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Category: Hollywood

  • EU Film Festival to be held across eight Indian cities

    EU Film Festival to be held across eight Indian cities

    MUMBAI: The rich cultural diversity of the European Union and its Member States will be on display in its myriad hues at the 20th European Union Film Festival that begins in Chennai on 31 March.

     

    The festival brings to India a repertoire of 21 latest and award winning European films from as many countries. Organized by the Delegation of the European Union and embassies of Member States in partnership with local organisations including the Federation of Film Societies of India, the festival will traverse through Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Coimbatore and Jodhpur over the next four months. 

     

    Celebrating 20 years of bringing European cinema to India, the festival will screen movies from varied genres including comedy, drama, romance and action – many charming and sometimes unsettling stories. The festival will tell the story of eleven year old Freddy, a cyclist who hopes to win a race and thereby meets one of his heroes; of two opera directors whose common passion for music is matched by their thirst for love; of a man who runs away from his girlfriend but collides with a bride who has run away from her wedding; of a woman whose life in a mansion somehow mirrors the turbulent changes of an entire century; of a boy who makes unexpected friends while investigating the death of his parents in a car accident; and of the happy householder with the perfect marriage who finds love –  or maybe something else – with a choreographer who loves her cooking.

     

    Speaking about the success of the European Union Film festival in India, European Union ambassador Dr Joao Cravinho said, “Through films, sitting in a darkened hall in front of a screen, we can laugh together, relive history, explore the beauty of distant landscapes and celebrate what makes us human. Films give us glimpses into the life and times of people they portray and help break barriers of languages to bring people together across the world. Thus, it is heartening to see that the European Union film festival through its 20 years of journey in India has provided an ideal bridge between two vibrant cultural scenes with rich film traditions and has developed into a significant annual event in the calendar of film aficionados. This year we have decided to bring latest films from Europe to celebrate the 20th anniversary and we hope that the viewers will enjoy it as much as they have enjoyed our earlier editions.”

     

    EUFF dates and venues will be announced in the coming days.

     

     

  • Academy Awards producers Meron and Zadan step down

    Academy Awards producers Meron and Zadan step down

    MUMBAI: After producing the Oscars for three consecutive years, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan have decided not to return for a fourth stint. 

     

    Zadan and Meron will not be back to take charge of The Academy Awards next year, after fulfilling the terms of a secret contract they signed when they first accepted the job. 

     

    “Craig and Neil have been wonderful creative partners over the last three years, contributing some of the most innovative and memorable Oscar moments. They are true showmen with enormous talent and expertise. We’re looking forward to seeing the exciting projects they have in the works,” said Academy president Cheryl Boone-Isaacs.

     

    During their three-year terms, the producer duo brought on board Seth MACFarlane, Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris as the host for the Oscars.

  • Mikey McCleary bags best composer award for ‘Margarita, With a Straw’ at AFA

    Mikey McCleary bags best composer award for ‘Margarita, With a Straw’ at AFA

    NEW DELHI: Although India dominated the Asian Film Awards nominations with three Indian films shortlisted for seven awards, it managed to walk away with just one award: Mikey McCleary got the best composer award for Margarita, With a Straw.

     

    Korean talent received rounds of applause at a lavish ceremony in Macau, but the biggest prizes at the Awards went to the Chinese. 

     

    The Best film went to Lou Ye’s Blind Massage, while Ann Hui was named as best director for The Golden Era.

     

    The biggest cheers of the evening, however, went to the veteran Korean director Im Kwon-taek, who collected a lifetime achievement award.

     

    The event had been transferred from Hong Kong to Macau last year for the first time, and it is the second year the awards have been organized and presented as a joint effort by three film festivals — Hong Kong, Busan and Tokyo.

     

    A total of 42 Asian films competed for 14 categories.  

     

    From India, Haider had four nominations: Best Film, Best Director Vishal Bhardwaj, Best Supporting Actress Tabu, and Best Production Design.

     

    Kalki Koechlin was also nominated for her performance in Margarita, With a Straw.

     

    Court, which got the best National Film Award this year was nominated for director Chaitanya Tamhane’s screenplay.

     

    Im Kwon-taek is the longest-working director in South Korea, and has directed 102 films since 1962. His latest film Revivre screened at the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this month.

     

    Past recipients of the AFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Amitabh Bachchan, Ann Hui and Raymond Chow.

     

    Im Kwon-taek (born May 2, 1936) is one of South Korea’s most renowned film directors. As of spring 2013, he has directed 101 films.

     

  • David Cook signs worldwide publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music

    David Cook signs worldwide publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music

     
    MUMBAI: Warner/Chappell Music (WCM), the music Warner/Chappell Music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has signed a worldwide co-publishing agreement with singer and songwriter David Cook.
     
     
    Following a victorious run on the seventh season of American Idol, Cook set the record for the most songs by one artist on the Hot 100 of any week – charting 11 entries – and also set the record for the most debuts on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart with 14 songs. This success was soon followed by Cook’s self-titled, platinum-selling debut album, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and saw two Top 20 singles.
     
     
    “I’m excited to get involved with Warner/Chappell and work with some of the best songwriters in the industry. It’s an honor to be a part of the roster and I’m looking forward to furthering my songwriting career with them,” said Cook.
     
     
    Warner/Chappell Music Nashville executive vice president Ben Vaughn said, “David brings so much to the table with his diversity as a songwriter and a voice that makes you stop and pay attention. We’re looking forward to supporting him as his career continues to grow.”
     
     
    Cook has sold over five million tracks, and his second album, This Loud Morning, debuted in the top ten. In 2012, Cook relocated to Nashville, TN. Freshly inspired by the creative spirit of Music City, Cook is currently working on music for his new album – a collection of tracks he wrote and self-produced, including the new single “Wait For Me.” In addition to his own music, Cook has become a fixture in the Nashville songwriting community, recently co-writing the 2014 top 20 country radio single “Kiss You Tonight,” by David Nail.
  • Universal to release ’Fifty Shades of Grey’ unrated home video edition

    Universal to release ’Fifty Shades of Grey’ unrated home video edition

    MUMBAI: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment will be releasing the unrated home video edition of Fifty Shades of Grey this May.

     

    The story of a searing love affair between a naive college student Anastasia Steele and a billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey, Fifty Shades of Grey, which has grossed more than $500 million globally, will be released on Digital HD on 1 May, 2015 and Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on 8 May, 2015.

     

    Based on E. L. James’ best-selling novel, the Blu-ray and Digital HD include an exclusive unrated version that features a never-before-seen alternate ending along with almost two hours of all-new bonus features that go behind the scenes of this year’s hottest romance.

     

    Shy and unassuming literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) finds her life forever altered when she interviews the enigmatic Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and is dazzled by the charismatic entrepreneur and his high-flying lifestyle. As the pair embarks on a passionate affair, Ana soon discovers that Grey has dark secrets and desires that will push her to the limits of her imagination – and beyond.

     

    Dornan and Johnson head up a cast that includes Eloise Mumford, Max Martini, Marcia Gay Harden, Luke Grimes, Jennifer Ehle, Victor Rasuk and Rita Ora in the movie.

     

    Bonus features that are exclusive to Blu-ray include: Fifty Shades of Grey unrated and theatrical versions, The World of Fifty Shades of Grey: Discover the artistry involved in creating everything Fifty Shades of Grey, including in-depth profiles of stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, and the characters they play. It will also feature a chat with the creator of Fifty Shades – E.L James, discussing the history of the novel and the experience making the film.

     

    Fifty Shades of Grey is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and written by Kelly Marcel. 

     

    The DVD comes with English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles and has a run time of two hours and six minutes.

  • Cannes Film Festival honours Ingrid Bergman in official 2015 poster

    Cannes Film Festival honours Ingrid Bergman in official 2015 poster

    MUMBAI: The 68th Festival de Cannes has chosen to pay tribute to Ingrid Bergman with this year’s poster, following on from Marcello Mastroianni in 2014.

     

    The festival will be held from 13 – 24 May, 2015.

     

    Hollywood star Ingrid Bergman was a modern icon, an emancipated woman, an intrepid actress, and a figurehead for the new realism. She changed roles and adoptive countries as the mood took her, but never lost sight of her quintessential grace and simplicity.

     

    This year’s poster captures the actress, who worked with Alfred Hitchcock, Roberto Rossellini and Ingmar Bergman, and starred opposite Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Gregory Peck, in all her beauty, her face lit up by a calm serenity that seems to herald a promising future.

     

    Liberty, audacity, modernity – values also shared by the Festival, year after year, through the artists and films it showcases. Bergman, who was president of the Jury in 1973, encouraged this journey. 

     

    “My family and I are deeply moved that the Festival de Cannes has chosen to feature our magnificent mother on the official poster to mark the centenary of her birth. Her outstanding career covered so many countries, from the smallest European independent films to the greatest Hollywood productions. Mum adored working as an actress: for her acting was not a profession but vocation. As she put it, ‘I didn’t choose acting, acting chose me,’” said Isabella Rossellini.

     

    Based on a photograph by David Seymour, co-founder of Magnum Agency, Hervé Chigioni, who also created for last year’s remarkable Festival poster, was once again behind this year’s image, with his graphic designer Gilles Frappier.

     

     

  • Paramount ousts first trailer of ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’

    Paramount ousts first trailer of ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’

    MUMBAI: The next instalment of the Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible series has got itself a rogue name. Titled Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, Paramount Pictures has released the first-look of the movie starring Cruise.

     

    Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt and is back with more high octane stunts as can be seen in the new teaser trailer. In the trailer he is seen riding on the side of plane taking off with his bare hands. A dramatic motor bike chase sequence has also been revealed. The trailer also features Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin and Rebecca Ferguson.

     

    The movie is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and written by Drew Pearce and Will Staples. Produced by Cruise, J. J. Abrams and David Ellison, the movie also stars Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames and Sean Harris apart from Pegg, Baldwin and Ferguson. The movie is slated to release on 31 July, 2015.

     

    “Desperate times. Desperate measures,” says Cruise in the trailer, giving the audience just a glimpse into just how dramatic, edge of the seat and adrenalin pumping the latest Mission: Impossible franchise could be! 

     

  • Paramount acquires distribution rights of ‘Captive’

    Paramount acquires distribution rights of ‘Captive’

    MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures has secured the worldwide distribution rights to Captive, starring David Oyelowo and Kate Mara. The studio will release the film on 18 September, 2015.

     

    Directed by veteran filmmaker Jerry Jameson, the film is based on the book Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero by Ashley Smith with Stacy Mattingly. The film’s screenplay is by Brian Bird.

     

    Oyelowo said, “I was drawn to this story because it beautifully illustrates how a broken spirit can be healed by an unexpected source of hope. I feel blessed to be continuing my very fruitful relationship with Paramount.”

     

    Also starring Michael K Williams, Mimi Rogers, Jessica Oyelowo and Leonor Varela, the film was produced by Terry Botwick, Jerry Jameson, David Oyelowo and Ken Wales in addition to BN Films’ Alex Garcia, Lucas Akoskin and Katrina Wolfe. The executive producers are Santiago Garcia Galvan, BN’s Jonathan Gray, Elliott Lester, Ralph Winter and Bird. BN fully financed the picture.

     

    Botwick added, “In March of 2005 Ashley’s story captivated the nation on news outlets everywhere. Her story is thrilling and redemptive as God intersected the lives of two very broken people in the most dramatic way. It has been amazing getting to know Ashley and to be working with such fine actors. I’m so pleased to also be partnering with Paramount to bring this authentic encounter to a worldwide audience.”

     

    “Jerry Jameson has done a fantastic job bringing to life Ashley Smith’s harrowing ordeal and miraculous redemption, and Kate Mara portrays her with phenomenal sensitivity and poignancy. Along with Nightingale, Captive also represents our second collaboration with the brilliantly talented David Oyelowo. We look forward to continuing this special relationship with David and believe that the film has found the perfect home at Paramount,” said AG Studios (holding company of BN Films) president Alex Garcia.

     

    The film tells the dramatic, thrilling and spiritual true story of Ashley Smith (Mara), a single mother and recovering drug addict who was taken hostage in her own apartment by fugitive, murderer and accused rapist Brian Nichols (Oyelowo). With her back against the wall, Smith turned to the personal spiritual journey of Rick Warren’s best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life in an attempt to survive and help Brian find a better way out.

     

  • Paramount to re-release Oscar winning ‘Selma’ in the US

    Paramount to re-release Oscar winning ‘Selma’ in the US

    MUMBAI: In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Paramount Pictures will re-release its Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning film Selma in the US for a special encore engagement. The film will play in theaters across the US beginning 20 March. 

     

    Moviegoers, who purchase a ticket to see Selma at a participating theater, can receive an additional ticket free. This limited time offer is only available at participating theater box offices. 

     

    Selma won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. 

     

    Selma, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s Selma tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

     

    The film is produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb. Selma is directed by Ava DuVernay.

     

  • Russian composer Alexander Zhurbin inks deal with Warner/Chappell Music

    Russian composer Alexander Zhurbin inks deal with Warner/Chappell Music

    MUMBAI: Warner/Chappell Music (WCM), the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has signed a global publishing agreement with Russian composer Alexander Zhurbin.

     

    Zhurbin is one of the industry’s most acclaimed and prolific composers, having written four symphonies, four concerti (for piano, violin, cello and viola with orchestra), six operas, and three ballets, as well as more than 40 stage musicals, 60 film and TV scores, and hundreds of popular songs. Effective immediately, Warner/Chappell will administer his works outside of Russia.

     

    “I am happy to write simultaneously all different kinds of music: symphonies for big orchestras, pop songs, string quartets, rock ballets, chamber operas, and film soundtracks. When you turn your brain from one kind of music to another, your view is getting fresher, your ears are hearing better,” said Zhurbin.

     

    “Alexander has built a cherished body of work, as indicated by the fact that it’s been performed by some of the finest ensembles in Russia, Europe, Canada, and the United States. He’s one of today’s most prolific composers and we’re privileged to have him join the Warner/Chappell family,” said Warner/Chappell Music SVP of theatre and catalog development Sean Patrick Flahaven.

     

    Zhurbin’s hit rock-opera, Orpheus and Eurydice, ran for a record-breaking 39 years in Russia and sold over three million albums. His English-language musical, How It Was Done In Odessa, had a sold-out run at the historic Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. His English-language stage musicals in progress include Used and Abused (based on Dostoevsky), The Seagull (based on Chekhov), children’s opera Good Health, Your Majesty, and rock–opera Orpheus and Eurydice.

     

    Zhurbin is also a published author of seven books, including the recent My History of Music. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Mr. Zhurbin studied music at Tashkent Conservatory, Gnessin Music Academy, and Leningrad Conservatory, earning his PhD.

     

    A major festival, named ’50 Years with the Music of Maestro Alexander Zhurbin’ featuring music Zhurbin composed, will be held in Moscow from October through December, 2015.

     

    It may be recalled that in June 2013, WMG announced the acquisition of Gala Records Group, Russia’s leading independent music company, and subsequently established Warner Music Russia.