Small MPU – Page 851

  • News

    Gaumont completes acquisition of animation house

    2008-01-11T12:01:00Z

    French major Gaumont has concluded its acquisition of animation house Alphanim.Alphanim was founded by Christian Davin in 1997 and is one of France'sleading animation producers.The company delivered more than 45 hours of programming in 2007 including hits Robotboy, Galactik Football, Toufu Tounu and the feature Franklin & Le Tresor Du ...

  • News

    Zhang Yuan arrested for drug abuse in Beijing

    2008-01-11T12:11:00Z

    Mainland Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yuan has been arrested for drug abuse following a police raid on his Beijing home that was broadcast on local television. The Beijing TV report showed police raiding Zhang's apartment where he appeared to be taking drugs with four artist friends. He was later charged for ...

  • News

    Suo's I Just Didn't Do It wins top Kinema Junpo honours

    2008-01-11T13:58:00Z

    Masayuki Suo's I Just Didn't Do It has been ranked best film of the year and awarded three major prizes by Kinema Junpo, Japan's oldest film magazine. In addition to coming first in Kinema Junpo's annual Top 10, the film won best director and screenplay for Suo and best actor ...

  • News

    High Point to take on sales for Abrahamson's Prosperity project

    2008-01-11T14:15:00Z

    Irish director Lenny Abrahamson has followed his Cannes Director's Fortnight hit Garage with Prosperity, a series of four related 'mini features' for Irish TV broadcaster RTE.High Point Media Group has taken on international rights to the project, and plans to launch it at Berlin's European Film Market rather than at ...

  • News

    Berlin Panorama selects four docs including Heavy Metal In Baghdad

    2008-01-11T14:23:00Z

    Documentaries on rock icon Patti Smith, gay Muslims, the South African political satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys and an Iraqi heavy metal band have been selected to screen in the Berlinale's Panorama programme.The four films, which have been previously shown at other festivals, are:Patti Smith: Dream Of Life, by Steven Sebring (US). ...

  • News

    Berlinale's Forum selects strong Asian titles

    2008-01-11T14:27:00Z

    Asian cinema is well represented in the first batch of films confirmed by the Berlinale's International Forum section including titles by Singapore's Tan Pin Pin, Japan's Takahashi Izumi and Korea's Mun Jeong-hyun.In addition, the Forum's programme will present the international premieres of Jalla! Jalla! director Josef Fares' new film Leo ...

  • News

    Rotterdam programme boasts 50 feature world premieres

    2008-01-11T14:44:00Z

    The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has announced more details of its feature film programme, which will include 50 world premieres, 30 international premieres and 25 European premieres.Further, Rotterdam's Hubert Bals Fund will show 22 new films at the festival (nine are world premieres), all competing for the new Dioraphte ...

  • News

    Canada's Rogers buys Cable Atlantic for $102m

    2000-09-19T13:04:00Z

    Days after bowing out of the battle for Groupe Videotron, Rogers Communications has purchased Newfoundland-based cable outfit Cable Atlantic for $102m.The acquisition raises Rogers' Canada-wide subscriber base to 2.3 million and boosts the company's maritime presence. Cable Atlantic has approximately 75,000 subscribers.Rogers used a chunk of its consolation prize for ...

  • News

    Berlinale Co-production Market selects 35 film projects

    2008-01-11T15:44:00Z

    New projects by Agnieszka Holland, Bernard Rose, Deepa Mehta and Eran Riklis are among 35 film projects from 25 countries that have been selected for the fifth edition of the Berlinale's Co-Production Market. The event runs Feb 10-12 at the Berlin House of Representatives, opposite the European Film Market's Martin ...

  • News

    Dutch box office stabilizes in 2007 with local market share increasing

    2008-01-11T16:04:00Z

    With over 22.1m tickets sold, the Dutch film industry stabilised its number of visitors with a strong 2007. Total gross of all theatres nationwide was $228.5m (Euros 153.8m).That's holding mostly steady from 22.5m tickets and Euros 154.5m in 2006. (It should be noted that 2006 was calculated at 53 release ...

  • News

    Ilan de Vries replaces Van Leer at Jerusalem Cinematheque

    2008-01-11T16:06:00Z

    As expected, Ilan de Vries has been officially appointed to follow Lia Van Leer as the new director of the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the Israeli Film Archive.De Vries, who has been associated in the past with the Jerusalem institution and was viewed for a while as ...

  • News

    Film4, Ingenious, Vertigo join for new sales company Protagonist

    2008-01-13T21:39:00Z

    Confirming rumours that started swirling before the American Film Market, UK companies Film4, Ingenious and Vertigo Films have joined forces to launch a new international film sales company.The outfit, called Protagonist Pictures, is fully capitalised by its three partners (who are financing equally). The intial slate isn't announced yet and ...

  • News

    Losey wraps shoot for debut thriller The Hide

    2008-01-11T16:52:00Z

    Director Marek Losey has wrapped principal photography on his debut feature, thriller The Hide.The Poisson Rouge Pictures and Solution Films thriller shot at Pinewood and on location in the Southeast of England in November and December 2007.The film, written by Tim Whitnall based on his stage play The Sociable Plover, ...

  • News

    Theatrical admissions down by 5.2% in Brazil in 2007

    2008-01-11T17:05:00Z

    Movie attendance fell by an estimated 5.2% at Brazil's theatres in 2007, according to Filme B, a local film company that reviews theatrical market data. Since 2005 there has been a drop in admissions in the country, where 85.5m tickets were sold last year. Box office revenues went down slightly ...

  • News

    Paz Vega steps in to star with Baker in Not Forgotten

    2008-01-11T23:59:00Z

    Paz Vega has replaced Jordana Brewster opposite Simon Baker in thesupernatural thriller Not Forgotten to be directed by Dror Soref.Donald Zuckerman and Soref are producing the story steeped in Latinomysticism about a young couple forced to confront their tortured pastsin order to save their missing daughter. Production is set to ...

  • News

    Veteran film and TV sales executive Gene George joins Starz Media

    2008-01-12T00:01:00Z

    TV executive Gene George has been named executive vice president of worldwide distributionat Starz Media, effective immediately.George will be based at Starz Media's Burbank headquarters and will report to presidentand COO Kent Rice.In his role George will oversee Starz' sales and distribution activities functions,forge partnerships with domestic and international broadcasters ...

  • News

    Paramount confirms executive shuffle for Moore, Lesher

    2008-01-12T00:04:00Z

    Rob Moore has moved up from Paramount Pictures president of worldwide marketing, distribution and home entertainment to vice chairman as part of the studio's anticipated executive shuffle.Former Paramount Vantage president John Lesher becomes president of president of Paramount Film Group in recognition of his efforts in reinvigorating Vantage witha string ...

  • News

    HFPA to announce Globe winners in unpicketed news conference

    2008-01-12T00:08:00Z

    Following discussions with NBC, Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) president Jorge Camara has announced that the HFPA will assume complete control of its 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards Announcement on Sunday [Jan 13].The announcement is scheduled to take place at 6pm PST in the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton ...

  • News

    Berlinale expecting record numbers for market

    2008-01-13T22:26:00Z

    Less than four weeks before the beginning of this year's Berlinale, the European Film Market (EFM) is is expecting to host more than 400 exhibitors from 50 countries at its market venues in the Martin Gropius Bau and the EFM Exhibitor Offices.To date, 420 exhibitors are registered with the EFM, ...

  • News

    The Bucket List tops domestic box office with $19.5m weekend

    2008-01-14T03:50:00Z

    Warner Bros' The Bucket List, which stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as terminally ill men who take the road trip of a lifetime,expanded wide and climbed 22 places to the top on an estimated $19.5m.The weekend haul raised the tearjerker's running total after three weekends to $20.9m and demonstrated ...