Small MPU – Page 799
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News
UPC turns attention to video-on-demand
Dutch cable giant United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) is positioning itself to become a major supplier of content to third generation mobile phone operators and as a video-on-demand (VoD) wholesaler. Although the group is expanding from cable into telephony and wireless communications, UPC chairman Mark Schneider said that cost factors mean ...
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Focus to back Euro projects from McDonagh and Barra
Focus Features has boardedtwo new European productions - Belgium-set hitman drama In Bruges directed by this year's live action short Oscarwinner Martin McDonagh, and an adaptation of the bestselling World War II novelNaples '44: A World War II Diary Of Occupied Italy by Norman Lewis.In Bruges is being produced by ...
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Gloomy MPAA data shows US 2005 admissions fell 8.7%
The Motion PictureAssociation Of America (MPAA) has announced its annual data on the year 2005.US box office, as widely reported,fell 6% and admissions were down 8.7% to 1.4 billion tickets generating $8.99billion in revenue.Worldwide box office,however, was down 7.9% to just under $23 billion, reflecting the slump ininternational theatrical performance.Meanwhile ...
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Palm picks up US rights to Babluani's 13 (Tzameti)
Palm Pictures has acquiredall US and Caribbean rights to 13 (Tzameti), the critically acclaimed French thriller directedby Georgian first-time film-maker Gela Babluani.The black-and-white film hadits world premiere in the Venice Film Festival last September where it won theDe Laurentiis Award for best first film, recently won the World Cinema grandjury ...
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Walden to co-finance Wonder Emporium with Mandate
Chronicles OfNarnia backer WaldenMedia has teamed up with Mandate Pictures to co-finance Mr Magorium's WonderEmporium, thedirectorial debut of screenwriter Zach Helm which will star Natalie Portman,Dustin Hoffman and Jason Bateman.Richard Gladstein of FilmColony and Jim Garavente areproducing the film which is scheduled to start shooting in Toronto at the endof ...
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Weinsteins acquire Crane-Iron Pentalogy for films, stage
The Weinstein Company (TWC)has acquired worldwide film rights to Wang Du Lu's Crane-Iron Pentalogy, the series of novels upon which Ang Lee's classic CrouchingTiger, Hidden Dragon was based. TWChas also acquired the worldwide rights to develop and produce stage adaptationsof the pentalogy including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which will be ...
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Odd Lot reteams with Lexi Alexander on A House Divided
DeborahDel Prete and Gigi Pritzker's Odd Lot Entertainment has acquired A HouseDivided, a script by Lexi Alexanderfor whom they produced Green Street Hooligans.Alexanderwill produce the film under her Irons Productions along with her partner StefanHeller. Del Prete and Pritzker will serve as executive producers, while LindaMcDonough will co-produce.AHouse Divided is ...
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Panther laughs its way into France, Germany, Australia
20th Century Fox International takes MGM's US hit ThePink Panther out in aslew of major territories this weekend including France, where the film is set,Germany, Australia, Norway and South Africa.The Steve Martin-starrer whichwas a surprise family success in North America goes out on 510 prints inFrance, 550 in Germany and ...
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Feature debut for Unjoo Moon with adaptation of children's book
Unjoo Moon is to direct an adaptation of children's book The Wicked, Wicked Ladies In The HauntedHouse. She directed short film, Sorrow'sChild in 1998 and this will be her feature debut. It also looks likely to bethe next project for Moon's cinematographer husband, DionBeebe who won an Oscar for Memoirs ...
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Reviews
In Between Days
Dir: So Yong Kim. US-Can 2005.83mins.Some of the most interesting films in this year's Berlinale screened in the supposedly off-off Forum sidebar,with In Between Days - a small butmemorable teen romance - a case in point.So Yong Kim's feature is, asthe title hints, a work that takes its time getting ...
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Reviews
My Country, My Country
Dir: Laura Poitras. US. 2006. 90mins.The trouble with current affairs documentaries istheir topicality: contemporary as they may seem at the time, they lose lustreby the time they premiere.It could be an obstacle forLaura Poitras' MyCountry, My Country, about the Iraqi elections of January 2005. There islittle more she can add ...
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Sweet And Lowdown rises above soccer
Blame the start of the Euro 2000 soccer tournament or blame the warmer weather, but no amount of counter-programming could prevent last weekend's box office retreating to the traditional pre-summer holiday season low. The only film to open with any redeemable gross was Woody Allen's Sweet And Lowdown which ...
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Reviews
Flannel Pajamas
Dir/scr: Jeff Lipsky. US. 2006. 124mins.With his reportedly autobiographical FlannelPajamas, former arthousedistribution specialist Jeff Lipsky successfully tracksthe emotional ups and downs of a relationship, moving from sublime rapture andsurrender to grim heartbreak.Guided by two excellent leadperformances and shaped by some raw writing, he reveals a finely shaded and tactilesense of ...
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Reviews
Piano 17
Dir: Manetti Bros. Italy2006. 105mins.Italy long ago lost the talent for genre film-makingthat made it such a commercial force in the 1960s and 1970s. But a few bravesouls, like the Manetti brothers, are trying to kicksome life into the old corpse. The Rome-based brothers' first feature, thetrash horror parody Zora ...
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Eurimages puts more than $4.2m into nine projects
Strasbourg-based pan-European co-production fund Eurimages has backed nineprojects with more than $4.2m (Euros 3.6m).The first funding selection of 2006 includes new features by the Taviani brothers, Carlos Saura, Nana Djordjadze, and Milcho Manchevski. The largest sum, $772,849 (Euros 650,000) was awarded tothe Tavianis' story of the massacre of the Armenianpeople ...
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Sight, Pounds take audience awards at NY Israel Film Festival
DanielSyrkin's mystery Out Of Sighttook the Panavision Audience Choice Award at the 21st Israel Film Festival,which ran in New York from Feb 23-Mar 9.Dani Menkin's 39 Pounds Of Love won the corresponding Audience Choice Awardfor best documentary, while Leonid Prudozsky took home the student film prizefor Dark Night.The Visionary Award ...
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Akeelah, Sweet Land bookend Cleveland Film Festival
Doug Atchison's spelling bee drama Akeelah And The Bee and Ali Selim's Minnesota-set romance SweetLand bookend the 30thCleveland International Film Festival, which runs from Mar 16-26.Alongside the Eastern European Film Competition and the Nesnadny +Schwartz Documentary Film Competition, the inaugural Greg Gund MemorialStanding Up Film Competition will celebrate films about ...
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Akeelah to open 200-film Philadelphia Film Festival on March 30
Daniel Atchison's drama Akeelah And The Bee will open and Nicole Holofcener's LosAngeles-set friendship drama Friends With Money will close the 15th Philadelphia FilmFestival.This year's event, which runs from Mar 30 to Apr 11, introducesnew sections catering to families and music lovers and honours Susan Sarandonwith the Artistic Achievement Award.Among ...
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Lionsgate to handle US release of Peaceful Warrior
Lionsgate will handle US distribution of Peaceful Warrior, the film based on Dan Millman'sself-help international bestseller Way Of The Peaceful Warrior which was produced by Mark Amin's Sobini Films.Lionsgate-based Sobini recently bought back domestic rights fromBlockbuster after producing the picture with DEJ Productions. Los Angeles-basedInferno Distribution retains international rights.The picture ...
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Water to open fourth Indian Film Festival of LA
Deepa Mehta's 1930s Varanasi-set social drama Water will open the fourth annual Indian FilmFestival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) on Apr 19.The festival's executive director Christina Marouda also announcedthat the award-winning sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar will receive theLifetime Achievement Award."We are truly delighted to be hosting the Los Angelespremiere of ...