ITV

Category: Movies

  • RMW, Inox offer to Fame shareholders only after Sebi approval

    MUMBAI: In the absence of Sebi approvals, the bidding process of the acquisition of Fame India that was to have started on 1 April has been postponed.


    In the process, Fame India shareholders who want to participate in the bidding war between Inox Leisure and Reliance Media World (RMW) have faced a roadblock.


    Meanwhile, ICCI Securities Limited, in a BSE announcement, has clarified that the draft Letter of Offer, that Reliance Capital Partners and Reliance Capital Limited had, through insertions in a couple of dailies, offered to the public shareholders of Fame India Limited (FIL) to acquire 2,17,00,000 fully paid-up equity shares of FIL at a price of Rs 83.40 per fully paid-up equity share of face value of Rs 10 each, will now not open on 1 April, the ‘Date of opening of the Offer‘.


    The revised schedule of activities in respect of the offer will be announced only after receiving Sebi‘s approval.

  • Cinemax launches first multiplex in Kerala

    MUMBAI: Multiplex chain operator Cinemax has launched its first multiplex property in Kerala. With this launch, Kerala also gets its first-ever and only multiplex till date.


    The four-screen multiplex at Oberon Mall Kochi was launched with a special screening of Malayalam film Thantonni.


    Said Cinemax India SVP Devang Sampat, “Cinemax has established its presence with a strong emphasis on screen size, picture and sound quality and innovative consumer offers, offering viewers a variety which keeps them coming back for more. The launch of our first property in Kochi is a fortification of our promise of providing a state-of-the-art entertainment experience to all movie-enthusiasts and also strengths our presence in Southern India.”


    The new property is a step towards the reinforcement of Cinemax‘s commitment of providing the best of Indian and International Cinema to all its viewers across the country.


    With the launch of this property, Cinemax now has 94 operational screens and is poised to take the count to 100 with its forthcoming launches in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Baroda.
     

  • IFFLA announces 2010 line-up of films

    MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) has come out with the 2010 line-up of films of its 8th annual festival that runs from 20 to 25 April.


    Kicking off the festival would be the directorial debut of Dilip Mehta‘s Cooking With Stella starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, and Don McKellar. Bollywood By Night returns with the screenings of 3 Idiots, Kaminey and the newly re-mastered print of Ashes To Ashes (Raakh), the film that launched Aamir Khan. 3 Idiots also stars Aamir Khan, while Kaminey that highlights on mistaken identity stars Shahid Kapoor.


    Said IFFLA‘s Executive Director Christina Marouda, “This is a true celebration of the art and business of Indian film and culture as well as an opportunity to connect with the game changers and emerging filmmakers of Indian themed content.


    “As filmmakers of Indian descent forge new relationships in Hollywood, we invite moviegoers and industry professionals to experience our unique and wide ranging program which includes thought-provoking dramas, engaging documentaries, along with a touch of light hearted fare and a taste of Bollywood.”


    The festival will close with a Gala event featuring the Australian film The Waiting City directed by Claire McCarthy starring Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton and Samrat Chakrabarti. McCarthy, Mitchell and Chakrabarti.
     

  • Gulf film fest to spotlight French director Vogel

    MUMBAI: The spotlight of this year‘s Gulf Film Festival – the annual event celebrating Gulf cinema held under the patronage of Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum – will be on French filmmaker Francois Vogel. An eclectic selection of his 16 short films is due to be screened.


    Globally renowned for his arresting visuals that blend the best of traditional filmmaking with New Age digital media, Vogel is as much an illustrious digital photographer as a filmmaker who experiments with cubist squares, three dimensional approaches and free-moving elements.


    GFF Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali says that the selection of Vogel‘s shorts for the ‘In Focus‘ segment of the festival is reflective of the evolution in filmmaking techniques today. “With technology breaking all barriers in film-making, young filmmakers show a growing interest in digital filmmaking techniques.”


    “Vogel is known for his creative liberties in manipulating the space between the subject and the camera, even as he explores serious subject matter such as the absurdity of wars. His movies will serve as a referral point in new age film-making, and inspire regional filmmakers to look beyond the accepted frontiers,” he added.


    Vogel began his career in visual arts with video artist Dominik Barbier‘s gallery installations and gained international acclaim with his ‘You‘ campaign for HP. He conceputalised the ‘Picture Book‘ campaign that won AdWeek‘s Campaign of the Year.


    Some of films of Vogel to be screened from 8 to 14 April are After the Rain; Cuisine; Rebus; Les Crabes; Tournis; Trois petits chats; Readymade, Live @ the End; Rue Francis; Faux plafond; Cueillette; La Poule Gerard; Le Bruit de la vrillette; Riante contree; La Sieste sous les cocotiers; Un cirque vraiment extraordinaire and Stretching.

  • Paramount set to release four films in April

    MUMBAI: Paramount Films of India is set to release four films in the month of April.
    The first two films to release on 16 April are Green Zone and How To Train Your Dragon.


    Green Zone is directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs and Khalid Abdalla. DreamWorks Animation‘s How To Train Your Dragon, on the other hand, is directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.


    The third film to release would be Martin Scorsese‘s Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Max Von Sydow.


    And finally on 30 April, Paramount will release Iron Man 2 that stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Clark Gregg, John Slattery, Mickey Rourke and Samuel L. Jackson. The film has been directed by Jon Favreau.

  • Prosecutors deny concealing evidence; want Polanski back

    MUMBAI: Prosecutors in the Roman Polanski case are angry on the lawyers of Roman Polanski and deny that they tried to conceal evidence in his 32-year-old sex case. On the other hand, they have renewed their demands that an appeals court order Polanski to return to the United States for sentencing.


    In a 26-page brief filed on Tuesday, two prosecutors who handle appellate matters for the district attorney‘s office argued that allowing Polanski to avoid extradition from Switzerland hurts the integrity of the judicial system more than revelations of alleged misconduct by a now deceased judge.


    They also claim there has been a misinterpretation of an extradition treaty with Switzerland and that Polanski should be returned for a Court hearing in Los Angeles.


    The 76-year-old film director fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.


    He remains under house arrest in Switzerland.
     

  • MGM lenders to decide course of action on Thursday

    MUMBAI: Lenders of MGM will meet on Thursday to decide a course of action in the wake of not-so-happy bids for the studio.


    Further bidding for the entire studio is unlikely, but a handful of investors may likely be asked to make offers on narrow equity stakes as a means of raising operating capital.


    It may be noted that Wednesday is the deadline on a $200 million-plus interest payment by MGM, the credit facility of which expires on 8 April 8.


    To get past those two deadlines, something like a 15-day extension of the most recent debt-forbearance agreement is envisioned. MGM and its consultant Moelis & Co. have asked for a 45-day extension, but lenders seem in no mood to comply.


    Though attempts to sell the studio outright seem to have hit a road block, an eventual restructuring of the Lion appears inevitable. Companies keen to assist in the process are expected to meet representatives of Moelis and MGM chief Stephen Cooper in an effort to detail investment proposals key to any restructuring.


    While Access Industries, Qualia Capital and Anchorage Advisors are among those willing to invest $500 million-$1 billion in MGM to obtain a chunk of studio equity, News Corp. has also show interest.


    While Sony has evinced interest in the James Bond rights, Warner Bros. would be willing to buy out MGM‘s share of Hobbit which Warners controls 50-50 with the Lion.


    Meeting in Los Angeles, a J.P. Morgan-led lenders committee will discuss ways to restructure MGM, with the aim of making a recommendation to the entire lenders group.


    The debtholders would have about a week to vote, with two-thirds majority needed to approve any plan.

  • Inox opens multiplex in Thane

    MUMBAI: Inox Leisure has launched its first multiplex in Thane at Korum Mall today. The new multiplex has four screens with a total capacity of 1089 seats.


    With this, Inox now has 32 multiplexes and 119 screens in 23 cities across India.


    As part of its expansion plans, Inox will also open multiplexes in Vizag (4 screens), Kanpur (4 screens) and Bangalore (6 screens) over the next few days.


    Says Inox Leisure CEO Alok Tandon, “We are happy to bring a quality multiplex to Thane. We have ensured that movie lovers in Thane enjoy the top of the line Inox experience. With Inox‘s convenient location, easy accessibility and modern comforts, we aim to revolutionise movie watching experience in Thane.”
     

  • Two PNC films to grace Houston WorldFest 2010

    MUMBAI: This year‘s Houston International Film Festival will feature not one but two films from the PNC stable.


    The first, Ek Tho Chance, has been directed by filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza while the second would be Saluun made by debut director Nikhil Bhat. Both the films have been nominated for the prestigious REMI awards in the feature film category at this year‘s festival.


    “Saluun definitely represents the fresh breed of Indian filmmakers and it‘s a great pleasure for us to screen the film at the Festival,” says WorldFest Houston International Film Festival chairman and founding Director J. Hunter Todd. 


    “Saluun is funny, clever, heart-warming and it introduces a new director, Nikhil Bhat, who brings fresh insight into where popular Bollywood cinema can go. We are also very excited about Saeed Akhtar Mirza‘s Ek Tho Chance, which has been already acclaimed at various international platforms,” Todd adds.


    Avers PNC Chairman Pritish Nandy, “Ek Tho Chance marks the return of the master, Saeed Akhtar Mirza (Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hain, Salim Lande Pe Mat Ro, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Nukkad). Ek Tho Chance is a delightful new take on Mumbai, the City of Dreams.


    “Saluun is based on a true incident and it brings the magic of India to our screens. The film is about middle-class, middle India that you rarely see in today‘s Bollywood movies. It‘s a narrative of hope and magic.”


    The ten-day festival starts on 9 April.
     

  • Legendary Pictures acquires developing rights of Godzilla

    MUMBAI: Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to develop and produce a new feature based on Godzilla, the iconic Toho Co. character.


    Through its deal with Legendary Films, the film will be co-produced, co-financed and distributed by Warner Bros. while Toho will distribute the film in Japan.


    The last major Godzilla outing from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin was set in New York grossed $376 million worldwide in 1998. The following year Toho produced Godzilla 2000 in which the big beast took on an evil UFO.


    The new film is aiming for a 2012 release.


    Warner Bros. and Legendary have earlier partnered on global properties such as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Superman Returns and The Hangover that grossed more than $2 billion worldwide.