Small MPU – Page 493

  • News

    UK's Uli Meyer starts production on $30m MonsterMania!

    2006-08-08T11:51:00Z

    London-based Uli Meyer Animation has started production on MonsterMania!, a $30m computer-animatedfeature. MichaelMarshall Smith and Stephen Jones wrote the script for the monster comedy/adventure,which is based on an idea by Uli Meyer, Jones andSmith. MonsterMania! has beenin active development for three years. Uli Meyer Animation will co-produce withIndia's Ittina Animation ...

  • News

    Online pirate DVD seller busted in London

    2006-08-08T00:00:00Z

    A pirate DVD seller in Hackney, London,has had her house raided and will be summonsed to appear in court. The raid wasconducted by Hackney Trading Standards and the UK's Federation AgainstCopyright Theft (FACT).The woman, age 55, had beenselling pirate DVDs online. Officers found more than 3500 discs at her house, ...

  • News

    Japan's Hitachi develops digital satellite venture

    2000-06-28T13:51:00Z

    Japan's Hitachi is developing a data broadcasting system that will automatically beam content such as films, music and restaurant information from a communications satellite to the internal hard drives of subscribers' dedicated digital receivers. Subscribers can then view the content at their leisure. Hitachi is assembling a consortium of partners, ...

  • News

    Wysiwyg plans Oct UK release for Hall's The Plague

    2006-08-08T00:00:00Z

    UKdistributor Wysiwyg Films, formed by Tom Swanston and Cauri Jaye, has announced several films in its forthcomingrelease slate. The filmsinclude Greg Hall's The Plague, duefor a Digital Screen Network release on Oct 6. The London-set urban drama hasbeen praised by Mike Leigh. Neil Oseman's SoulSearcher, a sci-fi adventure, will be ...

  • News

    Pusan adds Midnight Passion section

    2006-08-08T00:00:00Z

    The PusanInternational Film Festival has added a new section called Midnight Passion. Thesection will present a programme of 12 features from variousgenres including horror and comedy.Midnight screenings were held unofficially in 2004 but this year's programme launches officially.The screenings will be held from Oct 13-16 atMegabox Theater in Haewoondae.Three movies ...

  • News

    The Departed and La Sconosciuta could be headed for Rome

    2006-08-09T04:00:00Z

    GiuseppeTornatore's La Sconosciuta and Martin Scorsese'sThe Departed could be among thetitles that will screen at the first edition of the Rome Film Festival (Oct13-21).Accordingto industry gossip - but without any confirmation from Rome organisers - titlesthat could be heading to Rome also include Ridley Scott's A Good Year and Mira ...

  • News

    The Lives Of Others director to host special screening for Attenborough

    2006-08-09T04:00:00Z

    Florian Henckel von Donnsermarck is planning a private preview in London of his multiple award-winning debut feature The Lives Of Othersfor Richard Attenborough. "We're going to hold aspecial screening in England before the film premieres because I know that hedoesn't really like to go to premieres," von Donnersmarksaid. The young ...

  • News

    Toronto festival 'ratchets up acquisition frenzy'

    2006-08-08T00:00:00Z

    Seeking to stoke up even more potential acquisitionactivity this September, the Toronto International Film Festival has announced15 world premieres and five international premieres it has identified asbuyer-friendly - that is, with major rights available -- including newfilms from Werner Herzog, Margarethe von Trotta, Hal Hartley, Tarsem Singh,Alek Keshishian, Scott Caan, ...

  • News

    Bon Cop Bad Cop makes Alliance Atlantis' day

    2006-08-08T00:00:00Z

    Quebecois action comedy Bon CopBad Cop became the first Quebec-made filmto break into the North American box office Top 20, all of it garnered withinthe province's exhibition circuits in Eastern Canada. Released by Alliance AtlantisVivafilm in the Quebec province August 4, the film pulled in over $1.27m(C$1.43m), the largest ever ...

  • News

    Montreal World Film Fest unveils complete line-up

    2006-08-09T00:00:00Z

    The Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF) has unveiled thecomplete line-up for its 30th edition, including 13 world premieresand six international premieres in its key World Competition programme.In all, the festival will present 215features, 106 world or international premieres and 58 North American premieres.As in past years, the World Competition has ...

  • News

    Shyama Friedenson promoted to SVP at Lionsgate Int'l

    2006-08-09T00:00:00Z

    Shyama Friedenson has been promoted to senior vice president of internationalmarketing at Lionsgate.Friedenson joined the company in 2000 and is responsible for overseeingmarketing and publicity for Lionsgate's international film division includingfestivals, and also serves as the strategic corporate liaison for publicity andmarketing with Lionsgate UK."Shyama has been instrumental in the ...

  • News

    Dimension feasts on 3rd Project Greenlight film

    2006-08-09T00:00:00Z

    Dimension Films will release the third Project Greenlight feature Feast in theatres on Sept 22 following theworld premiere at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Sept 12.The Live Planet Production in association with Maloof MotionPictures and Neo Art & Logic is directed by first time filmmaker JohnGulager and ...

  • News

    Internationalmedia strikes deal with Johnson

    2000-06-28T13:54:00Z

    Internationalmedia, the company formed from the merger between Intermedia and Pacifica, has finalised a first-look deal with US producer Mark Johnson.The move, which was expected, comes after Intermedia, Johnson and USA Films reportedly boarded The Code, a WW2 story currently in development. Johnson, who may set up Brad Silberling's Baby's ...

  • News

    Poitier to receive lifetime award from BAFTA/LA

    2006-08-09T00:00:00Z

    Sidney Poitier will receive BAFTA/LA's Cunard Britannia Award forlifetime contributions to international film at the 15th annual BAFTA/LA CunardBritannia Awards in Los Angeles on Nov 2.Anthony Minghella will collect the John Schlesinger BritanniaAward for artistic excellence in directing, and Rachel Weisz will receive theBritannia Award for artist of the year.Poitier ...

  • News

    Craft winners announced for 2006 Hollywood Film Awards

    2006-08-09T00:00:00Z

    Organisers at the 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival haveannounced the line-up of crafts winners set to receive awards at the Hollywood AwardsGala on Oct 23.Vilmos Zsigmond will receive the Hollywood Cinematographer of theYear Award, Joel Cox will collect the Hollywood Editor of the Year Award, andGustavo Santaolalla will get the ...

  • News

    Walden, Fox give birth to family film label

    2006-08-09T00:00:00Z

    Walden Media has set up a joint venture with Fox FilmedEntertainment (FFE) to release family pictures that encompasses all of Walden'sfuture slate and current and new work from Fox.A dedicated marketing, publicity and promotions team at the as-yet-unnamedcompany will work on the titles, which initially include Mr Magorium'sWonder Emporium, TheDark ...

  • News

    Swiss grants go to projects from Indonesia and Malaysia

    2006-08-09T15:16:00Z

    Two projects from Indonesia and one from Malaysia were selected from the 11 South-East Asian filmprojects presented at this year's Open Doors in Locarno to receive development and production grantssponsored by the Swiss Foreign Ministry's Agency for Development andCooperation (DEZA).The decision on the winnersof two grants of $40,874 (CHF 50,000) ...

  • News

    Icon launches home entertainment division

    2006-08-09T16:07:00Z

    UK distributor Icon has created a home entertainment division, which willbe headed by Ian Dawson. Dawsonhad been HMV's head of DVD & related products and he will start at Icon inOctober 2006, reporting to Icon CEO Martin Bigham. "This last year has seen thebuild up of a fantastic slate of ...

  • News

    London's 50th festival to open with Last King Of Scotland

    2006-08-09T17:48:00Z

    The Times BFI London FilmFestival will open its 50th edition on Oct 18 with the Europeanpremiere of Kevin Macdonald's The LastKing Of Scotland.Based onthe award-winning novel by Giles Foden adapted byPeter Morgan and Jeremy Brock, the film stars Forest Whitaker as UgandanPresident Idi Amin and JamesMcAvoy as a Scottish doctor ...

  • News

    Albert drops out of Locarno jury over Fraeulein involvement

    2006-08-10T02:00:00Z

    Austrian filmmaker-producerBarbara Albert has stepped down from Locarno FilmFestival's International Jury "to prevent any discussion about theindependence of the jury" after a local newspaper suspected a cover-up bythe festival about Albert's involvement in the screenplay for Andrea Staka's Das Fraeulein, the only Swiss film in this year's OfficialCompetition.In an official ...