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Category: Hollywood

  • David Hill & Reginald Hudlin tapped to produce 88th Oscars

    David Hill & Reginald Hudlin tapped to produce 88th Oscars

    MUMBAI: After this year’s ho-hum response to the Oscars show, which was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the Academy has named two new producers for the 2016 show.

     

    Emmy-winning live television producer David Hill and Oscar-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin have been tapped to produce the 88th Oscars telecast.

     

    It will be their first involvement with the Academy Awards, which will be held on 28 February, 2016.

     

    Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said, “We’re delighted to have this talented team on board. David is a true innovator with a dynamic personality. His vast experience as a live events producer, coupled with Reggie’s energy, creativity and talent as a filmmaker, is sure to make this year’s Oscar telecast a memorable one.”

     

    “What a great and exciting honour! The quest is to honour the year in film, honour the art, and above all, make it fun,” said Hill.

     

    “I’m looking forward to working with the Academy again. I love every kind of film and this year’s awards will be a celebration of the total range of cinema,” said Hudlin.

     

    “We’re excited to work with David and Reggie. With their enthusiasm and breadth of experience, they will bring a fresh perspective to the Oscar show,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.

     

    An executive with the Fox group of companies for more than 25 years, Hill most recently served as 21st Century Fox senior executive vice president, overseeing programming, digital initiatives, and other opportunities on five continents. He was previously Fox Sports Media Group chairman and CEO. Hill began his career with News Corporation in Great Britain, where he helped launch Sky Television, introduced the multilingual sports channel Eurosport, and created the subscription channel Sky Sports. He recently left Fox to start his own production company, Hilly, focusing on live and reality television. 

     

    On the other hand, writer, director, producer and executive, Hudlin received a 2012 Best Picture Oscar nomination as a producer of Django Unchained.  Hudlin’s film credits includeBoomerang, The Great White Hype and the award-winning comedy House Party, which he also wrote. He executive produced the TV series The Boondocks and The Black Panther; and has directed for Modern Family, Murder in The First, New Girl and The Office. Last year, Hudlin produced the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards ceremony and has been the executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards since 2012. Hudlin was the first president of entertainment for BET Networks from 2005 to 2009. He is a partner in Milestone Media, a multi-ethnic comic book company distributed by DC Comics, as well as New Nation Networks, a premium content provider in partnership with Google.

  • Shoojit Sircar’s 3 movies to be screened at Indian Film Festival in Russia

    Shoojit Sircar’s 3 movies to be screened at Indian Film Festival in Russia

    MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival in Russia (IFFR) will screen three of director Shoojit Sircar’s movies namely Vicky Donor, Piku, and Madras Café. The film festival of Indian Films in Moscow will be held from 3-6 September, 2015.

     

    Actor and singer Ayushmann Khurrana will be accompanying Sircar for the screening of their much appreciated movie Vicky Donor on the second day of the festival.

     

    IFFR is aimed at bridging the gap between the two entertainment industries in the world – Russia and India. The festival will include top Bollywood blockbusters and celebrities from the Indian film fraternity. The choice of movies is intended to showcase the very wide range of cinema that emerges from Mumbai, the heart of the Indian film industry.

     

    The IFFR aims to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Indian cinema and culture in the 21st century. The new generation of Indian producers and directors is now seeking to re-launch Indian cinema on Russia’s big screen.

     

    The four-day festival will not only showcase a select number of recently released popular Hindi movies, but will also feature live classical music and dance performances by Russian artistes and Indian Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance groups.

  • Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’ to screen at 59th BFI London Film Festival

    Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’ to screen at 59th BFI London Film Festival

    MUMBAI: Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh is fast becoming a toast of international film festivals. Close on the heels of the announcement of its World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival comes the news of its selection at the 59th BFI London Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place from 7 to 18 October.

    The film will be screened as part of the Festival’s Debate strand: Riveting films that amplify scrutinise and surprise.

    Mehta brings a sensitive, humane story from small town India with Aligarh. Co-starring Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao, the film draws from a real incident that took place in Uttar Pradesh.

     A professor was suspended by his University for being gay after he is caught on camera in a sting operation. A young journalist investigates his first breaking story. Set in the myriad dark lanes of a volatile and decadent society, the two strikes an unlikely friendship that will change them forever.

    The invite from Clare Stewart Director of 59th BFI London Film Festival states, “Our programme team found the film to be daring and strong, telling an incredibly important story that London audience will definitely respond to.”

    Mehta added, “I am touched and very grateful that BFI has positioned Aligarh in such a relevant discussion. I think the recognition that international film festivals are giving us validates our reasons for making this film.”

    Eros International Media managing director Sunil Lulla said, “At Eros, we take pride in producing films like Aligarh that tell a story with a difference. Hansal Mehta has made a relevant and beautiful film and its screenings at the BFI Film Festival & Busan prove that such films will always find an audience.”

  • Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyaasa’ only India restored film to compete at 72nd Venice Film Fest

    Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyaasa’ only India restored film to compete at 72nd Venice Film Fest

    MUMBAI: Pyaasa – a timeless masterpiece by Guru Dutt has become the only Indian film restored by an Indian company for a world premiere in the competition section at the 72nd Venice Film Festival.

     

    Ultra Media & Entertainment, which holds the negative rights of Pyaasa, had 45 experts working round the clock for over four months to restore and bring back the film to its original quality and showcase it globally.

     

    Pyaasa will compete with 20 other restored films from all over the world for the coveted “Venice Classics Award” for the best restored film.

     

    The 72nd Venice Film Festival will be held from 2 – 12 September 2015 in Venice.

     

    The 1957 Pyaasa stars Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha.

     

    The film has been restored completely for the Venice Film Festival with an objective of preserving and presenting it in its original quality to the global audience. Pyaasa will be screened on 11 and 12 September, 2015 in Sala Volpi auditorium at the Venice Film Festival. 

     

    Ultra Media & Entertainment CEO Sushil Kumar Agrawal said, “It gives us immense pleasure to present a cult classic like Pyaasa to the global audience. There is a huge fan following of Guru Dutt all over the world who have not been able to see this ageless magic in its original form and glory. It took us nearly four months to restore this film frame by frame and we are happy that the final outcome of the restored version can now be seen in its original form.”

     

    “Out of the many classics that we have restored, Pyaasa has a special place in our hearts. It is one of the rarest gems of Indian cinema and we take great pride in preserving it and showcasing it globally. In fact the film has already created substantial buzz and we have several distribution enquiries from various parts of the world. We are also planning a major theatrical release of Pyaasa post its screening at the Venice Film Festival,” he added. 

     

    Ultra is planning to promote and market the film at the festival and is expecting demand from international distributors, sales agents, ancillary content aggregators and exhibitors for the restored version of Pyaasa at the festival.

     

    The most challenging part after acquiring the rights was sourcing the authentic materials to complete the preservation. After much effort, Ultra found the original camera negatives of the film at an archive in India, However a lot of the parts of the negatives were either damaged or lost/ 

     

    Ultra decided to use as much parts as possible from the original camera negative and a few parts were used from 35mm prints. A new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on the ARRISCAN film scanner.This in-house technology of Ultra Studio & Digital Lab helped in applying a multidisciplinary, data-centric approach to the entire film’s restoration process. 

     

    Once the complete film was digitally transferred, came the most challenging part of restoration. Thousands of instances of dirt, lines, scratches, splices, warps, jitters and green patches were manually removed frame by frame under careful supervision by experienced artists The in-house talented professionals used a specialized film content mending and defect removal mechanism in their repair process. They carefully selected the best way to restore this priceless classic to its original quality. 

     

    The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm optical soundtrack. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed frame by frame at the Ultra sound studio. The film will be presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 “Venice Classics” has been a crucial section of the Venice Film Festival, which has been premiering world class restored classics in the festival. The prime objective of this section is to bring back to spotlight old, underestimated and neglected films of the past, which have been restored an year back by film archives, cultural institutions or production companies around the world. 

     

    Over the years, Ultra has also restored various Indian classics like Chori Chori, Half Ticket, Paighaam, Insaniyat and Dil Tera Deewana amongst others.

  • Justin Bieber to perform ‘What Do You Mean’ at MTV Video Music Awards 2015

    Justin Bieber to perform ‘What Do You Mean’ at MTV Video Music Awards 2015

    MUMBAI: Multi-Platinum singer-songwriter Justin Bieber will perform his new single “What Do You Mean” at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, which will be aired on 30 August. The song released on 28 August on RBMG / Def Jam Recordings.

     

    The performance will mark Bieber’s first return to the VMA stage since his medley performance of “Baby,” “Somebody to Love” and “U Smile” in 2010. Miley Cyrus will be the host for the evening, along with Kanye West joining the exclusive club of legendary artists bestowed with the “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.”

     

    Performers include The Weekend, Pharrell Williams, Demi Lovato, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Tori Kelly, A$AP Rocky and Twenty One Pilots and more.

     

    This year, MTV has also teamed up with world-renowned fashion designer Jeremy Scott to redesign the MTV Moonman. As homage to Jeremy and his creative talent, the 2015 VMA Moonman encapsulates the true iconic essence of both the fashion designer and the network. From the distinct colour of the TV colour bars, to the peace sign necklace, to Jeremy’s signature sneakers, the redesign of statue is part of MTV’s long-standing history of bridging the gap between the world of fashion and music.

     

    Artists who win a 2015 “Video Music Award” will take home a special-edition Jeremy Scott Moonman, which was created exclusively for this year’s show. The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards will air across MTV’s global network of channels in more than 160 countries and territories, reaching more than half a billion households around the world.

  • Top 24 films of 2014-15 to be showcased at Montreal World Film Fest

    Top 24 films of 2014-15 to be showcased at Montreal World Film Fest

    NEW DELHI: Twenty-four features from a score of countries are being shown in the World Greats (out of competition) section of the Montreal World Film Festival commencing tomorrow.

     

     

    The Festival, which is the only film festival in North America recognised by the Paris-based International Federation of Film Producers Federations (FIAPF), will conclude on 7 September.

     

     

    Dedicated to experienced filmmakers, this selection offers the latest works by some of the best known directors from around the world.

     

     

    Notable among the cineastes included are Majid Majidi whose Muhammad will be getting its world premiere and is the opening film. Belgian Rhapsody by Vincent Bal (Belgium – Luxembourg) will be the closing film of the Festival.

     

     

    The filmmakers who will be showcasing their films are Jean-Jacques Annaud (North-American premiere of Wolf Totem), Cristina Commencini (Latin Lover), Ventura Pons (The Virus of Fear), Ermanno Olmi (Greenery Will Bloom Again), Vincent Bal (Belgian Rhapsody), Ken Kwapis (A Walk in the Woods, with Robert Redford) and Sergio Castellitto (You Can’t Save Yourself Alone) among others.

     

     

    The American films are: A Walk in the Woods and Silver Skies by Rosemary Rodriguez. The Italian films are An Italian Name by Francesca Archibugi, Greenery Will Bloom Again by Ermanno Olmi, Latin Lover by Cristina Comencini, The Secret Of Italia by Antonello Belluco and You Can’t Save Yourself Alone by Sergio Castellitto.

     

     

    The South Korean films are: It’s Really Kind Of You by So Jae-ick along with My Sister and The Pig Lady by Jan Moon-il.

     

     

    The Japanese films are Blood Bead by Banmei Takahashi and The Next Generation – Tokyo War by Mamoru Oshii, Neckan by Gonzalo Tapia and Virus Of Fear by Ventura Pons are both from Spain.

     

     

    The other films are: Before Spring by Ahmed Atef of Egypt; Chrieg by Simon Jacquemet from Switzerland; Corpse Collector by Dimitar Dimitrov from Bulgaria; Eisenstein In Guanajuato by Peter Greenaway from the Netherlands – Mexico – Finland – Belgium; Gitel by Robert Mullan from United Kingdom – Lithuania; Muhammad by Majid Majidi of Iran; Simon by Éric Martin and Emmanuel Causse from France; Siska Deluxe by Ian Cvitkovic from Slovenia – Czech Republic – Macedonia; Winter by Heidi Greensmith from the United Kingdom; and Wolf Totemby Jean-Jacques Annaud from France – China.

     

  • Bryan Adams makes come back with new album ‘Get Up’

    Bryan Adams makes come back with new album ‘Get Up’

    MUMBAI: “There is a carefree feeling about this album and in many ways it is the album I wish I’d been able to make 25 years ago,” said the multi platinum record artist Bryan Adams, while announcing his brand new studio album Get Up.

     

    The album is produced by famed ELO frontman Jeff Lynne and co-written with his long-time collaborator Jim Vallance. Packed with nine fresh compositions, this 13-track album will be released on 16 October.

     

    Deemed as a solid collection of rock songs, well collaborated with upbeat numbers, the album will feature singles such ‘Brand New Day,’ ‘You Belong To Me’ and ‘Thunderbolt’ as well as melodious ones like ‘Don’t Even Try’ and ‘We Did It All.’

     

    Die hard Adams fans will also get treated to a deluxe version “Get Up,” which will be packaged in a high-quality case and containing an exclusive interview with Adams and a selection of quality photographs, alongside the music.

     

    Talking about the conception of the album, Adam says, “It came together quite organically song by song.”

     

    On his collaboration with Lynn, he adds, “It was a great partnership as it gave me plenty of time to write the songs, most of which are collaboration with Jim Vallance. We all worked primarily over the internet from Canada, Europe and LA, sending demos and parts of songs until we got it right.”

     

    Lynn says, “I’ve always been a big fan of Bryan so getting to work with him was a great pleasure. Bryan would send me a demo across the internet, then I would play most of the instruments to make a finished backing track and send it back to him in England. There he would put the lead vocal on to the song and send it back to me in California. 5,400 miles apart! And it’s turned out to be a rockin’ album!”

     

     “Get Up” tracklisting:

     

    •You Belong To Me

    •Go Down Rockin’

    •We Did It All

    •That’s Rock and Roll

    •Don’t Even Try

    •Do What Ya Gotta Do

    •Thunderbolt

    •Yesterday Was Just A Dream

    •Brand New Day

    •Don’t Even Try – Acoustic

    •We Did It All – Acoustic 

    •You Belong To Me – Acoustic

    •Brand New Day – Acoustic

  • AK Madhavan’s Assemblage readies maiden animation film ‘Blinky Bill’

    AK Madhavan’s Assemblage readies maiden animation film ‘Blinky Bill’

    MUMBAI: Former Crest Animation top boss AK Madhavan’s entrepreneurial animation studio, Assemblage Entertainment, has completed its first full-length animated feature co-production titled Blinky Bill The Movie, with the CGI being co-produced out of its studio in Mumbai.

     

    Blinky Bill The Movie is an Australian feature film produced by Flying Bark Productions (Australia) in co-production with Assemblage and Telegael Teoranta (Ireland). The movie is slated to release on 17 September, 2015 in Australia with the international release to follow. 

     

    Established in 2014, Assemblage is an eclectic young animation studio that has grown from strength to strength and currently employs over 250 people.

     

    Flying Bark Productions managing director Barbara Stephen said, “Blinky Bill is one of Australia’s most iconic characters and his stories have engaged and entertained audiences around the world for many years. We eagerly sought a studio, which would treat one of our national treasures with due respect and the team at Assemblage have done just that. Their team has a long history of quality work and is highly regarded internationally – we trusted their ability and commitment to deliver quality CGI services and we are delighted with the result.”

     

    Assemblage CEO AK Madhavan added, “We’re very excited to announce the completion of the first feature film out of Assemblage. It is a moment of great pride to be able to deliver the entire 90 minutes of the CGI feature out of our facility here in Mumbai, just over a year after our inception. Establishing ourselves as a feature film ready production house and being associated with a timeless classic such as Blinky at the same time is truly rewarding. We continue our efforts to work on some high quality projects with leading studios globally and aspire to build a strong production portfolio.”

     

    First introduced to audiences in the 1930s through a series of children’s books, Blinky Bill is considered an iconic Australian children’s classic. A small koala with a big imagination, Blinky is an adventurer at heart who dreams of leaving the little town of Green Patch and following his explorer father’s footsteps. Blinky embarks on a journey that takes him beyond the boundary of Greenpatch in the wild and dangerous Australian landscape in his quest to find his missing father. Although he previously appeared in several successful TV series and movies, Blinky has been created in CGI for the first time in the upcoming feature film release this September.

  • AFM Pension Fund sues Sony, Universal, Warner over music streaming dues

    AFM Pension Fund sues Sony, Universal, Warner over music streaming dues

    MUMBAI: The American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM Pension Fund) has sued Atlantic Recording Corporation, Hollywood Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group Recordings, Inc, and Warner Brothers Records, Inc for failing to make pension fund contributions.

     

    The suit states that the five recording companies failed to make pension fund payments from foreign audio stream revenue and foreign and domestic ringback revenue.

     

    For over 75 years, the major recording companies have had contracts with the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) requiring the companies to share a portion of sales revenue with musicians. Most of the revenue was originally from record sales and later CD sales.

     

    In 1994, AFM and the recording companies entered into an agreement, subsequently renewed, requiring the companies to pay 0.5 per cent of all receipts from digital transmissions including audio streaming, non-permanent downloads and ringbacks.

     

    “The record companies should stop playing games about their streaming revenue and pay musicians and their pension fund every dime that is owed. Fairness and transparency are severely lacking in this business. We are changing that,” said AFM International president Ray Hair.

     

    Last year independent auditors discovered that the recording companies had not made the required revenue payments from foreign audio streams, ringbacks, and foreign non-permanent downloads. Attempts to reconcile the issues outside of court have been ongoing for several months to no avail. Suit was filed in New York.

     

    This is the fifth lawsuit filed against major media corporations for contract violations in the past few months. Under Hair’s leadership, AFM has begun aggressively enforcing existing contracts and standing up to large corporations that fail to pay musicians when their work is reused or offshored.

     

    The suit seeks payment for all missing revenue owed the AFM Pension Fund, late payment penalties, interest, damages and legal costs.

  • Duran Duran’s new album ‘Paper Gods’ to release in September

    Duran Duran’s new album ‘Paper Gods’ to release in September

    MUMBAI: Multi-platinum superstars Duran Duran’s new studio album titled Paper Gods is all set to release in the US on 18 September and in the rest of the world on 11 September.
     

    Paper Gods features special guests Janelle Monáe (on the first single Pressure Off), CHIC co-founder Nile Rodgers (also on Pressure Off), former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante (on What Are The Chances, Butterfly Girl, The Universe Alone, and Northern Lights), Canadian Juno-Award winning singer Kiesza (on Last Night in the City), British singer/songwriter/producer Mr Hudson (on Paper Gods), Mew vocalist Jonas Bjerre (on Change The Skyline), violinist Davidé Rossi (on Face For Today and Pressure Off), and actress Lindsay Lohan, who provides a spoken-word vocal on Danceophobia.
     

    Duran Duran have placed 14 singles in the top 10 of the UK singles chart and 21 in the Billboard Hot 100, and sold more than 70 million records till date.