ITV

Category: Movies

  • Breakthrough Films, Six Islands to wrap up A Wake by 30 Jan

    NEW DELHI: Breakthrough Films & Television and Six Island Productions have started shooting the new film, A Wake, and expect to wrap it up by 30 January.


    Breakthrough Films & Television will be selling and distributing the film, which is scheduled for theatrical and festival releases later this year.










    A Wake is a comedic feature that follows six members of a formerly renowned theatre company as they come together for the funeral wake of its infamous director. As the grieving widow begrudgingly welcomes the thespians to her house, the proceedings go awry when old rivalries and jealousies erupt, exposing a myriad of secrets and lies.


    The film is being directed by Penelope Buitenhuis of Ashes to Ashes fame.

  • Slumdog sweeps 10 Oscar nominations

    MUMBAI: Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, which has collected $43 million at the US box office, has bagged ten Oscar nominations this year. Indian musician maestro AR Rehman has won three nominations including one for original score and two other for original song compositions.








    Slumdog, which will be released in India on 23 January, has received nominations in categories that include:



    Achievement in cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle),
    Achievement in direction (Danny Boyle),
    Achievement in film editing (Chris Dickens),
    Achievement in music – original score (A R Rahman)
    Achievement in music – original song, two nominations (A R Rahman)
    Best motion picture (Christian Colson)
    Achievement in sound editing (Tom Sayers)
    Achievement in sound mixing (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty)
    Adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy)


    Earlier, AR Rahman had bagged the best original score award at the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards for Slumdog Millionaire.



    The film had also won the best director award for Danny Boyle while Simon Beaufoy had swept off the best screenplay award. Slumdog was also named the Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globe.


    “Slumdog” revolves around the story of an 18 year-old orphan from the Mumbai slums who wins an astounding Rs 20 million on India‘s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” game show.


    The 81st Academy Awards will be held on 22 February at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

  • Warner Bros to cut 800 jobs

    MUMBAI: Hit by the global recession bug, Warner Bros. Entertainment has announced that that it would cut 800 jobs, or 10 per cent of its worldwide staff.








    Despite releasing good revenue earning films like The Dark Knight last year, the company states that the slump in DVD sales and the slow uptake of Blu-ray discs led them to take this decision.



    Studio chiefs of Time Warner Inc‘s Warner Bros sent an email to the employees worldwide stating that they would have to cut jobs due to the current economic downturn in the coming weeks.


     

  • MySpace launches Black Curtain screenings in India

    MUMBAI: MySpace has introduced their ‘Black Curtain’ screening programme for its Indian users. Beginning with four times Golden Globe winner Slumdog Millionaire, the programme offers MySpace users a free access to the latest movies prior to public release.


    Slumdog Millionaire will be screened for MySpace users at the Fame theatre in Mumbai on 23 January. Also, users will be witnessing interactive games, photo opportunities and celebrity meet-and-greets.









    MySpace India‘s country manager Hari Krishnan said, “India has a rich history and a vibrant movie industry and we believe that ‘Black Curtain Screenings’ will not only engage and excite users but also provide a powerful platform for studios to effectively promote their films.”



    Following this launch, MySpace will be hosting a series of screenings showcasing the most anticipated Bollywood, Hollywood and new world movies prior to their commercial release across India.



    The company is also anticipating collaboration with other movie studios, as with Fox Star Studios on this occasion to continue to roll out entertainment marketing programs for users and movie lovers.



    “This platform is aimed at enhancing brand and user engagement, and provides a highly effective marketing method for movie distributors,” said MySpace India director marketing Tarun Tripathi. “The MySpace India community is a highly creative and culturally aware group of individuals who provide an exciting pool of target key opinion formers to build discussion and interest amongst their peers about a new release.”

  • Sanjeev Kohli quits as Yash Raj Films CEO

    MUMBAI: Sanjeev Kohli has put in his papers as chief executive officer of Yash Raj Films (YRF). Kohli will, however, continue his association with YRF as a consultant.

    “I will continue my association with YRF as a consultant hereafter. This will enable me to find time to indulge in my different pursuits as well as still give me the opportunity to continue to participate in the strategic matters of the company and be a part of its future growth,” Kohli stated in his letter to the company.








    Kohli joined YRF as its first CEO in 2000.



    In 1995 he joined Yash Chopra in the television business for Metavision, which produced music-based shows for television channels as well as music videos and albums for music companies.



    Kohli did his MBA from IIM-Calcutta in 1979 and joined Polydor (now Universal) as its Artiste & Repertoire Manager. In 1984, he joined music label HMV as its general manager (A&R and Marketing).

  • Warner Bros’ Chandni Chowk… garners Rs 450 million

    MUMBAI: Warner Brothers‘ maiden Hindi movie Chandni Chowk to China has collected Rs 450 million at the box office in the opening weekend.

    Made on a budget of Rs 800 million, the movie has pulled in Rs 330 million from the Indian market while the remaining Rs 120 million has come from overseas.










    “Chandni Chowk to China has got the widest release for a Bollywood film, releasing across over 1500 screens. The film was released across 1400 screens in India while it saw a 135-screen release in the US. Apart from the US, the film has witnessed a good response in the UK and UAE too,” claims Warner Bros India director sales Neeraj Goswami.


    Chandni Chowk to China, which has already reached markets like Hong-Kong, Malaysia, Norway and Europe, will now be released in Japan with sub-titles.


    “We will be releasing Chandni Chowk to China in Japan on 23 January with sub-titles,” Goswami adds.


    The Akshay Kumar-starrer is a co-production between Warner Brothers and Ramesh Sippy that saw a simultaneous release worldwide on 16 January.

  • Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi becomes highest grosser for YRF, SRK

    MUMBAI: The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which hit theatres in India and internationally five weeks ago on 12 December, has grossed Rs 1.8 billion to break all previous box office records for Yash Raj Films.



    Rab Ne… has also become the highest-grossing Shahrukh Khan film till date.








    Despite being released just after the terror attacks in Mumbai on 26 November last year amidst uncertain consumer sentiments and apprehensions and contending with the record-breaking onslaught of Ghajini on 26 December, the film has achieved quite a fair run at the box office.



    The net collection of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi for the first five weeks in India is Rs 830 million (gross collections close to Rs 1.4 billion). The film has, thus, surpassed Yash Raj Films’ previous highest grosser, Dhoom: 2, which collected Rs 806 million net across its entire run in India.



    The total gross collections from overseas markets including US, UK, Australia, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia are $8 million.



    In the UK, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has grossed close to $2.1 million till date while n the Middle East, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has earned $2.25 million. The film has also achieved a gross of $2.1 million till date in the US.

  • Karnataka government to set up film academy

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka Government is to set up a Chalchitra Academy shortly to help the Kannada film industry, said Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa while inaugurating the Third Bengalooru International Film Festival.


    The goverment will also seek to increase the budgetary grant for promotion of good cinema in the next financial year, Yeddyurappa added.


    The Karnataka government will also considering doubling the number of children‘s films to which it gives a grant every year. At present, only two children‘s films are given a grant of Rs 2.5 million each every year.









    Meanwhile, atotal of more than 150 films from over thirty countries are being screened in various sections of theBengalooru International Film Festival.



    The Festival has been organised by the Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy in collaboration with the Karnataka government.



    The Kannada section of the Festival, a highlight of which is a two-hour long DVD film on the evolution of Kannada film music over the year, was inaugurated by the noted singer and music director, C Aswath.



    The Indian Panorama Section was inaugurated by Prakash Rai while KVR Tagore, Additional Director General of Police, inaugurated the Documentary and Short Films section.



    The four-day animation workshop, organised by ABAI and ANTS, was inaugurated by actor-director Ramesh Arvind.



    As part of the Festival, six children‘s films are being screened. The screenings have been organised for school children from designated schools.



    A Photo Exhibition on 75 years of Kannada Cinema compiled by the Department of Information of the state Government was inaugurated by the celebrated VK Murthy.



    To mark the platinum jubilee of Kannada cinema, around 40 landmark films, both in 35mm and digital format, are being screened at the festival.

  • Slumdog Millionaire, Benjamin Button lead Bafta nominees

    MUMBAI: Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of benjamin Button have each picked up 11 Bafta nominations in the UK including for picture and director.

    The Orange British Academy Film Awards will be presented 8 February 2009 at the Royal Opera House in London.








    Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader have also been nominated for best picture. The Dark Knight picked up nine nominations. However eight of them were in technical categories. In the main categories only, the late Heath Ledger has been nominated. The stars of Slumdog Millionaire Dev Patel and Freida Pinto have also been nominated. Brad Pitt is a double nominee, picking up nominations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Burn After Reading.


    Kate Winslet is another double nominee for Revolutionary Road and The Reader. Clint Eastwood‘s film Changeling which has just been released in India has managed to get eight nominations. Frost/Nixon and The Reader have six and five nominations, respectively.


    The best actor race will see Patel and Pitt face off with Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon Sean Penn for Milk and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler.


    Winslet is up against Meryl Streep for Doubt, Angelina Jolie in Changeling and Kristin Scott Thomas for I‘ve Loved You So Long. This is the second time that Winslet has received two best actress Bafta nominations in the same year, having been shortlisted in 2005 for Finding Neverland and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.


    Ledger and Pitt are joined in the supporting actor category by Philip Seymour Hoffman Doubt, Robert Downey Jr. Tropic Thunder and Brendan Gleeson In Bruges.

  • Reliance, Spielberg fork out $26.5 mn to Paramount for 17 projects

    MUMBAI: Reliance ADAG and Hollywood director Steven Spielberg have bought 17 projects from Viacom Inc‘s Paramount Pictures for $26.5 million, making the first moves to develop a wide slate of films.


    Reliance and Spielberg‘s DreamWorks studio are equally sharing the costs. The roster includes films like 39 Clues, Chicago 7, Motorcade and Dinner With Schmucks.


    “We have together acquired 17 projects from Paramount,” confirmed Reliance Big Entertainment president Rajesh Sawhney while declining to comment on the financial details.








    Reliance and Spielberg are in the process of setting up a $1.5 billion company that would finance 32 movies over six years.


    The global economic meltdown, though, is having an impact and it seems that the funding would be raised in various legs. JPMorgan Chase & Co is arranging a $350 million debt within three months. Reliance will put in a similar amount as equity.


    “These carefully selected properties will lay the foundation for the new company. The partners continue to move forward with the various phases of additional funding,” a statement said.


    The timetable for the financing has, thus, been adjusted. But the partners remain enthusiastic and committed to achieve the original long term goals.


    Reliance will pump in $550 million as equity investment while JPMorgan Chase & Co. will lead the debt financing.