Category: International

MUMBAI: IFC Films has acquired US rights of writer-director Ruba Nadda‘s Cairo Time starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig.

The romantic drama follows the love affair between an American tourist in Cairo, played by Clarkson, who gets involved with an Egyptian man (Siddig), a friend of her husband.

The film was awarded the best Canadian feature prize at the recently held Toronto International Film Festival.
IFC Films will release Cairo Time in 2010 through its ‘IFC in Theaters‘ platform which offers movies on demand the same day they premiere in theatres.

The distribution company acquired the film from E1 Entertainment International, the film‘s sales agent and US and international rights holder.

MUMBAI: Ray Winstone and Temuera Morrison will star in Tracker, a thriller that starts shooting soon in New Zealand.

The UK-New Zealand co-production is an action thriller about an ex-Boer war guerrilla who is given the task of capturing a Moari seafarer accused of killing a British soldier.

The film, scripted by the late Nicolas van Pallandt, will be directed by British director Ian Sharp.

The film, an Eden Films and T.H.W Film production in association with Phoenix Wiley & Liberty Films, has been backed by the UK Film Council, the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air and private financier Natixis Coficine.

MUMBAI: Man Shu Sum Resigning from his position as CEO of Mark Burnett Productions‘ Singapore-based Asian arm, Man Shu Sum has joined MediaCorp Raintree Pictures as managing director.

Sum replaces Daniel Yun who quit Raintree after being at the helm for 11 years to establish his own production venture, Home Run Pictures.

Sum took up the job of CEO of Mark Burnett‘s Asian arm in May 2008, resigning from his previous position as director of strategic relations at Singapore‘s Media Development Authority (MDA).

MediaCorp CEO, Lucas Chow said that he was pleased to welcome Sum to the organisation as his experience in the international film industry

would boost Raintree Pictures in its next phase of development.

Sum will report to Chow and take up the new post from December.

MUMBAI: Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman will produce the 82nd Academy Awards telecast next year, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) president Tom Sherak announced.

This will be the first major Oscar show involvement for both men. Sherak says, “I couldn‘t be happier to have this talented team on board. I‘ve known Bill for many years, so it‘s like putting Oscar in the care of a dear friend. Bill has a tremendous love and respect of film and will draw from his vast experience as a producer, a studio executive and a film historian to help make this year‘s Oscar telecast a memorable one. And Adam‘s experience in producing, directing and especially choreography will be a huge asset to the production.”

MUMBAI: Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse will head the cast of $29.28m action epic Shaolin that makes the film to be authorised to shoot in China‘s legendary Shaolin temple for the first time in 27 years.

Hong Kong‘s Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP), China Film Group and two other Beijing-based companies – Huayi Brothers and Silver Moon Productions – are working with the Shaolin Temple Culture Communication Centre on the project. The last feature film that was shot in the temple was Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li

in 1982.

The film will be directed by Benny Chan the shooting of which is scheduled to commence by the end of this year.

Also in the star cast of the film are Wu Jing, Yu Shaoqun and Fan Bingbing along with thousands of Shaolin disciples.

MUMBAI: Roger Mincheff has been appointed as senior vice president Branded Entertainment for digital content at Fox Filmed Entertainment. He will report to Fox Filmed Entertainment (FFE) president new media and digital distribution Peter Levinsohn.

Mincheff will be responsible for monetising all made-for-digital content for the company‘s portfolio of production entities. He will work closely with FDS to drive revenue for content developed by the new group.

Levinsohn also announced the formation of Fox Digital Studios (FDS), a new group dedicated to the development, production and distribution of original and derivative programming for initial release on new and emerging media platforms.

Said Levinsohn, “All of our production entities are exploring digital platforms as a means to tell new stories to new audiences and we‘re thrilled to have someone of Roger‘s caliber join the team. In addition to understanding the brand dynamic, Roger has a proven track record across content, distribution, marketing and technology.”

“With Fox Digital Studios, we are leveraging our storytelling and production expertise to create a centralized unit solely focused on bringing consumers unique entertainment experiences on the Web, and on mobile and gaming platforms. We‘re pleased to have David on board to steer this group‘s creative efforts.”

MUMBAI: Following up this year‘s Cannes Palme d‘Or win for The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke is already drafting his next project. The director is working on an untitled script about humiliation and the physical deterioration of the aged.

Although French media have reported that Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant will star in the film, the production house says that the casting is not confirmed as yet.

Huppert, who presided over the jury that handed Haneke the Palme d‘Or last May, had previously worked with Haneke in 2003‘s The Time Of The Wolf and in 2002‘s multi-award winning The Piano Teacher.

Trintignant‘s was last seen in Patrice Chereau‘s Cesar-awarded Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train in 1998.
The White Ribbon will be released by Sony Pictures Classics in the US.

MUMBAI: Lars Von Trier‘s feature film Antichrist has won this year‘s Nordic Council Film Prize. The prize, worth about $70,000, (DKK 350,000), will be shared between the winning film‘s director, screenwriter and producer.

The award will be presented at the Nordic Council‘s Session on October 27 in Stockholm.

Previous recipients of this prize include Roy Andersson for the Swedish film You, The Living (2008), Peter Sch?nau Fog for the Danish film The Art of Crying (2007) and Josef Fares for the Swedish film Zozo (2006).

Four other Nordic films competing for this year‘s prize were Sauna (Finland), The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela (Iceland), Nord (Norway) and Light Year (Sweden).

MUMBAI: UK-based distributor Momentum Pictures and Paramount Pictures International have struck a six-film deal by which the latter will book the films while Momentum will handle marketing and publicity of them.

Under the terms of their deal, the two will collaborate on the release in the UK theatrical marketplace of six high profile US films like Law Abiding Citizen and The Rebound from The Film Department, The Crazies from Overture/Paramount Vantage International and Dear John, The Season Of The Witch and The Fighter from Relativity Media.

Said, Paramount Pictures President Andrew Cripps, “The six-picture deal with Momentum and has no long-term implications for either of us and we look forward to working with them on these six exciting projects.”

The Crazies is slated to be the first film released under the new Paramount/Momentum banner that is set to go out in UK cinemas on 26 February next year.

MUMBAI: Tiger Hu Chen, the stuntman associated with The Matrix series, has been tipped to star in a Chinese-language action drama Kung Fu Man. Also starring will be Vanessa Branch (Pirates Of The Caribbean series) and Chinese actress Jiang Mengjie.

Daxing Zhang, one of the producers on John Woo‘s Red Cliff and actor and kung-fu coordinator on the Charlie‘s Angels and The Matrix series, will produce.