Small MPU – Page 698

  • News

    Camden 28, Off Screen are jury winners at Philadelphia

    2006-04-15T00:00:00Z

    Anthony Giacchino's anti-Vietnam War saga The Camden 28 achieved the unprecedented feat ofwinning both the 2006 Philadelphia Film Festival's documentary jury prize andaudience award at the closing ceremony on Apr 11.Headingup the other jury prize winners was Pieter Kuijpers' Off Screen for best feature, while James Marsh's The King won ...

  • News

    Times, Father take top local film prizes at Istanbul

    2006-04-16T00:00:00Z

    MichaelWinterbottom's Tristram Shandy - A Cock and Bull Story won the Golden Tulip for best film in theinternational competition at the 25th International Istanbul Film Festival onSaturday, as well as the International Film Critics (FIPRESCI) prize.AnotherBritish film, Julian Fellowes' Separate Lies won the People's Choice audience award for mostpopular film ...

  • News

    Istanbul festival director Ucansu steps down after 25 years

    2006-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Hulya Ucansu, the directorof Istanbul Film Festival through its entire 25 years of existence, is leavingher post at the end of this year's edition of the event. Rumours were persistentthroughout the festival and were confirmed on the last day by a an officialpress release put out by the Istanbul Foundation ...

  • News

    Ice Age continues to sink competition with $54m weekend

    2006-04-17T00:00:00Z

    Fox International's Ice Age 2: The Meltdown remained the runaway number one title inthe international marketplace as it crossed $250m in its third weekend.The hit animated sequel added an estimated $54m on 7,298 screensin 57 territories over the Easter weekend for a total of $250.5m.Strong holdovers and low drop-offs powered ...

  • News

    Dimension takes Easter in North America with Scary Movie 4

    2006-04-17T00:00:00Z

    Dimension's Scary Movie 4 stormed to the top of the North American box office andrecorded the biggest Easter weekend in history as it took an estimated $41mover three days. It is the first specactular opening for the independentcompany since it separated from Disney and resumed business under The WeinsteinCompany's stand-alone ...

  • News

    German media fund acquires Odeon Film

    2006-04-17T11:00:00Z

    German private media fund GFP Medienfonds has taken a majority stake in the Munich-based TV/film producer Odeon Film.Aninvestment division of the GFP II and GFP III funds acquired the 53.66%shareholding held in Odeon Film until now by the Bavaria Film Group "afterseveral months and long negotiations", according to Bavaria Film ...

  • News

    Edinburgh unveils gala screenings

    2000-06-15T13:04:00Z

    Franchise Pictures' Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her, which boasts a cast including Holly Hunter, Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz and Calista Flockhart, will screen in the gala section of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (August 13-27). The festival has also confirmed Simon Cellan Jones' Cannes Directors' Fortnight ...

  • News

    Shanghai teams with Warner China Film on Phone Call

    2006-04-17T20:30:00Z

    Shanghai Film Group isjoining forces with Warner China Film HG Group to produce contemporary drama The 601st Phone Call.Director Feng Xiaogangserves as the producer of the film while TV actor Zhang Guoli takes thedirector's seat. Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung and Zhou Bichang, winner of China's top-rated SuperGirl TV contest, ...

  • News

    Academy Awards set for Feb 25, 2007

    2006-04-18T00:00:00Z

    The79th Annual Academy Awards will take place on Feb 25 2007 at Hollywood's KodakTheatre.TheAcademy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) issued the timetable forthe upcoming awards season yesterday. Nominations ballots will be mailed on Dec26 2006 and nominations polls close on Jan 13 2007.Nominationswill be announced on Jan 23, ...

  • News

    Danish films under the spotlight at Seattle Film Festival

    2006-04-18T00:00:00Z

    Fourteenfeatures from Denmark including five North American premieres have beenselected to spotlight the Scandinavian country in the upcoming 32nd SeattleInternational Film Festival (SIFF).The titlesinclude Annette Olesen's 1:1, PernilleFischer's A Soap, Niels Arden Oplev's WeShall Overcome, Anders Thomas Jensen's Adam'sApples, Christoffer Boe's Allegro, and Dagur Kari's Dark Horse.'AlthoughDanish cinema has always ...

  • News

    Sony's Mexican production unit starts Charm School

    2006-04-18T04:00:00Z

    Sony'sMexican local production unit Columbia Films Producciones Mexico has startedprincipal photography in Mexico City on its first feature, Fernando Sarinana'scomedy Charm School.Thestory follows the rebellious 18-year-old daughter of a political candidate whois sent to a finishing school and locks horns with the doughty principal.Martha Higareda, Camila Sodi and Blanca Guerra ...

  • News

    Taking Father Home wins digital prize at HKIFF

    2006-04-18T00:00:00Z

    Shanghai-based director Ying Liang's Taking Father Home was awarded the Golden Digital Award at this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). The film tells the story of a country boy who travels to the big city in search of his father whom he believes has become a rich property ...

  • News

    Japanese conglomerate invests in Klockworx

    2006-04-18T00:00:00Z

    Japanese conglomerate SojitzCorp has announced the purchase of a 17.94% stake in independent filmdistributor Klockworx for $1.33m (Y157m). Sojitz execs were dispatched to thecompany this month.Sojitz, which already has agrowing library of animation contents for mobile phone distribution, sees theinvestment as a way to expand its content and methods of ...

  • News

    Melbourne film festival to close with Mayhem

    2006-04-18T14:45:00Z

    Black comedy Suburban Mayhem, starring Emily Barclay,will close the 55th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) on August 13. Director Paul Goldman (Australian Rules, The Night They Called It A Day) said the festival is seen as bothan audience-friendly and cutting edge event and is the perfect place to launchthe film: ...

  • News

    Khan joins Momentum as UK finance director

    2006-04-18T13:00:00Z

    Saher Khan has been appointed as director of finance at Momentum Pictures in the UK.Khan, who is currently financial controller at Universal Pictures International, will take up her position in the London office this month, reporting to Krista Wegener, UK VP of Finance."We are delighted to have Saher join our ...

  • News

    Hannigan appointed to European Film Academy

    2006-04-18T14:00:00Z

    The director of the CorkFilm Festival, Mick Hannigan, has been invited tojoin the European Film Academy. The 50-year-old Festivalhas also been chosenas a participant in the European Film Academy PrixUIP initiative in 2006. As a voting member of theEFA, Hannigan will join a membership including LordAttenborough, Ingmar Bergman, Pedro Almodovar,Federico ...

  • News

    Elmer to head acquisitions at Pathe UK

    2006-04-18T15:00:00Z

    Emil Elmer has been named as the new head of acquisitions at Pathe UK following the departure of Berenice Fugard to Paramount's specialty arm.Formerly director of acquisitions at Miramax UK, Elmer said he was joining a great team: "I have for a long time admired Francois and his team at ...

  • News

    Toei celebrates anniversary with Genji adaptation

    2000-06-15T13:07:00Z

    As part of its 50th birthday celebrations, Japanese major Toei is set to produce a Y1bn ($9.3m) adaptation of The Tale Of Genji, a classic of world literature written by Murasaki Shikibu.The script, by Akira Hayakawa, does not focus on the novel, but the writer, a courtier who began to ...

  • News

    June deadline for expanded Grierson Awards

    2006-04-19T04:00:00Z

    TheGrierson Awards for documentaries have expanded beyond the UK this year totake in factual films made anywhere in the world.The entry deadline is June 2 in 10 categories: bestdocumentary on a contemporary issue, best documentary on the arts, besthistorical documentary, best documentary on science or the natural world, mostentertaining documentary, ...

  • News

    Miller and Relph join Arts Alliance Media

    2006-04-19T04:00:00Z

    Digital film distributor Arts Alliance Media has appointedSir Robin Miller and Simon Relph as non-executive directors.Miller was formerly chief executive and chairman of Emap,owners of Screen International.Relph was thefounding chief executive of British Screen Finance Limited and is anindependent producer with 17 films under his belt.Arts Alliance Media chairman Thomas ...