers Lab, which first took place annually from 1986 to 1989 and then reintroduced in 1998, aims to provide a ...
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Tuchman joins, Haimowitz leaves MGM Networks
Bruce Tuchman has been named executive vice president of MGM Networks Inc, with a remit to establish cable, satellite and other channels to distribute MGM's 4,100-title film library and manage the company's existing channel interests worldwide.Tuchman takes the role previously held by Jules Haimowitz, president of MGM Networks, who will ...
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Ang Lee to be consultant for Columbia's Asia unit
Ang Lee has struck a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) to act as a consultant for its Hong Kong-based production unit Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia (CPFPA) - the company which backed his 2000 Chinese-language smash Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.In his consultant capacity, Lee will work closely with CPFPA ...
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Soderbergh, Miramax reteam on Hotel Room Fire
Miramax Films is reteaming with Steven Soderbergh for the first time since 1991's Kafka on the director's next film How To Survive A Hotel Room Fire - a sequel of sorts to Soderbergh's film debut sex, lies, and videotape which was also a breakthrough film for Miramax in 1989.Miramax has ...
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Eisner still 'content obsessed' despite $5.3bn buy
Walt Disney chief MichaelEisner insists his entertainment empire continues to be 'contentobsessive', as opposed to newly fixated on distribution, despite yesterday's$5.3bn deal to acquire a collection of children's programming channelsfrom Rupert Murdoch and Haim Saban.The purchase of Fox FamilyWorldwide gives Disney access to more than 115 million new viewers across ...
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Capitol takes over Cobalt's Spider
Capitol Films has taken over the financing of David Cronenberg's Spider after Cobalt Media Group dropped out on the eve of the shoot.A spokesperson confirmed Cobalt was "no longer involved" in the psychological thriller, which is expected to start shooting within two weeks, a delay of a few weeks.While the ...
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Three Spanish films to vie for San Sebastian award
Spain's premiere film event, the San Sebastian International Film Festival has unveiled the first titles in its official competition line-up for the 49th edition which runs from Sept 20-29.Three Spanish films will compete for the festival's top prize, the Golden Shell (Concha de Oro) award. They include: Vicente Aranda's Juana ...
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Miyazaki smashes own box office record in Japan
Toho's summer release of Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) has smashed the four-day opening record set by the Japanese all-time box office champion, 1997's Princess Mononoke. Spirited Away, an animated feature by Hayao Miyazaki, who also directed Mononoke, grossed $15.8m (Y1.95bn) over the weekend and Monday, some 83% ...
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Sogecable reveals profit rise of 262%
Spanish media group Sogecable has posted net consolidated profits of Euros7.5m (pts1.251m) for the first half of 2001, up 262% from Euros2.1m (pts345m) during the same period last year.The company posted an extraordinary gain of Euros40.5m (pts6.7m) largely derived from the July 2 sale of 45% of rights division Sogepaq ...
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Indian TV production company moves into film
Balaji Telefilms, whose television serials rank among India's top shows has announced plans to begin making low-budget films. The Mumbai based production company, founded by Hindi film star Jeetendra Kapoor and his daughter Ekta, is looking to make content-driven movies, with a budget of around $100,000, to be targeted at ...
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Turpin's Crabe to open Toronto's Canada programme
Andre Turpin's Un Crabe Dans La Tete has been selected as the Opening Night film for the Toronto International Film Festival's Perspective Canada programme. Written and directed by the Quebecois filmmaker, the comedy features David La Haye, Isabelle Blais, Emmanuel Bilodeau and Chantal Giroux and is produced by Luc Dery ...
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Dinosaurs tear into UK, as Bollywood hit sings on
Still in the UK top fifteen after five weeks on release, Bollywood crossover Lagaan passed the £500,000 ($710,000) mark at the box office over the weekend, making it the sixth highest-grossing Bollywood production in the UK. 1998's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, distributed by Yash Raj Films, remains the best performing ...
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Winona Ryder takes lead role in UK rom com
Hollywood star Winona Ryder has taken the lead role in British romantic comedy Lily And The Secret Planting which goes into production in London next month. The film is the long-awaited second feature of Hettie Macdonald, who made her debut with Beautiful Thing in 1996.Lily is a $5m co-production between ...
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Billy Liar gets remake treatment from Landscape
Landscape Entertainment, the production company founded by former DreamWorks executive Bob Cooper and backed by Canadian conglomerate Bell Globe Media, is to remake the 1963 classic Billy Liar - the British kitchen sink drama which sealed the careers of director John Schlesinger and stars Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie.Paul A ...
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France re-instates 18 certificate
A year after the furore about censorship and freedom of expression provoked by Baise-Moi, French culture minister Catherine Tasca has reinstated the 18 certificate in France. The controversial rape film is now also looking set for a UK release.According to the new French regulations a film will obtain the new ...
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Toho profits from digital version of Spirited Away
Japanese exhibition giant, Toho, held its first digital screening of Hayao Miyazaki's blockbuster, Spirited Away on July 20 at the Umeda Sukara-za Cinema in Osaka. The company used an IMAX DIGIMAX projector for the event, which delivered a three-day opening gross of $228,629 (Y28m), the highest take of all 336 ...
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Local pick-up leads UIP Denmark in new direction
The Danish branch of UIP has revealed that it is embarking on a search for local films to distribute.Following the Norwegian branch of UIP's surprise success with the release of Elling, which attracted a phenomenal 700,000 admissions, UIP Denmark has picked up the local feature-length documentary, Family.'We believe that this ...
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Australian exhibitors appoint industry negotiator
The Cinema Owners Association of Australia (COAA) has appointed exhibitor Andrew Halkett as a negotiator, a role that positions him between members and film distributors when disagreements occur over film policy or terms.The appointment is one of a number of outcomes and changes that have flowed from meetings this month ...
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105 German graduate films up for First Steps award
Berlinale 2001 competition entry My Sweet Home by Filippos Tsitos, Hans Weingartner's Max Ophuels Prize-winner White Noise (Das Weisse Rauschen) Benjamin Quabeck's HypoVereinsbank Prize-winner No Regrets (Nichts Bereuen), and Marco Kreuzpaintner's medium-length film Der Atemkuenstler are among 105 titles submitted for this year's First Steps Award open to recently completed ...
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Beyond adds Ron Saunders to production stable
Beyond International has added Ron Saunders to its stable of joint venture production companies.Pacific & Beyond will focus on emerging international opportunities in quality children's television, features and documentary. Saunders is best known for his children's programming and animation. He has been both an independent producer and held senior positions ...