Category: Movies

MUMBAI: The Weinstein Company (TWC) has signed a deal with the Writers Guild of America (WGA). TWC is the latest to have reached such a deal with WGA.

The company, which has made films like The Great Debaters, The Mist, can now re-start work on Nine, an adaptation of the Federico Fellini classic 8 1/2.

So far, none of the major studios have broken rank with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The interim agreement between the WGA and TWC also covers Dimension Films. Earlier, a deal was struck between the WGA and United Artists. Media reports indicate that Lionsgate, which made the Oscar winner Crash, may be the next company to do a deal.

Meanwhile, two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks has called for an end to the dispute. He says that he wants the Oscars to continue as per schedule. He also says that media conglomerates should remember that many people, from carpenters to caterers, were suffering as a result of the strike.

Hanks has been quoted in reports as saying, “There are caterers and carpenters and electricians and gaffers. There are a lot of people out there associated with the industry, for whom the sooner this work stoppage is over the better.”

Interestingly, WGA has said that it will simply announce the winners of its own awards show. It will not hold a ceremony until the strike is over.

MUMBAI: The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has announced that Hong Kong High Court judge J Wright has ordered the forfeiture of five VCD lines, each worth HK$3 million, used to produce pirated VCDs.

The forfeiture order was issued after the conclusion of criminal trial and appeal procedures in 2005 when three defendants, including the owners of the factories, were sentenced to imprisonment for periods ranging between 21 and 30 months.

The VCD production lines were seized in August 1998 by Hong Kong Customs and Excise in raids on two Hong Kong factories, Wah Lee Multi-Media and Maytronic Industrial. In addition to the VCD production lines, customs also seized 109,663 VCDs and 36 stampers. Five of the seized stampers were being used to replicate MPA member company titles and 71,115 of the seized VCDs were infringing 13 MPA titles. The total value of all seizures was HK$18.3 million.

The MPA provided seizure examination during the raids and maintained full litigation support throughout the nine year life of the case. The forfeiture order was proceeded with by customs only after the owners, Ho Hon-chung and Lam Kwok-wah, were released from jail.

International Federation Against Copyright Theft – Greater China executive director and GM Sam Ho says, “On behalf of all rightholders, I wholeheartedly commend the Hong Kong authorities for persevering with this case. More than nine years after the initial arrests, the High Court has ordered the seizure of some very expensive tools of piracy. This ensures the punishment fits the crime: the criminals have served jail sentences and are now being hit in the pocket to the tune of HK$15 million. Anyone contemplating similar involvement in piracy will now have to factor this into their assessment of the relative risks and rewards associated with the crime.”

MPA senior VP and regional director (Asia-Pacific) Mike Ellis says, “The forfeiture of these production lines not only sends a strong anti-piracy message but also has the practical effect of eliminating them from the production cycle. We congratulate the Hong Kong authorities on the successful closure of this case.”

MUMBAI: Chak De! India bagged the Best Film Award while Taare Zameen Par walked off with six key awards, including Best Director (Aamir Khan), Best Story (Amol Gupte), Best Child Actor (Darsheel), Best Lyricist (Prasoon Joshi), Best Dialogue and Best Supporting Actor (Aamir Khan) at the 14th Star Screen awards.

Aamir Khan won the Best Director Award for TZP jointly with Chak De! India helmsman Shimit Amin.

In the acting honours, Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan bagged the Best Actor Award while Best Actress went to Kareena Kapoor for her role in Jab We Met.

AR Rahman was adjudged the Best Music Director for Guru. Shah Rukh Khan performed his Dard-e-Disco number from Om Shanti Om. Shahid Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Urmila Matondkar, Riteish Deshmukh and Dia Mirza performed to the year’s chartbusters. The awards were hosted by Sajid Khan.

Shah Rukh also won the honour of Best Pair along with Deepika Padukone, who also won the Best Newcomer award. The Best Newcomer (Male) Award went to Ranbir Kapoor. Irrfan Khan bagged the Best Comedian Award for Life…In a Metro while Anurag Basu won the Best Screenplay Award for the same film.

The Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award went to Manoj Kumar. Pankaj Kapoor bagged the Award for Best Negative Role for Blue Umbrella while the Chak De! girls bagged the Best Supporting Role (female) award.

Soham won the Best Playback Singer (Male) for Life…In a Metro while Shreya Ghosal was adjudged Best Playback Singer (female) for Guru.

Nitin Desai took the Best Art Director award for Gandhi, my Father.

MUMBAI: Excel Home Videos has released two of the Disney‘s popular titles – Ratatouille and Pirates of the Caribbean at World‘s End, on DVDs.

The latest Pixar title, Ratatouille revolves around Remy, a determined young rat who dreams of becoming a renowned French chef. Torn between his family‘s wishes and his true calling, Remy and his pal Linguini set in motion a hilarious chain of events that turns the City of Lights upside down.

Excel Home Videos MD MN Kapasi said, “The DVD with 5.1 digital sound contains many extra features, which include two animated short films named ‘Lifted‘ and ‘Your Friend The Rat.‘”

Pirates of the Caribbean – at World‘s End has Jack Sparrow trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones‘ Locker. In an increasingly shaky alliance, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) begin a desperate quest to find and rescue him. Captain Jack is the last of the nine Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court who must come together united in one last stand to preserve the pirates‘ way of life.

The DVDs of Ratatouille and Pirates of the Caribbean – at World‘s End are priced at Rs 599 and Rs 499, respectively, and are available at all leading stores across the country.

MUMBAI: Oscar winner Sean Penn has been named president of the jury of the 61st Festival de Cannes 2008.

“In the last few years, it seems there has been a rejuvenation of cinema building worldwide. The Cannes Film Festival has long been the epicentre in the discovery of those new waves of filmmakers from all over the world. I very much look forward to participating in this year‘s festival as president of the jury,” Penn declared, while accepting the invitation extended by Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux, heads of the Cannes festival.

Penn, who has become an American film icon in a career spanning nearly three decades, won the Best Male Performance Prize at the Festival de Cannes in 1997 for She‘s so Lovely by Nick Cassavetes. He has been nominated four times for the Academy Award as Best Actor: in Tim Robbins‘ Dead Man Walking, Woody Allen‘s Sweet and Lowdown, Jessie Nelson‘s I am Sam, and won the Oscar in 2004 for his performance in Clint Eastwood‘s Mystic River, which was presented in competition at Cannes. Moreover, Penn‘s first film, The Indian Runner, which he wrote, directed and produced, was presented at Cannes in 1991.

Sean Penn adapted his latest directorial effort, Into the Wild, from the non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer. Following its successful run in the United States, the award-winning film released in France today.

MUMBAI: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner-run United Artists Films (UA) have reached a mutually beneficial independent agreement.

UA has thus become the first Hollywood major to reach a deal with the striking screenwriters. While the details are not being disclosed, the agreement addresses the issues important to writers, including new media.

As a result of this agreement, Writers Guild members will be able to work with United Artists while the strike against other companies continues.

The agreement is unique to United Artists Films and does not involve Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM), which is a shareholder of United Artists Entertainment.

WGA West president Patric M Verrone says, “United Artists has lived up to its name. UA and the WGA came together and negotiated seriously. The end result is that we have a deal that will put people back to work.”

UA co-owner and CEO Paula Wagner says, “This agreement is important, unique, and makes good business sense for United Artists. In keeping with the philosophy of its original founders, artists who sought to create a studio in which artists and their creative visions could flourish, we are pleased to have reached an agreement with the WGA.”

This deal opens the door for further agreements to be struck with companies like The Weinstein Company.

MUMBAI: Palador Pictures has struck a deal with Indiaplaza.in for promoting world cinema DVDs.

As per the deal, DVDs of foreign language films will have three special collector‘s box sets. The three box sets and later individual titles would be sold on the site in the ‘World Cinema‘ retail store at www.indiaplaza.in.

IndiaPlaza.in (formerly called Fabmall.com) will be the first online retail store to promote world cinema on their site.

The collector‘s boxes include Kurosawa collector‘s box set, which consists of five DVDs at Rs 2000,; Wong Kar Wai collector‘s box set of five DVDs at Rs 2000; and “The Collector‘s World Cinema” box set of 10 DVDs costing Rs 4000.

Palador Pictures MD Gautam Shiknis said, “These are some of the best and most awarded (Oscar, Cannes, Berlin, Bafta, etc.) films in the world – for example, classics by past master like Seven Samurai and Throne of Blood (both directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa), new masterpieces like In The Mood For Love and Happy Together (both Cannes winner by living legend Wong Kar Wai), and the critical and commercial hit action trilogy Infernal Affairs that has inspired the Oscar winner Departed. We are sure that the discerning customer would lap up this first-ever offer for this country. The box set would also include two Ingmar Bergman movies.”

Indiaplaza.in co-founder and chief operating officer K Vaitheeswaran said, “World cinema has arrived on Indian shores for the first time, and we are excited about promoting the same online through an exclusive section on our website www.indiaplaza.in. We are confident that discerning movie buffs would love to browse through this section and pick up original DVDs of some truly exciting cinema.”

Indiaplaza, an India-centric online shopping company, has its operations across Bangalore, Chennai, Austin and Seattle. It offers the largest catalogue of over 3.5 million items online.

MUMBAI: Encouraged by the performance of the Bengali film Anuranan in Kolkata, Shemaroo will release the Hindi version across the country on 18 January 2008.

The Bengali film, which ran for 100 days in Kolkata, is the directorial debut of Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. Anuranan is produced by Jeet Bannerjee, Indrani Mukerjee and the director. With stunning performances by Rahul Bose, Rituparna Sengupta, Raima Sen and Rajat Kapoor, Anuranan‘s success story is obvious.

Chowdhury is an ad filmmaker and has done wonders with brands like Coca-Cola, Nestle, Britannia, Lever Brothers, Hero Honda and Philips, among many others. The company says that his treatment and personal touch given to this piece of art are bound to strike a personal chord among audiences at many points of the film.

Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada says, “Anuranan has set a benchmark today among Bengali filmmakers. It has certainly touched the hearts of the Bengali masses, and is still fresh and lingering in people‘s minds. Since the movie got fantastic reviews, we decided to go ahead with Anuranan‘s Hindi version. Moreover, Anuranan‘s plot and cast are such that our Hindi audiences will certainly be able to connect to the same.”

Chowdhury says, “My first film Anuranan has been like a breath of fresh air for me, after the umpteen ad films that I created. It feels great to know that the film did well and has been appreciated by audiences. After being acknowledged in the various festivals, both Shemaroo and Screenplay believes that it‘s time Anuranan got noticed nationally.”

NEW DELHI: In a unique technique, the film Halla Bol which is the voice of the inner consciousness is being publicized in each important city with the staging of a street play in which one or the other star of the film – Ajay Devgan, Vidya Balan or Pankaj Kapoor – are present.

Presented and distributed globally by Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd., the film Halla Bol was publicized over the weekend in the capital with the presence of Vidya Balan.

A spokesperson for Pyramid Saimira said “regular modes of marketing have been used over and again. Reaching the real viewer through street theatre is direct interactive marketing. We are taking the local issues and awakening the people about them. We are taking these plays to eight cities and in each city one artiste will accompany the theatre group.”

The street plays are organised and conducted by senior theatre personality Om Katare and his artistes. The themes of all the plays are aimed at touching the core story line of the film.

“Basically we are taking issues of common man like the local Municipal Corporation, illegal constructions, hospitals and health, and sexual harassment. These are the most written about but least tackled issues because there is no unity amongst the citizens. I as sutradhaar, will tell them to use their voice together in unison, to go ahead and Halla Bol against injustice. Be together in problems because what is one man‘s agony will become the second persons issue tomorrow. Do not keep quiet,” explains Om Katare about their script and plans.

The producer Abdol Samee Siddiqui adds: “Our street theatre will take the reel to the level of real. We have gone with Om due to his experience and exposure to street plays”.

These plays will also be taken to Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bhopal, Jaipur, Ahemdabad, Kolkotta and will culminate in Mumbai before the release of the film on 11 January.

Earlier during her guest appearance in Amul Star Voice of India – Chotte Ustad, each of the young participants was asked to identify the issue on which he or she would like to speak or Halla bol.

Halla Bol is produced by Abdol Samee Siddiqui and India News under the banner of Sunrise Pictures Pvt Ltd. and directed/scripted by Raj Kumar Santoshi.

Halla Bol is presented and distributed globally by Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd. Star cast includes Ajay Devgan, Vidya Balan, Pankaj Kapur and Darshan Zariwala.

Pyramid Saimira Group is one of the Asia‘s largest entertainment groups with business interests in film production, TV content production, theatre (exhibition), food & beverages and more. Its network includes 703 screens across 4 countries. It is currently Asia‘s largest theatre chain company. Halla Bol is their first presentation of a Hindi Film.

MUMBAI: Big Music and Home Entertainment has released the audio of Al Risalah, the blockbuster movie on the times and teachings of the Prophet of Islam.

Moustafa Akkad the director has wanted the story to be told in English, so that people all around the world can enjoy it. He felt he needed to pay a tribute to the Middle East, where it took place.

The English and Arabic versions of the film were shot simultaneously, scene by scene. The English version was released as The Message, while the Arabic version became Al-Risalah.

The movie includes the hit song ‘Marhaba Mustapha‘, composed and sung by A R Rahman and written by Hazrat Khaja Sayed Sha Ameenulla Hussainy R.A.

Although there is only one song in the movie, the audio CD of the film contains additional content including songs, teachings and preaching‘s.

The soundtrack is available in MC and CD format. The music will be available for downloads on all telecom operators. The company is planning the release of the home video by the end of this month.