ITV

Category: Movies

  • Mukta Arts’ Bengali film Nauka Dubi to release in August

    MUMBAI: On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Mukta Arts has produced a Bengali film, Nauka Dubi being directed by Rituparno Ghosh.


    The film starring Raima Sen, Ria Sen, Prasanjeet and Jeeshu Parna Sen is scheduled to release in August.


    Avers Subhash Ghai, “I loved the film when I saw the first cut of the film. 


    What inspired me the most was how Rituparno carries the deep love story and sensitivities of Tagore‘s classic story with great visuals. That emboldened me to take this film onto a different level to reach out to many people including non-Bengali audiences all across. This is one of the best film of Rituparno.‘‘


    Some of the films produced by Mukta Arts are Joggers Park, Iqbal, Rahul, Apna Sapna Money Money‘ and the soon to be released Hello Darling.
     

  • Cinema audience tracking tool debuts

    MUMBAI: Film distribution and exhibition is a science and an art. Indian cinema distributors, exhibitors and producers now have a tool to help them finetune this further, courtesy media research and consulting firm Ormax Media.


    Called Cinematix, the tool allows those involved in a film‘s release to gauge audience awareness and interest levels in watching it. And it is currently being tested in the three cities of Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmedabad.


    In its expansion plans, the tool will be introduced in cities like Lucknow, Kolkata and Hyderabad in the next three months.


    Basically, six weeks before a film is released or the week when the promos go on air, Ormax executives call audiences to generate feedback, points out Ormax Media co-founder & CEO Shailesh Kapoor. 


    Every Monday, subscribers (producers, distributors, advertisers) of Cinematix then get a detailed report with age, gender, city and sector-wise analysis, for all the films releasing in the corresponding period.


    “By this, they will come to know whether a film has been marketed well or needs to further finetune their marketing, media planning and promotion strategies,” points out Kapoor.


    Kapoor says that Hollywood studios as a norm track the variables of pre-release awareness and intention to watch amongst audiences. “Once we have a body of data in place over a few weeks, Cinematix will allow producers to predict their opening weekend collections as well,” he adds.


    All this would involve a lot of money. Where will Omax Media recover the money from? “We have two kinds of packages for producers or production houses. One is an annual charge, where we do the tracking of all their films releasing during the year while the second is on a film basis,” Kapoor observes.


    Cinematix has been put into operation from last week when YRF‘s Badmaash Company was released. Side-by-side tracking of Rakesh Roshan‘s Kites was also being done. “By Monday, we got the information that Kites was the front runner in terms of popularity followed by Badmaash Company,” reveals Kapoor.

  • Sam Worthington to act and co-produce Quatermain

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks‘ feature project Quatermain a sci-fi film, will have Sam Worthington as co-producer and star.


    Allan Quatermain was the protagonist of ‘King‘s Solomon‘s Mines‘, a Victorian adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard and its sequel, Allan Quatermain.


    The first book had Quatermain leading an expedition into an unexplored region of Africa to find the brother of a friend as well as a fabled treasure of the lost mines.


    DreamWorks‘ version is set in a time in which humans have left Earth and sees Quatermain return to the planet from a sojourn in space, embarking on another ‘King Solomon‘s Mines‘ -style adventure but on a planet-wide scale.
     

  • Fifth extension to MGM in debt recovery case

    MUMBAI: In debts of over more than $ 400 million, MGM has won a fifth extension in terms of deadlines.


    The studio had initially tried unsuccessfully to find a buyer for the studio and more recently has been searching for new equity investors to assist in a massive restructuring.


    The studio and its lenders also have been meeting with industry VIPs such as Peter Chernin, Roger Birnbaum and others for input on its restructuring plans.


    The latest deadline gives MGM time till 14 July to make payments to a large group of lenders who are expected to end up with the majority of studio equity following a likely bankruptcy.


    MGM has been under a 15 May debt-payment deadline following the failure of previous extensions of separate deadlines on principal and interest payments.


    “Lenders agreed to extend the forbearance period and therefore will not seek remedies in connection with the nonpayment of interest and principal due on the company‘s bank debt,” the studio announced in a brief press statement.


    Time Warner topped bidders in a failed MGM auction with a $1.7 billion offer, but the Warner Bros. parent isn‘t interested in partial ownership. On the other hand, TW could re-engage with the Lion at any point to negotiate a modestly increased bid for the entire studio.


    MGM‘s owners include Providence Equity, TPG Capital, Sony, Comcast, DLJ Merchant and Quadrangle.
     

  • Latest anti-piracy raid yields 15,000 discs

    MUMBAI: In two raids conducted in Kandivali and Malad, the SS branch of the Mumbai police along with AA Khan & Associates seized close to 15,000 pirated discs. The team found discs of recently released Hindi and Hollywood movies in a bid to counter movie pirates.


    In the first raid carried on 7 May, the team raided libraries and a small warehouse near Malad Station, uncovering 7,899 pirated discs of recent releases while on 12 May, a similar raid was conducted across seven stalls in Thakur Complex, Kandivali (East) that resulted in the seizure of 7000 discs. Among the seized discs were more than 560 discs of Badmash Company, the major Bollywood release last week along with 968 and 1,162 pirated discs of Housefull and Iron Man 2 respectively.


    AA Khan & Associates have filed the cases in SS Branch, headed by Sheela Sail, DCP, Enforcement SS Branch. 


    Said AA Khan, “I am glad that our sustained efforts of conducting raids have begun to show results. Piracy is one of the major problems, since recent times its dangers are evident on a larger scale. We will try our level best to reach to the root cause of this problem. While it would be unrealistic to except it to be eradicated overnight, we have taken our formative steps in the right direction.”


    During the raids the police made three arrests at Malad and four at Kandivali. The accused have been booked under Sections 51, 52(A), 63, 68(A) of Copyright Act along with sections 292A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).


    Besides, last week similar raids were conducted across Andheri, Lower Parel Station, Malad station and Kandivali across stalls, small warehouses and libraries.
     

  • Hindi remake of ‘The Joneses’ in the anvil

    MUMBAI: Vistaar-Religare is set to produce the Hindi version of the stars Demi Moore and David Duchovny-starrer The Joneses, at an estimated budget of Rs 600 million.


    Set to go on the floors in the next few months, the film would be directed by Bhavna Talwar who had earlier directed Dharm with Pankaj Kapur as the lead protagonist.


    While the focus in the original is on the couple played by Moore and Duchovny, Talwar‘s Hindi adaptation would shift the focus from the couple to their son.
    Talwar hopes to rope in Ranbir Kapoor to play the son.


    The Joneses released on 16 April across America.

  • London’s East End Film Festival nominates Amar Mohile

    MUMBAI: Amar Mohile, known for his background scores in films like Sarkar, Sarkar Raj, Ek Hasina Thi, Jail, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Agyaat, Nishabd, Aaka Suroor and Ek Ajnabee was recognised in the recently concluded East End Festival 2010, London.


    The film festival showcases hot talent and homegrown films alongside larger independent releases from across London and beyond.


    The festival nominated him in the category of best feature soundtrack for the English film, Land Gold Women.


    Land Gold Women recently won the National Award for Best Film in English. The film also won the Royal Reel Award for excellence in filmmaking at this year‘s Canada International Film Festival and for best film and best screenplay at the FCA Purple Orchid Award.


    Mohile is currently working on an international album that has a rich blend of vocals and live instruments from across the world besides his various film commitments.
     

  • Polanski lawyers say request for his return unfair

    MUMBAI: Roman Polanski‘s lawyers, in a statement have said that the request for the filmmaker‘s extradition from Switzerland was incomplete and unfair.


    Polanski‘s lawyers maintain that Los Angeles prosecutors are hiding this fact from the Swiss.


    “If, after a fair hearing in Switzerland at which the entire record of this case is truthfully presented, the Swiss determine that extradition is justified, Mr. Polanski will of course comply with a lawful extradition order and return to California to litigate the issues of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct and be finally sentenced under the law,” the statement read.


    They however said that if facts were presented to Swiss officials and they determine that extradition was justified, the director would return to the United States to litigate his case.


    It was the first time in the long legal battle that the team of lawyers has mentioned Polanski possibly returning voluntarily.


    The Academy Award-winning director remains under house arrest in the 33-year-old sex case. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, but after a judge said he would renege on a promised sentence agreement, Polanski fled to his native France and has been a fugitive since.

  • Michal Joe joins Relativity Media as President

    MUMBAI: Film finance and production company Relativity Media has roped in by ex-vice president of Universal Pictures Michael Joe as its president.


    “This is an incredibly unique opportunity in that I am able to utilize the breadth of my experience, help to influence change to our industry and yet join a company that is a clearly established brand within Hollywood,” Joe observed. 


    Along with, it promoted production president Tucker Tooley as worldwide production president and will continue to oversee creative operations and report to Relativity chief Ryan Kavanaugh.


    Joe, who had previously worked at Turner Broadcasting and LEK Consulting, will be in charge of expanding Relativity‘s domestic and international distribution and will also manage the company‘s banking and finance strategy.
     

  • Jessica Biel set to play Vivaldi‘s muse Giro

    MUMBAI: Jessica Biel and Luke Evans are in negotiations to star in period romance Vivaldi‘ that centres on a forbidden romance that develops between composer, priest and violin virtuoso Antonio Vivaldi and his protege, singer Anna Tessieri Giro that leads Vivaldi to write his enduring masterpiece The Four Seasons.


    Giro was part of Vivaldi’s entourage when he was denied any romantic relationship.


    The film being produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis is being directed by Patricia Riggen. Biel, who was last seen in romantic comedy Valentine‘‘s Day and will next appear in The A-Team is in advanced talks to play Giro.