Small MPU – Page 590
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Lee outlines Media 8 ambitions
Hong Kong-based entrepreneurSammy Lee has ambitious plans for his movie company Media 8 Entertainment whichgoes far beyond just financing films like Running Scared, Santa Slays, TheUpside Of Anger and the company's biggest production investment to date -the $50m Man About Town which has Ben Affleck attached to star."I want to ...
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Shrek producer turns to Europe to bankroll Vanguard slate
Vanguard Films,the production company headed by Shrek 2 and Shrek producer John Williams and Neil Braun, is exploringEuropean investment sources to bankroll an initial slate of five animationfilms.The long-termfinancing pact is aimed at building on the company's foray into theindependent sector with Valiant, Happily N'Ever After and Space Chimps.Braun told ...
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Shikiya named svp marketing and distribution at MGM
Steven T Shikiya has beennamed senior vice president of marketing and distribution at MGM, assuming alarge portion of the former duties of Danny Rosett, who was recently named UApresident.Shikiya will oversee allfinance, planning and operational support for the domestic theatrical marketingand distribution groups for MGM Studios and UA, reporting to ...
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Quebec duo launch $4bn counter-bid for Videotron
The gloves truly came off this weekend in the high-stakes battle for Canadian media domination.Just as shareholders in the Quebec-based cable company Groupe Videotron were preparing to vote on a proposed C$5.6bn ($3.8bn) takeover by the nation's largest cable operator, a rival hostile bid was suddenly tabled that only complicated ...
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Paltrow, Ruby strike joint venture
Gwyneth Paltrowand leading British production outfit Ruby Films have formed a joint company todevelop projects for Paltrow to star in and produce.First up islikely to be Diamonds, the true ragsto riches story of a female London jewelry thief who masqueraded as a varietyof wealthy women to rob shops by swallowing ...
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UK mines South African gold
Highlightingrising interest in South Africa as a financing and production partner, miningtycoon Mzi Khumalo has taken a minority stake in busy British-Irish productioncompany Little Bird as part of a move into film.Under the deal,Khumalo's Metallon Corp is making what Little Bird co-chief Jonathan Cavendishcalled "a sizeable equity investment" in the ...
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Shrek producer turns to Europe to bankroll Vanguard slate
Vanguard Films,the production company headed by Shrek 2and Shrek producer John Williams andNeil Braun, is exploring European investment sources to bankroll an initialslate of five animation films.The long-termfinancing pact is aimed at building on the company's foray into the independentsector with Valiant, Happily N'Ever Afterand Space Chimps.Braun told ScreenInternational that ...
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Fahrenheit to rise in July
Michael Moore made his firstpublic appearance in Cannes yesterday, revealing that he and Miramax Filmsbosses Harvey and Bob Weinstein are negotiating with third-party distributorsto have Fahrenheit 9/11 in US theatres by July."Our plan was to release thefilm on July 4 weekend," he said, "and in the discussions we are having ...
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Sundance to introduce World Cinema Competition
Sundance Film Festival organisers are raising the profile ofinternational films with the introduction in 2005 of the World CinemaCompetition, which will present two awards alongside the Independent FeatureFilm Competition for US independents.Jury prizes will be awarded to the best of 16 entries in theWorld Cinema Dramatic Competition and the best ...
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Dreamworks realising Shrek 3 & 4
DreamWorks FeatureAnimation, which has arrived in Cannes with a 300 strong entourage fortonight's competition screening of Shrek2, has begun production on Shrek 3- and is already working on Shrek 4.Studio partner JeffreyKatzenberg told Screen that Shrek 3 is scheduled for release in 2006, withShrek 4 to be decided."There are actually ...
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Hurt to shoot Dogs for Renaissance, BBC
MichaelCaton-Jones is to direct John Hurt in ShootingDogs for BBC Films and sales company Renaissance Films.Hurt plays apriest who forges a friendship with Joe, a young teacher, against the backdropof the Rwandan genocide. The film explores the dilemma of peacekeepers caughtup in a dangerous world, where they feel powerless to ...
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Laurel, Rosem, Onoma team for Chinese slate
Beijing-based productionoutfit Laurel Films, French producer Rosem and French sales house OnomaInternational have struck a three-way agreement to produce and sell a slate ofChinese pictures.The trio worked together on Day And Night (Ri-Ri Ye-Ye) a rags toriches tales set in a mining town byChinese auteur Wang Chao. The film was ...
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Content Burns with Butler
Making its firstcommitment to a British film since Ed Pressman and John Schmidt's Contentfilmtook over the UK's Winchester Entertainment, sales arm Content Internationalhas boarded Burns, with Gerard Butlerstarring hot off Joel Schumacher's PhantomOf The Opera.Brian Cox, JohnHannah, David O'Hara and James Cosmo are also starring in the story of 18thcentury ...
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Blood on the Croisette
French television station France 3 said yesterday it wouldfile a complaint against the police for alledgedly injuring a cameramanfollowing a demonstration of disgruntled show business workers onSaturday. Meanwhile, several unionsrepresenting hotel workers have called a general strike in all of Cannes tobegin on Monday morning at 7am. For the past ...
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American Beauty wins 5 Oscars including Picture
As expected American Beauty won the major Oscars at the 72nd annual Academy Awards ceremony, winning in five categories - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography.The $15m production which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year was the first film to win the ...
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Tarnation creates Cannes buzz
JonathanCaouette's Tarnation, which isscreening in Directors' Fortnight, has emerged as one of the buzz titles ofthis year's festival. The film, handled by Wellspring Media, has been licensedby Optimum for the UK and Dendy for Australia.Tarnation, exec-produced by Gus VanSant and John Cameron Mitchell, received rave reviews in Sundance earlier thisyear, ...
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Hopkins runs with World's Fastest Indian
LA producers Freddy Braidyand Francesco Juilland have teamed up to form Cameo FJ Entertainment and thecompany's first film, The World's FastestIndian, which has Anthony Hopkins attached to star, Roger Donaldsonattached to direct and is being sold here by Elie Samaha's Mobius.Warner Bros will handledomestic distribution on the film through Samaha's ...
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Moore pressure on White House
The White Houseput pressure on Mel Gibson's Icon not to back Farenheit 911, Michael Moore claimed yesterday.Moore, whosedocumentary premieres in Cannes, revealed that his agent received a call fromIcon boss Bruce Davey last year saying "I'm in a big jam here, you've got tohelp me. I know we have a ...
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Sundance to introduce world cinema competition sections
Sundance FilmFestival organisers are raising the profile of international films with theintroduction in 2005 of the World Cinema Competition, which will present twoawards alongside the Independent Feature Film Competition for US independents.Jury prizes willbe awarded to the best of 16 entries in the World Cinema Dramatic Competitionand the best of ...
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Troy opens top on lacklustre $45.6m
Troy opened top at the weekend on an estimated $45.6m, aslightly disappointing bow that owed much to the $200m production's lengthyrunning time, R rating and mixed reviews.Warner Bros distribution chiefs are confident the picture'squality will allow it to gather momentum over time but the word of mouth willneed to kick ...