There is a month left to get applications in to the FiveNews / Documentary Film Group Five Films competition. The new talent initative, now in its second run, sets out to produce five three-minute topical documentaries using the medium in 'an innovative way'. The application deadline is October 26th, with shortlisted applicants invited to pitch to a panel at the Sheffield DocFest…

Bridging the Gap, is another documentary talent initative which, like Five Films, offers training alongside production. Now in its fourth year it is commissioning seven documentaries with an £8k cash, £8k in-kind budget. Although the scheme and associated training is based in Edinburgh and Angus in Scotland and is managed by the Scottish Documentary Institute, it is open to fil…

The Knight Foundation have launched the 'Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge', investing up to $5 million in its first year in web 2.0-style community news projects that best use the digital world to connect people to the real world. The News Challenge is looking to fund new ideas, prototypes, products and leadership initiatives that use innovative news methods to help…

  Is Sumner M. Redstone crazy like a fox? Movie industry executives may be forgiven for thinking that the Viacom chairman was mad to let Tom Cruise go after a 14-year relationship simply because Mr. Cruise seemed a little off balance. After all, the movies made by Viacom's Paramount Pictures studio and the actors production company earned more than $2.5 billion at the box offic…

  Aiming For £100M Asset Pot A film finance fund is expecting pace of business in the film industry to accelerate as filmmakers recover from the loss of UK tax breaks two years ago. Pacific Continental Film Opportunities Fund, launched in 2005, is to embark on a marketing campaign in 2007 and could eventually hold up to 100 million pounds in assets.

  Industry Makeover For New Investments   Strategic Research Institute's Summit is scheduled for November 27-28 in Los Angeles, CA. The entertainment industry is getting a face lift with the infusion of new investments, creative distribution outlets, and consumer behaviour evolving to "industry-wide standards." A better looking industry has attracted…

  Employ Industry Analysis Tools To Show What Must Be Done "It is a paradox that the film industry, through the cowboy genre, has taught the world the essentials of finance and yet Africa's film industries have not put these essentials into practice," said a film executive from South Africa, speaking in Windhoek, Namibia.    

  Hard Drive Sinks For Troubled River Queen Firm The film company behind the troubled movie River Queen has left a trail of debts in Queenstown after the collapse of its latest venture after only six weeks. Silverscreen Films (HD) halted pre-production work on Hard Drive, a car-chase stunt movie, two months ago leaving about 30 individuals out of pocket, New Zealand film insiders sa…

  Bookseller Follows Coffee Shop Into Film Internet retailer Amazon.com is making its first foray into the big-screen movie business after buying an option to develop a film from Keith Donohue's fantasy novel "The Stolen Child." Amazon said it will not co-finance the film, but it plans to meet with studios and potential partners who can put the story, in which fa…