MUMBAI: MGM and the Weinstein Company (TWC) are parting ways from their distribution agreement.
As per the deal between MGM, TWC paid for marketing and prints while MGM took distribution fee for booking theatres.
The deal was set to expire on 31 December, but TWC signed its own deal with Showtime which led to its early split with MGM.
TWC will take back its titles namely Zack and Miri Make a Porno and The Road from MGM. However, MGM will continue to distribute Sol Men and Hurricane Season.
MUMBAI: Fame India Ltd has announced that West Bengal government’s Special Secretary and Ex-offico Director of Films has recommended ‘Fame’ Kolkata for being considered as ‘multiplex theatre complex’.
With the recent move, the company will be entitled to avail the benefits and facilities as per provisions of “Section 3 of West Bengal Act XI of 2003”.
As per Section 3, the company shall be entitled to retain the amount of entertainment tax as collected against the value of ticket for admission at Fame – south city multiplex for four years or till such date when the total amount of entertainment tax retained by the company does not exceed the total amount invested for the purpose of making the new multiplex theatre complex.
The company said in a statement that the entertainment tax paid by the multiplex from 14 March till 22 September is Rs 17.3 million.
NEW DELHI: For the first time, the forthcoming International Film Festival of India in Goa will not only have competition for short films but also a unique business platform for short and documentary films to give impetus to the short film movement.
Created by the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) and the Directorate of Film Festivals, the Short Film Centre’s business platform is being organised from 23 November to 1 December as part of the 39th IFFI.
The platform will bring together 5,000 industry professionals through a series of events. Registration is open through www.reelport.com and www.shortfilmcenter.org. The last date for registration is 15 October.
The SFC will have film buyers, film funding agencies, film festival organisers and film makers.
ESG Chief Executive Officer Manoj Srivastava told indiantelevision.com that SFC will have two competitions – International competition for shorts under 30 minutes and another on shorts and documentary films on environmental issues – that will compete for the Vedanta Sesa Goa and the Vasudha Awards with a combined prize money of approximately $30,000.
This is in addition to the National Film Development Corporation’s Film Bazaar at Marriott Resort in Goa from 26 to 29 November.
MUMBAI: Adlabs Films Limited, a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has crossed the milestone of over 10,000 successful shows in the true 2K Digital Cinema format. The record was achieved with the 5:05 pm screening of Welcome to Sajjanpur on 22 September at Adlabs’ Imax cinema in Wadala, which was Mumbai’s first multiplex to convert entirely to 2K Digital Cinema in April 2008. Adlabs was the first cinema operator in India to start rolling out digital cinema using Hollywood-standard DCI-grade projectors and servers, when it commenced its digital test bed network in April this year. Adlabs Digital Cinema adds that it has also established a world first by becoming the first and only operator in the world to-date to commercially distribute digital cinema films over the optic fiber cable (OFC). Using the network of Reliance Communications, over 2000 digital cinema shows to-date have come from digital copies delivered via OFC on a weekly commercial basis. Films are encoded at Adlabs Digital Cinema Mastering Facility at Film City in Mumbai and sent over a 200Mbps connection to its Content Distribution and Logistics (CDL) Hub at Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC) in Navi Mumbai, from where they are sent further via dedicated 100Mbps OFC to cinemas as far as Ahmedabad. OFC allows for transportation of digital cinema films that is faster, more reliable and more secure than any other form of delivery. Adlabs Digital Cinema COO Patrick von Sychowski says, “The Adlabs Film City complex – which includes the Digital Cinema Mastering facility – is the first facility in Asia to receive the prestigious international FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) accreditation. Using fiber for end to end delivery, we are able to offer unparalleled picture and sound quality and we are proud to have offered that to our patrons for over 10,000 screenings of both Bollywood and Hollywood films.” These screenings have also included regional Indian films as well as Hollywood films shown in BIG Digital 3D format. Adlabs Films CEO Anil Arjun says, “Adlabs is implementing globally recognized Digital Cinema technology standards and processes and is, at the same time, pushing the envelope by introducing distribution technologies such as OFC. We intend to be an end-to-end world class service provider covering mastering to delivery on site; and are looking at significant expansion in this space aimed to cover 500 screens in the initial phase.”
MUMBAI: Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd (PSTL) is trimming down operations as inflation and an economic slowdown is beginning to hit entertainment spending in India.
The Chennai-based company has decided to pull out of the Hindi film distribution business and is withdrawing from its exhibition business in western and northern India where it has shut down 33 screens.
“A decision has also been taken to discontinue the distribution of Hindi films in view of the unviable cost structure of the Hindi film industry. The management has decided to wind up its exhibition division in Western and northern parts of India in particular by closing down 33 screens,” PSTL said in a statement.
PSTL has also decided to slow down its overseas growth plans and will not be pursuing with acquisitions in UK and Europe.
However, in the view of profitability, plans in Malaysia and USA will remain stable. Operations will be expanded in China in view of the joint venture with the Ministry of Culture and ceding of entertainment business in Mainland China, the company said.
These changes, the company believes, will consolidate the business and focus will now be in on its core strength in the South Indian media and entertainment industries.
NEW DELHI: During the forthcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2008 in Goa, NFDC‘s Film Bazaar will provide an interactive platform. The Film Bazaar will promote co-production market by facilitating collaboration among potential domestic and international partners.
To be set up by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) at Marriott Resort in Goa from 26 to 29 November, the Bazaar aims at creating opportunities for networking and business for producers, filmmakers and distributors from across the world.
Fifteen pre-selected film projects and ten documentary projects are the new feature that will be introduced this year at the Film Bazaar.
In addition, a screenwriting workshop will be organised by Binger Filmlab, an Amsterdam-based international feature film development centre, under the mentorship of global film makers. Another new feature ‘Work-in-progress Lab‘, will be an added attraction for filmmakers to screen rough cuts or assembly edit of their films-in-the-making to a panel of eminent filmmakers and critics for their feedback and suggestions.
A Film Conclave will also be held in association with “Screen International” to conduct panel discussion and round tables on global trends in the industry and scope of partnering with India.
Leading international sales agencies as well as notable producers whose work has won them critical acclaim and commercial success in the past will be attending the Film Bazaar as guests. There will be a Business Lounge open throughout the day for the meeting, video screening, in order to enhance collaboration in the field of co-production and distribution.
Registration for Film Bazaar is now open online on NFDC’s website.
MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court has dismissed the plea of Hollywood major Warner Brothers alleging copyright violation against the maker of a Bollywood film.
Warner Bros. had, in the lawsuit, contested that Mirchi Movies‘ Hari Puttar– A comedy of terrors was too similar to the title character of its franchise, Harry Potter.
Justice Reva Khetrapal, however, said there is no “commonality” between the names and allowed the producer of the Bollywood film to release it on schedule (this Friday).
Mirchi Movies COO Munish Purii said, “The judge has taken serious note of Warner Bros coming to the court at the eleventh hour and the injunction application is dismissed.”
Mirchi Movies had delayed Hari Puttar’s release, which was due on 12 September following the legal row. It will now release on 26 September.
Hari Puttar is a comedy flick that revolves around a 10-year-old Indian boy whose family moves to England.
MUMBAI: Subhash Ghai promoted Mukta Arts plans to invest Rs 850 million this fiscal.
The company has lined up four Bollywood movies during the year. The films include Ghai’s Yuvraaj which was made on a budget of Rs 500 million, Neeraj Pathak’s Right Yaaa Wrong, Manoj Tiwari’s Hello Darling and Paristosh Painter’s Paying Guest.
“We will be investing Rs 850 million in the fiscal,” says Mukta Arts CEO Ravi Gupta.
Mukta Arts has already sold for Rs 650 million the distribution, TV, home video and music rights for the film Yuvraaj. While Eros has bagged the distribution and TV rights as part of a Rs 730 million three-movie deal, T-Series has got the music and Ultra the home video rights.
Mukta Arts has paid Rs 2.5 million to acquire a 51 per cent stake in Chennai-based value-added service company Coruscant Tec. “Though Coruscant is a small company, it was attractive to us because of the tie ups it has with the telecom operators. We see potential in growing this company as 3G Spectrum opens up,” says Gupta.
Red Carpet, where Mukta Arts has a controlling stake, has tied up with four directors. “They are at the pre-production stage. We will make small budget movies through this company,” says Gupta.
MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) in the US which organises the Oscar Awards, has announced that the annual online drawing for some of the most sought-after seats of the year is about to get underway.
From 22 September for one week, fans may apply on Oscars.org to win seats on the Academy Awards red carpet. There are only 300 seats available along the 500-foot-long walkway that leads into the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
The winners will watch and cheer Oscar nominees, presenters and other ceremony guests as they arrive at the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February, 2009. Following the red carpet arrivals, the winners will be invited to watch the Academy Awards telecast at a nearby location.
In previous years, as many as 20,000 fans have applied online for the limited number of bleacher seats. In India the Oscar awards will air on Star Movies.
The application form will be available at www.oscars.org/bleachers. The online-only application process will close on Sunday, September 28.
To be eligible for the random drawing, an individual must complete the application form in its entirety. Applications may only be submitted online. Forms may not be returned via U.S. mail, fax or private delivery service such as UPS or FedEx.
Applicants may register up to four persons; however, only one form will be accepted per person or group.
Those whose names are selected in the random drawing will be notified in early October. They will then be required to submit additional information for security purposes prior to final approval. Eligible attendees will receive a confirmation letter in early December with information pertinent to the event.
MUMBAI: The stand off between the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) cotinues in the US. 87.27 per cent of the 10,298 Sag members who responded to a mail-in poll said that the union should continue bargaining in an effort to achieve a fair contract.
12.73 per cent of those who responded said they would accept the terms presented in the AMPTP’s 30 June offer to SAG.
Postcards were mailed to 103,630 paid-up SAG members on 28 August 2008 with a return deadline of 15 September. There was only a 9.94 per cent return. Postcard return statistics matched almost exactly the geographic distribution of Sag members, with 56.07 per cent of the responses from Hollywood, 20.83 per cent from New Yotk and 23.10 per cent from regional branch members.
The results of the poll indicate that members agree with the actions passed by SAG’s national board in July and August.
Sag president Alan Rosenberg stated, “I am encouraged to see that members-at-large agree with the strategy of the national board and their national negotiating committee. This membership poll provides clear insight and direction concerning how actors feel about their futures. Clearly they expect Screen Actors Guild to protect them from exploitation in new media, and to preserve longstanding principles and contract provisions.”
Sag national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen commented, “Our objective was to take the pulse of our members and I am pleased that the response reflects the resolve we have seen from SAG members around the country throughout this negotiating process. The AMPTP suggested we send their June 30 offer to our members to ratify. These poll results indicate that was wishful thinking on their part. We will now urge the AMPTP to roll up their sleeves and to put in the hard work required to bargain a fair, equitable agreement as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile the AMPTP retorted in a statement saying that the mass postcard mailing by Sag negotiators was a farce. The AMPTP says that the questions were devised to give Sag negotiators only the answer they wanted to hear.