Small MPU – Page 540
-
News
Stiffs begins shooting with backing from Massachusetts tax incentive
Filming is underway on Boston-based Mavex Productions' comedy Stiffs, the first feature to take advantage ofthe Massachusetts Production Tax Incentive legislation that came into effect onJan 1.The project, which stars Danny Aiello as an Italian-Americanhearse driver who gets involved in a plot to keep a funeral home afloat, isscheduled to ...
-
News
Biddle leaves Summit for senior vp production role at Rogue
Adrienne Biddle has left Summit Entertainment and joined RoguePictures in the newly created position of senior vice president of production.Biddle will be based in the company's West Coast offices andreports directly to Rogue production chief Andrew Rona.The company's upcoming releases include Dave Chappelle's BlockParty directed by MichelGondry, Alex Aja's The ...
-
News
Escandell gets vp publicity stripes at Sony International
Cathy Escandell has been promoted to vice president of publicity,acquisitions and local productions at Sony Pictures Releasing International(SPRI).Escandell, who reports directly to senior vice president ofmarketing, acquisitions and local productions Sal Ladestro, formerly served asa senior publicist with the division.In her new role she will plan and execute all internationalpublicity ...
-
News
Heartlift opens Miami Film Festival on Mar 3
The world premiere of Eliseo Subiela's Heartlift (Lifting De Corazon) will open the 23rd Annual MiamiInternational Film Festival, which closes with the East Coast premiere ofNicole Holofcener's Sundance opener Friends With Money.All in all 92 features including 10 world premieres will screen atthe event, which runs from Mar 3-12 and ...
-
News
Christal to release controversial Canadian serial killer film
Karla, the US-produced true-life account of Canadianserial killer Karla Homolka, has secured a theatrical release in Canada viaMontreal-based Christal Films. The company plans open the film on 100 screensnationwide on January 20.Directed by Joel Bender andproduced by Michael Sellers of LA-based Quantum Entertainment, the film starsLaura Prepon as Homolka and ...
-
News
Wild Bunch signs financing, distribution deal with Fidelite
French sales and financingoutfit Wild Bunch has added another feather to its cap in signing a financingand distribution deal with France's Fidelite Productions.Wild Bunch, which tookover Pan Europeenne Distribution in 2004 and which recently signed a $145mjoint-venture dedicated to acquiring and co-producing features via anin-the-works pan-European distribution network, will now ...
-
News
Marvel promotes three as company moves into new phase
Marvel Studios has promoted three executives to key positions asthe company moves into self-financed production following last year's financingdeal with Merrill Lynch.Kevin Feige has been promoted to president of production and willcollaborate with company chairman and chief executive officer Avi Aradoverseeing all film and television productions. He previously served asexecutive ...
-
News
Moviemax acquires distribution rights to US films
Italiandistributor Moviemax, fresh from a hefty cash boost by new majority shareholderMondo Home Entertainment, has acquired Italian distribution rights to five USfilms, including Sundance premieres LuckyNumber Slevin and Alpha Dog.Lucky Number Slevin, which is directed by Paul McGuigan, is a dramaabout a man who finds himself in the middle of ...
-
News
The Match Factory picks up films from Wanda Vision
New international sales outfit The Match Factory has picked up international rights to two new titles from Spain's Wanda Vision. The Match Factory, set up by former Bavaria Films International managing director MichaelWeber has picked up Claudia Llosa's Sundance and Rotterdam entry Madeinusa and Gerardo Olivares' The Great Match.Peruvian-set Madeinusa ...
-
News
Media Luna launches joint venture sales company
Cologne-based sales agent Media Luna International Film Sales has joined forces with four German production houses to launch an expanded theatrical sales outfit Media Luna Entertainment (MLE).This week's Media Forum NRW in Cologne provided the backdrop for the launch of the new company which will be managed by Ida Martins, ...
-
News
LDM Productions to commence shooting project 8
Paris-based production house LDMProductions has announced the commencement of shooting on a new projectentitled 8.A series of short films by renowneddirectors, the project will highlight the fight against poverty and otherhumanitarian issues facing the world today.On a total budget of $4.2m (3.5m Euros)directors such as Robert Altman, Jodie Foster, GasparNoe, ...
-
News
Aardman names Stephen Moore COO and features head
Stephen Moore has joined UK-based animation company Aardmanas head of features and chief operating officer, starting immediately.Moore comes onboard the Aardman team after relocating back to the UKafter eight years in Los Angeles aspresident of international for Twentieth Century Fox. He oversaw both thetheatrical and home entertainment divisions at Fox."Icouldn't ...
-
News
UK Film Council offers P&A support to new releases
The UK Film Council has announced some ofthe latest recipients of funding from its Print and Advertising Fund. Among January's theatrical releases in theUK, the P&A fund is providing Redbus with $351,920(£200,000) for its release of Michael Winterbottom's A Cock and Bull Story, Icon $93,258 (£53,000)for Woody Allen's Match Point, ...
-
News
Netherlands' box-office takings fall by 12.7%
The Netherlands may haveseen year-on-year box office fall in line with much of Europe but local titlessaw an admissions gain. The territory as a wholewitnessed box office fall 12.7% from $187.1m (Euro 154.1m) in 20004 to $163.4m(Euro 134.5m) in 2005. Admissions slipped 11.2% from 23 million to 20.5million. The year ...
-
Reviews
Day Watch (Dnevnoy Dozor)
Dir: Timur Bekmambetov. Russ. 2006. 135mins.A solid piece of escapist entertainment, Day Watch, the sequel to Night Watch, again demonstrates howRussia is capable of making special effects-laden fare on a par with Hollywoodproductions.While its main audienceis likely to be fans of the first film, returns at home especially will behelped ...
-
News
Robert Altman to receive honorary Oscar
Robert Altman will receive an honorary Oscar at the 78th AcademyAwards on Mar 5.Altman, currently in post production on his ensemble GarrisonKeillor adaptation A Prairie Home Companion, has never won an Academy Award.However the 80 year-old has earned five best director nominations for M*A*S*H,Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts and Gosford ...
-
News
Quebec critics name Violence best international film of 2005
Quebec's film criticsassociation, L'Association quebecoise des critiques de cinema (AQCC), has named David Cronenberg's A History OfViolence as the best international filmof 2005.The other finalists wereJean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's L'enfant, Michael Haneke's Cache,Lodge Kerrigan's Keane and AngLee's Brokeback Mountain. It'sthe second major Canadian critical accolade for the film; In December, ...
-
News
Canadian luminaries call for quotas to be returned to local television
ProminentCanadian actors and other representatives of the Canadian performers guildACTRA are calling on their fellow citizens to demand action on the culturalfront as the nation heads into a federal election on January 23. Wendy Crewson,Fiona Reid, RH Thompson were among the speakers at a press conference today. 'It is ourculture ...
-
News
Noeltner's CMG signs on to represent Moriah Films
Cinema Management Group (CMG) has signed up as the exclusiveinternational sales agent for the Simon Wiesenthal Centre's documentary filmproduction unit Moriah Films.CMG will bring two new Moriah productions to Berlin as well asMoriah's previous Oscar winning documentaries, 1997's The Long Way Home and 1981's Genocide.Ever Again, which explores the resurgence ...
-
News
Dimension snaps up remake of Piranha
Dimension Films has snapped up US and all English-speaking rightsto Intellectual Properties Worldwide (IPW), Atmosphere EntertainmentMM/Relativity Media and Wild Bunch's horror project Piranha.Negotiations are underway for Chuck Russell to direct from ascreenplay he adapted from Joe Dante's 1978 cult classic.In Russell's version a series of earth tremors unleashes a schoolof ...