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News stories from Jan 2006 to 2012..

  • 09 March 2009
    Festivals

Africa in Motion short film festival - call for entries from African filmmakers

For the second year, Edinburgh's Africa in Motion (AiM) film festival is inviting African filmmakers to submit short films of up to 30 minutes for the festival's short film competition. In order to target the competition specifically towards young and emerging African film talent, filmmakers who enter a film for consideration must not have completed a feature-length film previously. Films entered must have been completed in 2006 or after. A shortlist from all the entries w…
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07 July 2006

Emmy Nominees Show UK TV Talent is Tipped For Success

  British TV talent is on course for success at the Emmy awards after two dramas  between them earned a total of 23 nominations. Elizabeth I, the Channel 4 period drama starring Helen Mirren, scooped 13 nominations, including best actress in a mini-series for its leading lady. The BBC…
19 February 2006

Church Produces Bollywood Aids Movie

Bollywood and the Roman Catholic Church in India have jointly produced a commercial film highlighting the problem of Aids. The controversial film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, whose films are known for steamy, bold scenes, has helped with the production. The low budget film, Why Does This Happen? cost nearl…
03 January 2007

The Malice Box Quest

Michael Joseph have unveiled a bold and highly creative marketing strategy to support The Malice Box  - their lead adventure thriller for 2007.  The Malice Box Quest, a five-week interactive scavenger hunt drawing on themes from the book will launch two weeks prior to publication o…
  • 14 June 2006
    Festivals

Del Toro, Grisoni, Roeg & Fellowes in Cheltenham Screenwriting Festival

Masterclasses from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas adaptor Tony Grisoni, writer/director Guillermo del Toro, Don't Look Now's Nicholas Roeg, Gosford Park's Oscar winner Julian Fellowes and Hilsborough's Jimmy McGovern top a packed programme at the Screenwriter's Festival 2006. Running June 27 to 30th, the festival is ferrying a vast range of film talents to the stately Cheltenham Film Studios, where the event takes place. New Writers Day A packed…
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25 July 2006

Elizabeth Taylor – Film’s New Jane Austen?

Hollywood Filmmakers Turn to a 20th Century English Novelist Francois Ozon directed "8 Women" and "Swimming Pool," so he knows a juicy woman's story when he sees one. Midway through the 1957 novel "Angel" by the late Elizabeth Taylor, he already could envi…
13 August 2007

INVESTMENT NEEDED IN SCOTTISH FILM

  Glasgow-based producer Gillian Berrie is urging Scotland's Holyrood Parliament to invest in studios and other facilities to help the country match the output of foreign rivals. Berrie, of Sigma Films the company behind Hallam Foe which opens the Edinburgh International Film Festival this…
05 June 2007

Acclaimed Yorkshire feature returns to Bagdhad for screening

Leeds-based filmmaker Mohamed Al Daradji has returned to Baghdad, where he shot his Oscar-shortlisted debut feature Ahlaam, screening it to over a 1000 locals and politicans at the national cinema. The journey has been documented by the filmmaker and is currently showing on Al Jazeera UK on Sky (…
  • 28 March 2006
    TV

Audio Think Tank Meets Over Sound Training Dilemma

  The Institute of Broadcast Sound is looking to solve some of the screen industry’s shortage of skilled sound personnel, particularly in TV production. A Training Forum has been specially convened to address the issue.   There have been enormous changes in broadcast sound, especially in television, over the last 20 years. At one time the BBC trained almost everybody, but the industyry is now fragmented and union influence has diminished. Most pro…
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01 March 2007

BBC to launch three YouTube channels

"We don't want to be overzealous, a lot of the material on YouTube is good promotional content for us" Ashley Highfield BBC clips - including The Mighty Boosh, Faulty Towers and Planet Earth - will finally be available in an embeddable, flash player for people to put in their…
20 June 2006

Producer/Directors Most Wanted Freelancers

  Statistics taken from the Broadcast Freelancer Database show Producer/Director is the most popular search made by the 900 registered employers who are using the site.  The site holds a database of over seven thousand freelancers, searchable by production companies looking for…
11 September 2006

Goodbye broadcasting? Apple to launch "iTV" wireless set-top box in early 2007

iTunes Movie Store also unveiled  At a special media event today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed a wireless set top box to be available from the first quarter of 2007. The much rumoured device, provisionally called iTV ('we need to get a better name' said Steve) will allow…
  • 17 April 2006
    Box office

Scary Movie 4 Sets US Box Office Record

  Scary Movie 4 opened number one in North America grossing over US$41 million, shattering records by becoming the highest grossing Easter weekend opening ever and giving the film the largest opening for a film released by The Weinstein Company.   The announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company. The film was co-produced with Miramax Films. The previous record holder for Easter Weekend was Panic Room,  w…
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14 September 2006

50th London Film Festival line up announced

London Film Festival, the UK's largest film event, on Thursday unveiled a 312 film lineup for its 50th anniversary year. 4 World premieres, 32 European and 123 UK premieres include the latest films from Lars von Trier (The Boss of It All), Anthoney Minghella (Breaking and Entering), Philli…
26 September 2009

Seven projects selected for Power to the Pixel Pitch, 15 October

An all-star jury ranging from UKFC Premiere Fund head Sally Caplan to YouTube's Sara Pollock will judge the Pixel Pitch award for a cross media project, with details of the seven finalists now released and detailed below. One winner will walk away with the £6,000 Babelgum Pixel Pitch Award. Tick…
13 January 2007

The Forest, My Film and Save Our Tigers

  Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ashvin Kumar as in the final throes of finishing his latest film, The Forest. And by all accounts it should be a top-notch thriller, but it offers much, much more than rising hairs on the back of the neck as his Ashvin Kumar's personal blog shows... Th…
  • 19 May 2006
    Production

Sir Walter Rallies To Help Superstar Cate

  Movie star Cate Blanchett looks simply stunning as Queen Elizabeth, as she re-enacted the famous scene from history when Sir Walter Raleigh - played by Clive Owen - lays down his cloak over a puddle.   The scene was being shot this week at St John's College, one of Cambridge University's most beautiful colleges, which is providing the stunning backdrop for the new all-star film about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a sequel to the 1998 prod…
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03 April 2008

Three new contests for vloggers and online filmmakers

From the brilliant Global Voices website , comes news of three contests for vloggers around the world. Two are on Spannish sites but are open to anyone anywhere. One is for mobile movies, one to promote causes you care for and the last to report news through online video. More details and sampl…
21 March 2006

Fry Launches Film on India's Digital Maths Pioneer

A multi-million dollar Indo-UK feature about maths genius Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan and his friendship with Cambridge don GH Hardy has been soft-launched in India. The biopic, scheduled for rolling in early 2007, has been developed by British actor-director Stephen Fry and Indian filmmaker Dev…
01 April 2007

Czech Film Industry Rebounds Cautiously

  The Czech film industry, having emerged from 2006 with record audience share figures only to find it still faces perilous obstacles. Following a dismal 2005, when the number of cinema admissions for new Czech productions sank to 2.4 million from 2004's 2.9 million, last year saw…
  • 07 July 2006
    Sales

Wippit Moves Into Movie Downloads

  The UK's movie download scene is to brighten with the Wippit online music store signing a deal with Universal to offer download-to-own features. The link-up will bring a welcome range of new releases, including King Kong and Jarhead, as well as some back-catalogue films available for UK downloaders when it launches later this month.   New releases will cost up to £20, although you do get the DVD of the film as well. Older films will cost &p…
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18 February 2006

Bad Movie Night Rocks

 A couple in Wales, fed up with seeing bad films they want to shout out loud at, are giving other filmgoers a chance to do just that, at the Bad Film Club night outSwansea comedians Nicola Vaughan, 31, and Joe Timmins, 33, formed the Bad Films Club which meets every month at Swansea's Dyl…
29 November 2007

Final Call for UK Film Council Completion Fund

 submitted by Maya Vision Producers or production companies can send their unfinished short film NOW to Maya Vision International along with a completed application form. The closing date is 14th December 2007. If you don't have a rough cut by then, don't worry as the Com…
21 February 2006

TV Battleground: Freeview Wins (For Now) GREG DYKE

“Britain is now left in the distinctly strange position whereby the only large terrestrial player also in the pay business is the BBC, which owns half of UKTV and is now making good money from it. And, of course, the BBC doesn't take advertising.”  - Greg Dyke, former Director Gene…
  • 06 December 2008
    Internet

David Holroyd's MI6 thriller WMD premieres at CineCity and Daily Motion simultaneously

David Holroyd's independent British thriller WMD, produced by Netribution member Christine Hartland , is to receive its online world premiere on Daily Motion simultaneously to its screening at the Brighton CineCity Film Festival. It is part of a campaign to promote and sell the film which is utilising every digital option. "We are hoping that you, as someone who enjoys film and cares about the issues in wmd., will honour our decision to [release film free onlin…
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30 April 2006

The Top Ten Films of Controversy

  Among the nation's top ten shockers are scenes of torture and necrophilia and a film accused of blasphemy, that featured a very naughty boy rather than a messiah. The films all feature in Time Out's film guide 1,000 Films That Changed Your Life, due to be published this week…
02 May 2006

Good Locations But No Cash In Film Africa

  Delegates from 37 African countries have been meeting in Johannesburg on the factors holding back African cinema. This was the third Africa Film Summit, organised by the Federation of Pan African Film Makers (FEPACI) and hosted by the African Union. The conference acknowledged that whils…
07 April 2007

On Red Road To Success in US

  The award-winning Scottish film Red Road is already receiving acclaim in the American press, ahead of its Stateside launch.  The first feature film by Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold is set in Glasgow. It features Katie Dickie's harrowing portrayal of a CCTV operator whose…
  • 21 November 2006
    Festivals

5th Discovering Latin America Film Festival Kicks off

Meet Film Directors and lead actors at the 5th DLA Film Festival  - Film Directors: Arturo Ripstein (pictured), Claudia Llosa, Emilio Maillé and Jorge Durán 5th DISCOVERING LATIN AMERICA FILM FESTIVAL 23 November- 3 December, 2006 Whether you are an enthusiastic film-lover, or keen to awaken your senses to the cultural diversity that Latin American cinema has to offer, the fifth Discovering Latin America Film Festival brings together an…
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18 March 2010

Roxy’s Extraordinary Film Season

from Roxy publicist Over the past four years Roxy has screened over 1000 films, from recent releases to classics and cult favourites all at ‘probably the coolest cinema venue in London, if not the UK'! Coming up soon is the very special 10 week season of 40 ‘extraordinary' feature films with gues…
28 March 2007

Film Council Backs London to Brighton Director’s The Cottage

  Lottery funding for award-winning director's second feature Paul Andrew Williams, one of the UK's hottest new directors, is to receive Lottery funding for his new film The Cottage, the UK Film Council has announced. The Cottage is a black comedy horror, set in a remot…
23 October 2006

Documentary film at the East European Forum

The sixth East European Forum begins Wenesday October 25 and for the first time includes a meeting of East European documakers, comissioning editors, and other doc professionals. Running until October 29 in Jihlava, Czech Republic, the event mixes panels, pitching fora, networking and a market…
  • 20 April 2006
    Festivals

Cannes Encounter - Mr Bean on the Croisette!

  Mr Bean creator Rowan Atkinson will be in Cannes during May filming the second feature-length film about the adventures of the internationally famous comedy character he created with Richard Curtis. Bean II is a Working Title Films production, in association with Tiger Aspect   Bean will indeed make the trip from London to the Riviera for a simple holiday in the sun, but as usual, havoc follows in his wake wherever he goes. This time the Bean misad…
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05 February 2006

Ten Alps Buys Drama Indie

Factual indeoendent producer Ten Alps is moving into drama by acquiring Cottage Industry Productions while also launching Ten Alps Drama. Jo Willett, Cottage Industry's exec producer and former drama chief at Wall to Wall has signed a service contract with Ten Alps subsidiary Ten Alps TV, joining a…
16 May 2008

Cries for Peace, new film scheme seeks your messages of reconcilliation

This in from Enakeno Ogbo at Spiraluniverse - thanks!  As part of the Week of Peace 2008, Spiraluniverse are seeking entries on the topic of peace as a response to recent news and media highlights of violence and the fear of crime, particualry amongst young people . It aims to be a…
01 April 2007

Star Wars Lands in Britain

They are usually found in a galaxy far, far away - or at the very least in a film studio,  but an exhibition to mark 30th anniversary of the Star Wars films will bring movie memorabilia worth "well over £1 million" to Britain. One hundred crates of props, space ships and co…
  • 02 June 2009
    Festivals

Deadline for 17th Raindance Film Festival looming

From Raindance: The final deadline for the 17th Raindance Film Festival is 19 June. Raindance is the UK’s leading independent film festival and each year more and more films achieve success after Raindance screenings. Recent triumphs include IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS (Independent Spirit Award-winner, 2009), TOYLAND (Oscar-winner, Best Short 2009) and ONCE (Oscar-winner, Best Song, 2008). Over the years, the festival has hosted such guests and filmmakers as Christopher…
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02 May 2006

Good Locations But No Cash In Film Africa

  Delegates from 37 African countries have been meeting in Johannesburg on the factors holding back African cinema. This was the third Africa Film Summit, organised by the Federation of Pan African Film Makers (FEPACI) and hosted by the African Union. The conference acknowledged that whils…
14 April 2009

New government anti-piracy campaign finally takes the post-Cluetrain carrot

Communicating the message that films are generally very expensive to make, and that widespread piracy will directly affect the number and quality of films produced and released, should have been a straight forward pitch. However after years of, literally, demonising piracy as the sponsor of terrori…
26 July 2006

Stephen Lawrence Documentary Sparks Police Corruption Probe

  Metropolitan Police Service Will Carry Out a Full Investigation The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has voiced concerns over the controversial BBC documentary ‘The Boys Who Killed Stephen Lawrence' which was screened on BBC 1 last night and confirmed that T…