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Category: International

  • S. Korean company creates 4DX for interactive viewing experience

    S. Korean company creates 4DX for interactive viewing experience

    MUMBAI: A South Korean company has created an interactive viewing experience called 4DX that simulates a film‘s environment in films like Cameron‘s, Titanic as well as recent release The Hunger Games.
    Unlike D-Box Technologies‘ motion-simulation seats, 4DX features chairs that pitch and roll according to the motion of the action within the film. It also includes features like “short bursts of sharp air” and “face water” to put the viewer in the middle of the on-screen environment.
    James Cameron‘s Titanic, that was re-released in 3D this week, invited critics to trot out familiar arguments about the pointlessness of the technology except as a means to increase ticket prices and squeeze a few extra dollars out of devoted fans.
    Not unlike D-Box Technologies‘ motion-simulation seats, 4DX features chairs that pitch and roll according to the motion of the action within the film. But it also includes such features as “short bursts of sharp air” and “face water” to put the viewer in the middle of the on screen environment.
    Presumably the volume of these atmospheric flourishes is modulated – or else Titanic fans may find themselves struggling to see the film during the ship‘s climactic descent into the ocean.
    CJ 4DPlex Co. launched 4DX in 2009, and is using the technology to enhance the viewing experience of The Hunger Games, John Carter and The Avengers in addition to Titanic.

    The company hopes to reach more than 800 auditoriums by 2016.

  • New Zealand’s feature film rev up 15% to $700 mn in 2011

    New Zealand’s feature film rev up 15% to $700 mn in 2011

    MUMBAI: The film industry in New Zealand finds itself in a healthier position, upping revenues by 15 per cent to $700 million in 2011.

    According to New Zealand‘s screen industry manager Hamish Hill, sales from completed works rose five-fold to $116 million and investment in film productions increased by a third.

    Besides increasing its production of films, the countrymen also watched more films with film revenue accrued from box office increasing by 6 per cent to $162 million. This was partially because of the number of 3D films on offer.

    Hill said while not every film made in New Zealand becomes a blockbuster, they can still have a big impact on the film industry. “Over a thousand businesses, both big and small, contracted services to producers of feature film projects. Thirty-five feature films were completed in the country last year,” he observed.

  • Tom Cruise to receive Entertainment Icon award

    Tom Cruise to receive Entertainment Icon award

    MUMBAI: Tom Cruise is all set to join the ranks of legends Douglas Fairbanks, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra who being some of the entertainment industry‘s most beloved performers, are the only three people before him to receive the Friars Foundation‘s highest honor The Entertainment Icon Award.
    The Friars Foundation, the charitable arm of the longstanding Friars Club, will present the award to the 49-year-old actor at the Friars Foundation Gala on 12 June in New York City. Announcing the award ceremony, Friars Club‘s spokesperson Abbot Jerry Lewis has reportedly said, “Tom Cruise will join an elite group of only 3 other entertainment legends who have received our Icon Award, and whose work has made a global impact on our industry and changed the very face of cinema.”

    The Friars Club was founded in 1904 as a haven for some of the industry‘s most noteworthy figures. Its charitable branch was created in an effort “to help small performing arts groups create innovative and affordable programs that will educate, entertain and enrich the lives of diverse audiences and participants.

  • IFFLA to screen Paan Singh Tomar

    IFFLA to screen Paan Singh Tomar

    MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) will celebrate its 10th year anniversary this year with the screening of Tigmanshu Dhulia‘s Paan Singh Tomar in the festival that will run from 10 to 15 April.

    Paan Singh Tomar is the real-life story of Paan Singh Tomar, a seven-time national champion athlete and Army jawan who became one of India‘s most infamous bandits. The film stars Bollywood favorites Irrfan Khan, Mahi Gill, Vipin Sharma, Imran Hasnee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
    The fest is also introducing a Family Day to this year‘s event line-up. This year, 14 April will mark the debut of IFFLA‘s new Family Day. “This year, as part of our ongoing commitment to provide a complete festival experience, IFFLA is excited to create a day of family fun and activities for adults and children alike. Our addition of a Family Day is a perfect complement to the screenings of GATTU and WATCH INDIAN CIRCUS. We want to invite everyone to join us at ArcLight Hollywood to celebrate Indian cinema and to connect those who may not have experienced India‘s rich heritage,” said IFFLA Board member Carla Sanders.

    Family Day fun begins with the screening of Rajan Khosa‘s acclaimed film Gattu that garnered a special mention at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival.Following the screening a series of free events in the courtyard of ArcLight Hollywood which includes Story Time hosted by Parvesh Cheena (of Outsourced fame) who will read Gita Wolf‘s award-winning children‘s classic The Very Hungry Lion. Arts and Crafts hour which will be led by Los Angeles teachers and artists will culminate with a Bollywood dance lesson for the entire crowd.
    Also free to festival-goers will be the addition of ‘From Script to Screen: The Making Of Patang. The film, the festival‘s closing night film, took years to get from script to screen and this discussion would be an intimate talk about that journey.
    This year‘s 5th edition of Rhythm Village will feature a special commemorative event on 12 April at the Supper Club in Hollywood. The IFFLA Rhythm Village Anniversary Party will feature live performances by Bhangra superstar Jassi Sidhu, world music stars Bombay Dub Orchestra, the eclectic fusion band Elephants With Guns and DJ sets by DJ Ben G, and Doc Bladez.
    On 13 April, Rhythm Village will move back to its traditional home at the ArcLight Hollywood courtyard for two days. The outdoor musical program promises to entertain audiences with world-class musicians, enchanting singer-songwriters, eclectic fusion bands, groovy DJ sets, and a variety of captivating dance forms. There will be a live dance lesson by contemporary Indian dance pioneer Achinta McDaniel of the Blue 13, on Saturday April 14th in the courtyard.

  • Daniel Craig to reprise Bond at Olympics opening

    Daniel Craig to reprise Bond at Olympics opening

    MUMBAI: On the request of the Queen asking Daniel Craig and Danny Boyle to shoot a short film on the launch of the 2012 London Olympics, the 44-year old actor will open the games as James Bond.
    The pair even earned themselves an invite to Buckingham Palace to shoot scenes in which the British spy hero is given his latest mission to open the games.
    According to The Sun newspaper, the monarch may even make a cameo appearance before the action moves on to the Olympic stadium in Stratford which Craig parachutes into after jumping out of a helicopter.
    It is said that the Buckingham Palace wanted the most iconic British film character inside the building most associated with London and with the monarch. It will be a magical scene for all watching at home and inside the stadium on 27 July.
    A spokesman for the palace – which is gearing up for the Queen‘s Diamond Jubilee in June to mark her 60th year on the throne has reportedly said, “Buckingham Palace is involved in a number of filming projects during this special Jubilee year and we would not go into details of any particular project until nearer the time of transmission.”
    Meanwhile, the James Bond franchise reaches its own milestone this year, having been on the big screen for 50 years.

  • 12 EU film producers for TIFF

    12 EU film producers for TIFF

    MUMBAI: A dozen European producers attached to Producers Lab Toronto will fly to Toronto on the occasion of this year‘s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to meet an equal number of Canadian producers.
    The Lab has been in operation for the previous two editions of the Canadian festival and this year has secured necessary funding from the European Union‘s Media Mundus program to help the Europeans reach the Canadian festival event.

    The forum is organized by European Film Promotion (EFP) in collaboration with the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) and Toronti International Film Festival (TIFF).

    In order to foster closer relations between the producers, the participants are subsequently invited to alumni meetings during the Berlin and Cannes film festivals.

    Organisers of the first two editions of the Lab said almost all of the participants from 2010 and 2011 are in contact with one another and 27 projects are actively in development.
    The TIFF, that will run from 5 to 8 September, aims to unite producers from Europe and Canada on film projects and bolster co-productions.

  • Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs in biopic

    Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs in biopic

    MUMBAI: Five Star Institute‘s Mark Hulme has signed on Ashton Kutcher to star as Steve Jobs in Jobs, a biopic of Steve Jobs.
    It‘s a high-profile assignment for Kutcher, and Jobs looks to get off the ground before Sony pulls together its own Steve Jobs biopic. Stern will direct Jobs from a script by Matt Whiteley. The film will chronicle Jobs‘ meteoric rise from Northern California hippie to co-founder of Apple.
    Kutcher, known for comedy, has earlier tried his hand at drama including The Butterfly Effect. He also appeared in Bobby that is the story about the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles.

  • Hunger Games grosses $250 mn in 10 days

    Hunger Games grosses $250 mn in 10 days

    MUMBAI: New releases Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror could not survive the wrath of Hunger Games. The Lionsgate film, in its second weekend, grossed $61.1 million crossed $250 million in only 10 days-the fastest ever for a non-sequel.

    Hunger Games grossed $34.8 million in its second weekend of play at the foreign box office, putting its cume at $113.9 million and global total at $364.9 million.
    Wrath of the Titans grossed $34.2 million, compared to the $61.2 opening of Clash of the Titans two years ago. Warner‘s knew the sequel wouldn‘t match that number since Clash of the Titans opened on Good Friday, a holiday.
    “We made the decision to open even with Hunger Games and the NCAA Final Four baskeball games so that we could play through the heart of the holidays,” said Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman.
    Fellman pointed out that Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows also opened to substantially less than the first Sherlock Holmes, or $39.6 million versus $62.3 million, but that the sequel eventually caught up and has now surpassed the first film.
    Wrath of the Titans did far better overseas over the weekend, opening to $78 million and beating Hunger Games, which has been a softer play internationally outside of English-speaking territories. Wrath‘s global opening is $112.2 million.
    Wrath of the Titans, playing in a total of 4,127 locations, drew 65 per cent of its revenues from 3D runs. That included including more than 290 IMAX theatres, which generated $4.7 million in ticket sales, or 14 per cent of the total gross. Domestically, Wrath received a B+ CinemaScore, compared with a B for Titans.
    On the other hand, Mirror Mirror succeeded in luring families, who made up 60 per cent of the audience. While kids under the age of 12 made up 37 per cent of the audience, their parents made up 23 per cent.
    Mirror… is the first of two Snow White movies opening this year, though Universal‘s Snow White and the Huntsman, which bows in the summer, isn‘t a family film.

  • Two actors unions merge; bargaining power set to soar

    Two actors unions merge; bargaining power set to soar

    MUMBAI: Two of Hollywood‘s largest actors unions have decided to merge making way for the creation of a single organization that will have greater bargaining power with film and television studios.
     
    Members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists(AFTRA) approved the plan supported by George Clooney and Alec Baldwin, with 82 per cent of SAG and 86 per cent of AFTRA members voting in favour, it is understood.
     
    The combined organization, with more than 150,000 members, will have the power to negotiate for better pay, pension and health benefits and also navigate the impact of changes to distribution.
     
    The merger campaign began during the strike after SAG dissidents criticized union leaders for failing to reach an agreement with the studios. After negotiations broke down, the pro-merger group Unite for Strength won seats on the national board by calling for a combination of the two unions. The discussions with AFTRA began after the strike ended in April 2009.
     
    It may be remembered that a 2009 strike by the Screen Actors Guild was weakened when AFTRA members remained on the job because their contract expired on a different date.

  • Jessica Biel to play Vera Miles in Hitchcock film

    Jessica Biel to play Vera Miles in Hitchcock film

    MUMBAI: Jessica Biel will play actress Vera Miles in Alfred Hitchcock And The Making Of Psycho. James D‘Arcy is being asked to join the cast to play the role of Anthony Perkins.

    The film has Anthony Hopkins playing Hitchcock while Helen Mirren will play his wife, Alma.

    It may be remembered that Miles played Lila Crane, the heroine of the 1960 horror classic who visits the Bates Motel in search of her missing sister Janet Leigh, the role to be portrayed by Scarlett Johansson.