Press Releases Archive for October, 2010

LONGTIME COLUMBIA PICTURES CHIEFS MATT TOLMACH AND DOUG BELGRAD TRANSITION INTO NEW ROLES

Tolmach Launches New Production Company and Joins Spider-Man Team As Belgrad Promoted to Sole President of Columbia Pictures — Hannah Minghella Named President of Production for Historic Banner– (Culver City, Calif. – October 29, 2010) – Matt Tolmach has launched a new production company and will become a producer on the next installment of Spider-Man,…

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AMAZONAS FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2010 JURORS AND LINE-UP

Award-winning films from around the globe will be screened at this unique festival in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest MANAUS, BRAZIL (October 28, 2010) – The seventh annual Amazonas Film Festival today announced its 2010 line-up, which features award-winning films from around the globe, and its jury of international stars and filmmakers. The festival…

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THE ELIA KAZAN FILM COLLECTION ARRIVES NOVEMBER 9TH FROM FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT

For Immediate Release Features acclaimed documentary A LETTER TO ELIA by Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones as well as 15 of Kazan’s most noteworthy and popular films in a collectible DVD gift set. Los Angeles (October 28, 2010) — On November 9th, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the Elia Kazan Film Collection, an…

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EXCLUSIVE MEDIA GROUP AND CROSS CREEK TO FINANCE GEORGE CLOONEY’S THE IDES OF MARCH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EXCLUSIVE FILMS INTERNATIONAL TO LAUNCH FILM AT AFM Los Angeles, CA (October  27,  2010) – Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, Co-Chairmen of Exclusive Media Group (“Exclusive”), and Brian Oliver, President of  Cross Creek Pictures, announced today that  that  they will be financing and co-producing The Ides of March with George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smoke House Pictures, along…

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International Documentary Association Announces Nominees for 2010 IDA Awards

IDA Members to Select Winners in Feature and Short Categories LOS ANGELES, October 27, 2010 – The International Documentary Association, one of the leading organizations in the world of documentary film and filmmaking, announced the nominees for the 2010 edition of it’s prestigious IDA Documentary Awards today, with many of the year’s most buzzed about…

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IFC MIDNIGHT AND FORTISSIMO FILMS SEAL NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR AWARD-WINNING HONG KONG SLASHER ‘DREAM HOME’

IFC MIDNIGHT AND FORTISSIMO FILMS SEAL NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR AWARD-WINNING HONG KONG SLASHER ‘DREAM HOME’ New York, NY (October 27, 2010) – IFC Midnight, the genre label of IFC Films, announced today that the company is acquiring North American rights to the thriller DREAM HOME. Directed by Pang Ho-Cheung (ISABELLA – Silver Bear Winner,…

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JAMES CAMERON’S NEXT FILMS ARE AVATAR 2 & 3

Oscar®-winning Filmmaker to Follow his History-Making  and Revolutionary Motion Picture Event with Two Films that Continue the Mythology of the World He Created LOS ANGELES (October 27, 2010)  Moving forward with the most anticipated films of the next decade, Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman announced today that Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James…

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FRANKIE & ALICE, STARRING ACADEMY AWARD®-WINNER HALLE BERRY, WILL BE RELEASED THEATRICALLY IN DECEMBER 2010

Los Angeles, CA, October 25, 2010 – FRANKIE & ALICE, starring Academy Award ®-winning actress Halle Berry, will have an awards season qualifying run on December 17, 2010, in New York and Los Angeles before its regular theatrical release, which is set for February 4, 2011, it was announced today by Freestyle Releasing. FRANKIE &…

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GODARD TO MISS GOVERNORS AWARDS

October 25, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that, following a two-month-long cordial exchange of correspondence with Academy president Tom Sherak, Jean-Luc Godard has regretfully notified Sherak that he will not be able to attend the November 13th Governors Awards and receive his…

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CHICAGO FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Feature film TRUST and documentary LOUDER THAN A BOMB share 2010 Audience Choice Award CHICAGO, October 22, 2010 – The 46th Chicago International Film Festival proudly announces the Audience Choice Awards, presented by Buick Regal, and the juried Chicago Award. Audiences received ballots at every public screening during the two-week Festival to rank films on a five-point…

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A “BRIGADE” OF ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICITY AND DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVES FORM NEXT GENERATION AGENCY

New York, NY – October 21, 2010 – BRIGADE, a next-generation publicity, digital marketing & creative agency, is excited to announce its official launch. The BRIGADE founders are comprised of digital marketing executive Tom Cunha, veteran publicist Adam Kersh, and social media strategist Jean McDowell, who collectively bring more than three decades of studio and…

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STEVEN SPIELBERG TO DIRECT “ROBOPOCALYPSE”

Los Angeles, CA  (October 22, 2010) – Steven Spielberg is set to direct “Robopocalypse,” it was announced today by Mark Sourian and Holly Bario, Co-Presidents of Production for DreamWorks Studios.  Based on the novel of the same name by Daniel H. Wilson, Spielberg will begin principal photography on the futuristic tale in January 2012.  Disney’s…

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Why You Can’t Rent The New Harmony Korine DVD from Netflix

Drag City is seriously considering going into the movie rental business! Why not? We’ve just about done everything else in the entertainment business, putting out music for twenty-plus (and a few minus) years on whichever format the people fancied, and eventually branching into booking live entertainment (music and comedy so far), radio (wherever they’ll let…

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ACADEMY ANNOUNCES NICHOLL SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP WINNERS FOR 2010

October 20, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Beverly Hills, CA – Five writers have been selected as winners of the 25th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Each writer will receive a $30,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at a…

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BANKSY’S HIT DOCUMENTARY “EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP” COMING TO DVD

BANKSY’S HIT DOCUMENTARY “EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP” COMING TO DVD AND VOD THIS HOLIDAY SEASON THRU OSCILLOSCOPE LABORATORIES AND FILMBUFF New York, NY (October 20th, 2010) Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired the U.S. DVD rights to the critically acclaimed hit documentary, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP.  Oscilloscope joins FilmBuff in an innovative home video release strategy that…

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Universal Enters Exclusive Film Processing Agreement with Deluxe

Deluxe is now the Worldwide Provider of 35mm release printing services for Universal HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Oct. 20 — Deluxe Entertainment Services Group today announced the signing of a multi-year, exclusive worldwide 35mm film print services agreement with Universal Studios that includes Focus Features.”We are thrilled to have concluded this agreement with Universal,” said Cyril Drabinsky,…

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BILLY JOEL’S THE LAST PLAY AT SHEA TO PREMIERE ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON OCTOBER 21 IN EXCLUSIVE ONE NIGHT ONLY SHOWS

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL HIT WILL ALSO HAVE FULL THEATRICAL RUNS IN SELECT CITIES INNOVATIVE RELEASE STRATEGY COURTESY OF NEWMARKET FILMS IN ASSOCIATION WITH WREKIN HILL Los Angeles, CA (October 14, 2010) – Nigel Sinclair, CEO and Co-Chairman of Exclusive Media Group (“Exclusive”) and Newmarket Films (“Newmarket”), Chris Ball, CEO and President of Wrekin Hill Entertainment…

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THE 2010 ANAHEIM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS

THE 2010 ANAHEIM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS “COLONY” AND “EIGHTEEN” SHARE THE JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FEATURE “THE GOD OF LOVE” IS NAMED BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM “THE LOST THING” TAKES BEST ANIMATION SHORT HONORS AUDIENCE AWARDS GO TO “THE YANKLES” FOR BEST LIVE ACTION FEATURE, “UNDER THE BOARDWALK: THE MONOPOLY STORY”…

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2010 GOTHAM AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

For Immediate Release Debra Granik’s Winters Bone Receives Three Nominations including Best Feature, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance; The Kids Are All Right and Tiny Furniture both receive two nominations New York, NY (October 18, 2010) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today the…

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46TH CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RUSSIA, MEXICO, NORWAY, GERMANY AND THE USA WIN TOP AWARDS IN CHICAGO CHICAGO, October 16, 2010 – Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, Mimi Plauché, Head of Programming, and Associate Programmers Joel Hoglund and Penny Bartlett proudly announce the winners of the 46th Chicago International Film…

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Press Releases

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon