ITV

Category: Movies

  • China set to appeal WTO ruling

    MUMBAI: China is all set to appeal against the World Trade Organisation‘s (WTO) last week ruling that could open the country‘s market for US movies, music and books.

    The ruling ordered China to stop forcing US content owners to use government-controlled distribution companies. Currently all foreign movies in China are distributed by the state-owned China Film Group Corporation or a second company, Huaxia Film Distribution, which is part-owned by China Film.

    However the ruling did not address China‘s import quotas including an annual quota of 20 revenue-sharing films. Chinese regulations demand that foreign films should not exceed one third of the total number of films distributed in the country. Another 30-40 foreign films a year are distributed on a flat-fee basis.

    “We are preparing the necessary documents and are not ruling out the possibility of an appeal,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian. He added that the Chinese cultural sector suffers from a huge trade deficit and that “our competitiveness is still pretty weak.”

    “Against this backdrop, I think it is appropriate and just for
    China to impose some controls that are in line with the country‘s economic development stage, and cultural and historical tradition,” Yao added.


    China has 60 days from the 12 August ruling to appeal or then it will passed to a vote among WTO member countries.

  • North American rights of ‘Kick-Ass’ in Lionsgate lap

    MUMBAI: Lionsgate has acquired the North American rights of Matthew Vaughn‘s action-comedy Kick-Ass that is currently in the post-production process.

    Lionsgate plans to have a wide 2010 release of the film which Vaughn has co-written with Jane Goldman.

    Based on a comic by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr, Kick-Ass is the story of an aspiring superhero with no powers who discovers a sub-culture of like-minded vigilantes. The film has Nicolas Cage and Aaron Johnson in stellar roles. The film also has Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

    Vaughn brought early footage of the project to Comic-Con in late July. His Marv Films and Plan B Entertainment produced and financed.

  • UTV’s Kaminey grosses Rs 330 million at box office

    MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures‘ latest release Kaminey has garnered Rs 330 million in its opening weekend at the worldwide box office, the company said.

    The Shahid Kapur-Priyanka Chopra starrer was released on 14 August. However, movie aficionados in Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Navi Mumbai were deprived of it as the state government asked the movie exhibitors to down shutters for the weekend due to swine flu scare.


    UTV claims that it has been the second biggest opening of the year in India (without Mumbai, Thane and Pune). “It is also the second biggest opening of the year in the US and the UAE, biggest opening of the year in Pakistan, and one of the highest openings of the year in Australia,” UTV said in a release.

  • Kannada children’s film Naanu Gandhi finds way to Chinese festival

    NEW DELHI: Naanu Gandhi (I am Gandhi), a children’s film in Kannada, has been selected for the 10th China International Children’s Film Festival, to be held in Qingdao, Shandong Province, from 9 to 14 September.

    The movie has already won international recognition for the manner in which it has used a unique contemporary story to keep alive the relevance for all ages of the message of Mahatma Gandhi.



    Naanu Gandhi tells the story of a young child who is often made fun of by his fellow villagers because his name is Gandhi. He was named thus because his grandfather Rangappa had fought for the freedom of the country, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.



    Produced by Kokila N Gowda, wife of Nanjunde Gowda, the film is based on a story by Dr Besagarhalli Ramanna and screenplay by Gowda himself. The music is by Raju Upendra Kumar. It stars Master Likhit in the title role along with Ramesh Bhatt, Sundar Raj, Pramila Joshai, Sadashiva Brahmavar, Mandya Ramesh, Raaga Ranga Nagaraj, Venkatachal, N.G.E.F. Sri Kantaiah, Mosale Manjunath, Master K S Sharath Kumar, Master Nandan Kumar, Master Shashank, Baby Nisha, Baby Soumya, Baby Sneha, Bharathi and others.


    Directed by NR Nanjunde Gowda, Naanu Gandhi has won several accolades including the best film award for propagating educational values at the Columbia International film festival in Carthagena, the first for any children’s film from India, and has been shown successfully in film festivals in Italy (Giffoni), Tunisia (Sousse), and Canada (Toronto).


    The film, which had a successful run in Karnataka late last year, has been made by a man who has for long been espousing the cause of children’s cinema. His Chukki Chandrama (star and Moon) was the inaugural film at the International Children’s Film Festival held at Thiruvananthapuram in 1991 where it won the Best Screenplay award. A film that made the adults think about the values they were inculcating in their children, it featured teenage children, narrating in a mature way the thin line between love and sex that they tread on.


    He followed it up with A Aa I II (ABCD) that depicted both at the children‘s and adults’ level the inherent contradictions between globalisation and native culture and their impact on young minds. The film was a runaway success.



    A a non-governmental organisation aimed at espousing the cause of children’s cinema set up by Gowda, Children’s India hosts an annual film festival in Bangalore, perhaps one of the very few niche festivals being organised by single NGOs anywhere in the world.

  • Zee Studio’s Film Club to feature ’13th Floor’

     MUMBAI: Zee Studio’s film club, Shut Up and Watch (Saw), is all set to bring screen actor Luke Kenny’s directorial debut 13th Floor in its fourth nationwide series of free movie screenings for cinema buffs at Oxford Bookstore outlets in the five metros.

    Featuring actors Purab Kohli and Sandhya Mridul, the film was theatrically released only in a select few multiplexes in Mumbai in March 2006.


    The 80-minute film shot in six days is set in the crowded and bustling city that never sleeps, Mumbai. Two strangers Suraj and Naina get stuck in an elevator overnight, due to a massive power failure. They have no choice but to get talking. And as the night wears on they begin to reveal themselves to each other leading on to a climax.



    In Kolkata the film screens today 17 August at 6 pm. In Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore it screens on 21 August at the same time. In Chennai it screns on 22 August.


    In June, the film club took The Basketball Diaries featuring Leonardo Di Caprio across the country. July saw the cinema buffs relishing the old Clint Eastwood classic, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

  • FSC acquires North American rights of ‘My Dog Tulip’

    MUMBAI: The North American rights of My Dog Tulip have been taken by The Film Sales Company (FSC).Based on a novel by J R Ackerley, My Dog Tulip tells a bittersweet retrospective account of a man who rescues a German Shepherd dog and how the two become fast friends.

    Cinemavault has acquired the international rights of this animated tale that has voiceovers of artistes like Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave and Isabella Rossellini.


    The film has been produced by Norman Twain, Howard Kaminsky and Frank Pellegrino and its North American premiere is scheduled in the Discovery section at the Toronto Film Festival.

  • NGE bags North America rights of ‘City Of Life And Death’

    MUMBAI: National Geographic Entertainment (NGE) has bagged the North American rights of Lu Chuan‘s Chinese film City Of Life And Death. The film will screen at Toronto Film Festival

    NGE is collaborating with Chuan after they last worked together on the North American release of Lu Chuan‘s film Mountain Patrol: Kekexili.


    NGE is also lining up a late 2009 or 2010 release, co-ordinating the marketing with IDG China Media Fund, a US venture capital company that belongs to International Data Group. Said NGE president Adam Leipzig, “This is one of the most memorable war films



    ever made.”



    This is the second major acquisition for NGE this year after Cherien Dabis‘ Sundance comedy hit Amreeka which premiered in New York and Los Angeles on September 4.

  • Ron Shelton set to helm ‘ Q School’

    MUMBAI: Ron Shelton who directed Tin Cup has been signed up to helm Q School, a golf comedy based on a script he co-wrote with John Norville.

    Dennis Quaid and Tim Allen are likely to star in the film which is to be produced by David Friendly.


    The film is said to be a comedy in which a group of hopefuls battle it out in a competition to make the PGA Tour.

  • ‘She’ bags Locarno’s Golden Leopard award

    MUMBAI: This year‘s Golden Leopard in Locarno was annexed by Chinese novelist-filmmaker Xiaolu Guo for his She A Chinese a UK-German-French co-production.

    The award for Guo came at an opportune time when the festival‘s Open Doors co-production event was dedicated to Greater China. The festival also was witness to Guo‘ Ufo In Her Eyes that was adapted from her latest novel of the same name.


    This was the third Chinese film since 1998 to receive Locarno‘s top honour after Lü Yue‘s M. Zhao in 1998 and Wang Shuo‘s Father in 2000.


    In the International Competition, the Special Jury Prize and Best Director Award was taken by Russian director Alexei Mizgirev for Buben. Baraban, The Dutch-Irish co-production also bagged the Best Actress award (Silver Leopard) for Lotte Verbeek.


    Filippos Tsitos‘ Plato‘s Academy (Akadimia Platonos) bagged the Best Actor (Silver Leopard) award for Antonis Kafetzopoulos.

  • Film industry wants legal powers for film tribunal

    MUMBAI: The film industry wants the powers of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) to be enlarged to hear appeals from persons aggrieved by the decisions of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

    The film industry has demanded amendment to Section 5C of the Cinematograph Act 1952 to include such appeals so that most trial courts could automatically direct petitions to the Tribunal, thus preventing the filing of large number of petitions on frivolous grounds.



    However, both the Film Federation of India and the Film and Television Producers Guild of India said this would not mean that the High Courts should surrender their powers to entertain writ petitions.



    In his representation to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, FFI President Jitendra Jain referred to individuals, groups of persons or organizations representing narrow, partisan and sectarian and identity interests creating disputes to hold up the screening of films that are cleared for public viewing by the CBFC.


    These disputes pertain only to certain portions of the film/song/lyric which may be objectionable to the beliefs of these parties and individuals. But many of them then approached the Courts and acquire injunction orders.



    It is unfortunate that though most of these injunctions are withdrawn and the matter decided in favour of the producers, there is no compensation for the resultant loss or the delays in court hearings.



    He said this rigmarole leads to producers and exhibitors suffering huge losses as the films are generally sold in advance, thereby committing the exhibitors to the dates of the screening.



    Guild President Manmohan Shetty in a separate representation to the Minister said the matter gets compounded when some groups take the law into their own hands and attack cinema halls creating law and order problems, which in turn lead to the police stopping the screenings of the film temporarily or otherwise to restore peace.



    Shetty said Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and nominated Member of Parliament Shyam Benegal had been requested by the film industry to liaison with the Ministry on this matter on behalf of the entertainment industry.