ITV

Category: Movies

  • Berlin fest selects Cinema City for screening

    MUMBAI: The 60th Berlin International Film Festival has selected Indian filmmaker Madhusree Dutta‘s Cinema City for screening.


    This “installation project” will be on display in several cinema foyers, exploring questions about the relationship between urban space and cinema during the Festival in Berlin from 11 to 21 February.


    Filmfare and National awards winner Dutta, a National School of Drama (NSD) alumni besides filmmaking, is also said to be a producer-curator-pedagogue-researcher-activist.


    Congratulating Dutta and her project team, acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today urged India Government and large private conglomerates of India to promote independent cinema.


    Another Indian entry into this Festival is My Name Is Khan in ‘out of competition‘ category. Directed by Karan Johar, its cast includes Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol besides Christopher B. Duncan who plays US President Barack Obama. It is the story of Rizwan Khan of Mumbai who suffers from Asperger syndrome.


    Berlin International Film Festival is said to be ‘the biggest audience event in the film world‘. The last Berlin Festival registered 486,955 visitors from 136 countries with 389 film screenings.

  • Noah’s Ark Film Festival honours Iranian cinematographer

    MUMBAI: Iranian cinematographer Shahriar Asadi has won the Best Cinematographer Award at the 2nd International Noah‘s Ark Film Festival in Russia.


    He received the award for the Kazakhstan-Georgia production The Other Bank directed by George Ovashvili. The feature-length film was also granted the event‘s Award for the Best First Work of a Director in Full-Length Feature Film.


    The Other Bank has been screened and awarded in countless international festivals such as the 2009 Paris Cinema and Seattle International Film Festival.


    Iranian actor Hossein Yari received the 2009 festival‘s Best Actor Award for his acting in Mohammad-Ebrahim Moayyeri‘s White Sneakers.


    Russia‘s 2009 International Noah‘s Ark Film Festival screened nine feature-length and 21 short films from 18 countries in its competition section.

  • Fox Star Studios takes top Hollywood spot in India

    MUMBAI: With a string of blockbusters in 2009, starting with Danny Boyle‘s Slumdog Millionaire and ending with James Cameron‘s Avatar, Fox Star Studios has raked in Rs 1.5 billion through its releases in India.


    Just into its second year, Fox Star Studios has overtaken other Hollywood studios to sit atop in India.


    While the first release Australia created waves at the box-office with the sizzling chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, the success of
    8-Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire put the studio ahead of its contemporaries in 2009.


    Sequels like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Night at the Museum 2 performed well, beating their simultaneous Bollywood releases at the box-office.


    Ice Age 3 released in 3D was a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Grossing
    Rs 90 million, the film became one of the the highest-grossing Hollywood animated film in India.


    While Marley & Me touched the hearts of Indian audiences with its heart-rending tale, Bride Wars found an instant connect with the female audiences.


    Fox‘s foray into Indian cinema with Quick Gun Murugan, however, did not pay off with the movie bombing at the box-office.


    Finally, it was James Cameron‘s Avatar that did the magic by smashing all records at the Indian and international box-offices. The film has already crossed a collection of Rs 5.5 million in India, beating Titanic as the biggest ever Fox film in India.


    Says Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh, “Through our Hollywood releases round the year, we have garnered Rs 1.5 billion. We promise an even more entertaining 2010 beginning with My Name is Khan!”


    Fox Star Studios‘ slate in 2010 includes Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief in February, Amelia in March, Date Night, Wall Street 2 in April, Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel in May, The ‘A‘ Team in June, Knight & Day, Predators in July and Chronicles of Narnia 3 in December.

  • Fun Cinemas in talks with PE investors to raise Rs 400 mn

    MUMBAI: Fun Multiplex Pvt Ltd (FMPL), the Essel Group company that runs a chain of theatres under the Fun Cinemas brand, is in talks to raise around Rs 400 million from private equity investors to part-fund its expansion plans.


    FMPL has an investment plan of Rs 750 million as it aims to launch nine multiplexes during the 12-month run ended 31 March 2011.


    “We plan to raise around Rs 400 million and are in talks with private equity investors. We will be investing Rs 750 million in FY‘11 and adding nine multiplexes,” says Fun Multiplex chief operating officer Vishal Kapur.


    The new multiplexes will be in Kolkata, Bhopal, Kochi, Raipur, Bhatinda, Ranchi, Mangalore, Patiala and Chennai.


    FMPL currently has 77 screens in 24 multiplexes. “We are going into those kinds of markets where we think our venture would be profitable. We are taking a cautious approach while continuing with our expansion,” says Kapur.

  • Reliance Big Pictures files FIR against Galaxy Cinema

    MUMBAI: The Indian film industry has aggressively stepped up its fight against film piracy both at home and overseas.


    Reliance Big Pictures has filed a FIR in Gaziabad against Galaxy Cinema for allegedly aiding piracy on DVD of 3 Idiots. The theatre is based in Kaushambi, on the outskirts of Delhi.


    DVDs of 3 Idiots were traced in Delhi. Based on a technical information of ‘cap code marking‘ on each print, it was found out that the film was pirated at the Galaxy Cinema.


    Said Reliance Big Pictures COO distribution Kamal Gianchandani, “Film piracy is not a victimless crime. Not only does piracy have a financial impact on Reliance Big Pictures, it negatively impacts jobs of people in the film industry and related businesses.


    “We are committed to take a strong, proactive position in protecting copyrights, and are hopeful that our support of strong anti-piracy efforts will be instrumental in developing a growing and vibrant marketplace for Indian films.”


    Reliance Big Pictures has been aggressively involved in curbing piracy for their earlier films like Paa whereby they proactively conducted online, physical raids across key areas in association with the concerned authorities to secure and smoothen functioning of its both print and online rights. This helped curb piracy of the film in a big way.

  • Bodyguards And Assassin rules box-office in China

    MUMBAI:Cinema Popular‘s action thriller Bodyguards And Assassins has topped the Chinese box office over the holiday period racking up $30m (RMB208m) till date.


    The film that opened on 18 December in China and across Asia on Christmas Eve has accumulated more than $35m (RMB238m) including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan.


    The box office office gross equals that of Warlords, the last production made by Bodyguards And Assassins producer Peter Ho-sun Chan.


    The film will open in Thailand through United Home Entertainment and UIP on 7 January followed by Korea by CJ Entertainment on 21 January and the UK with E1 Entertainment this coming spring.

  • Sandra Bullock shines in ’09 box-office

    MUMBAI: According to US theatre owners, Sandra Bullock shone as 2009‘s top Hollywood star at the box-office after the actress scored with audiences after nearly a two-year absence from screens.


    A Quigley Publishing Co.‘s annual list released on Thursday of top money-making stars, based on a poll of hundreds of theatre executives had Bullock beat stars like George Clooney and Denzel Washington on the strength of her roles in The Proposal and The Blind Side.


    While The Proposal made $315 million at worldwide box-offices after its June release, The Blind Side made $193 million in the US and Canada alone since its 20 November release.


    Bullock, who also starred in All About Steve with its $34 million take in the US and Canada is the eighth woman to top Quigley‘s list of top money-making stars which the company has put out each year since 1932.


    Quigley Publishing said the list does not rank stars only on how much their films made but on what theatre owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.


    The last woman to top Quigley‘s list was Julia Roberts in 1999. She failed to make Quigley‘s 2009 top 10 this year, after her turn in romantic comedy Duplicity bombed at the box-office.

  • Oscar contenders under the spotlight at Palm Springs

    MUMBAI: Oscar contenders Lee Daniels, Rob Marshall and Lone Scherfig are scheduled to take part in on-stage interviews following screenings of Precious, Nine and An Education at the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival‘s (PSIFF).


    The new programme designed to focus on select Academy Awards frontrunners includes a panel of four directors of strong foreign-language Oscar contenders.


    Discussing their careers, work and the ways in which their films reflect current events and issues in their countries will be Switzerland‘s Ursula Meier, director of Home; Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti, directors of Israeli drama Ajami Australia‘s Samson & Delilah director Warwick Thornton; and Felix van Groeningen and his Belgian contender The Misfortunates.


    The festival runs from 5 to 18 January.

  • MJ’s Thriller in US film archive

    MUMBAI:For the first time ever a music video has been added to the US national film archive. Michael Jackson‘s Thriller, the 1983 zombie classic is among 25 films that will be preserved for their cultural importance.


    The 1979 made Muppet Movie and Bette Davis‘s black and white classic Jezebel are the other new entrants to the library.


    The archive, established 20 years ago, ensures important films are preserved for future generations‘. Oscar-winning films that made the cut include Jezebel, which won Davis her second Academy Award.


    Mrs Miniver made in 1942 won the Academy Award for best picture among its haul of six trophies. Science fiction classic The Incredible Shrinking Man has been added to the archive, while the oldest film is Little Nemo from 1911.


    Said National Film Preservation Board‘s (NFPB) co-ordinator Steve Legett, “The time was right for Thriller‘s inclusion after Jackson‘s death earlier this year. Because of the way the recording industry is evolving and changing, we thought it would be good to go back to the development of an earlier seismic shift, the development of the music video.”


    The landmark video, directed by John Landis features Jackson as a werewolf and zombie, helped the star to promote Thriller around the world.


    The final 25 films are picked every year from hundreds of public nominations and consultation with the NFPB.
     

  • Karnataka govt moots film city named after Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy yesterday announced his government‘s plans to build a film city similar to the Ramoji Rao Film City at Hyderabad.


    The minister said that the possibility of setting up a one-of its- kind film city in the country would be explored on a public-private-partnership basis.


    The proposed film city would be named after late Kannada film thespians Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan.


    If the proposal was accepted by the Karnataka chief minister and other cabinet members, the film city would be set up at Hesaraghatta where a land has already been earmarked for a film city.


    As an acknowledgement of Vishnuvardhan‘s contributions and service to the Kannada film industry, the state government also decided to name its annual lifetime achievement award after him.


    “The award would henceforth be called Dr. Vishnuvardhan Lifetime Achievement Award,” said CM B S Yeddyurappa while conceding to the suggestion of the members of the Sandalwood industry.


    The state government has also decided to set up a Vishnuvardhan memorial in Bangalore or at Mysore at a cost of Rs. 100 million.


    While the place for the memorial has not been decided, opinions differed as to where it would be located with a faction of the Sandalwood industry wanting it to be set up at Abhiman Studio in Uttarhalli in Bangalore. The CM said that the proposed memorial would be built after consulting the family members of the late star.