Small MPU – Page 252

  • News

    BSkyB reports losses but predicts profits

    2001-07-25T20:15:00Z

    UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB recorded spiralling losses on July 25, but indicated that it had now born the brunt of costs of moving to digital.Pre-tax losses before were nearly double those of the previous year at $733.6m (£514m) after goodwill, interest, share of joint ventures' losses and exceptional items. But ...

  • News

    Indo-US joint venture plans animation series

    2001-07-25T20:19:00Z

    Film Club USA and AAFD (Anglo American Film Distributors) have joined with Padmalaya Telefilms Ltd to produce and market a 200 part animation series based on the popular Indian folk stories, The Jataka Tales. The Indo US joint venture will bring together Padmalaya's state-of-the-art animation studio in Hyderabad, and the ...

  • News

    Roadshow plots to become Bollywood powerhouse

    2001-07-26T01:50:00Z

    Working with its Delhi-based exhibition partner, Australia's Village Roadshow is set not only tobecome India's first nationwide multiplex chain but is now looking to expand into local film production and distribution as well. The venture says it is already discussing deals with both Miramax Films and Intermedia to supply films ...

  • Reviews

    Spirited Away

    2001-07-26T04:07:00Z

    Dir: HayaoMiyazaki. Japan. 2001. 125 mins. Though aimed,says director Hayao Miyazaki, "at ten-year-old girls," his new film Spirited Away (Sen toChihiro no Kamikakushi)is a masterwork, the latest and best in a long line from Japan's premieranimator. Expected to earn Y20bn ($162m) and break the Japanese box officerecord for a domestic ...

  • News

    David Miercort heads business affairs at Myriad

    2001-07-26T04:28:00Z

    LA-based entertainment lawyer David Miercort has been named senior vice president of business affairs for Myriad Pictures. He will head the business affairs department in Myriad's LA office and will be responsible for all in-house business, operational and legal matters covering all aspects of theatrical films.He will report directly to ...

  • News

    Palm Springs Short Fest adds $15,000 prize

    2001-07-26T08:21:00Z

    The 2001 Palm Springs International Festival Of Short Films, which takes place Aug 7-13, has created a $15,000 prize for future filmmakers. All filmmakers whose films are entered in competition are eligible for the prize, dubbed the Palm Springs International Future Filmmaker Award.The festival has also announced that it will ...

  • News

    Bishop adds VOD, PPV roles at MGM Home Ent

    2001-07-26T08:24:00Z

    David Bishop, the president and chief operating officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Home Entertainment Group, has been given added responsibility for the company's video-on-demand and pay-per-view initiatives as well as other emerging technologies.Bishop currently oversees all aspects of MGM Home Entertainment Group's worldwide video and DVD operations, its consumer products and ...

  • News

    Rachel Wood gets development job at Catch 23 UK

    2001-07-26T08:30:00Z

    Rachel Wood, formerly head of development at Nik Powell's Scala Productions, has joined Catch 23 (C23) Entertainment's newly launched UK film production and finance venture to head its development activities.She will spearhead C23's efforts to develop projects featuring British acting, writing and directing talent and liaise with International Creative Management ...

  • Reviews

    Planet Of The Apes

    2001-07-27T00:35:00Z

    Dir: Tim Burton. US.2001. 120 min.Tim Burton's singularcinematic vision is very much missing from Planet Of The Apes, his eagerly-awaited remake of the 1968 cultclassic. Part sci-fi, part action-adventure, part ape/human romantic melodrama,but not particularly satisfying on any of these levels, it's a truly mediocrepicture that suffers in several departments: ...

  • News

    Spain's Cinebox joins Brazilian multiplex wave

    2001-07-27T00:43:00Z

    After decades of steadily declining audiences, Brazil is suddenly witnessing something of a cinema renaissance, with new players entering the market and existing exhibitors expanding their circuits.The new money is being invested by major Spanish exhibitor Cinebox, which has revealed plans to open more than 100 screens in the territory ...

  • News

    Fremaux opens Cannes door to German films

    2001-07-27T00:47:00Z

    After nearly a decade of being excluded from the Cannes Film Festival's official competition, the German film industry has been given a glimmer of hope by the festival's new artistic director Thierry Fremaux.Following a visit to Munich, where he met industry figures including FFF Bayern's Klaus Schaefer, Berlin Film ...

  • News

    France favours Evolution over Kids

    2001-07-27T00:59:00Z

    French cinema-goers have once again demonstrated their cultural distance from their American counterparts by embracing Columbia TriStar's Evolution, according it a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that its domestic audience failed to appreciate In its first week on release Ivan Reitman's alien/romantic comedy attracted a substantial 400,000 admissions, placing it ...

  • News

    Germany creates two new digital film awards

    2001-07-27T01:02:00Z

    Digital filmmakers can compete for two new German awards that are being launched at the BerlinBeta Film Festival (August 29 - September 5) and Filmfest Hamburg (September 24-30) this year.Sponsored by leading postproduction group Das Werk, the BerlinBeta Digital Fiction Award will give the winning film postproduction services with a ...

  • News

    Corelli to open Dutch Film By The Sea

    2001-07-27T01:04:00Z

    Working Title's Captain Corelli's Mandolin is set to open the third Film By The Sea international film festival in The Netherlands. The World War II romantic drama, set on the island of Cephalonia and starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz, has yet to open theatrically in any territories other than ...

  • News

    Robert Luketic

    2001-07-27T01:11:00Z

    The Robert Luketic story is already well-known around Hollywood. It is now set to be repeated many times by the talented young Australian director as he conducts worldwide publicity for his debut feature Legally Blonde, which opened at the top of the US box office, winning a popular vote ...

  • News

    Kirk Wong signs to direct Artisan's Iron Fist

    2001-07-27T07:27:00Z

    Hong Kong action director Kirk Wong has committed to develop and direct Iron Fist, the film of Marvel Enterprises' comic book which is the first to be generated by a joint venture between Artisan Entertainment and Marvel formed to create character-based programming across all media.Ray Park will star in the ...

  • News

    Reelplay buys FilmBazaar as B2B websites dwindle

    2001-07-27T07:31:00Z

    Reelpay has completed its acquisition of FilmBazaar, further consolidating the business-to-business e-marketplace for the film and television distribution industries.Under the terms of the merger agreement, Reelplay acquired FilmBazaar in a stock-for-stock deal. Headed by co-presidents Stephen Liu and Dennis Young, Reelplay is also suggesting that it will look for further ...

  • News

    Venice 2001: Film Festival Line-up

    2001-07-27T16:40:00Z

    Following this year's radical restructure of one of the world's oldest international film events, Venice film festival chief Alberto Barbera has unveiled the line-up of the two official competition sections for the event's 58th edition. Now including the Cinema Of The Present competition - which showcases some 30 contemporary, debut ...

  • News

    Apes rules US box office; Fox epic opens on $69.6m

    2001-07-29T22:03:00Z

    20th Century Fox breathed a sigh of relief as its great summer hope Planet Of The Apes opened to out-of-this-world box office results, taking an estimated $69.56m over the Friday to Sunday weekend which is the second highest opening, the highest non-sequel opening and the highest non-holiday weekend opening of ...

  • News

    No Borders Co-Prod Market unveils 2001 lineup

    2001-07-29T22:34:00Z

    The Independent Feature Project (IFP) has announced the projects which will make up this year's No Borders Co-Production Market taking place between Sept 30 and Oct 4. In addition, No Borders has struck up an arrangement with UK public funding body The Film Council which will act as a presenting ...