ITV

Category: Hollywood

  • American digital companies make Asian gains at Hong Kong’s FILMART

    American digital companies make Asian gains at Hong Kong’s FILMART

    MUMBAI: US film and digital companies did brisk business at the recent Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), signing several deals to take American content to the Chinese mainland and Asia.

     

    The Chinese film industry grew 27.5 per cent to finish 2013 on $3.5 billion, while cinema admissions surged to a new high of 610 million, up from 470 million. A total of 3,627 new screens were added in 2013, approximately 10 new screens per day.

     

    This year’s FILMART drew a record number of more than 7,100 buyers to the event, the largest of its kind in Asia. The four-day show ended 26 March, and gathered more than 780 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions. It was organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

     

    Representing the US were nearly 50 exhibitors, including 26 organised by the US Independent Film & TV Alliance. On the sourcing side, the US Commercial Service brought 11 missions comprising over 200 buyers from across Asia to FILMART to do business with US exhibitors.

     

    “Each year I discover new clients and new opportunities at Hong Kong FILMART. This year, the buyers in the Philippines and Malaysia had a stronger presence than in years past. FILMART is not only useful for sales agent/distributor meetings. We were able to meet up with production partners from Singapore as well,” said US-based Fortitude Films vice president, international division Katie Irwin.

     

    Announcements from US companies started appearing on the eve of the annual fair. 21st Century Fox will invest in a Hong-Kong-themed mini-series called Guilty as Sin set to begin production shortly.

     

    Additionally, India’s JDR Films purchased Hollywood’s Arclight Film’s Jungle Nest, while Vietnam’s Galaxy Studios also acquired the title. US company Shoreline Entertainment clinched its first deal in Asia when it sold The Incident, an acclaimed science fiction thriller, to Japan’s Zazie Films on day-two of FILMART. US-based Film Financial Services signed a cooperation agreement with Citic Guoan, the movie unit of China conglomerate Citic Group, to produce a $40 million 3D fantasy called An’shu.

     

    FILMART is one of several international trade events that will be held in Hong Kong ahead of the 10 June Think Asia, Think Hong Kong (TATHK) promotional event in Chicago. A TATHK event will also be held in Toronto on 8 June.

  • Mark Ruffalo to visit MAMI this year

    Mark Ruffalo to visit MAMI this year

    MUMBAI: Avengers: Age of Ultron star Mark Ruffalo, who plays Hulk in the movie, is likely to be a part of the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) this year.

    Ruffalo said, “I received an invitation a couple of days ago and am figuring out the dates. I’m really excited about the festival. I have heard a lot about Bollywood and it’d be great if I could visit Mumbai.”

     

    Ruffalo will reprise his role of The Hulk and he was excited to be on set with his fellow Avengers actors and experience again the camaraderie that had formed among all of them. “We all as actors went on this journey together, through this wild thing that became The Avengersand this successful thing and then everyone going off and having all these other successes that spun out of it, and there’s a lot of goodwill between us. So coming back after being away and seeing each other was a very sweet reunion and working together was a lot of fun. There’s a lot of goofing around and a lot of playfulness and digging in when it’s time to dig in on it, so I think that some of the best, most exciting stuff is when they are all together,” he said.

     

    Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Ruffalo as Hulk and Chris Evans as Captain America. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsg?rd as Erik Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.

     

    Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige,Avengers: Age of Ultron is based on the Marvel comic book series The Avengers, first published in 1963. The movie is set to release on 24 April, 2015.

  • Universal Pictures to release teen horror flick ‘Unfriended’ in India on 1 May

    Universal Pictures to release teen horror flick ‘Unfriended’ in India on 1 May

    MUMBAI: Introducing a new genre of online horror films, Universal Pictures’ India is all set to release Unfriended in India on 1 May, 2015.

     

    Unfriended is a one of its kind horror movie “set” entirely on the characters’ computer screens exploring the ugly side of the online generation. The movie premiered at the Fantasia Festival to rave reviews and audience reactions.

     

    Unfriended is the classic tale of an online prank gone awry. The movie unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to kill herself a year earlier. 

     

    Starring Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson and Heather Sossaman, the movie is conceived by Timur Bekmambetov and directed by Levan Gabriadze.

     

  • Two Indian films in Un Certain Regard at Cannes

    Two Indian films in Un Certain Regard at Cannes

    NEW DELHI: Two Indian films have been chosen for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes International Film Festival, while renowned British-Indian filmmaker Asif Kapadia’s Amy will be featured in a Midnight Screening.

     

    No Indian film has made it in the main competition of the festival being held from 13 to 24 May.

     

    The Richa Chadda-starrer Masaan is the debut feature by Neeraj Ghaywan. “I am thrilled to be going again to Cannes with a movie! Over the moon, and excited about this for India and the team of Masaan… It’s a huge deal,” said Chadda, who had earlier been to the festival with the Gangs Of Wasseypur team.

     

    Masaan is an Indo-French collaboration co-produced by Anurag Kashyap under the Phantom Films banner. The film also stars Shweta Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra and Vicky Kaushal in a gritty drama shot in Benaras.

     

    “#Cannes2015 Masaan (Fly Away Solo) by Neeraj Ghaywan #UnCertainRegard,” confirmed the official Twitter handle of Cannes film festival. Ghaywan too took to Twitter to express his delight. “Happiest tweet I will ever put up. Our first film Masaan is selected at Un Certain Regard section of Cannes 2015,” he tweeted.

     

    Gurvinder Singh’s Punjabi film Chauthi Koot (The Fourth Direction) is the other film in the section. Singh, who shot to fame with Anhe Ghore Da Daan, has turned his attention to state-sponsored crimes in Punjab of the 1980s and the resistance movement it spawned.

     

    Asif Kapadia’s Amy is a documentary on the late Rhythm&Blues singer Amy Winehouse who was found dead at her residence of suspected alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in July 2011. She achieved worldwide fame with her album Back to Black, which won five Grammies.

     

    As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Emmanuelle Bercot will open Cannes with her film La Tete Haute.

     

    There are 17 films in the main competition, fourteen in the Un Certain Regard, four out of competition, two Midnight Screenings, and six Special Screenings.

  • Dolby Vision to debut on Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ and ‘Inside Out’

    Dolby Vision to debut on Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ and ‘Inside Out’

    MUMBAI: Disney’s Tomorrowland, which releases in theatres on 22 May, 2015, and Disney Pixar’s Inside Out, which releases on 19 June, 2015, will be the first Dolby Vision titles to be shown at Dolby Cinema locations around the globe.

     

    In addition, Disney’s The Jungle Book, due on 15 April, 2016, will also be presented in Dolby Vision, with more titles to be announced.

     

    Dolby Cinema, featuring Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, is a premium cinema offering for exhibitors and moviegoers that combines spectacular image and sound technologies with inspired design to make every visit a completely captivating cinematic event.

     

    “Dolby is thrilled to collaborate with Disney and Pixar to push the cinematic boundaries through the powerful combination of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Dolby Cinema delivers an unforgettable cinema experience that transports moviegoers into the heart of the action,” said Dolby Laboratories president and CEO Kevin Yeaman.

     

    Dolby Cinema begins with the filmmaker’s vision—using the full storytelling capabilities that Dolby offers in image and sound production to transform the way movies are made. Combined with state-of-the-art image, sound, and acoustic capabilities, the movie comes alive to deliver cinema in its purest form.

     

    “The Dolby Cinema experience is a very exciting prospect for both filmmakers and film fans. Dolby has been so vital to the advancement of cinema sound, it makes complete sense for them to turn their attention to enhancing and improving the quality of motion picture images as well. Our team was delighted to collaborate with Dolby, and we are proud thatTomorrowland is the first film to be presented in their stellar new Dolby Vision process. The brightness and clarity of the images, yet with richness and detail in the blacks—WOW. The picture quality, especially in 4K laser projection, is nothing short of stunning,” said Tomorrowland director Brad Bird.

     

    Dolby Cinema features the Dolby Vision projection system, which uses state-of-the-art optics and image processing, to deliver high dynamic range with enhanced color technology and a contrast ratio that far exceeds that of any other image technology on the market today. The result is a richer, more detailed viewing experience that delivers strikingly vivid and realistic images that make viewers feel like they are in the movie’s world. Dolby Cinema also includes the award-winning Dolby sound technology, Dolby Atmos, which moves audio around the theatre, even overhead, with amazing richness and depth. Dolby Atmos debuted in 2012 on Disney Pixar’s Brave.

     

    “Our studio and our filmmakers put so much into creating high-quality, immersive experiences for audiences, and that includes using the latest, cutting-edge technology to enhance the stories we tell. Disney has been a longtime collaborator of Dolby, and we’re excited for the continued storytelling possibilities that technologies like Dolby Cinema deliver,” said The Walt Disney Studios EVP – theatrical distribution Dave Hollis.

  • Cannes: Filmmakers asked to apply for India Pavilion by 20 April

    Cannes: Filmmakers asked to apply for India Pavilion by 20 April

    NEW DELHI: The India Pavilion at the forthcoming Cannes Film Festival next month will be set up once again by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in coordination with and on behalf of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

     

    FICCI has asked filmmakers wanting to take stalls or take advantage of other facilities at the India Pavilion to send in their requests by 20 April.

     

    An India Film Guide featuring details of registered participants will also be brought out for distribution during this international fete at the Pavilion.

     

    A major film delegation, led by Ministry joint secretary Sanjay Murthy and Directorate of Film Festivals C Senthil Rajan, is expected to attend the meet.

     

    The India Pavilion will be showcasing Indian cinema across linguistic, cultural and regional diversity with the aim of forging an increasing number of international partnerships in the realms of distribution, production, script development and technology, and promoting film sales and syndication.

     

    Promoting India as a film destination will be a major emphasis this year and details will be given about the advantages of filming in India.

     

    The 68th Cannes Film Festival is being held at the coastal city of Cannes in France from 13 to 24 May.

  • Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group ups Patricia Laucella as president

    Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group ups Patricia Laucella as president

    MUMBAI: Reflecting the continued growth and evolution of the company’s motion picture operations, Lionsgate has promoted Patricia Laucella to president, business and legal affairs for its Motion Picture Group.

     

    Laucella will continue to report to Lionsgate general counsel and chief strategic officer Wayne Levin.

     

    In her expanded role, Laucella will oversee a business and legal affairs division responsible for negotiating the production and talent deals of a broad portfolio of films that have propelled Lionsgate into a major force at the global box office, generating approximately $2 billion worldwide each of the past three years.

     

    Laucella has handled production and talent deals for the last two Hunger Games films, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the 10th highest-grossing domestic box office release of all time, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 as well as the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. She has also structured and negotiated talent deals for director Francis Lawrence and Academy Award-winning superstar Jennifer Lawrence as well as many of the other principal Hunger Games cast members.

     

    In addition, Laucella has structured and negotiated production and talent deals for the first two installments of Lionsgate’s newest franchise, Divergentand Insurgent, the upcoming Allegiant and other upcoming event films such as Gods of Egypt, the epic re-imagining of ancient Egypt, the live actionPower Rangers series, Peter Berg’s action thriller Deepwater Horizon, starring Mark Wahlberg, the supernatural thriller The Last Witch Hunter, starring Vin Diesel, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land and Wonder, based on the long-running New York Times best-seller.

     

    “Patricia is a skilled financial strategist, superb negotiator and a great team leader. She and her team are providing critical legal support to an expanding portfolio of high profile event pictures, and her multidisciplinary business and legal skills combined with her leadership abilities have earned the respect of her colleagues throughout the Lionsgate family,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger and Levin.

     

    “I’m fortunate to work within the dynamic, innovative and entrepreneurial studio environment created by our amazingly talented senior management team, and it’s a thrill to play a role in assembling such an exciting pipeline of films. I’m also very lucky to work with such a skilled business and legal affairs team, and I’d like to extend particular thanks to my colleague and counterpart Robert Melnik, who is a pillar of Lionsgate’s business affairs activities and an incredibly adept talent negotiator,” added Laucella.

  • ‘Frozen’ to make TV debut across Disney’s TV networks in 2016

    ‘Frozen’ to make TV debut across Disney’s TV networks in 2016

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award-winning animation film Frozen will premiere across the networks of the Disney/ABC Television Group beginning February 2016.

     

    The movie will aired on the following channels – Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, ABC and ABC Family. 

     

    The movie, which released in 2013, became the highest-grossing animated feature ever released with more than $1.27 billion in global box office. After its resounding success on the home entertainment platform, Disney is now looking at exploiting the movie’s popularity on television. Frozen’s soundtrack, featuring the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go,” has sold more than 10 million units worldwide.

     

    In Frozen, fearless optimist Anna (Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer, Sven, in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad) in a race to find Anna’s sister, Elsa (Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Can Anna save her sister and bring sunshine back to their home? Or will Arendelle be frozen forever?

     

    Buoyed by the success of the film, Disney is already working on the sequel of Frozen.

  • Steven Spielberg to direct first film for Disney

    Steven Spielberg to direct first film for Disney

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Studios has joined the production of Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s The BFG (Big Friendly Giant). 

     

    While the filmmaker has produced movies for the studio in the past, this will mark the first time that Spielberg will direct a Disney-branded movie.

     

    “In more than 40 years of making movies, I have been on the producing end of a number of films for The Walt Disney Company, but never as a director. It is a special joy to be in the director’s chair as we start The BFG, alongside my long-time friends and film collaborators Kathy Kennedy, who introduced me to this project, Frank Marshall and Melissa Mathison. Together with them and Disney, there are many reasons why I am so excited about this joint venture,” said Spielberg.

     

    Previously announced cast of the movie include three-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance, who will play the titular “Big Friendly Giant” and newcomer Ruby Barnhill as Sophie. They are now joined by Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Michael David Adamthwaite, Daniel Bacon, Chris Gibbs, Adam Godley, Jonathan Holmes, Paul Moniz de Sa and Olafur Olaffson, all cast as giants. Buckingham Palace has also found its residents with Penelope Wilton being cast as The Queen and Rebecca Hall as Mary, the Queen’s maid.

     

    Production for The BFG is currently underway in Vancouver. 

     

    “With Steven Spielberg at the helm, The BFG will undoubtedly capture the minds of children and adults alike – as Roald Dahl’s original stories and many of Steven’s own films have done for decades. The team at Disney has tremendous respect for the filmmakers, and we’re thrilled to join with them to make what will be a spectacular picture,” said The Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn.

     

    “This partnership speaks to the spirit of storytelling and the kinds of movies that we make here. Over the years, we have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration, and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with Disney in this expanded capacity on The BFG,” added DreamWorks Studios CEO Michael Wright. 

     

    The BFG is the exciting tale of a young London girl and the mysterious Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. Based on the novel by Dahl, The BFG was published in 1982 and has been enchanting readers of all ages ever since. Dahl’s books, which also include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,James and the Giant Peach, Matilda and Fantastic Mr. Fox, are currently available in 58 languages and have sold over 200 million copies worldwide.

     

    Spielberg will direct the film adaptation based on a script by Melissa Mathison, who last teamed with Spielberg on E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.

     

    Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer will produce while Kathleen Kennedy, John Madden, Michael Siegel and Kristie Macosko Krieger are on board as executive producers. Adam Somner is a co-producer.

     

    The Disney/Amblin/Reliance production in association with Walden Media will open in US theaters on 1 July, 2016, the year that coincides with the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth.

     

    The Walt Disney Studios will distribute the film in the US and several international territories while Mister Smith Entertainment will oversee distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Reliance will distribute the film in India.

  • ‘La Tete Haute’ to open 2015 Cannes Film Festival

    ‘La Tete Haute’ to open 2015 Cannes Film Festival

    MUMBAI: This year a female director will open the Festival. La Tete haute, a film by Frenchwoman, Emmanuelle Bercot, will open the 68th edition of the Festival de Cannes on 13 May, 2015.

     

    La Tete haute tells the story of Malony, and his upbringing from six to eighteen years, as a children’s judge and social worker try to save him. It was filmed in the Nord-Pas de Calais, Rhone-Alpes and Paris area regions, with the participation of Catherine Deneuve, Benoit Magimel, Sara Forestier and Rod Paradot, who plays the main character.

     

    “The choice of this film may seem surprising, given the rules generally applied to the Festival de Cannes Opening Ceremony. It is a clear reflection of our desire to see the Festival start with a different piece, which is both bold and moving. Emmanuelle Bercot’s film makes important statements about contemporary society, in keeping with modern cinema. It focusses on universal social issues, making it a perfect fit for the global audience at Cannes,” explains general delegate of the event Thierry Fremaux.

     

    The world premiere of La Tete haute will be shown in the Grand Theatre Lumi?re in the Palais des Festivals, and will be released in French cinemas the same day (13 May). The film has already been sold in multiple countries.

     

    As in previous years, the cinemas screening the film will be able to take part in the festivities and screen the Opening Ceremony, courtesy of Canal+ and an agreement between the Festival and the FNCF (French National Cinema Federation). This year, Lambert Wilson will host the ceremony.

     

    Bercot is a film director, screenwriter and actress. She studied dance at Cours Florent before attending La Femis film school. Her talent was discovered at the 1997 Festival de Cannes, where her short film, Les Vacances, received the Jury Prize. This was confirmed two years later with a second Cinefondation Prize for La Puce, her final-year student film. In 2001, her first feature film, Clement (Clement), in which she plays the main character, made the Un Certain Regard Official Selection. Since then, she has directed several films, including On my Way (Ellesenva) in 2014, in which Catherine Deneuve gave one of her best performances.

     

    Bercot also co-wrote the script for Maiwenn’s Polis (Polisse), which earned her the main role in her latest film, Mon Roi.

     

    La Tete haute was written by Bercot and Marcia Romano, with Guillaume Schiffman as director of photography. It is produced by Les Films du Kiosque, and co-produced by France 2 Cinema, Wild Bunch, Rhone-Alpes Cinema and Pictanovo with the participation of Nord-Pas de Calais Region. It is sold by Elle Driver and distributed in France by Wild Bunch.

     

    The 68th edition of the Festival de Cannes will take place from 13 to 24 May, 2015. The Jury of the Competition will be chaired by American directors Joel and Ethan Coen, the Un Certain Regard Jury by the Italian-American actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini, and the Cinefondation and Short Film Jury by Mauritian Film Director Abderrahmane Sissako

     

    The Official Selection will be announced on 16 April.