ITV

Category: Movies

  • China hackers crash Aussie film festival website

    MUMBAI: Chinese hackers have crashed the website of Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia‘s biggest film festival. The move has escalated tensions over a visit to Australia by exiled leader Rebiya Kadeer of the Uighur minority.

    Online bookings for the Festival had to be shut down after the site crashed with phony purchases that resulted in the entire programme being sold out.

    A Chinese citizen living in the United States had alerted organisers of the viral campaign that originated from a Chinese website titled ‘A Call to Action to All Chinese People‘.

    The site explained how to set up a fake profile for buying tickets and aimed to crash the festival‘s site in protest against its screening of Ten Conditions of Love and its hosting of the documentary‘s subject.

  • Will Yun Lee signs for two films

    MUMBAI: Will Yun Lee will star in two indie films Oka! Amerikee and Hollywood Untitled.

    The former is based on the true story of Louis Sarno, an American ethno-musicologist who lived among the Bayaka Pygmies in Central Africa for 25 years recording their music in which Lee will play Yi, a Chinese businessman, alongside Kris Marshall and Isaach de Bankole, Hollywood United, written and directed by Mun Chee Yong will star Lee as a young man struggling with the after-effects of waking up from a coma caused by a car accident.


    The film is being produced by Brett Heneberg, Delon Tio and Shannon Makhanian.

  • Multiplex strike scripts Adlabs’ Q1 net loss

    MUMBAI: Put to financial stress by the row with film producers, multiplex operators have posted dismal first-quarter performances. With PricewaterhouseCoopers estimating the total loss of the Indian cinema industry during the strike period – which consumed 80 per cent of the quarter – at Rs 3.5 billion, the listed multiplex companies are slipping into the red.

    After Cinemax, which suffered a net loss of Rs 5.8 million for the quarter ended 30 June, the next to feel the pinch is Adlabs Films.


    The Reliance ADAG company has posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 636.96 million for the quarter ended 30 June, as against a net profit of Rs 23.24 million a year ago.


    The company has clarified that this quarter is not comparable with “any period” on account of the deadlock between the producers, distributors and exhibitors on several issues “due to which there were no new Hindi movie releases for 80 per cent period of the quarter.”


    Consolidated net revenue stood at Rs 1.05 billion, down 54.23 per cent. The company also posted negative EBITDA from operations at Rs 90 million for the quarter under review.


    Adlabs curtailed its expenses by 34.78 per cent to Rs 1.48 billion, down from Rs 2.27 billion in the prior-year quarter.


    Theatrical exhibition business suffered the worst blow with operating loss standing at Rs 298.88, compared to an operating profit of Rs 8.47 million in the first quarter of FY‘09. Revenue from this segment was Rs 708.73 million, down from Rs 776.86 million. The capital deployed in the segment is Rs 10.32 billion.


    The film production and distribution segment took a hit in operating profit as it reduced to Rs 12.80 million, from Rs 109.16 million in the same quarter of the previous fiscal. Revenue dipped to Rs 70.81 million (from Rs 693.02 million).


    In the film facilities business, operating profit declined to Rs 15.08 million, from Rs 100.46 in the prior year, due to paucity of film releases. The revenue in the segment fell marginally to Rs 288.89 million, as against Rs 299.09 million in the year-ago period. The segment employed a capital of Rs 3.33 billion.


    Buoyed by a sharp recovery in July with movie screenings returning, Adlabs expects the momentum to continue for the rest of the fiscal. Says Adlabs CEO Anil Arjun, “It is very encouraging that movies released thereafter (post strike) have seen a strong box office. The line-up of movies for the remaining year is strong and we except the performance of July to be maintained through the year. Adlabs has made strategic investments and scaled up business operations. We expect to benefit from the strong momentum in the film and media industry.”

  • NFDC sets aside Rs 300 million for regional films

    NEW DELHI:The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has set aside Rs 300 million for financing films in various regional languages from its Eleventh Plan allocation.

    NFDC has made a provision of Rs 65 million this fiscal towards funding of regional movies, same as last year.



    As part of preserving good classic regional films, all state film archives have been asked to deposit any film material lying with them to the National Film Archive of India (NFAI).


    This move comes on the heels of the Government‘s ambitious project of digitising and restoring films available in NFAI to avoid permanent loss of the film heritage.


    Last year, the NFAI weeded out 15,565 reels as they were declared as unserviceable. This followed the report of the Committee constituted by NFAI in February 2003 for this purpose. After completing the necessary formalities, the material was disposed of in July 2008.


    Though a few old titles had to be weeded out, these films may still be available with the concerned producers, directors or the laboratories.

  • Government working on new national film policy

    NEW DELHI: The Government is planning to set up a committee to suggest a policy framework for the development of the film industry.


    This plan, however, is at a nascent stage, Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources tell Indiantelevision.com.



    The last major report was the Working Group on National Film Policy 1980, headed by KS Karanth, which was largely ignored.


    The present laws relating to cinema including the Cinematograph Act 1952 are based in the Film Enquiry Committee 1951 (also known as the Patil Committee Report).



    Even the first ever such report – The Indian Cinematograph Committee (1927-28) – was largely ignored by the British government.



    However, the State Information Ministers Conference (SIMCON) held from time to time has taken some decisions, though these have seldom been implemented.

  • Nicolas Cage’s ‘Knowing’ to show in China

    MUMBAI: DMG, a Chinese-American media company and Summit have got the Nicolas Cage thriller Knowing into one of the 20 annual theatrical film slots for foreign-made movies that is controlled by the China Film Group (CFG).

    The move is a coup for both DMG and Summit, as the quota system in the country favours films coming out of the big Hollywood studios like Transformers, Terminator Salvation, Ice Age and Harry Potter.


    Though Summit does not have offices in China but its partner DMG — an advertising firm with 16 years‘ experience in China and offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Los Angeles — used its knowledge of the Chinese marketplace and bureaucracy to position the film in one of the coveted spots.


    For most U.S. movies released in China, their distributors receive a flat fee between $10,000 and $75,000. Under the CFG, studios receive a percentage of the gross, usually about 13%. With the Chinese box-office growing at a speedy clip.


    DMG hopes Knowing will be released on 1,000-plus screens in the fall. Industry observers in Beijing are uncertain, however, as the Communist Party will celebrate 60 years in power on 1 October.

  • Second West Hollywood film fest kicks off

    MUMBAI: The second annual West Hollywood International Film Festival will run from Wednesday to Saturday at various West Hollywood theatres.

    The festival kicks off at the Pacific Design Center with the short film Words Unspoken starring Renee O‘Connor, and the documentary Annul Victory about the ongoing battle waged by gay and lesbian couples in their quest for civil rights.

  • Hollywood studios seek injunction on ‘Pirate Bay’

    MUMBAI: Hollywood studios are seeking a new injunction against The Pirate Bay, alleging that the file-sharing site is still carrying on infringement on copyrighted material.

    It is reported that thirteen studios have come together to seek an injunction against the service, the founders of which were found guilty earlier this year of copyright infringement.


    Last April, a Swedish court sentenced Peter Sunde, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Fredrik Neij and Carl Lundström to a year in prison and levied a fine on the site. The court, however, did not order the closure of The Pirate Bay.


    Last month, Swedish software company Global Gaming Factory X said that it would buy off Pirate Bay and turn it into a legitimate content download destination.

  • MIFF fears further Chinese boycotts

    MUMBAI: The organisers of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) fear more repercussions after all Chinese entries pulled out in protest over an appearance by exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer.

    Six Chinese films were withdrawn, leaving organisers with a logistical headache and worried that Chinese movie makers will boycott the festival in future years. MIFF spokeswoman Louise Heseltine said that it was very disappointing that the films, which had been lined up could not be shown.


    She said the festival also had lost sponsorship from Hong Kong and Taipei. “Chinese independent filmmakers who want their films screened in the future will be concerned that they will get into trouble,‘‘ Ms Heseltine said.


    Kadeer – who Beijing blames for inciting recent ethnic violence in western China was granted a visa on last Wednesday for her third visit to Australia. The prominent Uighur businesswoman from Xinjiang in China‘s northwest is the subject of a documentary by Australian filmmaker Jeff Daniels.


    The controversial documentary chronicles Kadeer‘s story of rising from poverty to becoming the seventh richest person in China and an advocate for the independence of her oil-rich Uighur homeland.


    Chinese film makers started withdrawing their work after the festival refused a request from the Chinese consulate in Melbourne to pull Daniels‘ film about three weeks ago.
    The festival‘s website was also hacked into.

  • Network18 to take over IFC, values movie company at Rs 1.75 bn

    MUMBAI: Network18 Holdings, a subsidiary of Raghav Bahl-promoted Network18 Media and Investments, is in the process of taking over AIM-listed Indian Film Company (IFC).

    In a fresh acquisition, the company has picked up 14.39 per cent stake in IFC for ?3.15 million (Rs 250.81 million). With this, Network18 will hold 35.99 per cent stake in the movie company.


    Network18 will now have to make an offer to buy out the remaining shares. In a disclosure, the company said it has made a mandatory cash offer for all IFC shares (other than those already owned by the Network 18 Parties), as required by Rule 9 of the UK Takeover Code.


    The offer price is at 40 pence per share, valuing the London-listed company at ?22 million (Rs 1.75 billion). This represents a premium of approximately 1.2 per cent to the closing mid-market price of 39.5 pence per IFC share on 29 July 2009, the last business day prior to the commencement of the offer period.


    Network18‘s latest acquisition of 7,913,500 shares, or 14.39 per cent, of IFC was from a single shareholder in the market. The purchase was made at a price of 39.75 pence per share.


    Indian companies are wanting to take complete control of their AIM-listed movie companies as they find it difficult to support their further fund-raising activities in these overseas entities. In a highly competitive movie environment, with many large Indian and international companies having entered the fray, they will need large resources as they scale up.


    “IFC is the only exception where an entity exclusively focused on the Indian film industry is backed by a relatively passive minority stake of the sponsor, Network 18 Media. This puts IFC at a significant competitive disadvantage,” Network18 said.


    The plan is to consolidate IFC as a Network18 Group company. The buy-out of shares would also lead to enhanced liquidity, capital appreciation and scale.


    “This will allow it the full benefits of directly and openly leveraging Network18 Group‘s strengths such as its branding its association with media brands like CNN, CNBC, Viacom and Forbes, and will enable it to compete better with the other big names of the industry,” Network18 said.


    IFC, which makes investments in both Indian films and films primarily targeted at the Indian audience, was admitted to trading on the AIM market on 18 June 2007. It operates as an externally managed India-focused motion picture company with outsourced production and distribution functions.


    The company held investments with a carrying value of ?52.06 million, according to information provided till 31 March 2009.


    IFC posted a net profit of ?3.89 million for the fiscal ended 31 March 2009, giving earnings per share of 7.07 pence.


    The net asset value (NAV) of the company stood at 117.32 pence per share.