Small MPU – Page 621

  • News

    Restored classic, period piece are toast of Sydney

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    The 85-year-old Australian silent film The SentimentalBloke, directed by prolific pioneer filmmaker Raymond Longford, anddirector Ondrej Trojan's Czech Republic/Austria/Slovakia period film Zelarywere the audience favourites at the Sydney Film Festival's two key venues.The festival wrapped on Saturday June 26 and organisers saythat the 132,500 admissions represented a 9% increase on ...

  • News

    Niehuus named executive director at German funding body

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    Berlin-Brandenburg production community has welcomed thenaming of Kirsten Niehuus as the executive director with responsibility forfilm funding at Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (the public fund which supportedKevin Spacey's Beyond The Sea andHans Weingartner's The Edukators.last year) from November 1, 2004.A qualified lawyer, Niehuus previously served as legalcounsel at Senator Film and the ...

  • News

    Being Julia to open 29th Toronto International Film Festival

    2004-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Istvan Szabo's period comedy Being Julia, starring Annette Bening andJeremy Irons, will open the 29th Toronto International Film Festivalon Sept. 9.The selection was widely anticipated givenproducer Robert Lantos' long-time association with Toronto; this will be theninth Lantos-produced picture to open the event. Based on the novel Theatre by W. Somerset ...

  • News

    UK Production Listings - June 29

    2004-06-29T00:00:00Z

    UK PRODUCTION LISTINGS PRE-PRODUCTIONBITTEN(Tartan Films) Dir: Meloni PooleContact Camilla Summers, Tartan Films, (44) 207 494 1400CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATEFACTORY(Warner Bros) Dir: Tim Burton. Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore.Contact: Pinewood Studios, (44) 1932 562 611DIZZY HEIGHTS(Theta Films [South Africa], Samson Films [Eire]) Budget: $6m. Backer/int'lsales: Vine International. Romantic comedy. What do ...

  • News

    Home entertainment to drive growth of film industry

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    The global film business,driven by an expanding home entertainment sector, is set for annual growth of7.5% over the next five years. By 2008 it will be worth $108bn, compared with$75bn last year, according to consultancy and research firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers(PWC) in its annual Global Entertainment & Media Outlook (2004-2008).The growth that ...

  • News

    Castle Hill takes Kiss to North America from The Works

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    UK-based sales agency The Works has sold all North American rights to Ken Loach's Ae Fond Kiss to US indie Castle Hill Productions.Castle Hill, which most recently handled What Alice Found, Pipe Dream and The Next Big Thing, plans a November release in two or three cinemas in New York, ...

  • News

    American Pie outstrips domestic gross overseas

    2000-03-30T14:14:00Z

    The high-school comedy American Pie which recently passed the $100m mark at the international box office has now scored more overseas than at the domestic box office. The $11m Universal title has become one of the studio's most profitable films after taking $102.5m at the North American box office since ...

  • News

    Allen cast grows as UK production activity swells

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    Brian Cox, Matthew Goode and James Nesbitt have joined the cast of Woody Allen's upcoming UK film.The trio will appear alongside Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers when principal photography starts July 12th on location in and around London.Financial partners in the film include BBC Films, Magic Hour Media, ...

  • News

    Day After Tomorrow flies past $300m for Fox

    2004-06-30T00:00:00Z

    The Day After Tomorrow has reached $302.7m at the international box officeafter adding $13.7m from 6,447 screens in 56 territories through FoxInternational at the weekend.Roland Emmerich'seco-disaster picture added $2.7m in its fourth weekend in Japan for a $34.6mcumulative score and second place behind the record opening of Harry PotterAnd The ...

  • News

    IFP/New York moves Gotham Awards to Dec

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    IFP/New York has moved tobolster the awards season credibility of its annual Gotham Awards by switchingthe gala date from September to December and introducing two new awards.The 14th Annual GothamAwards will take place on Dec 1, when for the first time awards will bepresented for best feature and best documentary.In ...

  • News

    Six composers named for Sundance Lab in July

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    The Sundance Instituteyesterday (29) named the six participants in its 7th Annual Sundance InstituteComposers Lab, which is due to run from Jul 20-Aug 4.This year's Composers LabFellows are Peter Fitzpatrick, Aiko Fukushima, Joseph Julian Gonzalez, GaryLouris, Raz Mesinai and Michael Torke.The two-week lab falls underthe aegis of the Institute's Film ...

  • News

    LA-based Blacklight Films launches stock footage library

    2004-06-30T04:00:00Z

    Industry veteran LouisSchwartzberg, whose directorial debut America's Heart And Soul is due to go on limited release through Buena Vistaon Jul 2, has launched a stock footage library within his production companyBlackLight Films.The new resource includesmore than 4,500 scenes of natural beauty and indigenous peoples from around theworld, including 350 ...

  • News

    Sony, IMAX to remaster Spider-Man 2 for large screen format

    2004-06-30T00:00:00Z

    IMAX Corp and Sony are in talks to digitally remaster and convert Spider-Man2 for the big screenformat, with a release scheduled for mid-July.If the deal is truck, this would be the first time the studio haspartnered with IMAX Corp, which teamed up with Warner Bros on the last two Matrix ...

  • News

    Lions Gate reports $94.2m loss

    2004-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Lions Gate Entertainment recorded a $94.2m net loss for the fiscalyear ended March 31 2004 compared to $1.1m net income a year before, due inlarge part to the costly acquisition of Artisan and marketing expenses on aslew of fourth quarter releases.Revenue for the year amounted to $384.9m compared to $293.1m ...

  • Reviews

    The Door In The Floor

    2004-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Tod Williams. US.2004. 111mins.In his first film sincehis promising 1998 debut The Adventures Of Sebastian Cole, Tod Williamsdelivers a solid and compelling adaptation of the first third of John Irving'snovel A Widow For One Year. Blending Irving's tendency to absurdism witha painful evocation of suppressed grief, The Door In ...

  • Reviews

    Sword In The Moon

    2004-06-30T00:00:00Z

    Dir. Kim Eui-Suk. Korea.2003. 100mins.Dark, bloody and brutal, Kim Eui-Suk's martial artsextravaganza, released in Korea last July to lukewarm response, played in UnCertain Regard at Cannes in the hope of catching second wind with a differenttype of audience. But its grim, humourless disposition is unlikely to gain itmany new friends.The ...

  • News

    Gold Circle parts company with ICE

    2004-07-01T04:00:00Z

    Gold Circle, the US indie behind smash hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, has parted ways with its UK production partner ICE Productions.Gold Circle said it is restructuring as Ice'sErica Motley, Irene Ilias and Claire Bennett have decided to return toindependent production as several long-gestating projects are nearingproduction.Gold Circle UK ...

  • News

    Impressive turnout for France's Fete du Cinema

    2004-07-01T04:00:00Z

    France's Fete du Cinema tallied an impressive 4.3million admissions during its three day run which ended on Tuesday (June 29).The score is on a level with the previous record reached in 1999.The admissions suprassed last year's event by 43%.The 5,300 cinemas across France participated in the cut-rateticket scheme which allowed ...

  • News

    Cambridge unveils wide-ranging festival line-up

    2004-07-01T04:00:00Z

    The Cambridge Film Festival has unveiled a wide-rangingline-up of films to play at this year's event, which runs from July 8-18.The festival says it has secured 40 UK premieres, includingPeter Greenaway's Antwerp: The Tulse Luper Suitcases Part 3, Japanese megahit Bayside Shakedown! and its sequel Bayside Shakedown! II, Richard Eyre's ...

  • News

    UK censor appoints successor to Duval

    2004-06-30T00:00:00Z

    UK censor the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)has named David Cooke as its new director.He will take up the post in September when the currentdirector, Robin Duval, retires.Cooke is currently Associate Political Director at theNorthern Ireland Office and has a wide experience of regulatory policy andpractice in broadcasting, drugs, ...