ITV

Category: Movies

  • Huayi share price doubles on launch in stock market

    MUMBAI: Stocks of China‘s Huayi Brothers Media became one of the hottest stocks on its first day of trading last Friday on the country‘s ChiNext stock market. Its opening-day price reached $10.37 more than double of its launch price.


    The media group, known for producing Feng Xiaogang‘s local blockbusters such as The Assembly and If You Are The One, passed the review of the China Securities Regulatory Commission in September and became the first film production company to go public in China. The price was then set at $4.18.


    Local securities journals described the hike of Huayi‘s share price as “crazy” on Friday, Oct 30. Opening at $9.32 which was already 123 per cent up from the launch price of $4.18, the shares went up to $11.18 when it was 11am there. After suspension they fell to $10.37, 148 per cent up from the launch price.


    So far the company has a market capitalisation of $1.57bn. In its prospectus to go public, Huayi said it planned to raise $91m.

  • Stewart Till close to establishing intl distribution network

    MUMBAI: With the news that the media arm of Len Blavatnik‘s US-based industrial group Access Industries has finally closed its deal to buy the UK operations of Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey‘s LA-based Icon Group, Stewart Till‘s hopes to establish an international distribution network has gained momentum.


    The transaction that comprises Icon‘s international sales company, the distribution operation based in the UK and the Majestic Films & Television library does not include the Australian distribution company and cinemas, which is retained by The Icon Group.


    Access Industries chairman and New York-based industrialist Blavatnik backed Till‘s company Stadium when it first announced plans to acquire Icon including both UK and Australian distribution operations and the sales company and the Majestic Films & Television library in September 2008.


    Till said that the UK distribution company and the sales company were “the first two pieces in the jigsaw” in establishing an international distribution network along the lines of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and PolyGram Film International.


    Icon Distribution‘s upcoming UK slate includes Oren Peli‘s Paranormal Activity, Richard Kelly‘s sci-fi thriller The Box starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, Sam Taylor-Wood‘s multiple British Independent Film Awards nominee Nowhere Boy, The Road starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron, action thriller Edge Of Darkness starring Gibson, Precious, and A Single Man.
     

  • Korean thriller The Housemaid set for a remake

    MUMBAI: The remake of the Korean classic thriller The Housemaid will in all probability have award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon that Seoul-based Mirovision, Inc. is producing and also handling international sales.


    Directed by Korean master Kim Ki-young, the 1960 original was the story of how a factory music teacher‘s family is thrown into nightmare chaos when they take in a strange girl as a housemaid – she seduces him, is coerced into having an abortion, and then metes out revenge.


    The original version was digitally re-mastered and screened at Cannes in 2008 with the support of Martin Scorsese‘s World Cinema Foundation and the Korean Film Archive.


    Jeon Do-yeon won the Cannes Best Actress award in 2007 for her performance in Lee Chang-dong‘s Secret Sunshine. Her other work includes starring in Lee Yoon-ki‘s My Dear Enemy, Jung Ji-woo‘s Happy End, Park Jin-pyo‘s You Are My Sunshine and lee Young-jae‘s The Harmonium In My Memory.


    Im Sang-soo previously directed the Cannes entry The President‘s Last Bang and Venice entry A Good Lawyer‘s Wife, in addition to other critically-acclaimed films such as The Old Garden.


    The remaking of The Housemaid is due to start at the end of the year, with an aim to see a local release in the first half of 2010, the 50th anniversary of The Housemaid original.
     

  • Cinemavault to spice up AFM with

    MUMBAI: As the American Film Market prepares to get underway this week with Neal Sundstrom‘s South African football comedy Finding Lenny, Cinemavault has seen to it that it that its slate was bolstered.


    The David versus Goliath tale was partly funded by India‘s Vistaar Religare Film Fund and produced by Moviworld, whose Tsotsiwon the best foreign language Oscar in 2006.


    South African stand-up comic Barry Hilton stars in the English-language feature about a man with family troubles who coaches a rural team and takes on the might of an evil corporation.


    Said Cinemavault‘s senior vice-president of international distribution Caroline Stern, “It‘s the perfect primer for the tide of soccer fever already sweeping across the world prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.”

  • Syrian film bags top award at Osian’s, Indian film wins three

    NEW DELHI: Syrian film, The Long Night, directed by Hatem Mohammed, won two awards including the best film prize while Indian film Khargosh, directed by Paresh Kamdar, bagged three awards in the closing ceremony of the 11th Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival.


    The Long Night also bagged the award presented jointly by the Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).


    Khargosh bagged the Special Mention and the Audience Award and shared the NETPAC-FIPRESCI award.


    The best actor and actress awards – Ali Reza Aghakhani and Negar Jhaverian – went to the same film, Before the Burial. The awards were received by director Behnam Behzadi of Iran.


    The Special Jury Award went to The Wailing Wall, by Elyse Baccar of Tunisia.


    Among short films, the best film award went to The First Film by Panah Panahi of Iran while a special mention was made of Vitthal, by Vinoo Choliparambil of India.


    The awards were presented by the founder of the Festival, renowned film critic Aruna Vasudev, filmmaker M S Sathyu, actress Moushmi Chatterjee and actor Rahul Bose, apart from the jury members.


    The closing film of the event was Waltz with Bashir, by Ari Folman which is an Israel-Germany-France co-production.


    As in previous years, the Festival was organised by Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art in association with the Government of the NCT of Delhi at the Siri Fort Complex and Alliance Francaise in New Delhi.

  • Newstream films reflect realism and life-like situations

    NEW DELHI: Realism is an integral aspect of all the films shown and discussed in the NewStream sessions at the 11 Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival, and this is clearly the reason for placing them in a new section which is part of the mainstream and yet different.


    The characterization of Abhay Deol in Dev D and Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye or Deepika Padukone in Love Aaj Kal reflected this realism.


    Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye director Dibakar Banerjee said in the last NewStream Section of the Festival that he drew inspiration from a real life character – Bunty Chor of Delhi – while reading a newspaper article on his robberies. Also, the inspiration came from his “wannabe” attitude during his adolescence and things happening around him. He wanted to make a film on a “wannabe” and a film that did not follow a fixed set up.


    Casting Abhay Deol was also a very cautious decision as he wanted an actor with an enigmatic charm and attitude in him, something that the ‘Bunty Chor‘ had in him.


    There was no set specially created for the film but the film was shot at over ninety locations within the city of Delhi. Even the narration of ‘Bunty Chor‘ by the police was used in the dialogues in the film.


    The NewStream was a new introduction in the Festival, where films made in the mainstream genre but still standing out for their realism were screened. Besides Dibakar Banerjee, Manu, Monika and Vandana (production designers) also spoke on the occasion.
     

  • Inox Q2 net zooms 62% on uptick in exhibition income

    MUMBAI: Multiplex chain major Inox Leisure’s second-quarter net profit jumped 62.1 per cent to Rs 53 million over the earlier-year period, despite a steep rise in interest and depreciation costs.


    The topline got a boost on the back of three big-budget movie releases – New York, Love Aaj Kal and Kaminey. Inox posted an income of Rs 706.8 million, 17.86 per cent up from Rs 599.7 million a year ago, as footfalls increased 14.8 per cent to 3.9 million.


    Says Inox Leisure director Deepak Asher, “Our strong performance is reflective of the stringent cost control measures adopted by us and the good film releases we have seen in this quarter.”


    Operating margins expanded to 19.3 per cent, driven down by a tight control on expenses. This despite a 21.5 per cent rise in its interest cost to Rs 1 billion and a 20.2 per cent jump in depreciation expense to Rs 37 million. 


    From the multiplex segment alone, the company has reported an operating profit of Rs 75.5 million (earlier Rs 65 million) on a revenue of Rs 666.7 million (from Rs 598.6 million).
    On the film production front, Inox got an operating profit of Rs 2.9 million on a revenue of Rs 40 million.


    Inox opened one multiplex during the quarter, consisting of four screens in Indore. Inox has a total of 29 properties with 105 screens, spread across 20 cities in India.


    Inox has a positive outlook on the remaining two quarters due to bigger movie releases and the revenue from its recent foray into film production.

  • Battsek to exit Miramax in January next year

    MUMBAI: Miramax president Daniel Battsek is set to put in his papers in January 2010. This is because Disney has decided to close Miramax‘s New York office. It is also said that the move will bring Miramax‘s Los Angeles operations into the fold at head office at Burbank.


    It may be recalled that a year ago Battsek spoke out about oversupply in the sector during a keynote speech at Film London‘s second Production Finance Market.


    A few years ago the studio‘s specialty divisions were a prestigious business, albeit a business that was occasionally inefficient and profligate.


    In early October, Disney had cut down 70 per cent staff of Miramax, reducing the strength to around 20. It had also slashed Miramax‘s annual film output to a bare three.


    Said Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross, “During Daniel‘s 18 years of service, he has brought some very prestigious and award-winning films to the studio from Calendar Girls to The Queen to No Country For Old Men. We wish Daniel the very best on his future endeavours.”


    Battsek, in a statement to the staff, said, “After further reflection and discussion about the change in direction for Miramax, Rich Ross and I have agreed that I will step down as president of Miramax, effective the end of January, 2010.


    “With this decision, we have also agreed that the best chance of success for Miramax is for the company to be located in Los Angeles, and I will work with the group on a transition plan. I‘m very proud of all the great work we have accomplished here at Miramax and equally proud of my overall career at Disney.”


    Battsek was appointed Miramax president in July 2005 and entered the Disney fold in 1991 when he was asked to start up a UK company as part of Buena Vista International‘s worldwide distribution network.
     

  • Thai film out of Bangkok‘s World Film Fest

    MUMBAI: A Thai film that features gay sex and confrontational politics has been banned from the World Film Festival of Bangkok (WFF).


    The film This Area Is Under Quarantine, directed by Thunska Pansittivorakul, was scheduled to be screened next week at the 7th WFF.


    According to rules, a festival organiser has to submit synopsis of all films to a sub-committee the job of whom is to consider which films on the list need to be referred to the main rating committee and which films can be screened without ratings.


    The sub-committee, attached to the Thai Ministry of Culture, judged that:This Area Is Under Quarantine needed to be rated and instructed the festival organiser to go to the rating committee. But it was said that the main rating committee had argued that the festival didn‘t present a proper document for the film and couldn‘t consider it.


    Meanwhile, the sub-committee couldn‘t re-consider the film either, because the law doesn‘t allow it such a function, thus the film was considered as banned.


    In September, the state-funded Bangkok International Film Festival showed more controversial films such as Antichrist and Dogtooth without censoring, though the organiser imposed its own 20-plus rating.
     

  • London fest closes with Taylor Wood’s Nowhere Boy

    MUMBAI: The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival closed with the world premiere of Sam Taylor Wood‘s John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy.


    The director attended the screening along with the star cast that included Aaron Johnson, Kristen Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff and David Morrissey.


    The debut director said that it was a “huge honour” to be closing the festival and dedicated the film to the late Anthony Minghella, who produced her short film Love You More. 


    The closing night gala rounded off two weeks of screenings and industry events, including the festival‘s first stand alone awards ceremony. BFI director Amanda Nevill, who introduced the film at the Odeon Leicester Square, described it as the “highest profile London Film Festival we‘ve ever had”.


    According to festival organisers the festival saw record attendance this year with audiences increasing from 115,000 last year to 124,000 this year.


    The festival has had as many as 15 world premieres, 193 feature films and 113 short films from 46 countries. There were 515 screenings and 553 filmmakers, with 277 of the filmmakers from outside the UK.