Small MPU – Page 467

  • News

    David Gordon Green to write lesbian project for Pollack

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    Fast-risingUS indie filmmaker David Gordon Green has signed on to script ShockproofSydney Skate for Fox 2000.SydneyPollack is in the frame to direct the adaptation of the novel by MarijaneMeaker. Considered a classic of lesbian literature since its publication in1973, the coming-of-age POV follows a 17-year-old who falls in love with ...

  • News

    Media Luna picks up four to launch at MIFED, AFM

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    German sales house MediaLuna has picked up a quartet of new pictures which it will take to market atMifed and AFM later this autumn.Atlast week's Montreal festival it boarded Metallic Blues, a tragicomic road movie about a couple ofdim-witted Israeli car dealers. Directed by Danny Verete, it won best actor ...

  • News

    Sony ready to roar with MGM buyout

    2004-09-13T00:00:00Z

    87-year-old Kirk Kerkorianis poised to sell Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for the third time in his see-sawinghistory as a studio proprietor after agreeing "in principle" to a $4.84bntakeover bid from a consortium led by Sony. The MGM board will meet to sanctionthe deal tomorrow (Tuesday).By raising its bid overthe weekend to $12 per ...

  • News

    Gleeson, Rea join Jordan's Breakfast On Pluto

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    Brendan Gleeson and StephenRea have joined the cast of Neil Jordan's Breakfast On Pluto, which started shooting last week for PathePictures.The two actors join LiamNeeson and star Cillian Murphy in the tale of a young transvestite from ruralIreland on the make in London. Shooting is taking place in the Republic ...

  • News

    Stephen Chow denied entry visa into Canada for Toronto fest

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    Toronto is today to be denied the pleasure of the company ofStephen Chow (aka Stephen Chiau), who was today (Tues Sept 14) to havepresented his hugely anticipated directorial effort Kung Fu Hustle as a world premiere. Chow was refused avisa by Canadian immigration authorities.Festival press officer Gabrielle Free, confirmed yesterday: ...

  • News

    Gaga, Momentum sign on for Rahtree

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    Gaga of Japan leads an impressive list of buyers which have signedup for Rahtree: Flower Of The Night ahead of its North American premiere tomorrow (Sept 15).Handled by independent Hong Kong sales outfit GoldenNetwork, the Thai horror spoof also sold to Momentum for the UK, Panorama forHong Kong, Flash Forward ...

  • News

    Jackson, Borde, Doban team up for US distribution venture

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    Susan Jackson, Mark Borde and Mike Doban have teamed up to form anew LA-based theatrical distribution and marketing company Freestyle Releasing.The company will first release Stephen King's Riding The Bullet on Oct 8 followed by James Redford's Spin on Oct 15.Jackson'scompany Turtles Crossing will merge with Borde's Innovation Film Group ...

  • News

    Deal-making gets going at Toronto for Focus, Newmarket

    2004-09-14T04:00:00Z

    The deals kept on closing yesterday as Focus Features picked upmultiple territory rights to Pawel Pawlikowski's My Summer Of Love and Newmarket Films bought NorthAmerican rights to Lukas Moodysson's highly controversial A Hole In My Heart.Meanwhile Fine Line Features and HBO Films confirmed that theywould be teaming to release Lucrecia ...

  • News

    Tokyo unveils 17th edition line-up

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    The Tokyo International Film Festival has announced itslineup for its 17th edition, which will be held from October 23 to 31 in theBunkamura and Roppongi Hills complexes.The two opening films are Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle and Yoji Yamada's The Hidden Blade -- the latter afollow-up to Yamada's Oscar-nominated TheTwilight ...

  • News

    Universal takes Kinowelt package

    2000-04-06T17:28:00Z

    German sales and distribution group Kinowelt Medien has sold a package of 70 films to Universal Studios Networks Deutschland and a further four titles to state-owned free broadcaster ZDF.The pictures licensed to ZDF are Tony Bui's Sundance hit Three Seasons, Neil LaBute's forthcoming Nurse Betty, Pavel Chukhraj's The Thief (Vor) ...

  • Reviews

    Ray

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Taylor Hackford. US.2004. 152minsA scene-stealing co-starin Collateral, Jamie Foxx becomes a star attraction in Ray. Hisaccomplished performance as music icon Ray Charles has Oscar contender writtenall over it and offers conclusive proof of his leading man potential.The film itself is a solid,diligent biopic in which director Taylor Hackford displays ...

  • Reviews

    Millions

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Danny Boyle UK-US.2004. 97minsTen years after Shallow Grave, director DannyBoyle once again discovers that sudden wealth is not without its complications.In Millions it is innocent schoolboys rather than larcenous flatmateswho are faced with a cash windfall.Boyle's approach to the material is equally dynamicbut the screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce ...

  • Reviews

    Land Of Plenty

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    Dir:Wim Wenders. Ger-UK. 2004. 113mins.WimWenders' Land Of Plenty is a post 9/11 parable that is half politicalpamphlet, half yet another exploration of the director's favourite theme - thestranger in a strange land. But although it is a more controlled exercise thanthe mess that was The Million Dollar Hotel, it does ...

  • News

    GERMANY 14 September

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    The first four days of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village was the strongest openingever for one of his films in Germany and the weekend's best screen average of$7,370. The Buena Vista release toppled the Vin Diesel vehicle The Chronicles Of Riddick which had onlyheld on to the top position for ...

  • News

    Spain's Sogepaq closes sales on The Sea Inside

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    Spain's Sogepaq has announced the first sales on AlejandroAmenabar's The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro)following its double prize coup in Venice over the weekend.The company closed seven territories including Switzerland(Frenetic), Netherlands (A Film), Portugal (Atalanta), Belgium (CineArt),Hungary (Budapest Film), Greece (Strada) and Israel (Shani Films).Fine Line already has English-speaking territories, whileFrance ...

  • News

    UK film investment company enters Australian market

    2004-09-15T04:00:00Z

    UK tax financing outfit Future Film Group (UK) has joinedforces with investment bankers Goldstream Capital Group (Australia) to launchFuture Film Australia Pty Ltd.The company aims to finance and produce Australian-sourcedfilm projects for the international market.Future Film Group's Tim Levy commented: "This marks aserious and carefully considered investment by Future Film ...

  • News

    ...as Australian Labor Party pledges industry funds

    2004-09-15T04:00:00Z

    The Australian Labor Party today pledged that if it wins theOctober 9 election it will provide one-off cash injections of $35m (A$50m) for theFilm Finance Corporation (FFC) and $14m for the Australian Film Commission(AFC), half of which will be for a low budget feature fund.The FFC got $43m in taxpayer ...

  • News

    Kadokawa Pictures launches film fund for local product

    2004-09-15T04:00:00Z

    Japan's Kadokawa Pictures, together with its corporatepartners, has launched a film fund expected to raise as much as Y3.5 billion($32m) for the production of Kadokawa films.The total investment period is for seven years, thoughpartners may opt to withdraw after five. Including Kadokawa, the partners areKadokawa Shuppan Kikin, Konami, Imagica, Development ...

  • News

    Ghost Rider heads for Australia

    2004-09-14T00:00:00Z

    The attractiveness of runaway production to local economieswas made clear in Australia today with the Victorian Government announcing thatColumbia Pictures Entertainment is to film $40m GhostRider in Melbourne.Premier Steve Bracks and the Minister for Innovation JohnBrumby said Ghost Rider, a Marvelcomic adaptation to be directed by Mark Steven Johnson ...

  • News

    Pinewood confirmed for Malick's New World

    2004-09-15T04:00:00Z

    In recent years, severalbig-name US auteurs have beaten a path to Britain. Robert Altman shot Gosford Park in the Home Counties. WoodyAllen has recently completed a film in London. Now, Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Badlands, Days Of Heaven)is UK-bound.A spokesperson forPinewood Studios has confirmed that Malick has booked ...