Category: International

MUMBAI: In an agreement with Denmark‘s Dam Things, DreamWorks Animation (DWA) will develop an animated feature The Good Luck Trolls.

In 1959, the troll doll was created by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam, when he carved a doll based on Scandinavian trolls for his daughter Lajla. The toy line gained popularity in Europe and the US during the early ‘60s thus becoming a fad embraced by kids and the counter-culture.

Because Dam Things lost control of its copyright after failing to comply with US laws, imitators flooded the market in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But soon after a 1994 Congressional law that restored copyright protection to a number of foreign works, the Dam family regained authority.

In striking the deal with DWA, Niels Dam, the dollmaker‘s son said, “My father would have been very happy to know that his Troll has found its dream partner in DreamWorks Animation.”

Said DWA head of development Alex Schwartz, “We look forward to working alongside Dam Things to build on the mythology of the Good Luck Trolls while delivering the sense of adventure, heart and comedy that DreamWorks Animation is known for.”
 

MUMBAI: The nominating committee of the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) has released its initial list of eighteen candidates for the 2010 board of directors‘ election on Monday.

The eighteen incumbents nominated for eight open seats are Robin Schiff, David Shore, David A. Goodman, Cheryl Heuton, Aaron Mendelsohn, Katherine Fugate, Timothy J. Lea, Mick Betancourt, Mark Gunn, Erich Hoeber, Erica Montolfo, Matt Pyken, Naomi Foner, Karen Harris, Kathy Kiernan, Christopher Keyser, Steve Skrovan and Matthew Weiner. Goodman, Mendelsohn, Fugate, Gunn, Harris and Kiernan.

Other eligible WGAW members could be nominated by petition before 23 July.
 

MUMBAI: The 13th Shanghai International Film Festival accorded Italian director Gabriele Muccino‘s comedy Kiss Me Again as the best picture and presented it with the Golden Goblet. The film also received two other awards namely the best actress (Vittoria Puccini) and best screenplay (Muccino) awards.

Kiss Me Again is a sequel to top grossing Italian film The Last Kiss and catches up with the cast after a decade as they have left behind their youth and approaching their 40s.

The winning of the festival‘s top award marks a return to Italian-language film-making for Muccino who teamed up with Will Smith in films like The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds.

Chinese director Liu Jie‘s film Deep in the Clouds won the jury grand prize, as well as the best director and best music awards.

Christopher Doyle won.

While the award for the best cinematography was annexed by the Irish film Ondine, Christian Ulmen was named best actor for his performance in Wedding Fever in Campobello, a German-Italian production.

This year the jury was headed by Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo.The nine-day festival concluded on Sunday.

MUMBAI: This week‘s release Toy Story 3 garnered $109 million in its opening weekend.

Released in 4,028 theaters, the 3D animated film posted the best opening weekend for a Pixar movie ever.

On its opening day (Friday), the film grossed $41 million surpassing $39.4 million that Shrek the Third had grossed in 2007.

With 11 number one openings for its eleven films, Pixar‘s track record remains unbroken.

Even though families were flocking to Toy Story, Sony‘s The Karate Kid maintained its adulation. Though the film slid 48 per cent, it took the second spot as it roped in an additional $29 million and saw its domestic tally rise to $106 million after 10 days.

Toy Story 3 also opened at no. 1 on the overseas theatrical circuit, grossing $44.8 million from 4,787 screens in 25 territories.

Fabulous debuts in China and Latin America helped the film register “the largest debut for a Pixar title, almost doubling the high set by. Up drew a total foreign box-office returns of $438 million. In Mexico, the film generated $14.3 million.

While in China, Toy Story 3 grossed $9.5 million in the weekend, in Brazil it came up with $ 3.3 million. In Argentina, the film roped in $2.3 million.
 

MUMBAI: Lena Liberta‘s German film Silent Sea has won the best film award in the international student shorts award at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Silent Sea ranked first from the 928 shorts from 58 countries and regions. American Film Institute student Giulio Musi‘s Echoes got the special Jury award while Lior Chefetz took home the Best Director award for The Godmother. Brazil‘s Project Silence directed by Bruno Caticha bagged the best creative idea award. 

The award for the best animation film went to the Israeli film Miracle Lady directed by Michal Abulafia and Moran Somer.

The theme of this year‘s competition was ‘Better City, Better Life‘.

The International Student Shorts Award was introduced at the ninth SIFF in 2006 as a stage for young people to communicate with film masters and display their work.
 

MUMBAI: Thai exhibitor Major Cineplex has ordered five more super-sized digital theatre systems from Imax Corp.

The Thai exhibitor’s first Imax Theatre is already operative at the Siam Paragon multiplex in Bangkok. By October it will launch two new screens in the capital city.

The additional three theatres will be housed into upcoming multiplexes.

The Toronto-based Imax has so far signed deals for 40 new theatre systems in Asia.

Major Cineplex operates 363 screens in 49 locations in Thailand.
 

MUMBAI: British filmmaker Ronald Neame who is best known for directing the ship disaster film The Poseidon Adventure in 1972 has expired. He was 99.

Naeme’s career dates back to serving as assistant cameraman on the first feature film made with sound in Great Britain.Blackmail made by Alfred Hitchcock in 1929. 

Neame‘s directing credits, that spanned six decades include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the Walter Matthau starrers Hopscotch and First Monday in October.

Neame produced three British classics Brief Encounter, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. As a screenplay writer, Neame earned nominations for the Academy awards for those of Encounter and Expectations.

Before directing, Neame handled the cinematography of One of Our Aircraft Is Missing and received an Oscar nomination for its special effects that he shared with sound designer C.C. Stevens.

Two of his films were nominated for the Palme d‘Or at the Festival de Cannes: “The Man Who Never Was” (1956) and “Jean Brodie.”
 

MUMBAI: Randy Jackson, younger brother of the deceased pop star Michael Jackson has suffered a heart attack.

The 48-year-old musician was immediately rushed to the Huntington Memorial, California. 

Recently, the Jackson family has been going through a spate of bad news.

The news of Randy‘s ill health comes days before the Jacko‘s first death anniversary.

Meanwhile, Dr Conrad Murray, Jackson‘s physician who was charged with ‘involuntary manslaughter‘ after the pop stars death last year was given permission to continue practicing medicine.
 

MUMBAI: The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced a list of celebrities who would be given a plaque on the famous Los Angeles sidewalk.

The stars include a rare family dedication, when three stars will take part in the same ceremony. They are actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd and their daughter Laura Dern.

From the motion picture fraternity, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, the Muppets, Kenny Ortega, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ridley Scott, Sissy Spacek, Donald Sutherland and Reese Witherspoon will also receive honours.

On the TV front, the stars will go to Danny DeVito, Tina Fey, Simon Fuller, John Langley, Ed O‘Neill and John Wells besides Winfrey and Harris,.

Among recording artistes, Melissa Etheridge, Los Tigres Del Norte, Rascal Flatts, Go-Go‘s, Slash, Will i. Am and Bebe and Cece Winans will get the stars.
 

MUMBAI: Paramount has preceded the theatrical release date of family adventure The Last Airbender by one day to 1 July.

Midweek releases are generally designed to arouse word-of-mouth publicity in advance of an opening weekend. The distributor will effectively reap a five-day bow for the M. Night Shyamalan- directed film as Independence Day falls on 4 July and the following Monday is a federal holiday in the US.

Summit‘s Twilight third part Eclipse is the holiday-stretched session‘s only other opener that opens on 30 June.