Small MPU – Page 655

  • News

    Jewish comedy sweeps German Film Awards

    2005-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Dani Levy's Jewish comedy Go For Zucker! (Alles AufZucker) was the big winner at this year'sGerman Film Awards in Berlin's Philharmonie, held on Friday night (July 8) infront of 2,200 guests.The filmpicked up six Golden Lolas for Best Film, BestDirection, Best Lead Actor (Henry Huebchen), Best Costume Design (Lucie Bates),Best ...

  • News

    French admissions plunge 15% in first half of 2005

    2005-07-11T04:00:00Z

    French cinema admissions have dropped by 15% for the firstsix months of 2005 as compared to the same period in 2004.France's National Film Federation (FNCF), whichoversees exhibition, noted that 87,550,000 tickets have been sold since January1. The fall in French admissions echoes similar falls across Europe (see storylink below).While the ...

  • News

    Soda takes UK rights to Akin's Bridge

    2005-07-11T04:00:00Z

    UK distributor Soda Pictures has acquired Crossing TheBridge; The Sound of Istanbul, the new filmfrom award winning director Fatih Akin. Akin, winner of the Berlin Golden Bear Award and EuropeanFilm of the Year for Head-On, returnswith a musical documentary homage to Istanbul. Literally crossing the bridge from traditional to modernTurkish ...

  • News

    Copenhagen festival launches industry Screenings

    2005-07-11T04:00:00Z

    The Copenhagen International Film Festival has launchedindustry screenings for new Danish films for international buyers and festivalprogrammers.The Copenhagen Screenings will be held between August 23-24as a pilot project. Some ten - as yet unnamed - new Danish films,including two documentaries, will screen at the event. Festival programmer Jacob Neiiendam said ...

  • News

    Documentaries shine at Taipei Film Festival

    2005-07-09T00:00:00Z

    The 7th Taipei Film Festivalconcluded today (July 9) with an awards ceremony weighted towards localdocumentary features.The 15-day event opened on 25June with a new cut of Hou Hsiao-hsien's Three Times, with three linesof dialogue excised from the version that competed at Cannes. The only other Taiwanese narrativefeature to receive its ...

  • News

    Fantastic Four looks Marvelous in $56m US debut

    2005-07-10T00:00:00Z

    It took a quartet of superheroes to do it, but the US boxoffice losing streak finally ended this weekend as Twentieth Century Fox's FantasticFour powered to the top of the North American chart with a bigger thanexpected estimated gross of $56m.The weekend tally for the Marvel Comics adaptation -co-financed by ...

  • News

    Fantastic Four looks Marvelous in $56m US debut

    2005-07-10T00:00:00Z

    It took a quartet of superheroes to do it, but the US boxoffice losing streak finally ended this weekend as Twentieth Century Fox's FantasticFour powered to the top of the North American chart with a bigger thanexpected estimated gross of $56m.The weekend tally for the Marvel Comics adaptation -co-financed by ...

  • News

    Fantastic Four looks Marvelous in $56m US debut

    2005-07-10T00:00:00Z

    It took a quartet of superheroes to do it, but the US boxoffice losing streak finally ended this weekend as Twentieth Century Fox's FantasticFour powered to the top of the North American chart with a bigger thanexpected estimated gross of $56m.The weekend tally for the Marvel Comics adaptation -co-financed by ...

  • News

    Artist biopic draws top prizes at Karlovy Vary

    2005-07-10T00:00:00Z

    Polishdrama My Nikifor dominated the awardsceremony at the 40th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival last Saturday,winning three Crystal Globes.The film, basedon the life of the naïve painter Epifan Drowniak, better known as NikiforKrynicki, won the Crystal Globe for best feature and $20,000. Director KrzysztofKrauze was named best director. Krystyna Feldman, ...

  • News

    War of the Worlds still rules international market

    2005-07-10T00:00:00Z

    War of the Worlds continued to dominate theinternational marketplace this weekend with an estimated gross of $60.5m. Butthe Tom Cruise-Steven Spielberg blockbuster was knocked out of the top chartspot in a few major markets by new international opener Fantastic Four. The tally for War of the Worlds, distributedinternationally for Paramount ...

  • News

    Advanced spots UFO

    2000-05-15T18:54:00Z

    Publicly traded German distributor Advanced Medien is making a push into high concept video and TV movies through the purchase of a 51% stake in Unified Film Organization (UFO), the five year-old LA-based production and sales operation run by Phillip Roth, Jeff Beach and Ken OlandtAdvanced had sealed an output ...

  • Reviews

    Wedding Crashers

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    Dir: David Dobkin. USA.2005. 119mins.Much is made of the recent ascension of a number of actors- including Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black and Owen Wilson- who, informally dubbed the "Frat Pack," have paired in various combinations ona number of studio comedy features. With the popularity of teen ...

  • Reviews

    Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Tim Burton. US.2005. 115mins.Tim Burton brings histraditional baggage to the new film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie AndThe Chocolate Factory, a lavish summer tentpole from Warner Bros whichpurports to stay true to the original novel more than the sunny 1971 musical WillyWonka And The Chocolate Factory. Although that assertion ...

  • Reviews

    The Island

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Michael Bay. US.2005. 135mins.Human cloning is thesci-fi theme of The Island, yet it is director Michael Bay's trademarkthundering action that leaves the lasting impression from this sleek,big-budget thriller co-produced by Warner Bros and DreamWorks. Thehalf-explored philosophical elements and a gratuitous dose of romance don't addmuch to the movie's overall ...

  • News

    Redbus to co-produce Wicker Man remake

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    The UK's Redbus FilmDistribution is to co-produce the remake of British cult horror title, TheWicker Man starring Nicolas Cage. Redbus has also acquired UKrights to the picture as well as two other Nu-Image financed titles, BruceBeresford's The Contract starring John Cusack and Morgan Freeman andTobe Hooper's horror movie Zombies."We have ...

  • News

    Nominations invited for foreign film Oscar

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    More than 90 countries have been invited submit contendersfor next year's foreign film Oscar. In the last 50 years, 99countries have submitted films to the foreign language competition.Only one film from each nation is permitted with the winnerannounced at the 2006 Oscars on March 5 at the Kodak Theatre in ...

  • News

    German opposition boosts hopes of tax breaks for film

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    Callsfor new tax incentives to benefit the German film industry received a welcomeboost from the CDU opposition party which is widely predicted to win powerfollowing September's general election.Speakingat the party's film reception ahead of this year's German film Awards, chairwomanAngela Merkel told producers "the German cinema has a firm place ...

  • News

    Redbus climb aboard Wicker remake

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    Redbus Film Distribution is to co-produce Neil La Bute's remakeof The Wicker Man as part of athree-film deal with Nu-Image.The distributor has acquired UK rights to the film as wellas two other titles, Bruce Beresford's The Contract and Tobe Hooper's Zombies.The Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy in 1973,has a ...

  • News

    Perfume scents success as shooting begins

    2005-07-11T00:00:00Z

    TomTykwer's Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer has begun shooting at theBavaria Film studios near Munich.The$60m co-production between Germany's Constantin Film Produktion, the privatemedia fund VIP Medienfonds 4b, France's Nouvelles Editions de Films and Spain'sCastelao Productions is being produced by Bernd Eichinger.Theproject is backed by the German Federal Film ...

  • News

    Swimming documentary makes waves at Paris event

    2005-07-11T16:00:00Z

    Yaron Zilberman's documentary Watermarks was the publicchoice for the grand prize at the 11th edition of the RencontresInternationales de Cinema in Paris.The film's as yet unnamed distributor will receive $18,000from the Forum des Images which organises the Rencontres within the frameworkof the three-year-old Paris Cinema event. The money is earmarked ...