Category: International

MUMBAI: Last Friday, Kris Kristofferson was presented with the inaugural Stephen Bruton Award in the Lone Star International Film Festival.

Said the 73-year-old Kristofferson, “I‘m very moved by the award, but I don‘t like the reason for it. I‘m here to honour Stephen.”

A near-capacity crowd squeezed into the intimate Lola‘s Saloon Stockyards to pay tribute to Kristofferson. The Fort Worth singer-songwriter, producer and actor died in May at age 60 from complications from cancer.

Designed by Bruton‘s friend, local architect Mark Gunderson, the award itself was an elegant homage, constructed from wood, steel and a bit of the counter from the Bruton family store, Record Town. 

Bruton‘s mother, Kathleen, assisted by his brother Sumter, presented Kristofferson the award, telling him that he “could be halfway around the world playing a real good gig.”

The audience was also treated to filmmaker J. Mitchell Johnson‘s lovingly assembled mini-documentary about Bruton‘s too-short life and his relationship with Kristofferson.
The award is intended to honour artistes the careers of whom are anchored in music but also feature work in films, said Lone Star International Film Festival artistic director, Alec Jhangiani.

A rotating committee made up of Bruton‘s family, friends and associates will meet to determine future recipients, with an eye toward launching a music component of the Lone Star International Film Festival in a few years.

MUMBAI: The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) will formally ask the federal government for a one-off $84m (A$90m) help for production of feature films.

SPAA will ask for a three-year fund on the basis that the sector has to attract institutional investors in order to grow and that the producer offset (PO) is not working as expected, in part because of the global financial crisis and the negative effect it is having on independent film.

Under the proposal, a film would need 75-80% of its budget in place to be eligible, SPAA executive director Geoff Brown told Screendaily.com.

It would not be for films regarded (in Australia) as big budget, such as this year‘s box office hit Bruce Beresford‘s Mao‘s Last Dancer or Stuart Beattie‘s directorial debut Tomorrow: Where The War Began, which is in production. The budget cap could be $23m (A$25m).

SPAA wants the fund run by a chief executive answerable to a panel of highly experienced players. More details will be known once the submission is finalised by mid-December.
 

MUMBAI: Two entertainment giants in China Shanda Interactive and Hunan Broadcasting and Television Group have formed a joint venture that will invest $87.8m (RMB600m) in film and TV production.

The joint venture will also engage in other related businesses such as agency services.

Its first project will be a remake of TV series, Princess Huanzhu, which was a national hit from 1998 to 2001 and helped raise the stardom of actors such as Zhao Wei, Fan Bingbing and Huang Xiaoming. 

It will also produce a film adapted from Xing Chen Bian (Evolution Of Beginnings), one of the most popular novels from Shanda‘s online literature site, Shanda Literature.

Shanda is a major player in China‘s huge online games industry, producing popular multi-player role-playing games and advanced casual online games in mainland China.

The joint venture marks a further step by Shanda into film and TV production. In 2007, Shanda Literature sold the film rights of Gui Chui Deng (Ghost Blows Out The Candle) to Shanghai-based Meridian Pictures.

Hunan TV is China‘s top provincial broadcaster, known for producing the successful reality TV singing contest Super Girl.
 

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI)has given a major surprise with its film 2012 releasing in 12,685 screens in 105 markets to rope in $160m – the biggest international opening of all-time for a non-sequel.

The fi;m ranks fifth in the all-time overseas opening weekend grosses.It grossed $65m number one North American launch to recoup its $200m production cost in its first worldwide weekend with a $225m global haul.

The film pulled off a remarkable feat by ranking numero uno in all its markets.

It grossed $17.2m in France from 750 screens, $15.3m in Russia from 840 in the second biggest opening ever behind Ice Age 3, $12.4m in Germany from 1,002 and $12.3m in China from 1,946 screens.

Elsewhere the disaster movie grossed $10.8m in the UK from 828, $9.9m in South Korea from 622, $8.1m in Spain from 585, $6.9m in Italy from 520, $5.5m in Australia from 405, $5m in Brazil from 551 and $4.9m in Mexico from 781.

In India the film amassed $4m xfrom 674 in the second biggest ever industry opening behind Sony‘s Spider-Man 3, $3.9m in Poland from 141, $3.4m in Taiwan from 205 in the tenth biggest ever industry opening, $2.8m in Thailand from 185 in the fourth biggest ever industry opening, $2.3m in Malaysia from 136 in the second biggest ever industry opening behind PPI‘s Transformers 2, $2.1m in Turkey from 178, $2.1m in Belgium from 88 in the tenth biggest ever industry opening, $2.05m in Holland from 127, and $2.04m in Hong Kong from 55.

The film amassed $1.9m in Greece from 138 in the seventh biggest ever industry opening, $1.9m in Switzerland from 121, $1.7m in the Philippines from 100 in the tenth biggest ever industry opening, $1.6m in Austria from 97, $1.6m in Singapore from 95, $1.6m in Sweden from 110, $1.2m in Indonesia from 75 in the sixth biggest ever industry opening, $1.2m in Denmark from 74, $1.2m in Norway from 90, $1.1m in Ukraine from 91, $1.1m in UAE from 39, and $1m in Chile in the eighth biggest ever industry opening.

MUMBAI: South Korean exhibitor CJ CGV will open its third multiplex in China on 19 November at the CGV Wuhan,located in the capital of Hubei Province. The plex will have six screens, 940 seats and also a 3D projection.

In 2006, the exhibitor launched into the China market. CJ CGV has two other multiplexes in Shanghai.

said Kang Seok Hee, head of CJ CGV, which is an affiliate of leading South Korean distributor CJ Entertainment., “CGV Wuhan is launched on the foundation of the development network and know-how about operating on the ground in China that we‘ve accumulated since 2006, and it will play a big role as a bridge for Korean films and Korean Wave culture,” “CGV will expand to Beijing and other cities to have more than 30 multiplexes within five years.”

CGV has partnered with local exhibitor for the Wuhan project.

The new multiplex is to open in Wuhan Xintiandi, designed along the lines of the shopping, eating and entertainment district of Shanghai‘s Xintiandi.

Collaborating with the Korean cultural centre in Shanghai, CGV is mulling to mark the opening with a Korean Culture Festival featuring pop and traditional music concerts, a taekwondo show and arts and crafts.

MUMBAI: Spanish distributor Wide Pictures has acquired distribution rights of major US films that includes Robert Redford‘s The Company You Keep and David Schwimmer‘s Trust, starring Clive Owen.

Wide Pictures‘ major acquisition at the recently concluded America Film Market was The Company You Keep from Voltage Pictures. The film has Redford essaying former radical activist who goes on the run for the sake of his young daughter alter his identity is revealed.

Other pick-ups by the distribution include David Schwimmer‘s Trust starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener as parents whose teenage daughter becomes a victim of an online sexual predator.

Another acquistion is Malcolm Venville‘s Henry‘s Crime produced by and starring Keanu Reeves as a good man falsely accused of a bank robbery in Buffalo.

Gela Babluani‘s 13 from Paramount Vantage, a remake of the director‘s own 2005 film, which is set to star Jason Statham has also landed in the Wide Pictures‘ basket.

The company has also picked up Roselyne Bosch‘s $27m French drama The Round Up (La Rafle) that stars Jean Reno in a controversial film about France‘s collaboration in the holocaust.

MUMBAI: In a move that both parties said was amicable, QED International executive vice-president of worldwide sales and distribution Kimberly Fox has parted from the LA-based company.

Fox, a familiar face on the market circuit, said that she felt that it was time for a change. Her contract is due to expire at the end of the year. She joined the company at its inception stage in early 2006.

It is understood that QED International CEO and founder Bill Block and COO Paul Hanson are on the look out for people to strengthen its new sales force following the recent departure of sales executive Tatyana Joffe.
 

MUMBAI: As Marvel Entertainment prepares to hand over the keys of its comic book kingdom to Disney, it has started effecting major staff changes in its films division.

In a major move, Louis D‘Esposito has been elevated from the post of president of physical production to co-president of the studio. He will work along with Kevin Feige to oversee the studio‘s production schedule. The twosome will report to Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter.

D‘Esposito had been in an important position and was overseeing the budgets and timelines of Marvel‘s slate of self-financed films, including the Iron Man franchise, The Incredible Hulk reboot, as well as Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers. 

Talking about D‘Esposito Feige said, “an incredible friend and collaborator, and his expertise within the film industry steering the budgetary and operational demands of moviemaking is instrumental in taking our characters from the pages of comic books to the big screen.”

D‘Esposito served as an executive producer on Iron Man and its sequel.
 

MUMBAI: South Korean film Paju, the second directorial venture of South Korean director Park Chan-ok, will open the upcoming Rocarno International Film Festival in Rotterdam.

Paju, which premiered in the Pusan International Film Festival, has been applauded as one of the most outstanding local creations of the year, with it drawing a realistic portrait of modern Korean society through the eyes of a young woman.

Director Park won the Tiger Award in the 2003 Rotterdam film festival for her debut film Jealousy Is My Middle Name that was well-received internationally.

The film becomes the first Korean film ever to open the Dutch film festival.

The 39th Rotterdam festival will run Jan. 27-Feb. 7 next year in the Netherlands‘ port city.

MUMBAI: Sony‘s disaster movie 2012 releases today, the globe over.

So much is the euphoria surrounding the film that it is almost certain that it will edge out This Is It as the number one film overseas.

On This Is It, Sony announced that the Michael Jackson tribute film had crossed the $200 million mark. Roughly $142 million of that comes from the international box-office with the remaining about $61 million coming from North America.
Latest figures put This Is It on $27.2 million in Japan, $14.3 million in the UK, $12.1 million in each of Germany and France and $7.2 million in Australia.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International that released A Christmas Carol in Japan, Spain and Colombia expect the film, currently on $16.6 million to surge past the $25 million mark.

On the other hand, Up reached $368.4 million while G-Force stands at $154.3 million.

UPI‘s Ang Lee film Taking Woodstock opens in the UK and Brazil on 13 November, while Pedro Almodovar‘s Broken Embraces releases in Mexico on the same day.