ITV

Category: Specials

  • Mobile Film Festival Awards announced








     


    HONG KONG: Mobiles make their mark at the Hong Kong Filmart 2008.


    Joseph Lam‘s Infection walks away with five awards at the 1st Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival Awards.


    To ensure even better quality of ideas and videos, the awards for the first ever mobile TV Awards were introduced in various categories. Thirteen finalists were selected from all the entries who finally went up for the top honours.



    Out of the thirteen finalists, Lam‘s video Infection, which emphasised self-improvement instead of complaining and criticising everything about Hong Kong, bagged five of the honours including best drama award, best animation award, best my Hong Kong award, Nokia‘s most innovative film award (which also won him a handset for HKS 5,000), as well the the grand award category involving a cash prize of HKS 20,000.










    Kowloon City‘s Holy Family Canosian School bagged an equal number of awards for their entry Graduation, which was about two graduate students‘ emotional moments before they graduate by snapping photographs, in the following categories: best drama/MTV award, best acting award, best editing award, Nokia‘s most popular film award as well as 3 Hong Kong best school campus awards, a category which had invited entries only from students studying in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools.



    The other winners were Mona Tang‘s No Discount, which was about contribution to the needy without any discount for best advertisement while best story was bagged by Lai Tsz Chun‘s entry Watch, a story of a girl and a boy on a date after school.

  • MipTV to focus on social networks on 10 April


    MUMBAI: Three social media industry personalities will deliver keynote addresses at the television trade event MipTV in Cannes, France on 10 April when the spotlight will be focused on social networking.

    MySpace/Fox Interactive Media MD international Travis Katz, Bebo president Joanna Shields and and Creative Commons chairman Joi Ito will deliver keynotes.









    These industry players will give their vision of entertainment in the age of content-sharing across different platforms, how to monetise content today, and the current position of the players involved, including creators, producers, distributors and brands.



    Since launching in 2004, MySpace has become the world’s largest social network, with 28 localised versions, in 14 languages. Katz will look at the global evolution of the social web, and examine the opportunities now available to content creators, consumers and brands as they converge in this new arena.








    With over 40 million members and in the process of being acquired by AOL, Bebo was the first network to combine original web content and interactivity by launching into broadcasting and commissioning online series like KateModern, Sophia’s Diary and The Gap Year. Shields will discuss these new formats and analyse their influence on consumer behaviour and impact on new forms of monetisation linked notably to the strong involvement of brands.



    Creative Commons offers an alternative system for protecting rights inspired by the free licence model. Ito will offer a new vision of downloading by suggesting that content sharing is not a “lost sale” but rather a “gained fan.” Ito will defend the opinion that this is a flourishing sector where all participants stand to win.



    In addition to these three keynotes, two panels will complete the lineup for the focus on social networking at MipTV. One will cover the theme of marketing and advertising; the other creativity and new content formats.








  • 3rd Hong Kong Music Fair kicks off








     

    HONG KONG: The 3rd edition of the Hong Kong Music Fair kicked off on 17 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

    The fair saw 70 exhibitors from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland as well as quite a few from Germany vying to showcase the latest in music and musical products, besides exploring available multimedia opportunities.








    Among the highlights were the star seminars on artist management where established managers from all over Asia discussed their experiences and relations with local artists.

  • Haf Awards announced; Ho-Cheung drives away with ‘Bus’








     


    HONG KONG: The Haf Awards in their sixth edition, which attracted over 900 participants, were announced amidst much fanfare today. The awards arranged over 500 project meetings to shortlist 25 directors.


    Organised by HKIFFS, in association with HKDTC and the Hong Kong, Kowloon & New Territories Motion Picture Industry Association Ltd, the Haf forum took place from 17 to 19 March at HKCEC in Hong Kong.









    Hong Kong director Pang Ho-Cheung won the Haf award for his project The Bus presented by the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum which carried a cash component of HKD 100,000 (approx USD 13,000) each. In the overseas category from the same forum, Ning Hao from the Chinese mainland won the Haf award for his project 7 Dreams.



    The Rome Film Festival Award which carried a cash component of HKD 117,000 (approx USD 15,000) was won by Tang Xiru for the project Fugitive Club from the Chinese mainland.








    The Technicolor Thailand Awards presented by Technicolor Thailand Ltd which comprised two awards of HKD 117,000 (approx 15,000 USD) were won by Hong Kongs Carol Lai Miu Suet for Shuffle produced by Chow Keung and Thailand‘s Nonzee Nimbutr for Secret of the Butterfly produced by Nonzee Nimbutr and Apichana Leenanond.


    The Technicolor Thailand Awards had three main parameters for being included in the running: the projects which had the maximum potential for financing and the director‘s past experience of directing at least one film, TV commercial, documentary or TV programme. In addition, the director‘s willingness to complete the post-production in Thailand was the deciding factor for winning the honour.








  • Filmart 2008 kicks off in Hong Kong; draws 480 exhibitors








     


    HONG KONG: The 12th edition of Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (Filmart 2008), which kicked off today at the Hong Kong Convention Centre, saw the participation of over 480 exhibitors from 30 countries.

    The filmart is today Asia‘s major entertainment industry fair, showcasing the latest in film and TV productions, post production services, locations, digital entertainment applications, promoting Hong Kong as one of the leading players in Film and TV production and distribution.







    The seminars to be held in the fair include Asian co-productions, as well as film merchandising in this new era of electronic gadgets and digital distribution.


    With the theme “Get into the Scene”, this year‘s Filmart has several features. They include:


    Locations World – Tax breaks and government support in Asia and the Chinese Mainland, and spotlighting shooting locales.


    TV World – Targeted at showcasing new opportunities available in the global TV business.


    Animation and Digital Entertainment World – Showcasing convergence of film, music, TV and new media.


    Equipment and Post-Production Services Pavilion – Spotlighting one-stop sources for post-production partners and showcasing the latest trends in film equipment.







    There is also the Asia Film Awards (AFA), which takes place today. The awards ceremony will celebrate the best of Asian cinema, organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festivals (HKIFF) Society, and sponsored by HKTDC and the Film Development Fund.


    The winners will be announced at the Awards presentation Gala later this evening. Nominees in the best actor category include Hong Kong‘s entertainment ambassador Tony Leung for his role in Ang Lee‘s film Lust, Caution.


    There will also be The Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony (HKFA). These are awarded for excellence in Hong Kong filmmaking and will be held on 13 April at the HK Cultural Centre.


    Meanwhile, the 32nd edition of HKIFF kicked off today and will continue till 6 April. It includes the screening of almost 300 motion pictures from 50 countries.


    The other major events for the Expo this year include:


    *The Hong Kong Music Fair (HKMF) organized by IFPI (Hong Kong Group) Ltd and HKTDC, showcasing new talent and record companies and labels, music publishers, mobile phone makers and service providers, Internet music service providers digital music entertainment and production companies besides other sectors of the music industry.



    *The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival society and co-organised by HKTDC. HAF provides a common platform for film funding bodies, producers, distributors, buyers and investors looking at investing in new Asian film projects and film makers.



    *Hong Kong Independent Short Film And Video Awards (IFVA), organized by Hong Kong Arts Centre. Its aim is to promote short films, video animation and interactive media this year, and includes an awards ceremony on 23 March at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.



    *IFPI Hong Kong Top sales Music award – Hong Kong Group Ltd‘s IFPI to be held on 19 March. This annual telecast ceremony is not only broadcast on local TV, but also worldwide, as well as on radio and over the internet.



    *Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF) – Highlighting the themes immersive media and creative digital content, this forum by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Co is targeted at the digital entertainment professional and is to be held on 8 April.







  • Studio 18 eyes MipTV to license film content in overseas markets








    MUMBAI: Indian film company-Studio 18 will be attending MipTV in Cannes this year. MipTV, a market for audio-visual content, will commence on 7 April this year and terminate on 11 April.


    Studio 18 will exhibit from Booth 9.16 (level 01) in the Palais.


    The international division of Studio 18 comprising Hemant Bhardwaj, Tanuj Garg and Gayathiri Batra are looking at licencing and syndication of their filmed content in the key overseas territories.










    The films up for business include 1971, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Kya Love Story Hai, Awarapan, Jab We Met and Welcome. The list also includes other forthcoming films like Singh is Kinng and Golmaal Returns.

  • 27 projects selected for Content 360 festival in Cannes








     

    MUMBAI: Twenty-seven projects for interactive and multi-platform content have been selected for the final of the third international Content 360 festival competition, which takes place in Cannes from 7 to 11 April as part of the 45th MipTV featuring Milia.

    The 27 short-listed producers and designers were chosen from 285 candidates across the competition‘s eight categories by digital commissioners from Content 360‘s partners. These partners are the BBC, the Korean Broadcasting & Communications Commission (BCC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Ogilvy Interactive Worldwide.


    There are 400 project entries in total for this year‘s competition with 42 countries participating in it. Slovenia, South Africa, Finland and Norway are all making their first appearance among this year‘s 11 finalist countries.








    “The continued success of the Content 360 competition demonstrates the need for traditional media to meet today‘s digital creators. We are excited to bring to MipTV the latest content ideas for audience participation, social networking, personalisation and interactivity, across all digital platforms,” said Reed Midem digital media director Ted Baracos.


    The finalists of the Content 360 competition will be in Cannes to pitch their projects before an audience and a jury made up of executives from the audiovisual, digital and advertising sectors.

  • Fremantle to showcase range of shows at MipTV 2008








    MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) will arrive at next month‘s television trade event MipTV with a range of programmes.

    From quality drama to popular music, teen heartaches to a top chef‘s personal crusade, there is something for everyone. MipTV takes place in Cannes, France from 8-12 April 2008.

    In the drama category, leading the way is Australian scripted series Satisfaction. Created by Australian producer Roger Simpson, Satisfaction is the inaugural production by his new company Lonehand Productions. Set in and around an up-market city brothel, this steamy original series sheds the spotlight on the world of five “high-class escorts” and their manager as they juggle the pressures of their private lives alongside their hidden profession.


    Teenage woes prove a fertile backdrop for two new shows. Nearly Famous follows a group of performing arts students who have got a whole load of talent and a taste for tequila. Familiar faces include Talulah Riley, Jimi Mistri and Ralph Brown. Ade Edmondson stars in the role reversal sitcom Teenage Kicks as a middle-aged divorced dad who moves in with his kids in a crazy attempt to recapture his long lost youth, much to his offspring‘s dismay.


    Following on from the recent success of FME‘s stablemate Murder, the new reality series DEA offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Drug Enforcement Agency. From US channel Spike TV, each episode will follow a group of Special Agents and Task Force Officers in the DEA Detroit division, as they fight the daily battle in the city‘s ongoing war against illegal drugs.


    FME also continues to bolster its music content with the second series of Live From Abbey Road. The most famous recording studio in the world invites viewers through its famous doors once more to meet a host of new and established global A-list artists. Shot in HD, the 12 x 1 hour second series, available for international sale on both TV and DVD, will not disappoint with an exclusive lineup of performers including James Blunt, Sheryl Crow and recent Grammy winner Herbie Hancock.


    Staying with a melodic theme, FME will present The Night James Brown Saved Boston. This is a documentary by filmmaker David Leaf, telling the uplifting story of how a concert by R&B singer James Brown, on 5 April, 1968, the day after Dr Martin Luther King. Jr was assassinated, prevented a riot in Boston. While the rest of the US burnt, Brown‘s music literally kept the peace. Eye witness accounts, grainy footage and nearly two dozen of James Brown‘s classic songs come together to mark the 40th anniversary.


    Another milestone in musical history is celebrated in Never Mind the Bollocks: 30th Anniversary Concert featuring the Sex Pistols‘ critically acclaimed concerts at London‘s Brixton Academy commemorating the release of the legendary punk band‘s first album. Fittingly directed by Julian Temple (The Great Rock and Roll Swindle) Never Mind the Bollocks features all the band‘s classics including “God Save the Queen” and “Pretty Vacant.”


    Cookery superstar Jamie Oliver serves up two new specials, Jamie‘s Fowl Dinners and Eat to Save Your Life. In the revealing Jamie‘s Fowl Dinners, he hosts a gala dinner to dramatically demonstrate the reality of how chickens live and die to put food on our plates. And in the other off-special, Eat to Save Your Life, from Firefly productions, he investigates the hidden threats of popular convenience foods using 18 volunteers with self-confessed bad diets as “human guinea pigs.”










    The Baywatch Beach Body Work-Out is a new fitness DVD featuring Lauren Jones, star of Fox TV‘s Anchorwoman series. Inspired by global phenomenon Baywatch, participants are put through their paces by Lauren, on the beach, ensuring a body well fit for the summer.


    Kiddies get a look in too with CGI animated series The Backyardigans. Aimed at children aged from 2-10, The Backyardigans centres around 5 adventurous kids who use their vivid imagination to turn their backyards into completely different worlds.


    FME CEO David Ellender says, “FME is excited to be able to offer such a diverse roster of programming at this year‘s MipTV. Our expanding catalogue means that we have more titles than ever. And there‘s a healthy mix of high-class drama, landmark music shows, ground-breaking documentaries along with strong reality shows, appealing to audiences the world over.”

  • France Telecom CEO Lombard to deliver keynote at MipTV







    MUMBAI: France Telecom chairman and CEO Didier Lombard will outline the telecom giant’s audiovisual strategy as part of the conference programme at the television trade event MipTV which takes place in Cannes from 7-11 April 2008.

    Lombard will deliver the keynote address on 9 April under the title Inventing a New Media TV Experience, in which he will present his vision of France Telecom – Orange’s mobile and internet brand – in the audiovisual sector through its TV Everywhere service.


    This draws on the group’s technological and marketing innovations to offer television “where I want, when I want, how I want,” available across all screens, with on-demand content, interactive services and personalised advertising.








    Reed Midem director of television division Paul Johnson says, “Didier Lombard’s presence at MipTV featuring Milia 2008 shows how much convergence between telecoms and traditional television has become a reality. With 170 million customers throughout the world and as many potential viewers, France Telecom is a major player in the international content market.”

  • Alfred Haber to showcase ‘Ghost Hunters Intl‘ at MipTV









     

    MUMBAI: Building on its success with the international distribution rights to the original Ghost Hunters for the last four seasons, Alfred Haber Distribution (AHD) has announced that the company has just been awarded the exclusive international distribution rights to the all-new Sci-Fi Channel series Ghost Hunters International.








    Currently the number one rated reality show on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US, Ghost Hunters International follows the adventures of a new team of paranormal investigators as they apply their principles of scientific debunking to some of the most legendary haunted spots around the world.


    AHD will be offering Ghost Hunters International for the first time at the upcoming trade event MipTV which takes place in Cannes, France next month.








    Like their US counterpart Taps (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), Ghost Hunters International is a squad of real-life ghost-hunting experts. The international team comprises veteran Taps investigators Robb Demarest, Andy Andrews, Brian Harnois, Donna LaCroix, Barry Fitzgerald and newcomer Shannon Sylvia.


    A few of the featured investigations included in the series are: the infamous Chillingham Castle in England; the spirited vaults and tunnels of Mary King‘s Close in Scotland; the macabre depths of the Abbey at Lucedio, near Turin, Italy; the legendary Nanteos Mansion in Wales, which lore dictates to be the one-time resting place of the Holy Grail; and the famous Frankenstein Castle in Germany.








    AHD‘s Robert Kennedy says, “The world is intrigued by ghosts and other aspects of the paranormal. Ghost Hunters continues to sell well for us around the world and we are pleased to be offering the international version of this smash hit sensation.”


    The show‘s producer Craig Piligian says, “The success that Ghost Hunters International has achieved on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US has been fantastic. We believe that our relationship with Alfred Haber Distribution, one of the most successful and long-standing distribution companies in the business today, will lead to the same kind of success worldwide.”