Small MPU – Page 431

  • News

    Veteran Danish writer directs King's Game debut

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Nikolaj Arcel's feature debut Kings' Game (Kongekabale) has begun shooting this week.The script by Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg (Midsummer) is inspired by a controversial fact-based novel by Niels Krause Kjaer, which deals with a power-struggle in recent Danish politics. The cast is led by Anders W. Berthelsen (Mifune, Italian For ...

  • News

    Von Trier books into Swedish studio for Manderlay

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Swedish regional fund Film I Vast has once again attracted Danish maverick Lars von Trier, who will shoot his upcoming Manderlay at the Trollhattan studio early next year. It had been speculated that von Trier might shoot this second part of his U.S.A. trilogy in either Germany or Norway. But ...

  • News

    Scott Free's Tristan & Isolde begins shoot in Ireland

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Filming has begun in Galway, Ireland on Scott Free's Tristan & Isolde, directed by Kevin Reynolds.Set in the Dark Ages, it is the story of a princess and young warrior's love affair which threatens to tear apart an uneasy peace between England and Ireland.Written by Dean Georgaris (Lara Croft Tomb ...

  • News

    Dutch tax break system faces closure

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    The Netherlands' tax incentive scheme (CVs) for film production, which has been in place for the last five years, looks set to close. Proposals for the new state budget were published yesterday and made no allowance for the continuation of the scheme.Separately, a government-commissioned report into the CV system was ...

  • News

    Spain unveils Oscar contenders, Belgium submits Sea

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Soldiers Of Salamina, Danube Hotel and South From Granada have made Spain's short-list for the nomination to the foreign-language Oscar. The final nominee will be announced October 1. Meanwhile, Sea Of Silence (Verder Dan De Maan) by Stijn Coninx has been selected as this year's Belgian entry for the Foreign-language ...

  • News

    Loewy lines up UK trip to recruit Momentum chief

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Victory Loewy, CEO of Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution Group, is planning a return to the UK to recruit a new senior executive for Momentum Pictures, the company's wholly-owned UK distribution company. Current Momentum director David Kosse has accepted a position as London-based president of international marketing and distribution for ...

  • News

    DPS buys animation house Mainframe Entertainment

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    DigitalProduction Studios (DPS), the New Jersey-based 3D animation subsidiary of IDTMedia, has signed a binding letter of intent to acquire a controlling interestin direct-to-video and TV computer animation house Mainframe Entertainment.The move, whichis subject to regulatory approval, is the latest plank in DPS' globalexpansion strategy following the partnership with John ...

  • News

    Hawn, Hopkins, Howard get Hollywood Film Fest honours

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    Ron Howard, Anthony Hopkinsand Goldie Hawn will receive outstanding achievement awards at the HollywoodFilm Festival's awards gala ceremony on Oct 20.The Lord of The Rings star Orlando Bloom and Scarlett Johansson, whoearned critical acclaim this year for her roles in Lost In Translation and Girl With A Pearl Earring, will ...

  • News

    AFM: Franchise, Mark Canton reteam for Six

    2000-02-23T16:58:00Z

    Elie Samaha's Franchise Pictures and Mark Canton's The Mark Canton Co - whose first collaboration Get Carter opens later this year and who are about to shoot Angel Eyes with Jennifer Lopez - have pacted to reteam for the third time on action thriller Six.To be directed by Kirk Wong ...

  • News

    DNA, Searchlight board Fellowes romance

    2003-09-17T04:00:00Z

    The new joint venture between DNA Films and FoxSearchlight has boarded its first project following an agreement to collaborateon Julian Fellowes' A Way Through The Woods with the UK's Celador Films.The romance will be financed 50:50 by Celador and DNA,with Fox Searchlight handling worldwide distribution.Shooting beganon Sept 8 in and ...

  • News

    Pathe closes Toronto deals on Void, Girl

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Pathe International UK chief Alison Thompson closed a slew ofdeals at the Toronto International Film Festival following the screenings ofPeter Webber's Girl With A Pearl Earring and Kevin Macdonald's Touching The Void. Both films had their world premierescreenings at Telluride in late August before heading to Toronto.Asmik Ace and Pony ...

  • News

    Master And Commander chosen as Royal Command Performance

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    20th Century Fox's naval epic Master And Commander:The Far Side Of The Worlddirected by Peter Weir has been chosen as this year's Royal Command Performanceand will take place in London on Nov 17.The screening will benefit the Cinema and Television BenevolentFund, which supports behind-the-camera professionals in the UK.Based on Patrick ...

  • News

    Pathe closes deals on Void, Girl

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Pathe International UK chief Alison Thompson closed a slew ofdeals at the Toronto International Film Festival following the screenings ofPeter Webber's Girl With A Pearl Earring and Kevin Macdonald's Touching The Void. Both films had their world premierescreenings at Telluride in late August before heading to Toronto.Asmik Ace and Pony ...

  • News

    JAPAN

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Home-made films often appear in Japan's box office top ten - but it is extremely rare for them to dominate the chart, as they do for the week of September 6 to 12, with six local films in the top 10. They account, in fact, for the number one and ...

  • News

    Awards favourites line up for London Film Festival

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    The Times bfi London Film Festival (Oct 22 - Nov 6) has lined up a string of Oscar buzz films for its main programme up this year.The Festival opens with Jane Campion's psychological thriller In The Cut, starring Meg Ryan, Mark and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The Closing Night film is ...

  • News

    Awards campaign trail boosts London Film Festival

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    The London Film Festival (LFF), held Oct 22 - Nov 6, has lined up a string of Oscar buzz films for its main programme up this year.Opening with Jane Campion's steamy psychological thriller In The Cut, and closing two weeks later with Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the line-up highlights the ...

  • News

    SPAIN

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Fox's The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG) held onto the lead in Spain for a second week, despite a 55% drop-off from its debut weekend. New releases, launching on a smaller scale than LXG, were unable to trouble the action adventure, which has grossed Euros 6.9m and sold 1.4m tickets ...

  • News

    NORTH AMERICA

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Focus Features' Lost In Translation enjoyed a strong debut last weekend following rapturous reviews. Sofia Coppola's second film opened 15th on $925,087 for an excellent $40,221 average from just 23 sites. Translation, which left critics infatuated, pairs Bill Murray with the early award season's wunderkind Scarlett Johansson as unlikely partners ...

  • News

    ICELAND

    2003-09-17T00:00:00Z

    Opening day-and-date with North America, Robert Rodriguez's return to his Latin roots with Once Upon A Time In Mexico blasted its way to the top of the Icelandic box-office with an impressive 4,020 admissions.The first international territory to receive the film, the final part the director's El Mariachi trilogy, Iceland ...

  • News

    Bayside Shakedown 2 swells Toho's coffers

    2003-09-18T04:00:00Z

    Boosted by the smash success of Bayside Shakedown 2, Japan's largest film distributor and exhibitor Toho has announced record six-month earnings. Half year revenues, for the period ending in August amounted to $422m (Y48.9bn), representing a 4.9% gain over the previous period, as well as a huge improvement on an ...