Small MPU – Page 672

  • Reviews

    Heaven's Doors

    2006-03-02T00:00:00Z

    Dirs: Swel and Imad Noury. Morocco. 2006.132mins.With their powerful, if flawed, debut feature Heaven's Doors, twentysomethingbrothers Swel and Imad Noury demonstrate an abundance of talent. Made on theproverbial shoestring budget, with mum (Pilar Cazorla) producing and dad (director Hakim Noury) in one of the key roles, it overflows with anambition ...

  • News

    Thema starts Russian shoot for In Transit

    2006-03-02T14:56:00Z

    UK/Russianco-production In Transit started productionin St Petersburg yesterday. TomRoberts, who has directed dozens of documentaries for BBC, PBS, and Channel 4,will make his narrative directorial debut.Thecast features John Malkovich, Thomas Kretschmann, Daniel Bruhl, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Eugene Mironov, Vera Farmiga, and JohnLynch.TheThema Productions project will shoot for five weeks. Thema's Michael ...

  • News

    Flood surges forward in South Africa, London

    2006-03-02T15:40:00Z

    TonyMitchell's disaster film Flood hasstarted shooting, with a cast including Robert Carlyle, JessalynGilsig, Tom Courtenay, Joanne Whalleyand David Suchet. Power'sJustin Bodle is producing alongside Peter McAleese. The film is production from the UK's Power, known for its TV dramas andminiseries, with South Africa's Moonlighting Films and Canada's Muse Entertainment. Michael ...

  • News

    Malaga Film Festival line-up is finalised

    2006-03-02T15:52:00Z

    Fourteen new Spanish filmsand co-productions will compete at the upcoming ninth annual edition of theSpanish Film Festival of Malaga (March 17-25).More than 60 buyers from 23countries are expected at the feature film Market Screenings (March 23-25),where they will screen more than 50 titles, including the competition line-up.Among the competition titlesare ...

  • News

    Korean theatres opt to keep screen quota intact

    2006-03-02T20:30:00Z

    In a new twist in the on-goingsaga of Korea's screen quota system, the Seoul Theatre Associationhas announced it will maintain the current quota for local films irregardlessof the recent government decision to cut it by half. At a meeting yesterday (March2) arranged by the government between theatre representatives, governmentofficials and ...

  • News

    Stefan Ruzowitzky's new feature to shoot at Babelsberg

    2006-03-03T04:00:00Z

    Another film about eventsfrom the Second World War will use sound stages at Studio Babelsbergonly three months after shooting wrapped on Paul Verhoevens Black Book just before Christmas.The production centre nearPotsdam willbe host to part of the shoot for Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky's TheCounterfeiter(Der Faelscher)which is based on the true ...

  • News

    Senator offers digital cinema copies of new films to exhibitors

    2006-03-03T04:00:00Z

    German independent distributor Senator is to offer digital cinema copies of its new films to allcinemas equipped with DLP Cinema Projectors."Senator is thereby the first German film distributor to offer its completeslate of movies for digital projection," declared Managing Director BenjaminHerrmann. The announcement heralds a new era for the company,which ...

  • News

    Supernatural thriller Shut In finishes shooting in LA

    2006-03-02T00:00:00Z

    Independentfeature Shut In hascompleted shooting in and around Los Angeles, marking the feature debut ofPablo Proenza, whose 33-minute short VIDI played at festivals around the world.A supernaturalthriller about a woman photographer whose camera makes people disappear, ShutIn stars Lisa Vidal,David Chisum and Lupe Ontiveros (Real Women Have Curves, DesperateHousewives).A Cut ...

  • News

    Women In Film International launches first short film showcase

    2006-03-02T00:00:00Z

    Women In Film AndTelevision International (WIFTI), the global network of 35 Women In Film AndTelevision chapters, is launching its first annual Short Film Showcase next Wed(March 8) on 18 screens in five countries. For one nightonly, WIFTI chapters in the five countries will present collections of shortfilms by female film-makers ...

  • News

    LA French Film Festival to open with La Doublure

    2006-03-02T00:00:00Z

    City Of Lights,City Of Angels (COLCOA) French Film Festival in Los Angeles unveiled its lineupyesterday for its tenth annual event which takes place April 3-9.Funded by theFranco-American Cultural Fund - a collaboration of the Directors Guild OfAmerica (DGA), SACEM, Writers Guild Of America, west (WGA), and the MotionPicture Association (MPA), ...

  • News

    French exhibitor Action launches discount cards

    2000-06-12T15:42:00Z

    French arthouse exhibitor Action plans to launch the "Action Gitanes" discount card in July. The card - which will cost $36 (FFr250) for entrance to 10 films and is valid for a year - is the first independent answer to major exhibitor UGC's highly controversial "UGC Illimite" card. Action operates ...

  • News

    Scheffer steps into consultancy role at HBO

    2006-03-03T04:00:00Z

    One of HBO's mostsenior executives Steve Scheffer is seguing into a consultancy role from hiscurrent position as president, Film Programming, Video and Enterprises.Scheffer, who hasbeen at the US cable giant since 1980 when he joined as vice president, filmprogramming, was instrumental in developing the company's film acquisition anddistribution structures. He ...

  • News

    Lionsgate, Twisted set Saw III for Oct 27, 2006

    2006-03-02T00:00:00Z

    Lionsgate and TwistedPictures are reuniting the original creative team behind Saw and fast-tracking the third episode in time forHalloween this year.An Oct 27 US release datehas been set for the project, which will be directed by Saw II director Darren Lynn Bousman based on a story from Saw creators Leigh ...

  • News

    TWC picks up Bessons's Arthur And The Minimoys

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    The Weinstein Company has picked up North America and all English-speakingterritories on Luc Besson's CGI-live-action adaptation of his 2003 children'sbook Arthur And The Minimoys.Freddie Highmore and Mia Farrow star in the live-action parts ofthe project, with Madonna, Snoop Dogg and David Bowie providing voices for theanimated sections.Currently shooting, the EuropaCorp ...

  • News

    Sony Classics wins PG-13 rating for Oscar nominated Noel

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    Sony Pictures Classics has won its appeal to overrule the R ratingon Christian Carion's Oscar nominated Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) and will release the picture in the USwith a PG-13 rating in March.The MPAA appeals board agreed by a two-thirds majority to overturnthe earlier ruling, which had been based on ...

  • News

    Endore-Kaiser joins Paramount specialty arm as senior vp, creative advertising

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    Paramount's new-look specialty division has hired GuyEndore-Kaiser as senior vice president of creative advertising.Endore-Kaiser (pictured) arrives after serving three years atadvertising agency The Ant Farm, where he worked on campaigns for such titlesas Sin City and Matchpoint.'Guy's original thinking and strategic approach to creativefilm advertising are exceptional,' division president John ...

  • News

    Endore-Kaiser joins Paramount specialty arm as senior vp, creative advertising

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    Paramount's new-look specialty division has hired GuyEndore-Kaiser as senior vice president of creative advertising.Endore-Kaiser (pictured) arrives after serving three years atadvertising agency The Ant Farm, where he worked on campaigns for such titlesas Sin City and Matchpoint.'Guy's original thinking and strategic approach to creativefilm advertising are exceptional,' division president John ...

  • News

    BVI's Narnia lands in its final major market of Japan

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    Buena Vista International (BVI) executives expect to dominate theweekend as they launch The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And TheWardrobe in its finalmajor market of Japan on Mar 4.The children's fantasy hit already ranks as the 20th biggestinternational release of all time on $380m and along with Universal's ...

  • News

    New Zealand to keep production rebates in place

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    New Zealand's economic development minister Trevor Mallard hasannounced that a review of the "Large Budget Screen Production Grant"initiative has been concluded and the scheme will remain in place. Mallard also announced thatthe New Zealandgovernment has paid expenditure rebates of $16.8m (NZ$25.2m) to King Kong and $10.6m (NZ$15.9m) to The ...

  • Reviews

    The Hills Have Eyes

    2006-03-03T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Alexandre Aja. US. 2006. 107mins.Whether it's ironic or just emblematic of a generallack of imagination is open to debate, but everything old is new again inHollywood - or at least as it applies to the current trend of updated andrefashioned horror properties. The latest is The Hills Have Eyes, ...