Category: International

MUMBAI: The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards on 17 January next year will see Martin Scorsese receive the Cecil B DeMille Award for his ‘outstanding contribution to the entertainment field‘. The award at a press conference this morning.

Earlier, Scorsese received two best director Golden Globes for The Departed and Gangs Of New York. He also earned five additional Golden Globe nominations including four as best director (Casino, Age Of Innocence, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull) and one for best screenplay for Raging Bull with Nicolas Pileggi.

Last year, Steven Spielberg won the Cecil B DeMille award.
Previous winners include Warren Beatty, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams and Michael Douglas.

Nominations for this year‘s Golden Globe Awards will be announced on 15 December.

MUMBAI: Marvel Studios has promoted Louis D‘Esposito as co-president. He will work along with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and will oversee the production schedule.

Previously served D‘Esposito as president of physical production and oversaw the budget and timeline on Iron Man and all Marvel Studios features.

D‘Esposito will report to Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter.

D‘Esposito was the executive producer of Iron Man and its upcoming sequel. He also served as executive producer on The Pursuit Of Happyness, Zathura, and S.W.A.T.
Iron Man 2 is scheduled to open on 7 May, 2010.

MUMBAI: James Cameron will receive The Visual Effects Society‘s will present its VES Lifetime Achievement Award to James Cameron at the 8th Annual VES Awards that will be held in Los Angeles on 28 February next year.

Cameron, whose sci-fi adventure Avatar is set to open worldwide next month, will collect the honour in recognition of his “vision and dedication to the craft of storytelling while being at the creative forefront of ground breaking visual effects.”

Cameron‘s credits include the multi-Oscar winner Titanic as well as Terminator, Aliens, True Lies, Terminator 2 and The Abyss.

Cameron is also set to receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s highest honour, ‘The Lucky Brand Modern Master Award‘ on 6 February.

MUMBAI: Writer Dante Harper has been asked to write the script for Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Dead Snow co-writer/director Tommy Wirkola is helming the project for Gary Sanchez Prods. and Paramount. The Norwegian pitched and plotted out the storyline that picks up the fairy-tale siblings 15 years after their traumatic gingerbread house incident that provoked them to become witch bounty hunters.

Sanchez executives Kevin Messick, Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and Chris Henchy are producing the horror-action comedy that is pitched as having a gory-but-funny Shaun of the Dead vibe.
 

MUMBAI: Up to five animated films could be nominated in this season‘s Oscar race after The Academy has announced that it had received twenty submissions for the animation films category for the upcoming Oscar awards of which up to five films could be nominated.

Under the rules of the Academy, a total of five nominations may ensue when there are more than 16 eligible submissions.

The entries are 9, Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Astro Boy, Battle For Terra, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Coraline, Disney‘s A Christmas Carol, The Dolphin – Story Of A Dreamer, Fantastic Mr Fox, Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs, Mary And Max, The Missing Lynx, Monsters Vs Aliens, Planet 51 Ponyo ,The Princess And The Frog, The Secret Of Kells, Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure, A Town Called Panic, Up, Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, The Dolphin – Story Of A Dreamer.

Films submitted in the animated category also may qualify for Oscars in other categories, including best picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on 2 February ahead of the ceremony on 7 March.
 

MUMBAI: Essential Entertainment has signed with Gigapix Studios for five G and PG-rated live-action children‘s films through its subsidiary Recess Films.

The company‘s president of worldwide distribution, John Fremes will handle international sales on the slate while Anchor Bay has entered into a first-look deal to handle US distribution on the slate.

Under the deal, Anchor Bay will distribute across theatrical, home entertainment and television platforms with a commitment from Gigapix to fund a minimum P&A outlay of $6 million and 600 screens per film.

Depending on how well titles test in advance screenings, each release may go up to $20m P&A spend and 2,000 screens.

Gigapix will produce the five live-action films ranging from $8 to 10 million each and a single $20m CG-animated film over the next three years. Financial consultant Dominic Ianno played an integral role in structuring the distribution relationships and will serve as executive producer on the slate.

Gigapix said it expected to announce the next two live-action titles and the animated project within weeks.

MUMBAI: Lux Digital Pictures has announced that its new film Nightmares in Red, White and Blue has been named the ‘Best Documentary‘ film at the prestigious Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, the Company‘s widely praised feature length documentary film on the evolution of the American horror film written and produced by Joseph Maddrey, based on his book, and directed by Andrew.

Speaking about this year‘s Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival executive director George Marshall said, “Without question this was a strong year for entries and quality genre films.”

LUX D comprises of several motion picture development, production, financing and distribution brands that have unique and dynamic strategies to compete in today‘s entertainment marketplace.
 

MUMBAI: Distributor of indie films for family and art house audiences, GKIDS has acquired US distribution rights of the animated film The Secret of Kells.

A France/Belgium/Ireland co-production of Les Armateurs, Viva Film, Cartoon Saloon and France 2 Cinema, the movie about a magical quest features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Evan McGuire and Christen Mooney has been directed by Tomm Moore.

The film is set to receive an Academy-qualifying run from 4 to 10 December at the AMC Burbank 8 in Los Angeles and will be released theatrically in America in March.

An official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival, Kells had its US premiere at the New York International Children‘s Film Festival and also was the first animated feature to win the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival.
 

MUMBAI: Morgan Freeman will be feted by the 21st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival‘s Career Achievement Award for Acting at the fest‘s awards gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center on 5 January. The festival runs till 18 January.

Freeman plays Nelson Mandela in the upcoming Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood, who annexed the festival‘s career achievement award last January.
Invictus which also stars Matt Damon as rugby team captain Francois Pienaar, will release on 11 December.

Freeman, who has earlier received three other Academy Award nominations, won the Oscar for best supporting actor in 2005 for MIllion Dollar Baby.

His recent films include The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, The Bucket List, Feast of Love and Gone Baby Gone.

MUMBAI: Noted actress Halle Berry has been tipped to receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter‘s (THR) 18th annual Women in Entertainment breakfast presented by Lifetime.

The actress will be honored for her trailblazing within the industry and for her generosity in giving back to the community at large.

Hilary Swank and Eva Longoria Parker will also participate in the 4 December breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Berry joins past recipients Barbara Walters, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster and Glenn Close in receiving the Lansing award.