Small MPU – Page 667
-
News
German box office blow as Siegfried disappoints
Aftera catastrophic first half to the year (that saw box office down 19%year-on-year) the German box office was dealt a further blow at the weekendwhen the most anticipated local film of the year failed to deliver up toexpectations.Siegfriedis the new comedy from Sven Unterwaldt, director of one of last year's ...
-
News
Kinowelt offers new rental terms to exhibitors
Distributor Kinowelt has entered the debate on the lengthof theatrical "windows" by offering exhibitors a new arrangement forthe calculation of rental charges.In principle, Kinowelt intends to hold fast to asix-month "window" before a film can appear on video and DVD. In theevent of one of its new films having an ...
-
News
Nightwatch to kick off inaugural Libertas fest
The Croatian premiere ofTimur Bekmambetov's Night Watchwill kick off the inaugural Libertas Film Festival in the Croatian town ofDubrovnik on Aug 26.Twenty features arescheduled to play at the four-day event, including the European premieres ofAndrew Wagner's The Talent Given Usand Antonio Campos' Buy It Now.A Croatian film-makersshowcase and Croatian premieres ...
-
News
Gonzo, Fuji TV and Mosaic Media pact for Afrosamurai
Samuel L Jackson will starin a live-action adaptation of Takashi Okazaki's Afrosamurai comic franchise that is being put together byJapanese teen animation company Gonzo KK, Fuji Television Network and LA-basedMosaic Media Group.Mosaic's Charles Roven andAlex Gartner are producing the project and The Firm's Eli Selden and Julie Yornwill serve as ...
-
News
Buyers bag The Mexican
Will Tyrer and Chris Ball's Newmarket Group has sold rights in three major territories to The Mexican, starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.The co-production with DreamWorks SKG has gone to Gaga Communications in Japan, Helkon in Germany and Tri Pictures in Spain.Summit Entertainment assisted in the sale of the film ...
-
News
IRA - King Of Nothing to shoot in Belfast, Bray this month
Benelux-based BBIProductions is preparing to shoot the drama IRA - King Of Nothing in Belfast and the Irish town of Bray later thismonth.Damian Chapa will direct andstar alongside Joe Estevez and Rachel Hunter in the story of a diehard IRAterrorist who threatens to destroy the tentative peace process.BBI owns worldwide ...
-
News
New Gunarsson, Fitzgerald films among the Canadian premieres at Toronto
Sturla Gunnarrson's epic Beowulf& Grendel starring Gerard Butlerand Sarah Polley and Thom Fitzgerald's Three Needles starring Chloe Sevigny, Lucy Liu, Stockard Channingand Sandra Oh will have their world premieres as Special Presentations at the30th Toronto International Film Festival. Also world premiering is LieWith Me, the much-anticipatedsexually explicit feature from Clement ...
-
News
Big budget Eragon cranks up in Hungary
Stefan Fangmeier'sbig budget fantasy picture Eragon has just started shooting in Hungary,at a built set near Budakeszi, just outside of Budapest. The film will shootin nine different locations in Hungary until October 29, as well as a week oflocation work in Slovakia. The film is based onthe best-selling novel of ...
-
News
Parker's Fade To Black starts Euro shoot
Seven weeks of principal photography is underway on locationin Serbia, Italy and the Isle of Man on director Oliver Parker's thriller Fade To Black.The film follows legendary director Orson Welles through thepost-war world of criminality and political scheming that proliferated in late1940's Italy. When an actor is murdered on Welles' ...
-
News
NHK invests in first ever Israeli film Sweet Mud
Japanese broadcaster NHK hasinvested in its first ever Israeli film, Sweet Mud directed by DrorShaul.Sweet Mud is set 30 years ago in a kibbutzand tells the story of a 12 year old boy, Dvir, who realizes that his mother,Miri, is mentally ill. In this closed community bound by rigid rules, ...
-
News
Thomson to leave UK Film Council for DDA Consulting
UKFilm Council press and PR executive Ian Thomson is leaving to become managingdirector of DDA Consulting, a division of leading film PR outfit DDA.DDA Consulting actsfor a number of non-entertainment related clients as well as those within DDA'straditional sector.Theappointment was announced by DDA's Chairman Dennis Davidson and Group COO PaulPhilpotts.Thomsonwill ...
-
News
Tarnation takes top prize at Era New Horizons
JonathanCaouette's Tarnation won the Grand Prix at the 5th Era NewHorizons Film Festival (July 21-31) in Cieszyn, southern Poland.Amongother competition entries which received high scores as voted by the audiencewere: 4 by Ilja Khrzhanovsky (Russia), 13 Lakes by James Benning(USA), 20 Fingers by Mania Akbari (Iran), and The Wayward Cloudby ...
-
News
Former Miramax execs Silfen, Andres join Lindsay at Kimmel International
Sidney Kimmel has announcedthat former Miramax International executives Jill Silfen and Joan Andres willjoin Kimmel International under their former Miramax colleague Mark Lindsay whois president of the division.Jill Silfen has joined assenior vice president of business and legal affairs and Joan Andres has beennamed manager of sales and administration.Based in ...
-
News
Miramax battle R rating for Dahl's Great Raid
Miramax Films announced saidyesterday that it would appeal against the MPAA's R rating of John Dahl'supcoming wartime drama The Great Raid.The MPAA's ratings boardawarded the rating based on "strong war violence and brief language".Set in the Philippines in1945, The Great Raid recounts theliberation by American soldiers of 500 POWS from ...
-
News
Brillstein-Grey completes post-Grey reorganisation
Brillstein-GreyEntertainment has completed the transition of its management and televisioncompanies to new owners and announced that longtime executives CynthiaPett-Dante and Jon Liebman will lead itsexecutive team.Pett-Dante, aBrillstein-Grey partner of 14 years whose client roster includes Brad Pitt,Courteney Cox-Arquette and Matthew Vaughan, assumes leadership and strategicresponsibilities for the overall company.In addition ...
-
News
SIC takes stake, pics from Morena
Portugal's leading private free TV broadcaster, SIC, has acquired a 10% stake in Juan Gordon's Madrid-based production outfit Morena Films. The broadcaster has also acquired all rights for Portugal on three Morena projects which it will co-produce, and taken TV rights on three other Morena productions. The deal marks SIC's ...
-
News
Losique's Montreal festival uninvites Karla
Under pressure from itssponsors, the Montreal World Film Festival has decided not to present acontroversial film about Canada's infamous serial killing couple Karla Homolkaand Paul Bernardo. Karla, directed by Joel Bender, tells the story of Homolka,whose husband Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, rape andmurder of two ...
-
News
Paramount's War celebrates $500m gross
Paramount/DreamWorks'science fiction epic War Of The Worlds has swept past $500m at the worldwide box office since it opened fiveweeks ago.Steven Spielberg's H G Wellsadaptation has grossed more than $315.1m in international and $219.8m indomestic ticket sales as of Aug 2 for a worldwide running total of more than$534.9m.The picture ...
-
Reviews
Transporter 2
Dir: Louis Leterrier. France.2005. 87 min.After the ill-judged mixtureof mawkish sentimental drama and martial arts mayhem of Glasgow-based Dannythe Dog/Unleashed, writer-producer Luc Besson returns to the pure actionvein with this sequel to his 2002 hit, The Transporter. With hissurrogate Louis Leterrier again handling directing chores, Transporter 2is a wholly derivative ...
-
News
BAFTA calls for UK entries to Oscar foreign language award
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hascalled for all films wanting to be the UK's submission for the Foreign LanguageFilm Award at the 78th American Academy Awards to submit VHS/DVDsfor viewing by August 26.BAFTA is the appointed organisation by theAmerican Academy to select the UK's submission for ...