Small MPU – Page 639
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News
Hudson joins Wilson in Universal comedy You, Me And Dupree
Kate Hudson has signed on to star opposite Owen Wilson inUniversal Pictures' comedy You, Me And Dupree.Joe and Anthony Russo will direct from a screenplay by MikeLeSieur. The project is scheduled to begin production later this year.The story centres on a newlywed couple whose relationship hits arock when the groom's ...
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News
LA documentary showcase points to Oscar contenders
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has named 12features in its upcoming 9th Annual Theatrical Documentary Showcase, DocuWeek(formerly InFact).The list traditionally serves as a key indicator of Academy Awardsfavourites and complies with Academy rules that Oscar submissions play ontheatrical screens for paid admissions in either Los Angeles County, Manhattanor four other ...
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News
China blocks summer release of foreign films
No Hollywood films will bereleased in China for the next five weeks in what seems to be turning into aregular blackout on foreign films over the summer holiday box office season. It's understood that thefive-week ban officially begins today (July 20) and runs until the release ofUIP's War Of The ...
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News
Prominent Canadian film-makers ready string of projects
Prominent Canadianfilm-makers were the key recipients of the production funds doled out byTelefilm Canada through its Canadian Feature Film Fund earlier in July.The agency received 90applications at its April deadline, 47 English and 43 French-language; ofthose, eight English-language and four French-language projects were selected.Of the twelve lucky titles, only a ...
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News
Armstrong's Houdini feature wins crucial FFC backing
A UK/Australian co-production from director GillianArmstrong (Little Women, Charlotte Gray), a new film by the team behind2002 local comedy hit Crackerjack, and two documentary features, will gointo production as a result of decisions made today by Film Finance CorporationAustralia (FFC).Myriad Pictures is handling international sales onArmstrong's Death Defying Acts, based ...
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News
Oz financing market SPAAmart unveils 12 projects
A mix of experienced directors and producers and unknownsare attached to the 12 projects selected for next month's financing marketSPAAmart.Actor Richard Roxburgh (Van Helsing, Moulin Rouge)is hoping to make his big screen directorial debut with Romulus, My Father.UK scriptwriter Nick Drake has adapted the memoir by academic Raymond Gaita,Robert Connolly ...
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News
Malaysia defies global box office slump
Malaysia's box office has soared 24% in the first sixmonths of the year, bucking the worldwide trend of a double-digit slumpsuffered by most key international markets. 2005 is set to be the biggest year ever for Malaysiawith the box office expected to reach an all-time high of $61m (RM232m). In ...
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News
HFPA donates over $1m to charities, non-profits
Brad Pitt, KevinBacon, Sally Field and Ziyi Zhang were among the celebrities acceptingcharitable donations on behalf of various non-profit organisations from theLA-based Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) yesterday at the group'sannual installation luncheon.Over $1m wasdonated to charitable causes. Pittaccepted a $250,000 cheque for the Film Foundation's film preservation andrestoration projects, ...
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News
Atlas racks up sales
Atlas International has scored a raft of sales on teen comedy Ants In The Pants (Harte Jungs), Regina Ziegler's three latest Erotic Tales and its US sci-fi action picture Star Force. Ants, which Constantin and Propaganda are remaking in English through their joint production and distribution joint venture, has been ...
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News
Losique wins back FIAPF accreditation for Montreal
The MontrealWorld Film Festival (MWFF) has won back its Category 1 status ahead of nextmonth's 2005 edition, following re-accreditation by the FIAPF (InternationalFederation of Film Producers Associations).The move meansMWFF is currently the only A-list competitive event in North America with FIAPFaccreditation, rejoining the likes of Cannes, Berlin, Venice and San ...
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News
Esparza launches Latino-targeted film ouftit in US
In a two-prongedcampaign catering to the fastest growing demographic in the US, producerMoctesuma Esparza is launching a theatre chain and production/distributioncompany aimed at the continent's 41million-plus English-speaking Latinocommunity.Esparza's MayaCinemas chain will open state-of-the-art multiplexes in minority communityareas, chiefly in what a statement called "Latino-centric, family-orientedcommunities in underserved urban and rural ...
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News
Elizabeth Taylor to receive BAFTA/LA's Britannia Award
Elizabeth Taylor willreceive BAFTA/LA's Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in InternationalEntertainment at the 2005 Britannia Awards on Nov 10 at The Beverly HiltonHotel.Over the course of a careerspanning seven decades Taylor earned five best actress Oscar nominations,winning twice for Butterfield 8and Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf'She has won a BAFTA ...
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News
Grasic out, Tauber, Horberg in at Sidney Kimmel Ent
Marina Grasic has left herpost as chief operating officer of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE) in a busyweek for the company following the hiring of William Horberg and Jim Tauber.Grasic had been with thecompany ever since Kimmel launched operations with the opening of the LosAngeles office last October.While it remained unclearwhat ...
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News
Weinsteins, IFC Films partner on Unknown
The WeinsteinCompany and IFC Films have jointly picked up North American rights to thethriller Unknownwhich features an ensemble cast headed up by Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear andBarry Pepper.Joe Pantoliano,Bridget Moynahan, and Jeremy Sisto also star in the story of five men involvedin a kidnapping who wake up in a warehouse ...
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News
NBC Universal launches local TV programming venture
NBC UniversalTelevision Distribution (NBC UTD) has launched an original content unit thatwill partner with local media companies to develop and create local programmingin international markets.Under thedirection of Leslie Jones, NBC UTD's New York-based vice president ofinternational sales and format production, the unit will exploit NBCUniversal's existing library and will create ...
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Swedish-US comedy Darlings kicks off in LA
Production hasbegun in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert on Bjorne Larson'sSwedish-American comedy Kill Your Darlings.Hot Scandinavianactors Andreas Wilson, Alexander Skarsgard and Fares Fares head up aninternational cast that includes Lolita Davidovich, John Larroquette, RonnieYeskel, Greg Germann, John Savage, Benito Martinez, Julie Benz and Terry Moore.Wilson playedthe lead ...
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Reviews
Little Fish
Dir: Rowan Woods. Aus.2005. 114mins.Cate Blanchett laststarred in an Australian film with Gillian Armstrong's Oscar And Lucinda(1997), in which her 19th-century heiress harboured dreams of building a glasschurch in the Outback.She returns to Australianfilm-making eight years later - and with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar - toplay another dreamer in ...
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Child opens Poland's Era New Horizons festival
The 5thedition of Era New Horizons Film Festival opens today (July 21) withJean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's The Child in Cieszyn, southern Polandwith the directors in attendance.Thefestival will close on July 31 with a gala screening of Lars von Trier's Manderlay.This year,Era New Horizons is set to showcase 300 screenings of ...
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News
China Star inks Star TV output deal
Hong Kong-based China Star Entertainment Group has finalised a US$30m three-year output deal with pay-TV provider Star TV for 100 films to be produced under its One Hundred Years Of Films production banner. Star is taking pay-TV rights for Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan on the titles. About a ...