Category: Movies

MUMBAI: Chennai-based Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd (PSTL) chairman PS Saminathan is set to acquire seven million equity shares of the company for a proposed price of Rs 1.4 billion.

Saminathan will buy the 24.9 per cent shares of the company at a proposed price of Rs 200 per share from NC Ravichandran and Nirmal Kotecha.

With this, Saminathan‘s personal holding in PSTL will go up to 46.8 per cent, or 13,258,575 shares, of the total paid up capital.

The mode of proposed acquisition is by way of Inter-se Transfer and the date of proposed acquisition is from 15 October, 2008.

The shares of PSTL closed 19.97 per cent up at Rs 73.30 on Monday on the BSE.

MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures has signed Katrina Kaif for two films. Both the films are slated to release within two years.

Says UTV Rampage Motion Pictures Ram Mirchandani, “We are proud to have Katrina in the UTV family. Katrina is one of the most talented and successful actress of the industry today and I am sure that this exciting collaboration is the first step in the wonderful future that lies both for Kaif and the UTV family.”

Adds Kaif, “UTV brings to the table a very strong legacy in film production and distribution. I am very happy to be associated with them, and I am sure we will make some great films together.”

MUMBAI: Regulations for marketing campaigns for the upcoming 81st Academy Awards were distributed to film companies last week by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The only significant changes from the previous year apply to eligible songs and scores.

For 2008, CDs of eligible scores may be distributed to voting members of the Music Branch anytime prior to the nominations announcement on 22 January, 2009. Following the announcement, the nominated scores may be distributed to all voting members of the Academy.

In both cases, each music track must be titled, include the name of the composer(s) and be identical to the music used in the finished film. The CD may contain only music written by the eligible composer(s). Music written by other composers, licensed music or music that is otherwise ineligible for award consideration, is not permitted.

CDs of nominated songs also may be distributed to all voting members, following the same guidelines as for nominated scores. Distribution of eligible songs prior to the nominations announcement is not permitted, though as a result of a rule change announced in June, the Academy itself will be sending DVDs containing film clips featuring the songs to Music Branch members during the nominations balloting phase. The DVDs will contain the same clips to be screened at the annual voting event at which branch members may cast their nominations ballot in person.

Neither video excerpts nor sheet music may be sent at any time. In 2007 all audio and video recordings and sheet music were prohibited for the categories.

Campaign regulations are issued by the Academy each year to ensure fairness in the Awards competition and to remind all involved that the Academy’s decisions are based solely on the merits of the eligible films and achievements. Violations of the regulations are subject to penalty, though in recent years the level of compliance has been very high.

Complete regulations for all categories can be viewed online at www.oscars.org/regulations/.

The Oscars will be presented on 22 February, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center and televised live by Star Movies in India. The Oscar presentation will also be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

MUMBAI: Retail chain for mobility solutions Cellucom has tied-up with Madhur Bhandarkar‘s upcoming flick Fashion. Cellucom is the co-sponsor and official mobility solutions partner of Fashion.

As part of the tie-up, Cellucom has also announced a nationwide offer for its customers. The offer entitles each customer to a scratch card on the purchase of a mobile handset or a laptop from select brands. The scratch card will have an assured free gift from selected outlets – diamond jewellery by Gitanjali, Fashion movie tickets, Fashion audio CDs or an Airtel connection. The company will give away gifts worth Rs 10 million during the offer.

Says Cellucom Group MD and CEO Arun Nagar, “Associating with the movie Fashion will help us tap our key audience, as both, Fashion and Cellucom, target individuals with a sense of style and the inclination to stay ahead with the latest from the world of fashion and technology.”

MUMBAI

: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject entries for the 81st Academy Awards has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 31 eligible contenders and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers for tabulation.

The eight films include The Conscience of Nhem En, David McCullough: Painting with Words and Downstream.

The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on 22 January, 2009. The show takes place on 22 February, 2009 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center. In India it will air on Star Movies.

MUMBAI: On the occasion of Diwali, BIGFlix.com has announced an offer with Special Diwali Filmy Cards.

The offer comprises three Special BIGFlix Diwali Filmy Cards which can be gifted and availed to get movies from the catalogue of 1300 titles on www.broadband.bigflix.com . These cards are available in three variants to enable to download multiple movies on BIGFlix.com.

BIGFlix Diwali Filmy Cards offers are as follows:

• Movies worth $15 @ $9.99,
  
• Movies worth $ 25 @ $15.99
  
• Movies worth $40 @ $24.99
  

Says BIGFlix,com business head video-on-demand Murtuza Kagalwala, “Diwali is a very special occasion for all Indians across the globe with a whole lot of excitement, fun and gifts. The Diwali Filmy Cards is an offer with the best of movies to gift our loved ones at very affordable discounts with exciting prizes to watch out for. We launched this offer keeping in mind people’s immense love for Indian movies best timed with the spirit of Diwali festival this season.”

People who buy more number of Diwali Filmy Cards can win gifts like LCD TVs, laptops, iPODs, mobile phones and free movie downloads.

MUMBAI: Chak De has been invited to be a part of the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). The festival will be held in Tokyo from 18-26 October.

The movie will be screened in the Winds of Asia-Middle East section which will also see 20 acclaimed titles from South East Asia and Middle East.

This year, the festival will feature 790 films from 72 countries. Chak De will be the only movie from India.

TIFF will present a Green Carpet welcome ceremony to film stars to convey the message of environmental protection.

MUMBAI: Imax and Austrian exhibitor Cineplexx Kinobetriebe have announced a joint venture agreement to install three Imax theatres in Austria. The deal marks Imax‘s first joint venture in Europe, and continues the company‘s global expansion with its new digital projection system.

To date, Imax has signed contracts for more than 180 Imax digital projection systems, with 18 currently in operation and a total of 45-50 scheduled to be in operation by year-end.

The first theatre is expected to be installed in the city of Graz during the first quarter of 2009, followed by a location in Vienna the second quarter of 2009 and a third location in the city of Hohenems during the fourth quarter of 2009. All three theatres will be equipped with Imax‘s new digital projection system.

Cineplexx Kinobetriebe MDs Christian Langhammer and Christof Papousek said, “Installing IMAX theatres in our multiplexes is an enormous benefit for our business and our customers as it enables us to offer a premium immersive movie experience that consumers will be delighted to have in Austria.

“Imax‘s new digital projection system, which can be retrofitted into our existing auditoriums, combined with Imax‘s joint venture business model, offers us an economical and highly efficient way to enter the IMAX business.”

Imax‘s co-chairmen and Co-CEOs, Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler said, “This joint venture agreement is an important first step for our digital growth strategy in Europe. We believe a partnership with Austria‘s leading exhibitor will help to strengthen our brand in the region and expand our audience base during a time when our film slate and interest from Hollywood studios is at an unprecedented level.”

Imax‘s digital projection system delivers The Imax Experience and helps drive profitability for studios, exhibitors and Imax theatres by eliminating the need for film prints, increasing program flexibility and ultimately increasing the number of movies shown on Imax screens. The system can run both Imax and Imax 3D presentations.

Upcoming Imax films include Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa and The Day the Earth Stood Still which release later this year.

ANTALYA: Hindi thriller Mission Istanbul will get a Gala Screening at the forthcoming Fourth International Eurasia Film Festival.

The festival, along with the 45th Golden Orange Film Festival and a film market, are to take place in this picturesque town from 10 to 19 October. The festival is organised by Tursak, the Turkish Foundation of Cinema and Audiovisual Culture.

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Mission Istanbul, released in August, stars Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran, Shabir Ahluwalia, and Nikitin Dheer.

Mission Istanbul is the only Asian film to be part of the 11 films that will have Gala Screenings. The films to be screened in the Gala Screenings include Laurent Cantet’s The Class, Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York and Guy Ritchie’s Rock’n Rolla.

British actor Michael will recieve the Honorary Award of the Festival, said Tursak International media co-ordinator Burcu Özgen.

The Festival will open with Italy-based Turkish filmmaker Ferzan Özpetek’s Un Giorno Perfetto.

The films in competition include Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz’ Shiva (Seven Days), Hirokazu Kore-edda’s Still Walking, Christian Petzold’s Jerichow, Bohdan Slama’s The Country Teacher, Rashid Masharawi’s Laila’s Birthday, among others.

The films in the Critics Jury category include Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, Ole Christian Madsen’s Flame and Citron, Russian Helmer Vladimir Kott’s Mukha and Daniel Burman’s Empty Nest.

The festival will have a special screening of Destiny to pay homage to the Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine who passed away on 27 July this year.

The festival will also include a selection of films of historical importance restored by the World Cinema Foundation presided by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, championing the cause of preserving the cinema heritage of developing countries and rejuvenating films of historical prominence left to the mercy of time. The films include Ahmed El Mannouni’s Transes and Djibril Diop Mambety’s Touki Bouki, Metin Erksan’s Dry Summer and Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin‘s Dry Summer.

The section devoted to documentary films will feature a selection of this year‘s sensational titles. Nathan Rissman‘s I am because We are, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s I want to see are some of the films that will be screened in this section.

MUMBAI: The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) 2008, presented by HBO, will open with Nandita Das’ Firaaq on 22 October in New York.

The film festival will close on 28 October with Pakistani film-maker Mehreen Jabbar’s Ramchand Pakistani. The film stars Bollywood actress Nandita Das, along with Pakistani actors Rashid Farooqui, Noman Ijaz, Maria Wasti, Navaid Jabbar and child actor Syed Fazal Hussain.

Director Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming flick Fashion will be premiered on 24 October at 10 pm.

The seven-day film festival will showcase features, short-films, and documentaries like The Pool, Morning Ritual, To Be…Me, Will Think For Food, Milind Soman Made Me Gay, Lalbatti, A Drop Of Life, The President Is Coming, Rewind, Narmeen, Clean Linen, The Only Thing, The Private Life Of Albert Pinto, Sukrit‘s Sundays, Akasa Kusum (Flowers In The Sky), Arranging Love, Seventh Seam, A Drop Of Life, Healthy. Happy. Holy., Kerala Brides, Mohandas, Shades Of Ray, Antardwand, The Whisperers, Mahek, A Home In The Sky, Lost & Found, 21-12-2012 and Mara Move On.

The SAIFF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting established and emerging artists from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.