Small MPU – Page 465
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News
Deauville praises Maria Full Of Grace
The 30th Deauville Festival of American film wrapped up Sunday night with a slew of prizes for Joshua Marston's Maria Full Of Grace. The festival favourite - already honoured at Sundance and Berlin among others - took home the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the International Critics' Prize.The jury, ...
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Venice: from the sublime to the ridiculous
The 61st edition of the Venice film festival proved to be anunmitigated fiasco from the organisational point of view, with films running upto two hours late and Al Pacino unable to get a seat at the official screeningof The Merchant of Venice (starring Al Pacino).The final straw came when theprojectionist ...
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Sony Classics swings for 3-Iron
Sony PicturesClassics picked up North American rights to Kim Ki-Duk's 3 Iron this weekend as the Korean film grabbed a total of fourprizes in Venice including the best director and the FIPRESCI prize for bestfilm.Cineclick, headed by Suh Young-joo,also closed deals in the UK with Optimum Releasing, Australia and New ...
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Private is a public hit with buyers
Private, the film by Saviero Costanza that shines anunusually humanist light on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been a hitwith buyers and a glittering start for Scalpel, the new sales company launchedat Toronto by Pierre Menahem. "After thefirst industry screening we had great feedback, especially from Latin America.In some territories we ...
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A Film adds to acquisition firepower
On the eve of Toronto TheNetherlands' leading independent distributor A-Film has beefed up its firepowerwith a $12m (Euros10m) working capital facility. The cash will be used to expand the company's film acquisitionprogramme and to enable it to enlarge its p&a commitment to the films itreleases in the Benelux region. "The ...
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Disney ups Johnson as de Villiers resigns
The Walt Disney Co. has promoted Michael Johnson to the post of president of Walt Disney International while the overseas outfit's European chief Etienne de Villiers has resigned. Johnson has headed up Walt Disney International, Asia since June 1999. One of his first tasks in his new role will be ...
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Latido sells key territories on Cabrera thriller
Massimo Saidel'sMadrid-based sales outfit Latido has sold sexy Columbian-Spanish thriller TheArt Of Losing (Perder Es Questo De Metodo) to a slew of territories as a result of its world premiere as a midnightscreening in Venice and an official competition entry at the Montreal festival.The film by Sergio Cabrera,which stars Martina ...
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Fortissimo's Overture sings to Toho Towa
On the eve its Sept 11international premiere in Toronto, Thai drama The Overture put in placea key piece in its distribution jigsaw. Handled by Fortissimo Film Sales, thefilm was sold to Toho Towa of Japan. The Overture, directed and produced by Itthisoontorn Vichailak, is a period drama about a peasantxylophone ...
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Tierney's latest set up as Greece/Canada co-pro by Victorious
Toronto-based VictoriousFilms is readying Jacob Tierney's Return Baggage aka The Lonely Planet, the Canadian actor's follow-up to his featuredirectorial debut Twist, whichscreened at last year's Venice Film Festival. Victorious president VictoriaHirst will co-produce the Canada-Greece coproduction with Fenia Cossavitsa (TheCat's Meow, Signs And Wonders). Thedrama is set to star Nick ...
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Seville joins Haut Et Court in Cantet's South
Montreal-based SevillePictures has signed on as Canadian copoducer of Laurent Cantet's long-delayed HeadingSouth (Vers Le Sud), joining France's Haut et Court. Work on theproject, announced at Cannes 2003, has been held up by political upheaval in its key location of Haiti.International sales agent Hengameh Panahi of Celluloid Dreams told ScreenInternational ...
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Element X take on international sales to Clara Law doc
UK sales company Element Xhas picked up international rights to Letters To Ali, the first documentary by Australian-Chinese directorClara Law.The film is a personalisedexamination of Australia's uniquely brutal policy of mandatory prison-campdetention for political asylum seekers a policy which extends to children. Itfollows the letters sent between an Afghani ...
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Kay Armatage to leave Toronto festival after 24 years
Kay Armatage,the veteran Toronto International Film Festival programmer, is leaving theorganization after 24 years. "This is my last year," Armatage told ScreenInternational. Of her departure, she said, "This wasn't my choice." She saidshe learned at the beginning of this summer that her seasonal contract wouldnot be renewed. "At the time, ...
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First Look picks up When Will I Be Loved
US sales and productionoutfit First Look Media has picked up international rights to James Toback's When Will I Be Loved, which worldpremieres at the festival today (Sept 9). Sister-company First LookInternational will begin sales in Toronto this week; IFC Films has domesticrights to the film and opens it in the ...
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Toronto buying spree kicks off with Crash to Lions Gate
In a deal closed late Saturday night, Lions Gate Films ponied upclose to $4m for North American rights to Paul Haggis’ red-hot Toronto ensembledrama Crash. Easilythe biggest deal of both Venice and Toronto so far, the Crash negotiations took place after the Fridayafternoon public screening and Saturday morning press and ...
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Celluloid Dreams scares up sales on Marebito
Celluloid Dreams has pickedup worldwide sales rights to Marebito, the latest horror picture fromTakashi Shimizu, and immediately closed a deal for the US and UK with HamishMcAlpine's Tartan Films.Shimizuis the director of cult Japanese horror film The Grudge and its sequelas well as the US remake starring Sarah Michelle Gellar ...
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Deauville graces Marston's Maria with prizes
The30th annual Deauville Festival of American film wrapped up last night with aslew of prizes for Joshua Marston's Maria Full Of Grace. The festival favourite already honored atSundance and Berlin among others - took home the Grand Prize, the AudienceAward and the International Critics' Prize.Thejury, presided over by Claude ...
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Bird swoops on top prize at Fribourg
The Bird Who Stops In The Air, by South Korean film-maker Jeon Soo-il, won the top prize at the 20th edition of the Fribourg International Film Festival in Fribourg, Switzerland (March 12-19).Special mention went to Darkness And Light, by Taiwanese director Chang Tso-Chi, while the festival's international jury gave the ...
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Beyond sells Cold & Dark to US
British horror film Cold& Dark found itself a US distribution berth with First Look Features.The deal was brokered by Hilary Davis of the London-based sales arm ofAustralia's Beyond Films. Previous sales included those to Japan's GagaCommunications, Mexico's Cine, Video Y Television and Russia's BelivenEnterprises.Directed by Andrew Goth andstarring former boy ...
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New Friend for Mrs Palfrey
RupertFriend, the hot British newcomer who can be seen later this week in romanticclinch with Johnny Depp in The Libertine, has landed the lead male roleopposite Joan Plowright in Dan Ireland's latest comedy Mrs Palfrey At TheClaremont.Scriptedby Ruth Sacks from the popular 1971 English novel by Elizabeth Taylor, the filmstarts ...
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Luce picks up Italian rights to Venice first film winner
Le Grand Voyage, which won its director Ismael Ferroukhi the prize for best firstfilm at Venice last week, also found itself a home in Italy. In a deal arrangedby sales house Flach Pyramide International (FPI), the Franco-Moroccan financedfilm Italian distribution rights were picked up by Istituto Luce. The film is ...