The top 10 finalists of the 12th Annual Slamdance Screenplay Competition have been announced, with a script about the German women’s Olympic swim team in East Berlin taking top honors. The Wonder Girls writer Anthony Meindl, who runs a Los Angeles-based theatre company, was given a $7,000 cash prize for best feature-length screenplay during an awards presentation sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, West. Other winners (in 2nd through 10th place order) include: Ezzy Fish by Tamar Halper...
Monday, October 15---------The London Film Festival, which opens later this week, is certainly about films, personalities and the love of cinema. However, this year, the Festival has also incorporated a number of exciting industry events to bring more attention to the UK filmmaking community and to give fledgling producers and directors the chance to network with their contemporaries from across the globe.London’s first ever Production Finance Market, launched by Film London in association wit...
FilmFestival Cottbus - Festival of East European Cinema In around a month's time, the 17th FilmFestival Cottbus – Festival of East European Cinema will be opened. It will be offering a representative overview of the feature film production from all of the Central and East European area from November 6th to 10th. From the Baltic states to the Balkans, from Poland through to Central Asia, the festival will be inviting cinema-goers to explore fascinating film landscapes and lively cinematographie...
The Film Financing Circle (FFC) is an integral program in the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi and takes place from October 15 – 17, 2007 at the Emirates Palace. The FFC today announced two-time Academy AwardÒ-winner Paul Haggis will teach a master writing class for 50 exceptionally talented filmmakers, that is sure to provide an engaging discussion about socially and politically astute filmmaking in the Middle East. Haggis’ writing credits include Academy Aw...
The Film Financing Circle (FFC) is an integral program in the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi and takes place from October 15 – 17, 2007 at the Emirates Palace. The FFC today announced two-time Academy AwardÒ-winner Paul Haggis will teach a master writing class for 50 exceptionally talented filmmakers, that is sure to provide an engaging discussion about socially and politically astute filmmaking in the Middle East. Haggis’ writing credits include Academy Awa...
The Film Financing Circle (FFC) is an integral program in the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi. The FFC takes place from October 15 - 17, 2007 at the Emirates Palace, and presents a multifaceted approach to elevating the international entertainment community's awareness of Abu Dhabi's emergence onto the film scene. The FFC encompasses several extraordinary events guaranteed to optimize networking connections between international financiers and film executives f...
London’s first ever Production Finance Market, launched by Film London in association with The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival, will take place 22-23 October, focusing on new private forms of investment, film finance and new distribution avenues; one of the many events in the Festival’s expanded industry calendar. 120 international and UK financiers and established producers will participate in more than 400 face-to-face matched meetings, including 11 emerging producers who have been sel...
Burgeoning world-wide motion picture studio Summit Entertainment and Entertainment One (E1), one of the world’s leading international independent filmed entertainment distributors have reached a multi-territory all rights agreement for feature films from Summit through 2010. E1 subsidiary Contender Films will manage all rights in the UK with Seville Entertainment handling all rights in Canada. The deal allows one of the industry’s newest significant content producers and a global distribut...
A central program in the first annual Middle East International Film Festival – Abu Dhabi (October 14-19, 2007) is the Film Financing Circle (FFC), taking place October 15-17, 2007. Located at the luxurious Emirates Palace, the event is comprised of several extraordinary elements guaranteed to optimize networking connections for industry insiders and power players attending from around the world.“Since the conception of the festival, I have wanted to offer an arena where global financiers, e...
Thursday, September 6--------From a cursory look at the films to be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, which opens this evening, it can seem as if Hollywood is dominating the program schedule. This is far from the truth. The Festival is very international in its scope, with a high percentage of film auteurs and fledgling directors from Europe, Asia and Latin America. It is also a terrific place to check the pulse of the Canadian film scene and discover local talent.One talented ...
Withoutabox, the leading, worldwide online-media company dedicated to advancing independent film and connecting artists with audiences, has promoted Fred Kramer to president and named Trina Wyatt chief operating officer, effective immediately. The announcement was made by David Straus, co-founder and CEO of Withoutabox.In his new role, Kramer will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of Withoutabox with an expanded role managing the company’s technology department, product sales and i...
Withoutabox, the leading, worldwide online-media company dedicated to advancing independent film and connecting artists with audiences, has promoted Fred Kramer to president and named Trina Wyatt chief operating officer, effective immediately. The announcement was made by David Straus, co-founder and CEO of Withoutabox.In his new role, Kramer will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of Withoutabox with an expanded role managing the company’s technology department, product sales and ...
For director Jeffrey Blitz, figuring out how to get his films screened was just short of “Rocket Science”. But with the success of the aforementioned film, he just may have found the right formula. The award winning film at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival was released theatrically last week to encouraging numbers. “Rocket Science”, a wonderful film about a stuttering boy (played brilliantly by Reece Thompson) who is recruited by an attractive overachiever (Anna Kendrick...
The official website has launched (www.meiff.com) for the first annual Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), premiering October 14-19, 2007; and the Call for Entries is now under way. Over five days, MEIFF will present more than 50 films within a diverse slate of regional and international films with an emphasis on emerging artists. Grand Jury Prize winners will receive substantial production grants towards the funding of their next project, awarded in the categories of Narrative, Do...
The recently announced Middle East International Film Festival – Abu Dhabi (MEIFF), which will take place October 12-17, 2007, continues to gain momentum. MEIFF will be produced by Pyramedia, LLC, a media production and entertainment company based in the United Arab Emirates with offices in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Riyadh, London and New York.
Considered a major coup, the Festival has secured festival veteran Jon Fitzgerald to assume the role of Festival Director. Over the past fifteen years, Jon...
The recently announced Middle East International Film Festival – Abu D habi (MEIFF), which will take place October 12-17, 2007, continues to gain momentum. MEIFF will be produced by Pyramedia, LLC, a media production and entertainment company based in the United Arab Emirates with offices in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Riyadh, London and New York.Considered a major coup, the Festival has secured festival veteran Jon Fitzgerald to assume the role of Festival Director. Over the past fifteen years, Jon Fi...
The acclaimed American independent filmmaker John Sayles will attend the 48th edition of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival for a complete retrospective on his work. John Sayles will present and discuss his films with the public, along with his longtime partner and producer Maggie Renzi and his staple actors Chris Cooper (Academy Award winner in 2002 for Adaptation) and David Strathairn (Academy Award winner in 2005 for Goodnight and Good Luck). The director will be honored with a spec...
I wasn't able to attend the Finance Conference, but Kristina F. Jordan was and she sent in this:Firstly, it was held in the newly opened (only three weeks old) Landmark Theatres at Pico and Westwood, which significantly elevates the theatre going experience for indie audiences. It looks good, it feels good, and there's a cool bar where we were hosted to tasty hor d'oeuvres and drinks by American Express during the lunch break and after conference reception.Secondly, given the chan...
From Sunday, September 30 until Saturday, October 6, 2007, the beautiful international resort destination of Phuket, Thailand will realize its first international film festival.To be held at the new SF Cinema theaters at the international shopping destination of Jungceylon Shopping Center on Patong Beach, the Phuket Film Festival (PFF) will feature over 30 award winning feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the world. In its first year, PFF is aiming for a “sanook” (Thai for �...
His Excellency Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan Chairman, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage invited the Cannes festival professionnals at Mint Villa to celebrate the launch of the Middle East International Film Festival and The Abu Dhabi Film Commission.Embracing both the art and business of film, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival aims to become the essential destination for film-makers looking to reach global audiences. The upcoming Abu Dhabi Film Festival will play host to financiers, studi...
FilmTies.com, the world's first online interactive membership based, social networking community that provides funding for film projects through its patent pending model, today announced it has funded and sent into production four projects through the patent pending film financing model. The first film financed was Western Pennsylvania resident Ryan Cavalline's Dead Body Man Chronicles. Cavalline's film was financed by local sponsorships with only five hours of phone time. "My screen plays are m...
Mr. Wilfred Wong, Chairman, Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, announced today that Josephine Siao will be the recipient of the inaugural Asian Film Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Cinema which will be presented at the awards ceremony on March 20th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and held in conjunction with Entertainment Expo, the Asian Film Awards (AFA) will recognize the best of Asian ci...
The 9th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century, as every year, is hosting a series of Lectures, Master-Classes, Workshops and Discussions featuring the Festival’s honoured guests which are traditionally open to the public in order to encourage information and dialogue between industry professionals, students and the ardent fans of documentary film. 1. CONVERSATION WITH BARBARA KOPPLE“John Cassavetes” Theater, PORTMonday, March 19 11.00 – 13.00The multi award winni...
SBSi/AFC Pitch & Punt finalists announced2pm, Sunday 25 FebruaryAdelaide Hilton, Balcony 1 and 2Finalists for the 2007 SBS Independent and Australian Film Commission Pitch & Punt competition have been announced. The five finalists have been invited to present their proposals at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) and with only 7 minutes to pitch it's sure to be a lively event! Finalists are in the running for AUD$20,000 to finance the development of a documentary series.Th...
From 28 March to 1st April 2007 MEDIA Salles will be organising the fourth edition of “DigiTraining Plus: New Technologies for European Cinemas”, the course on digital projection for European exhibitors. This is the first and only training initiative in the EU’s MEDIA Programme to deal with the topic of the new technologies from the theatres’ point of view. For 2007 the collaboration between MEDIA Salles and Barco, the leading European producer of digital projectors, is once again confir...
