Small MPU – Page 719
-
News
China Star launches web-site for Chinese film
Hong Kong-based production house China Star Entertainment made its entry into the growing numbers of entertainment dotcoms today (June 19) with the launch of its web-site Chinastar.com.China Star claims the site has one of the most extensive databases of Chinese movie information, with more than a thousand film-related documents from ...
-
News
Schamus and Karpen promoted in Focus reshuffle
James Schamus has been promoted to Focus Featureschief executive officer in the wake of David Linde's appointment twomonths ago as Universal Pictures co-chairman.Schamus, who shared the role of Focus co-presidentsince he founded the company with Linde in 2002, assumes oversight ofFocus, Rogue Pictures and Focus Features International (FFI).Meanwhile Andrew Karpen ...
-
News
Weinsteins ring in Bell love story
The Weinstein Co will produce produce $20m love story,Alec & May - the US-set story ofthe Scottish inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell.The project, developed by the UK's Headline Pictures,follows the romance between Bell, then a 28-year-old teacher and a 16-year-olddeaf girl."The telephone was the direct consequence of theirrelationship," ...
-
News
Schroeder prepares Inju for SBS
Director Barbet Schroeder is set tostart work on Inju in September forFrench producers SBS Films and La Fabrique de Films.SBS is run by Said Ben Said of UGCInternational which will start sales on the project at Cannes this year.Inju stars Benoit Magimel and is based on a novel by Edogawa ...
-
News
ContentFilm gets Tribeca title I'm Reed Fish
UK-basedContentFilm has taken on international rights for I'm Reed Fish, which premiered at the Tribeca FilmFestival. Zackary Adler'sdirectorial debut stars Jay Baruchel and Alexis Bledel in a coming-of-age storyin a small town. The ensemble cast also includes Schuyler Fisk, DJ Qualls,Victor Rasuk and Katey Sagal.I'm Reed Fish isa production of ...
-
News
FilmFour backs Ken Loach's These Times
FilmFour willwork with Ken Loach on his next feature, with a working title of These Times.Loach, whose TheWind That Shakes The Barleyis in Cannes competition, will direct the new film from a screenplay by PaulLaverty.FilmFour is thefirst company on board as co-financiers for the project, which will be producedby Loach's ...
-
News
UK distributor Soda Pictures adds two to team
UK distributor Soda Picturesis growing with the addition of two new staffers. Kevin Owen has joined as theatricalsales manager. In June, Martin Gough will come on board as marketing manager. Owen worked as a film bookerat Artificial Eye and Tartan Films. Gough has a background in distribution andmedia planning and ...
-
News
Brazil and Australia deals struck for 3 Needles: The Director's Cut
Canada's Emotion Pictureshas sold Bigfoot Entertainment's award-winning drama 3 Needles: TheDirector's Cut to ForceEntertainment for Australia and New Zealand and California Filmes for Brazil.US rights were recently sold to Wolfe Releasing in partnership with CovingtonUSA.Written and directed by ThomFitzgerald the film tells three separate stories that illustrate how HIVtransmission is ...
-
News
Beyond takes on sales for Broomfield's Ghosts
Beyond Films is to handleworld sales on Ghosts, the newfeature written and directed by renowned British documentary maker NickBroomfield.Ghosts, Broomfield's first dramatic feature since DiamondSkulls, is based on the true storyof the Chinese illegal immigrants who were drowned while picking cockles in aBritish seaside town. The main characters are played ...
-
Reviews
Bug
Dir: William Friedkin. US. 2006. 102mins.An old dogtries to show off some new tricks in Bug,as veteran director William Friedkin (The Exorcist) attempts the trickytransfer of a bizarre theatrical hybrid to the cinema screen. The back-to-basicsapproach pays dividends in terms of the intensity of the performances and thesustained sense of ...
-
News
Oz giants get greenlight for joint Sydney cinema
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has greenlit a proposal from Australia's three largest exhibitors - Village Roadshow, Hoyts and Greater Union - to replace their separate cinemas on George Street, Sydney with a site in which they will share the same building, staff, box office and candy bar. ...
-
News
Iran's Farabi tries to foster international co-productions
Iranian film organizationFarabi is championing international co-productions between Iran, Iraqand Afghanistan in order to promote filmmaking in the region.Currently in post is TurtlesCan Fly director Bahman Ghobadi'snew film, Half Moon (Niwe Mung), which has been set up as Iran-Iraq-Austria co-production.The picture is about afamous 80-year-old Kurd musician, who has a ...
-
News
Korea's Mirovision gets Hong Sang-soo's next film
Korea's Mirovision has inkeda deal with local production house bom Film Productions for both domestic andinternational distribution of Hong Sang-soo's next film, Woman On The Beach, which is currently in production.The project marks the firsttime Hong has worked with Bom, one of Korea's leading production houses withcredits including You're My ...
-
Reviews
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Dir: Ken Loach. Ire-UK-Ger-It-Sp. 2006.124mins.Given the turbulent events that it portrays, The Wind That Shakes TheBarley is a curiously detached affair. For all the intelligence and craftsmanshipthe director brings to his material, the film conspicuously fails to tug at theemotions in the way that might have been expected. Ken Loach ...
-
News
IDT ramps up production on Mean Margaret
Ambitious IDT Entertainmentis ramping up production at its Los Angeles headquarters on its fourthCG-animated feature, Mean Margaret.The story centres on afriendship that develops between a missing young girl and a groundhogcalled Fred.Joe Piscatella and CraigWilliams adapted the screenplay from Tor Seidler's award-winning book.Jane Startz and Cheryl Aboodare serving as producers. ...
-
News
Verdone signs on for Manual of Love sequel
Popular Italian comedianCarlo Verdone has signed on to star in the sequel to the Manual ofLove, the hit Aurelio DeLaurentiis-produced titled that earned almost $17m (Euros 15m) at thelocal box officelast year and sold to 15 countries worldwide.Entitled Manual of Love:The Stories, the film will bedirected by Giovanni Veronesi and ...
-
Reviews
Paris, Je T'Aime
Dirs: see credits below. Fr-Liech-Switz. 2006. 120mins.That largelyunloved genre, the portmanteau film, no doubt works best in specialised slots -such as that of the opener in the Un Certain Regardsection at Cannes. Fitting the bill as a light, generally celebratory sectioncurtain-raiser, Paris JeT'Aime is a postcard-like, sometimes genuinelycharming, whistle-stop city ...
-
News
Horizon strikes genre deal with Media Blasters
Vancouver-based sales agentHorizon Entertainment has signed a deal to handle four titles on MediaBlasters' genre slate.The package includes twoEnglish-language titles: the serial killer horror film Shadow: DeadRiot starring Tony Todd of Candyman; and the occult horror tale Flesh For TheBeast.Rounding out the slate areJapanese pictures The Neighbour No. 13, based ...
-
News
Kasander options Chinese novel K The Art of Love
Prolific Rotterdam-basedproducer Kees Kasander has revealed details of his latest projects. Kasandermay be China-bound after optioning K The Art Of Love, the erotic 1930s-set novel by Hong Ying. He islooking for a Chinese director to helm the project.In Cannes this week, it wasannounced that Kasander will co-produce Kill Kill Faster ...
-
News
Endgame completes new funding round
Jim Stern's EndgameEntertainment has completed another round of financing, bringing the company'sequity to more than $100m in operating capital.The new financing will allowEndgame greater flexibility to make bigger- budget features and financethird-party projects.The private equity fundlaunched in March 2003 and has converted to a fully operational production andfinancing entity.Its co-financing ...