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Category: Hollywood

  • Japan’s first multiplex chain acquired by Lawson HMV Entertainment

    Japan’s first multiplex chain acquired by Lawson HMV Entertainment

    NEW DELHI: United Entertainment Holdings, the parent company of cinema chain United Cinemas, has been acquired by Lawson HMV Entertainment (LHE), from the Advantage Partners investment fund.

     

    In a deal said to be worth approximately US $100 million, Lawson HMV will acquire 100 per cent of the cinema chain’s shares. The deal is expected to be completed on 26 August.

     

    Originally the Japan branch of UCI Cinemas, a partnership between Paramount and Universal, United Cinemas International was a pioneer of the multiplex concept when it opened its first cinema in Shiga Prefecture. In 2005, United acquired the four cinemas of Japan’s AMC Theatres and it merged with the Cineplex cinema chain last November.

     

    United is currently the third-largest cinema chain in Japan, operating 331 screens in 36 cinemas.

     

    A subsidiary of global convenience store franchise firm Lawson, Lawson HMV Entertainment operates Japan’s HMV stores, a record label and a popular ticketing service for concerts, films and other live events.

     

    In a statement released by LHE, the company says that the deal will enable it to strengthen its role as a content holder. United Cinemas will stock LHE and Lawson products, and members of Lawson’s Ponta loyalty programme will receive special privileges at the cinema chain, thereby increasing cinema attendance. 

  • Indian Film funded by Hubert Bals in Venice Film Festival

    Indian Film funded by Hubert Bals in Venice Film Festival

    NEW DELHI:  Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court has been selected for the 71st Venice Film Festival. The multilingual movie will be screened in the Horizons (Orizonti) section of the festival, which runs from August 27 to September 6.

     

    The film based on the exploration of the Indian judiciary, had received the Hubert Bals fund for script and project development in 2012 and was part of Film Bazaar co-production market of the National Film Development Corporation in 2012.

     

    Tamhane, an English literature graduate, has previously directed short film Six Strands, which was screened at international film festivals like Roterdam, Clermont-Ferand, Edinburgh, and Slamdance.

     

    Bengali film Labour of Love will be screened in Venice Days, a sidebar of the Venice Film Festival. 

  • ‘Kajarya’ makes it to Montreal World Film Festival

    ‘Kajarya’ makes it to Montreal World Film Festival

    MUMBAI: Independent film ‘Kajarya’, has been selected for the prestigious Montreal Film Festival 2014.

     

    Directed by Madhureeta Anand, the film will be showcased in the ‘Focus on World Cinema’ section at the Montreal World Film Festival 2014, 21 August – 1 September.

     

    An assured second feature from the director, the film is an original voice about female foeticide in India. It is a story of a rookie journalist in Delhi who exposes a woman, believed to embody Goddess Kali, who ritually kills female newborns in a village nearby. The story questions notions of women’s emancipation and feminism as it weaves through an interplay of drama and events and explores how India continues to live in many centuries at the same time.

     

    ‘Kajarya’ stars Meenu Hooda, Ridhima Sud and Kuldeep Ruhil. The film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival. It has found critical appreciation internationally since and has been selected by the Forbes India magazine as the #1 in the Top 5 Films to See in 2014.

     

    The movie is produced by Starfire Movies and co-produced by Ekaa Films and Overdose Joint.

     

    Starfire’s next co-production is ‘Ludo’, with Idyabooster and Overdose Joint.  ‘Ludo’ is a fantasy-thriller horror film by the maverick directors duo Q and Nikon, and is currently in post production.

  • ‘The Giver’ to release on 15 August

    ‘The Giver’ to release on 15 August

    NEW DELHI: The Giver –a sci-fi epic, based on the dystopian Y A novel by Lois Lowry, the winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal that sold over 10 million copies worldwide – will release on 15 August.

     

    Produced by the Weinstein Co. and Walden Media, The Giver stars Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites as members of a society in which there is no conflict, racism or sickness.

     

    The heart-wrenching story of The Giver centres around Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colourless world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with the Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realises that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for him and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.

     

    Bridges plays the pivotal role of The Giver, he is weary because he carries the burden of preserving all the memories of humanity while the story is told through the eyes of Jonas played by Thwaites, a young boy who is unique in the community of sameness; he is mature, perceptive and compassionate. Streep’s Chief Elder leads an isolated society where emotions, privacy, and basic colours have all been stripped away from its citizens. She sums up her philosophy as, “When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong.” Her portrayal of the Chief Elder looks like it combines the icy detachment of The Devil’s Wears Prada with the unbending determination of The Iron Lady. Among the members of the community, only the Giver is capable of real love, and after years of loneliness he experiences an intense emotional connection with Rosemary played by Taylor Swift.

     

    The motion picture adaptation of The Giver represents the fulfillment of a 20 year-long dream for actor Jeff Bridges, who also serves as a producer on the production. “My daughters read the book, but before I had known that they had read it, I was looking for some material to direct my father, Lloyd Bridges,” he recalls. “I also wanted to make a movie that my kids could watch at the time. I was looking through a catalogue of children books and I came across this wonderful cover of a book, with this old, grizzled kind of guy on the cover and thought, ‘Oh yeah, my dad can play that guy!’”                                                  

     

    Co-producing partner Walden Media spent over a decade developing the project and chief operating officer Frank Smith says, “The Giver is the crown jewel of children’s literature, and we are proud to add this film to the list of other great book to film adaptations we have produced like Holes, Charlotte’s Web, Bridge to Teribithea, Because of Winn Dixie, Ramona and The Chronicles of Narnia.”

     

    The Giver, with a budget of about $25 million, is being produced by Nikki Silver of Tonik Productions along with Neil Koenigsberg and Bridges. Vadim Perelman wrote the adapted script; Michael Mitnick penned the latest draft.

  • LA Femme International Film Festival extends entry dates

    LA Femme International Film Festival extends entry dates

    NEW DELHI : The LA Femme International Film Festival, a premier festival that focuses on platforming women filmmakers “by women, for everyone”, has extended the last date for receiving entries to 16 August and may also accept exceptional films till 23 August.

     

    The Festival was started in 2005 when it became apparent that there was a need to enhance women behind the camera as directors, producers and writers. This year, it will be held from 16 to 19 October in Los Angeles.

     

    LA Femme International Film Festival is more than a festival. It is an emergence of artistic, professional women who can make a difference in the entertainment community by creating productions that speak to a worldwide audience. It is the only festival of its kind to not only give a platform for existing films and artists but will also assist in distribution and mentoring of such films and their artists.

     
    The organisers ensure that filmmakers get seen and are pro active in helping them achieve their dreams.

     
    Sections include features made in the United States or internationally which are directed, produced or written by a woman of any ethnicity.

     

    Documentaries, competition films can be international or domestic in origin and they must be directed, produced or written by a woman.

     
    The screenplays section is a separate category in addition with the other Feature Film categories. This can be a screenplay, stage play or teleplay.

     
    The shorts category is for a woman who has directed, produced or written a short film. There is a commercials/music videos category, a category of mid-length films of forty to sixty minutes, mobisodes, websisodes, games, animation shorts, and special documentary of focus.

     
    The special documentary of focus (feature or short) category is for those films that have a specific subject of: animal rights / activism/ awareness (dog, cat, wild animals), nature, green plant, ocean. All others should submit to the regular documentary categories.

  • Godzilla sets new records for creature films in Japan

    Godzilla sets new records for creature films in Japan

    NEW DELHI: Godzilla directed by Gareth Edwards made ?684 million (US$6.7 million) from 427 screens on its first three days in cinemas in Japan, including ?508 million (US$4.98 million) from 339,000 admissions on saturday and sunday.

     

    The film scored the second-biggest opening for a foreign live-action film this year after Maleficent. The Warner Bros international- Legendary Pictures LLC production is distributed locally by Toho, the studio behind the original Godzilla franchise.

     

    The new film’s performance in Japan was uncertain as several Hollywood films with Japanese elements have performed below expectations in the world’s third largest film market.

     

    Last year, Pacific Rim – also co-produced by Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures — opened sixth-placed with ?212 million (US$2.08 million) in its first three days for a final gross of ?1.55 billion (US$15.2 million). In December, 47 Ronin opened on ?142 million (US$1.39 million) from 753 screens, for a final gross of just ?292 million (US$2.86 million). 

     

    Tsutsumi Yukihiko’s Eight Rangers opened in fifth place. On 160 screens, the sequel to the superhero comedy starring Johnny and Associates’ group Kanjani Eight made ?125 million (US$1.22 million) from 93,600 admissions in its first two days.

     

    Two years ago, the first Eight Rangers (2012) made ?156 million (US$1.53 million) from 155 screens on its opening weekend. It made a total of ?1.2 billion (US$11.7 million) during its theatrical run.

     

    Time traveling comedy Time Trip App opened in ninth place, making only ?51 million (US$500,000) from 39,100 admissions on 254 screens. Lee Tishio’s film recently competed at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

     

    Opening on just 12 screens in 11 cities, Kawase Naomi’s Still the Water made ?4.58 million (US$44,800) in its first two days. The Cannes competition title will slowly expand to other cities over the next two months.

     

    In its second weekend, Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie was There dropped to fourth place in terms of admissions, but remained in third place in terms of revenue. With a week-on-week drop of 42 per cent, the Yonebayashi Hiramasa film made ?220 million (US$2.16 million) from 164,000 admissions on saturday and sunday. It has made ?1.06 billion (US$10.4 million) after nine days in cinemas.

     

    Maleficent dropped to second place. After four weekends, the Disney fantasy has made ?3.97 billion (US$38.9 million).

  • Singapore Indian Icons of the Year 2014: An amalgamation of art, fashion and bollywood

    Singapore Indian Icons of the Year 2014: An amalgamation of art, fashion and bollywood

    MUMBAI: The first ever Singapore Indian Icons of the Year 2014 is all set to have glitz, glamour and artistry, congregate in the Lion City – Singapore. For the first time ever, Art, Fashion and Bollywood – the three pillars of entertainment of India’s upper crust will converge, leading all ritzy roads to St. Regis, Singapore on August 24th, to raise a toast and celebrate diverse Indian talent spread across the globe. Christened ‘Camera Catwalk Canvas – Showcasing the Creative Essence of India’, the event is being organized by Act for Hope, an initiative by Prerna Jhunjhunwala and Aashna Chopra, and will be hosted by the gorgeous Mandira Bedi.

    The categories of Camera, Catwalk and Canvas will see a voting process come into play, so that audiences can vote for their favorites. The nominees will be selected by an eminent jury who will shortlist the best of the best from across Bollywood, Fashion and Art respectively, post which nominees opens to audiences across the world for voting. While a large part of the voting will be done digitally, Act for Hope has tied up with India’s No. 1 FM network 92.7 BIG FM to extend voting through the very powerful medium of radio, in India.

    The Singapore Indian Icons of the Year 2014 will showcase the stunning high fashion couture by India’s leading fashion designer, Gaurav Gupta and Anamika Khanna, presented by Outback Steak House. Top artists like Kumari Nahappan and Vibhor Sogani, known for their contributions to Art across Europe, US and Asia also come together to showcase the rich artistic and cultural landscape of contemporary India.  With the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor expected to lead the nominations list for their splendid body of work in 2013-14, Bollywood is expected to be there in full attendance. Coming on board as partners is Yes Bank and Outback, who will present the Yes Bank Singapore Bollywood Icon of the Year Award and Outback Fashion icon of the year respectively to the winners.

    A special highlight of the evening will see the first ever unique live auction, which will allow bidders a life-time experience which range, a lunch session with ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala or an expert training session on the pitch with cricketer Sourav Ganguly, or a bid for the extremely gorgeous Sabyasachi sari worn Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan at Cannes or for the exceptional art works of leading artists like T. Vaikuntham, Paresh Maity, Jogen Chowdhary, Kumari Nahappan and Vibhor Sogani.

    Speaking on the occasion, Prerna Jhunjhunwala, Founder, Art for Hope says, “India’s upper-crust has a penchant for all things fine and hence the idea of bringing together the best of ‘Camera Catwalk and Canvas’ for those who live life with panache! It is our endeavor to recognize the extremely talented Indians that the world is proud of. We look forward to engaging and honoring talent in the times to come, as we celebrate India!”

    Along with a multi-media marketing plan for the event, along with its telecast on Zee Singapore, the event already has partners in Yes Bank and Outback Steak House.

    Act for Hope brings together distinguished people from various backgrounds who unite over a shared enthusiasm for fine art, film and fashion, aiming to weave in Indian culture with the Southeast Asian diaspora. This glamorous platform will also be used to raise awareness about social causes that need attention and help garner support for them.

  • Columbia Gorge International Film Festival to screen 224 films

    Columbia Gorge International Film Festival to screen 224 films

    NEW DELHI: An exciting variety of 224 films which includes feature length, short films, narratives and documentaries from around the world will be screened at the 7th Columbia Gorge International Film Festival (CGIFF).

     

    The festival starting from 1 August will be held for a period of 17 days in the Vancouver city of Washington DC.

     

    The witty comedy Frank v/s God opens the festival screening at the beautiful Angaelica Farms. Writer and Director Stewart Schill will attend the event and participate in a post-screening Q&A. A live music performance from The Solars will precede the screening.

     

    CGIFF is a production of Angaelica, a non-profit organisation rooted in the arts and ecology. Unlike many film festivals, the CGIFF experience really shares its home with outdoor screenings and exciting non-film programming; bridging the vibrant experience of the Pacific Northwest to film festival audiences and filmmakers alike.

     

    There will be workshops and guest conversation events on screenwriting, casting and animation, apart from a curated lineup of live music and stand-up comedy performances.

     

    The festival includes ‘Yatra’ a short film by Mayur Bondre which is a photographic expedition in six cities of India – Mumbai, Pune, Benares, Allahabad, Agra, and Delhi to learn the concepts of life, identity, love, culture  spirituality and moksha. 

     

    On select dates, the CGIFF takes a break from their screening schedule and dedicates these days to enjoying specially programmed outdoor Activities.

     

     “It is such a beautiful environment up here”, stated CGIFF founder and executive director Breven Warren.

     

    “We consider the fest an exchange, of sorts. One where fantastic filmmakers can share their work with our audiences and in return our audiences essentially share the sights and gifts of their gorgeous backyard,” he added.

  • Satish Kaushik’s ‘Dead End’ wins $15,000 in Seoul

    Satish Kaushik’s ‘Dead End’ wins $15,000 in Seoul

    MUMBAI: Independent Film Week is one-of-a-kind event which brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects and support the future of storytelling by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers.

     

    Through the Project Forum, held at the Independent Film Week, creatives connect with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. This one-of-a-kind event will take place from 14-18 September 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists. And Satish Kaushik’s ‘Dead End’ has found place in the coveted few from entries coming from world over.

     

    After winning HAF at Hong Kong, ‘Dead End’ has scored in Korea. The script is making its rounds in the Network of Asian Fantastic Film (NAFF) countries and has made yet another mark by winning the best script at Seoul at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Pifan).

     

    Dev Benegal’s pitch for a dark comedy ‘Dead End’ was named as the best project at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films. The Bucheon Award is worth $15,000.

     

     ‘Dead End’ is a story of a man who is declared as dead by a shady government department and has to take extreme measures to prove that he is alive. The script is written by Dev Benegal and Sarat Rao and is to be produced by Satish Kaushik Entertainment and Benegal’s August Entertainment. Satish Kaushik will play the main lead.

     

    Talking about the win Satish Kaushik said,” The project has been garnering positive response and now with two awards in its kitty and a cash prize win we can look at kick- starting pre production. ‘Dead End’ will see one of the most successful complex cross country funding and I’m sure it will firm up India’s position in the global cinema market. I have always believed that cinema has no language and ‘Dead End’ has proved it so. A simple village folk from India is now known to all top notches in the cinema circuit. Who could even imagine of such a scope? I had the rights to the story. Dev and I developed it and I want him to direct this project as well.”

     

    After the win at HAF and NAFF, the script has garnered interest from world over. Kaushik has been in talks with The Weinstein Company and the legendary Karl Baumgartner’s partners. Enquiries have been trickling down from countries like Germany, France, Japan, UK, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and US to meet Kaushik and Benegal to lap up the project.

     

    The project is up for funding and will be developed as an international venture. It will release world over as the story caters to international sensibilities and a wider audience beyond India.

     

    The NAFF project platform is a successful market to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Pifan). Now in its Eighteenth edition the festival has not only made a mark in Korea but also on the global map. This year it hosted 27 local and Asian projects, welcoming 259 executives to 449 formal one-on-one pitch meetings.

  • Fabulous Independent Film Festival to celebrate LGBT community

    Fabulous Independent Film Festival to celebrate LGBT community

    New Delhi: A total of 15 features and short films celebrating the diversity in the LGBT community will be screened at the fourth annual Fabulous Independent Film Festival next month to be held at the Burns Court Cinemas in Sarasota, Florida in the United States.

     

    The annual festival will be held from 22 August to 24 Augusta nd includes eight features and seven non-features.

     

    The festival is being held in association with the Harvey Milk Festival, a nonprofit organization and is being organized by Broken Rules Productions. 

     

    Sarasota Film Society, Watermark Media, Janice & John Shelton, Embracing Our Differences, Planned Parenthood, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota, RCMoore Construction, Theodore A. Gollnick, PA, Throb, Ken Shelin, Chapter 1 Wellness, Wolfe on Demand are among the Fabulous IFF sponsors making this festival a reality.  M.A.D.E., Throb and Caragiulo’s are the hosting sponsors. 

     

    The Way He Looks presented by Watermark Media will be the opening film. A warm and funny film about teenage love and friendship, it tells the story of a blind boy named Leo, his best pal Giovana and a new kid in school whom they both develop a crush on.

     

    In the dry comedy, Appropriate Behavior by writer, director Desiree Akhavan, is a semi-closeted bisexual Persian American trying to live up to her family’s ideals and traditions while going through a breakup and navigating Brooklyn’s dating scene with both men and women while trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life.  

     

    Born To Fly illustrates what happens when one crosses postmodern dance with Evel Knievel.  It is about New York choreographer Elizabeth Streb, a Mac Arthur “genius” grant recipient whose Extreme Action Company draws on both sources to craft a unique style of high-flying, high-impact, dare-all contemporary dance. 

     

    Boy Meets Girl is a sexy, funny and provocative coming of age comedy about three persons in their twenties living in Kentucky: Robby, Francesca and Ricky, a gorgeous transgender woman. This romantic comedy vividly captures the giddy excitement, sexual heat, and inherent heartache of “non-traditional” love in a small town. 

     

    The Circle seamlessly combines a narrative with a documentary love story. The film is the astounding true tale of Switzerland’s 1940s–1960s magazine of that name—and the network of friends and lovers that formed around it, becoming one of the world’s first homophile societies, a 2014 Teddy Award winner.

     

    Cupcakes is the latest by award winning Eytan Fox which is a campy, comic confection telling the tale of six friends who unexpectedly find themselves representing Israel in a Eurovision-style international song contest. 

     

    Queerituality is Tom Murray’s film about a boy wonder that left too soon four years ago. Gaylon Emerzian from Chicago is actively completing the editing. This last film was a labour of love for Tom who throughout his films had always been spiritually inquiring. It will be an honour to present his last film as a world premiere and to conclude his beautiful cinematographic journey which he started years ago. 

     

    To Be Takei celebrates the Star Trek legend, the marriage-equality advocate, the spokesperson for Japanese Americans imprisoned in internment camps during World War II and the Facebook phenomenon.

     

    Each film on Saturday and Sunday will be preceded by a short film: Barrio Boy, Dinner At 40, First Clue, A Last Farewell, One Night Stand, Secrets & Toys and Who Do You Think You Are?