“Barbenheimer” may be the gift that keeps on giving.
After Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” ignited the summer box office, the blockbusters with twin release dates are bringing populist energy to the Oscars. Yet the one-two punch of “Barbie” ($1.445 billion globally) and “Oppenheimer” ($957 million), along with a valiant assist from Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” ($156 million), can’t compete with the box office power of last year’s contenders.
Led by “Avatar: The Way of Water” ($2.3 billion) and “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.5 billion), the 10 films up for best picture in 2023 were collectively the highest grossing in more than a decade, racking up $4.4 billion worldwide. This year’s candidates for the top prize were still widely seen, with a combined $2.7 billion globally to date. But these impressive hauls are considered outliers and stand in dramatic contrast to Oscars of yore, where there hasn...
After Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” ignited the summer box office, the blockbusters with twin release dates are bringing populist energy to the Oscars. Yet the one-two punch of “Barbie” ($1.445 billion globally) and “Oppenheimer” ($957 million), along with a valiant assist from Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” ($156 million), can’t compete with the box office power of last year’s contenders.
Led by “Avatar: The Way of Water” ($2.3 billion) and “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.5 billion), the 10 films up for best picture in 2023 were collectively the highest grossing in more than a decade, racking up $4.4 billion worldwide. This year’s candidates for the top prize were still widely seen, with a combined $2.7 billion globally to date. But these impressive hauls are considered outliers and stand in dramatic contrast to Oscars of yore, where there hasn...
- 2/12/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
For years, many have bemoaned the lack of commercial box office hits vying for the Oscar for best picture, saying it alienates the average consumer who might otherwise tune into the Academy Awards telecast, which has seen its ratings plummet. Tuesday’s 2023 Oscar nominations are a key test of whether awards voters are truly ready to crown a blockbuster rather than the sort of specialty title that has come to dominate Hollywood’s favorite annual battle.
As a class, the 2023 best picture contenders have collectively grossed more at the domestic box office than any previous group in history at the time of nominations, not adjusted for inflation. Needless to say, Top Gun: Maverick (718.7 million) and Avatar: The Way of Water (598.4 million) lead the way. Elvis is also no slouch (151 million). At the other end, there are no box office grosses for Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front since it is a streaming title,...
As a class, the 2023 best picture contenders have collectively grossed more at the domestic box office than any previous group in history at the time of nominations, not adjusted for inflation. Needless to say, Top Gun: Maverick (718.7 million) and Avatar: The Way of Water (598.4 million) lead the way. Elvis is also no slouch (151 million). At the other end, there are no box office grosses for Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front since it is a streaming title,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
When James Cameron’s Titanic — the top-grossing best picture winner of all time with 2.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, including 600.8 million domestically — won the Academy Award for best picture in 1998, more than 55.3 million viewers tuned in to the Oscar telecast. Other box office hits vying for the honor included As Good as It Gets, which earned more than 148 million domestically, and Good Will Hunting, with 138.4 million.
A year later, Oscar ratings began a decades-long precipitous decline as smaller, adult-skewing fare from specialty distributors began dominating the best picture contest. In mid-2009 — the final straw was The Dark Knight being snubbed — Academy members were so concerned that then-president Sid Ganis expanded the category to as many as 10 films in hopes of including studio event pics that are actually being seen by tens of millions of moviegoers.
Did it work? Yes and no. The Hurt Locker...
When James Cameron’s Titanic — the top-grossing best picture winner of all time with 2.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, including 600.8 million domestically — won the Academy Award for best picture in 1998, more than 55.3 million viewers tuned in to the Oscar telecast. Other box office hits vying for the honor included As Good as It Gets, which earned more than 148 million domestically, and Good Will Hunting, with 138.4 million.
A year later, Oscar ratings began a decades-long precipitous decline as smaller, adult-skewing fare from specialty distributors began dominating the best picture contest. In mid-2009 — the final straw was The Dark Knight being snubbed — Academy members were so concerned that then-president Sid Ganis expanded the category to as many as 10 films in hopes of including studio event pics that are actually being seen by tens of millions of moviegoers.
Did it work? Yes and no. The Hurt Locker...
- 11/14/2022
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Here’s a wish for Tuesday:
Sometime during the day, governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will meet to elect new officers, including a president to replace termed-out David Rubin. I wish they would choose a Great Communicator for the top job.
The film Academy already has a Great Operator running its staff in the person of recently appointed Bill Kramer. Less than a month on the job, Kramer has already restructured management (a new 14-member ‘masthead’ on the Oscars.org Web site integrates Academy and Museum officers), re-ordered priorities (appointment of an executive vice-president for revenue and business development points toward fiscal rigor), and laid track for a possible repositioning of the Oscar ceremony.
There’s every reason to believe that Kramer, who is articulate and not shy, could also serve as principal spokesman for the Academy in his role as chief executive.
But the members, around 10,000 of them at this point, deserve to have an elected president, one of their own, serving as their collective voice—to be their Communicator.
It’s a function that has become considerably diminished in the last decade, as a series of presidents—Rubin, John Bailey, Cheryl Boone-Isaacs—retreated from the more freewheeling public posture of previous top officers—Hawk Koch, Tom Sherak, Sidney Ganis.
Partly, it was a matter of professional background. Rubin, a casting director, and Bailey, a cinematographer, were clearly rooted in a Hollywood tradition that has restricted most communication to the public relations pros. Neither talked much publicly, and when they did speak, it was carefully, and often in tandem with Kramer’s predecessor, Dawn Hudson.
Similarly, Boone-Isaacs, though a marketing and PR professional, was fairly tight-lipped. An old-school executive, she seemed to believe that Hollywood’s business was Hollywood’s business, and mostly none of yours—a contrast with the prior three presidents, who were notably outgoing.
But Tuesday brings an inflection point. The next president, to be elected by and from among a 54-member governing board, will be in the hot spot eight months from now when the Academy finally implements an elaborate, long-promised system of racial, gender and disability standards and quotas governing Best Picture contenders.
The Identity Oscars are going to take a lot of explaining, both to contenders and to the public at large.
Already, questions are bubbling up in the expanded Faq section of the Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform, on which Oscar contenders are required to enter data about their performers, filmmakers, crew, distributors and content.
Yes, says the platform, it is necessary for all of the hundreds of Oscar-submitted pictures to create a Raise entry, even if they don’t want to be considered for Best Picture, “as we cannot distinguish a Best Picture entry at the point of submission.”
No, the platform says, you cannot review your own submission until you have entered information for all of the many standards.
Of course, the bigger questions will arise when the Academy inevitably discloses its list of films that qualify under the inclusion standards—leaving the unqualified, if any, to explain their exclusion. Are they racist? Are they sexist? Are they simply films born in a national culture that is less multi-ethnic or diversity-conscious than our own?
And if no films are disqualified, why are we doing this at all?
According to the current whisper, front-runners in the Academy’s closed-door presidential race are Janet Yang and DeVon Franklin, both of whom were appointed as governors-at-large—representing no specific branch–under the board’s diversity initiative.
In truth, their provenance matters less than their powers of persuasion. As the next president, Yang, or Franklin, or anyone else will at last have to sell this new system as best for the Academy and for the industry it serves.
Sometime during the day, governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will meet to elect new officers, including a president to replace termed-out David Rubin. I wish they would choose a Great Communicator for the top job.
The film Academy already has a Great Operator running its staff in the person of recently appointed Bill Kramer. Less than a month on the job, Kramer has already restructured management (a new 14-member ‘masthead’ on the Oscars.org Web site integrates Academy and Museum officers), re-ordered priorities (appointment of an executive vice-president for revenue and business development points toward fiscal rigor), and laid track for a possible repositioning of the Oscar ceremony.
There’s every reason to believe that Kramer, who is articulate and not shy, could also serve as principal spokesman for the Academy in his role as chief executive.
But the members, around 10,000 of them at this point, deserve to have an elected president, one of their own, serving as their collective voice—to be their Communicator.
It’s a function that has become considerably diminished in the last decade, as a series of presidents—Rubin, John Bailey, Cheryl Boone-Isaacs—retreated from the more freewheeling public posture of previous top officers—Hawk Koch, Tom Sherak, Sidney Ganis.
Partly, it was a matter of professional background. Rubin, a casting director, and Bailey, a cinematographer, were clearly rooted in a Hollywood tradition that has restricted most communication to the public relations pros. Neither talked much publicly, and when they did speak, it was carefully, and often in tandem with Kramer’s predecessor, Dawn Hudson.
Similarly, Boone-Isaacs, though a marketing and PR professional, was fairly tight-lipped. An old-school executive, she seemed to believe that Hollywood’s business was Hollywood’s business, and mostly none of yours—a contrast with the prior three presidents, who were notably outgoing.
But Tuesday brings an inflection point. The next president, to be elected by and from among a 54-member governing board, will be in the hot spot eight months from now when the Academy finally implements an elaborate, long-promised system of racial, gender and disability standards and quotas governing Best Picture contenders.
The Identity Oscars are going to take a lot of explaining, both to contenders and to the public at large.
Already, questions are bubbling up in the expanded Faq section of the Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry platform, on which Oscar contenders are required to enter data about their performers, filmmakers, crew, distributors and content.
Yes, says the platform, it is necessary for all of the hundreds of Oscar-submitted pictures to create a Raise entry, even if they don’t want to be considered for Best Picture, “as we cannot distinguish a Best Picture entry at the point of submission.”
No, the platform says, you cannot review your own submission until you have entered information for all of the many standards.
Of course, the bigger questions will arise when the Academy inevitably discloses its list of films that qualify under the inclusion standards—leaving the unqualified, if any, to explain their exclusion. Are they racist? Are they sexist? Are they simply films born in a national culture that is less multi-ethnic or diversity-conscious than our own?
And if no films are disqualified, why are we doing this at all?
According to the current whisper, front-runners in the Academy’s closed-door presidential race are Janet Yang and DeVon Franklin, both of whom were appointed as governors-at-large—representing no specific branch–under the board’s diversity initiative.
In truth, their provenance matters less than their powers of persuasion. As the next president, Yang, or Franklin, or anyone else will at last have to sell this new system as best for the Academy and for the industry it serves.
- 8/1/2022
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a thought for a sunny morning: Wouldn’t it be nice to see a “daylight slate” in charge of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?
If precedent holds, next month will bring the election or re-election of almost one-third of the Academy’s 54-member governing board (three governors are diversity appointments). A month later, the termed-out David Rubin will be replaced as president, and at some point the group will complete its search for a new chief executive to replace Dawn Hudson, who is leaving.
That confluence of changes brings the rare opportunity for a sudden reset — but only if the incoming leaders are not simply a new version of the old (Hudson and Rubin will influence the choice of a new CEO) and if there is any point on which they can actually agree.
So let that point be “daylight”: a commitment to transparency and member engagement.
If precedent holds, next month will bring the election or re-election of almost one-third of the Academy’s 54-member governing board (three governors are diversity appointments). A month later, the termed-out David Rubin will be replaced as president, and at some point the group will complete its search for a new chief executive to replace Dawn Hudson, who is leaving.
That confluence of changes brings the rare opportunity for a sudden reset — but only if the incoming leaders are not simply a new version of the old (Hudson and Rubin will influence the choice of a new CEO) and if there is any point on which they can actually agree.
So let that point be “daylight”: a commitment to transparency and member engagement.
- 5/10/2022
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
Pop Oscars. Off-screen awards. A host-free ceremony. What will they think of next at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?
In truth, it’s hard to know, because the Academy has been fairly successful in dropping a veil of secrecy over its internal deliberations. The next agenda, who backs whom, and who supports what are all treated as confidential matters by the 57-member Board of Governors, and its large staff of helpers. What passes for transparency is the occasional “Dear Member” email, usually sent after a policy has been set. Committee debates are closely held. Missteps, as with the abortive push to move some Oscar awards off the live telecast, only become apparent when members protest a change that’s already on the way.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t always so—at least, not officially. A bit of research at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick library makes clear that...
In truth, it’s hard to know, because the Academy has been fairly successful in dropping a veil of secrecy over its internal deliberations. The next agenda, who backs whom, and who supports what are all treated as confidential matters by the 57-member Board of Governors, and its large staff of helpers. What passes for transparency is the occasional “Dear Member” email, usually sent after a policy has been set. Committee debates are closely held. Missteps, as with the abortive push to move some Oscar awards off the live telecast, only become apparent when members protest a change that’s already on the way.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t always so—at least, not officially. A bit of research at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick library makes clear that...
- 7/21/2019
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
Yesterday, I was daydreaming about something weirder than Dorothy’s trip to Oz. Why not turn the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences movie museum over to Disney?
Not to own, of course. No sense losing the tax advantages of the Academy’s nonprofit status. But to manage, as an adjunct to those other theme parks, Disneyland and Disney World. Maybe they could do package pricing complete with annual hikes. One wristband gets you a weekend of fun in Anaheim and the Miracle Mile. In return, Disney could take a percentage of the gate and a possessory credit. Something snappy, like: The Walt Disney Company Proudly Presents the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The idea isn’t entirely outlandish. After all, Disney’s ABC network has aired the Oscar broadcast for over 40 years and appears to have it locked up for another decade. For the last two years,...
Not to own, of course. No sense losing the tax advantages of the Academy’s nonprofit status. But to manage, as an adjunct to those other theme parks, Disneyland and Disney World. Maybe they could do package pricing complete with annual hikes. One wristband gets you a weekend of fun in Anaheim and the Miracle Mile. In return, Disney could take a percentage of the gate and a possessory credit. Something snappy, like: The Walt Disney Company Proudly Presents the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The idea isn’t entirely outlandish. After all, Disney’s ABC network has aired the Oscar broadcast for over 40 years and appears to have it locked up for another decade. For the last two years,...
- 8/12/2018
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
Sid Ganis, a former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, on Thursday became the person closest to the Academy's current leadership to weigh in on the Harvey Weinstein scandal, slamming the disgraced movie mogul as "evil on every front" and encouraging the Academy to "consider condemning him in the most forceful terms."
"As much as we industry-ites were combative with him on projects, that's how much we admired his accomplishments as a practitioner of film art," Ganis, who presided over the Academy from 2005 through 2009, tells The Hollywood Reporter. "We (some of us) could live...
"As much as we industry-ites were combative with him on projects, that's how much we admired his accomplishments as a practitioner of film art," Ganis, who presided over the Academy from 2005 through 2009, tells The Hollywood Reporter. "We (some of us) could live...
- 10/13/2017
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Academy Board of Governors convenes Tuesday night to pick their next president. Three major candidates have emerged from the 54-member body, although anything can happen.
Dern would be the first actress since Bette Davis’s notoriously short two-month 1941 tenure. (She quit when she realized the all-male board would give her no power.) While movie stars like Gregory Peck and Douglas Fairbanks have served as president, only two women have served since Davis: Screenwriter Fay Kanin presided effectively from 1979 to 1983, and publicity executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs (the first African-American to hold the post) is exiting at the end of a tumultuous four-year term. During that time, she and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson spearheaded a concerted drive to add more diversity to the Academy, urging the 17 branches to actively recruit a younger and more inclusive membership from all over the world.
Isaacs also presided over the infamous last Oscar show, with...
Dern would be the first actress since Bette Davis’s notoriously short two-month 1941 tenure. (She quit when she realized the all-male board would give her no power.) While movie stars like Gregory Peck and Douglas Fairbanks have served as president, only two women have served since Davis: Screenwriter Fay Kanin presided effectively from 1979 to 1983, and publicity executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs (the first African-American to hold the post) is exiting at the end of a tumultuous four-year term. During that time, she and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson spearheaded a concerted drive to add more diversity to the Academy, urging the 17 branches to actively recruit a younger and more inclusive membership from all over the world.
Isaacs also presided over the infamous last Oscar show, with...
- 8/8/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Academy Board of Governors convenes Tuesday night to pick their next president. Three major candidates have emerged from the 54-member body, although anything can happen.
Dern would be the first actress since Bette Davis’s notoriously short two-month 1941 tenure. (She quit when she realized the all-male board would give her no power.) While movie stars like Gregory Peck and Douglas Fairbanks have served as president, only two women have served since Davis: Screenwriter Fay Kanin presided effectively from 1979 to 1983, and publicity executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs (the first African-American to hold the post) is exiting at the end of a tumultuous four-year term. During that time, she and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson spearheaded a concerted drive to add more diversity to the Academy, urging the 17 branches to actively recruit a younger and more inclusive membership from all over the world.
Isaacs also presided over the infamous last Oscar show, with...
Dern would be the first actress since Bette Davis’s notoriously short two-month 1941 tenure. (She quit when she realized the all-male board would give her no power.) While movie stars like Gregory Peck and Douglas Fairbanks have served as president, only two women have served since Davis: Screenwriter Fay Kanin presided effectively from 1979 to 1983, and publicity executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs (the first African-American to hold the post) is exiting at the end of a tumultuous four-year term. During that time, she and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson spearheaded a concerted drive to add more diversity to the Academy, urging the 17 branches to actively recruit a younger and more inclusive membership from all over the world.
Isaacs also presided over the infamous last Oscar show, with...
- 8/8/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Platform makes another notable buy after Tribeca opener Clive Davis in April.
Abramorama and filmmakers Brett and Cassandra Berns announced on Wednesday that Apple Music has acquired Bang! The Bert Berns Story.
The film centres on the life and career of 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bert Berns – songwriter, producer and label chief of the 1960’s whose hits included Twist And Shout, Hang On Sloopy, Brown Eyed Girl, Here Comes The Night, and Piece Of My Heart.
Stevie Van Zandt narrates the film that features interviews with Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ben E King, and Solomon Burke, among others.
Apple Music plans an autumn global release, followed by a release on iTunes Movies to rent or download. Abramorama originally released the film theatrically in North America in April.
Sid Ganis served as executive producer on the film directed by Bert Berns’ son Brett Berns and co-directed by Bob Sarles, who also edited...
Abramorama and filmmakers Brett and Cassandra Berns announced on Wednesday that Apple Music has acquired Bang! The Bert Berns Story.
The film centres on the life and career of 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bert Berns – songwriter, producer and label chief of the 1960’s whose hits included Twist And Shout, Hang On Sloopy, Brown Eyed Girl, Here Comes The Night, and Piece Of My Heart.
Stevie Van Zandt narrates the film that features interviews with Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ben E King, and Solomon Burke, among others.
Apple Music plans an autumn global release, followed by a release on iTunes Movies to rent or download. Abramorama originally released the film theatrically in North America in April.
Sid Ganis served as executive producer on the film directed by Bert Berns’ son Brett Berns and co-directed by Bob Sarles, who also edited...
- 6/28/2017
- ScreenDaily
Updated, 10:23 Am: Deadline has learned the identity of the Chinese owner of The H Collective effort. It is controversial exec Jian-hua “Kenny” Huang as he has apparently been in talks with Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum about financing xXx and was involved in the Transformers lawsuit which embroiled Sid Ganis. Huang is also supposed to be getting an office soon on the Paramount lot. Who is he? He was the guy who had a relationship with former Paramount exec Rob Moore and…...
- 6/19/2017
- Deadline
Veteran producers Sid Ganis, Nancy Hult Ganis, Mark Johnson, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum have teamed up to form The H Collective, a new film financing, production, marketing and distribution company, the producers announced Monday. The lead project on the new company’s slate is a fourth sequel to Vin Diesel’s “xXx” action franchise following Paramount’s January release of “xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” which grossed $346 million worldwide. The H Collective will finance the new film, which will be produced by Roth and Kirschenbaum, and acquire all rights excluding TV and U.S. theme park rights. Also Read:...
- 6/19/2017
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Production partners include Sid Ganis, Mark Johnson, Joe Roth.
Chinese businessman Jian-hua ‘Kenny’ Huang is understood to be behind Us-based finance, production, marketing and distribution company The H Collective.
The venture claims to have an exclusive partnership with entertainment conglomerate Beijing Culture and plans to finance and/or produce four broadly appealing features a year over the next four years in the family/comedy, action-adventure, horror / genre, and prestige categories. A press conference about the venture is scheduled for Tuesday at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
Representatives of The H Collective say it has struck deals with producers Sid Ganis and Nancy Hult Ganis, Mark Johnson, and Joe Roth (main picture) and Jeff Kirschenbaum.
Huang is a businessman and facilitator understood to enjoy close ties with former Paramount vice-president Rob Moore and Huahua Media, the company linked to an on-again, off-again $1bn investment in the studio with Shanghai Film Group.
The Chinese...
Chinese businessman Jian-hua ‘Kenny’ Huang is understood to be behind Us-based finance, production, marketing and distribution company The H Collective.
The venture claims to have an exclusive partnership with entertainment conglomerate Beijing Culture and plans to finance and/or produce four broadly appealing features a year over the next four years in the family/comedy, action-adventure, horror / genre, and prestige categories. A press conference about the venture is scheduled for Tuesday at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
Representatives of The H Collective say it has struck deals with producers Sid Ganis and Nancy Hult Ganis, Mark Johnson, and Joe Roth (main picture) and Jeff Kirschenbaum.
Huang is a businessman and facilitator understood to enjoy close ties with former Paramount vice-president Rob Moore and Huahua Media, the company linked to an on-again, off-again $1bn investment in the studio with Shanghai Film Group.
The Chinese...
- 6/19/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sid Ganis, Sigurjon Sighvatsson executive producers on Cannes-bound sales title.
Lakeshore International will commence talks with buyers on the Croisette this week on the psychological thriller Wanting that stars previously announced Adam Brody and Amanda Crew.
Robert Heydon produces the project and Sid Ganis and Sigurjon Sighvatsson serve as executive producers with Donald Martin and Rey Cuerdo.
The project, now in post, centres on a couple who move into their dream all-American home in New England with high hopes of starting a family.
When they are shattered by a miscarriage, a malevolent presence begins to manipulate the wife’s fragile mind, causing her husband to doubt her sanity.
It is only after a local medium reveals the menacing supernatural cause that the couple release they must fight the evil spirit that wants to claim their lives.
Filipino genre filmmaker Yam Laranas, who served as cinematographer on The Road, directs.
Brody starred...
Lakeshore International will commence talks with buyers on the Croisette this week on the psychological thriller Wanting that stars previously announced Adam Brody and Amanda Crew.
Robert Heydon produces the project and Sid Ganis and Sigurjon Sighvatsson serve as executive producers with Donald Martin and Rey Cuerdo.
The project, now in post, centres on a couple who move into their dream all-American home in New England with high hopes of starting a family.
When they are shattered by a miscarriage, a malevolent presence begins to manipulate the wife’s fragile mind, causing her husband to doubt her sanity.
It is only after a local medium reveals the menacing supernatural cause that the couple release they must fight the evil spirit that wants to claim their lives.
Filipino genre filmmaker Yam Laranas, who served as cinematographer on The Road, directs.
Brody starred...
- 5/15/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, will step down in August. Nor is she seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member Academy Board of Governors. And with that, let the games begin.
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
- 5/12/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, will step down in August. Nor is she seeking a third three-year term on the 54-member Academy Board of Governors. And with that, let the games begin.
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
The question of who will replace Isaacs is on the table. You have to be on the board in order to run for Academy president, who serves at the pleasure of the board for no more than four one-year terms.
And among those who are eyeing an active role on the board is none other than Ted Sarandos, content czar of Netflix — the same organization that spent the week shaking its fist at the Cannes Film Festival for “closing ranks” with a new ruling that only films that commit to French theatrical distribution may participate in future festivals.
Sarandos is the fox in the Academy henhouse, the disruptor who...
- 5/12/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
International Sales Agent of the Day: First of an occasional pre-Cannes series highlighting the “sellers” whose lineups in Cannes will bring in buyers and who are breaking the normal boundaries of what an Isa is.Brian O’Shea, CEO of The Exchange, a leading sales and film finance company, has hired producer Tom McNulty (“The Spectacular Now”, “Date Night” ) to launch their first ever film development and production division.
Collaborative and transparent, The Exchange is an international sales and finance company committed to creating strong relationships between filmmakers, film financiers and distributors through the exchange of product, information and commerce. Created Brian O’Shea, the company specializes in high quality, commercial films that appeal to North American audiences and the ever-evolving global film market. Check out his Cannes offerings at Cinando.
With more than $2 billion at the box office under his belt, Tom McNulty’s upcoming projects include Universal’s...
Collaborative and transparent, The Exchange is an international sales and finance company committed to creating strong relationships between filmmakers, film financiers and distributors through the exchange of product, information and commerce. Created Brian O’Shea, the company specializes in high quality, commercial films that appeal to North American audiences and the ever-evolving global film market. Check out his Cannes offerings at Cinando.
With more than $2 billion at the box office under his belt, Tom McNulty’s upcoming projects include Universal’s...
- 4/19/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Rob Cohen, the filmmaker behind the original The Fast and the Furious, is set to direct Speedhunters, a car chase action-thriller for Sid Ganis' Jiaflix Pictures and China's 1905 Pictures.
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, best known for the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises, the film is budgeted at $100 million and will begin shooting in July 2017 in Shanghai and at Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, with other international locations to follow. The producers say a script has been submitted to Chinese regulators for consideration as an official China-u.S. co-production. The movie will feature a Chinese and international lead cast.
The partners...
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, best known for the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises, the film is budgeted at $100 million and will begin shooting in July 2017 in Shanghai and at Germany’s Studio Babelsberg, with other international locations to follow. The producers say a script has been submitted to Chinese regulators for consideration as an official China-u.S. co-production. The movie will feature a Chinese and international lead cast.
The partners...
- 4/5/2017
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sean O’Neal: In 2009, the Academy announced that it would expand the list of Best Picture contenders to 10, a move that its then-president Sid Ganis characterized as a throwback to the crowded nominees of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as a bold step toward a future of recognizing a broader scope of movies. The decision, Ganis said, would “make it more interesting and less cloistered”—a subtle reference to the growing exhaustion with the category’s refusal to consider more popular fare, which had fueled many an op-ed during the previous year’s snubs of The Dark Knight and Wall-e. It was time for the Oscars to start reflecting the movies people actually go to see, and Ganis speculated that opening up the borders might allow for documentaries, foreign-language films, animated films—“maybe even a comedy.” Loosening up would probably also increase the chances of people actually ...
- 2/25/2017
- by A.A. Dowd, Sean O'Neal
- avclub.com
The director and Oscar-winning actress will receive the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at this year’s Amd British Academy Britannia Awards presented by Jaguar Land Rover and American Airlines.
The annual BAFTA Los Angeles celebration will take place on October 28 in Beverly Hills.
Foster directed this year’s release Money Monster and recently directed episodes of House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. Her last outing as feature director was 2011’s The Beaver starring Mel Gibson.
A24 has updated release information for 20th Century Women starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and Lucas Jade Zumann. The comedic drama will open in limited release on December 25 and expand wide on January 20, 2017. Mike Mills directs in his follow-up to Beginners.Shooting has begun in and around Toronto on psychological thriller The Wanting starring Adam Brody and Amanda Crew. Yam Laranas directs the story in the vein of Rosemary’s [link...
The annual BAFTA Los Angeles celebration will take place on October 28 in Beverly Hills.
Foster directed this year’s release Money Monster and recently directed episodes of House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. Her last outing as feature director was 2011’s The Beaver starring Mel Gibson.
A24 has updated release information for 20th Century Women starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and Lucas Jade Zumann. The comedic drama will open in limited release on December 25 and expand wide on January 20, 2017. Mike Mills directs in his follow-up to Beginners.Shooting has begun in and around Toronto on psychological thriller The Wanting starring Adam Brody and Amanda Crew. Yam Laranas directs the story in the vein of Rosemary’s [link...
- 9/26/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Jiaflix — the company hatched by former Movie Academy head Sid Ganis, Kenneth Huang and Marc Ganis to facilitate the production and distribution of films in China — is partnering with China Movie Channel and 1905 Pictures and are in early talks to develop a sequel to Need For Speed as an official China-u.S. co-production. The trio of Chinese companies are in talks with Electronic Arts and DreamWorks to secure the rights to move forward with the project. They previously…...
- 4/8/2015
- Deadline
What will happen when board members review this year's Oscar ceremony on March 24? Committee members from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be forced to address the "lukewarm" reaction from the audience and a large 16% drop in the ratings. They will be tasked to critique the script, musical numbers, running time, host Neil Patrick Harris, and producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, making suggestions and changes for next year. Some members also want to weigh in on the expansion to a larger number of Best Picture nominees, but that is not currently on next week's agenda. Past president Sid Ganis "always said it was an experiment" and that the "rules are always flexible and always changeable." Variety -Break- Fox freshman drama series "Empire" ends its first season with its highest ratings yet. The soapy show starring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard brought in 16.5 million viewers for the Wednesday night fin.
- 3/20/2015
- Gold Derby
This doesn't surprise me in the least, but I personally don't believe it's a good idea. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting the Academy is considering a move back to only five Best Picture nominees after opening the field to ten nominees back in 2009 when then Academy president Sid Ganis said, "Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going to allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize." The decision came shortly after films such as The Dark Knight and Wall-e did not receive Best Picture nominations at the 2009 Oscars. The THR report says a large portion of the Academy's governing board has been pushing for the change behind the scenes, arguing that having too many best picture nominees has watered down the prestige of a nomination and...
- 3/4/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Young Robert Redford and politics: 'The Candidate' and 'All the President's Men' (photo: Robert Redford as Bob Woodward in 'All the President's Men') A young Robert Redford can be seen The Candidate, All the President's Men, Three Days of the Condor, and Downhill Racer as Turner Classic Movies' Redford series comes to a close this evening. The world of politics is the focus of the first three films, each one of them well-regarded box-office hits. The last title, which shows that politics is part of life no matter what, is set in the world of competitive sports. 'The Candidate' In the Michael Ritichie-directed The Candidate (1972), Robert Redford plays idealistic liberal Democrat Bob McKay, who, with no chance of winning, is convinced to run against the Republican incumbent in a fight for a California seat in Congress. See, McKay is too handsome. Too young. Too liberal.
- 1/28/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Costume Designers Guild, American Cinema Editors and publicists of the International Cinematographers Guild announce honorees
Actress Naomi Watts, producer Frank Marshall, comedian Bob Newhart and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs will all receive honorary awards from Hollywood guilds during upcoming awards shows.
The honors were all announced on Tuesday. Watts will receive the Lacoste Spotlight Award from the Costume Designers Guild, Marshall the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award from the American Cinema Editors, Newhart the Lifetime Achievement Award from the publicists of the International Cinematographers Guild (Icg, Iatse Local 600), and Isaacs the Presidents Award from the Icg.
Actress Naomi Watts, producer Frank Marshall, comedian Bob Newhart and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs will all receive honorary awards from Hollywood guilds during upcoming awards shows.
The honors were all announced on Tuesday. Watts will receive the Lacoste Spotlight Award from the Costume Designers Guild, Marshall the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award from the American Cinema Editors, Newhart the Lifetime Achievement Award from the publicists of the International Cinematographers Guild (Icg, Iatse Local 600), and Isaacs the Presidents Award from the Icg.
- 1/20/2015
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Women presidents at the Academy: Cheryl Boone Isaacs is only the third one (photo: Angelina Jolie, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Brad Pitt) (See previous post: "Honorary Award Non-Winners: Too Late for Gloria Swanson, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich.") Wrapping up this four-part "Honorary Oscars Bypass Women" article, let it be noted that in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 85-year history there have been only two women presidents: two-time Oscar-winning actress Bette Davis (for two months in 1941, before the Dangerous and Jezebel star was forced to resign) and screenwriter Fay Kanin (1979-1983), whose best-known screen credit is the 1958 Doris Day-Clark Gable comedy Teacher's Pet. Additionally, following some top-level restructuring in April 2011, the Academy created the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, with the CEO post currently held by a woman, former Film Independent executive director and sometime actress Dawn Hudson. The COO post is held...
- 9/4/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The China release of Transformers: Age Of Extinction is to go ahead this week after a dispute involving the owners of a hotel featured in the film appears to have come to a conclusion.
Pangu Investments, whose Pangu Plaza Hotel appears in the fourth entry in the sci-fi series, allegedly sought to delay the release and took to the courts because it felt unhappy over the hotel’s depiction in the film.
However this week Jiaflix, a production partner on the film with Paramount that was established by former Academy chief Sid Ganis, Marc Ganis and Kenneth Huang, issued a statement suggesting the matter was approaching full resolution.
According to Jiaflix, Paramount and Pangu held a press conference in which they said they had ended the dispute and the release was set to go ahead as originally planned.
The mainland Chinese premiere of Transformers: Age Of Extinction screened in Beijing on Monday following its recent world premiere...
Pangu Investments, whose Pangu Plaza Hotel appears in the fourth entry in the sci-fi series, allegedly sought to delay the release and took to the courts because it felt unhappy over the hotel’s depiction in the film.
However this week Jiaflix, a production partner on the film with Paramount that was established by former Academy chief Sid Ganis, Marc Ganis and Kenneth Huang, issued a statement suggesting the matter was approaching full resolution.
According to Jiaflix, Paramount and Pangu held a press conference in which they said they had ended the dispute and the release was set to go ahead as originally planned.
The mainland Chinese premiere of Transformers: Age Of Extinction screened in Beijing on Monday following its recent world premiere...
- 6/24/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The China release of Transformers: Age Of Distinction is to go ahead this week after a dispute involving the owners of a hotel featured in the film appears to have come to a conclusion.
Pangu Investments, whose Pangu Plaza Hotel appears in the fourth entry in the sci-fi series, allegedly sought to delay the release and took to the courts because it was unhappy over the hotel’s depiction in the film.
However this week Jiaflix, Paramount’s production partner established by former Academy chief Sid Ganis, Marc Ganis and Kenneth Huang, issued a statement suggesting the matter was approaching full resolution.
According to Jiaflix, Paramount and Pangu held a press conference in which they said they had ended the dispute and the release was set to go ahead as originally planned.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction screened in Beijing on Monday following its world premiere in Hong Kong. The film was the closing night screening at the...
Pangu Investments, whose Pangu Plaza Hotel appears in the fourth entry in the sci-fi series, allegedly sought to delay the release and took to the courts because it was unhappy over the hotel’s depiction in the film.
However this week Jiaflix, Paramount’s production partner established by former Academy chief Sid Ganis, Marc Ganis and Kenneth Huang, issued a statement suggesting the matter was approaching full resolution.
According to Jiaflix, Paramount and Pangu held a press conference in which they said they had ended the dispute and the release was set to go ahead as originally planned.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction screened in Beijing on Monday following its world premiere in Hong Kong. The film was the closing night screening at the...
- 6/24/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff), will present “Arab Cinema Classics,” a two-day screening series of the best in Arab film on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 21, at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles. With input from nearly 500 prominent film critics, writers, novelists, academics and other arts professionals, Diff in 2013 compiled a tally of the 100 greatest Arab films of all time. The Academy will screen three selections from Diff’s Top 10: “The Night of Counting the Years” (“Al-Mummia,” 1970) Friday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. Director Shadi Abdel Salam’s film is based on the true story of the Horabat tribe’s 1881 plundering of pharaohs’ tombs in the ancient city of Thebes. Long unavailable for exhibition, the film was restored in 2009 by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation. “Cairo Station” (“Bab el Hadid,” 1958) Friday, June 13, at 9:20 p.m.
- 5/30/2014
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
This story first appeared in the Feb. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Bruce Davis: Former executive director, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tom really blossomed in being Academy president. The night of the election in 2009, I don't think he was expecting to be chosen. He and outgoing president Sid Ganis both came from marketing backgrounds, and he thought the board might want a change. When he started, he was too deferential and gradually became presidential in the best sense of the word. Nobody I worked with in all the years I was there loved being
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- 2/5/2014
- by Edited by Stacey Wilson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) has been granted status as a qualifying film festival in the eligibility criteria for the short film category of the Academy Awards.
The move, which was announced by the Academy’s Vicangelo Bulluck at Diff yesterday, means that short films which win best film in the festival’s Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica competition will be eligible for Oscars awards consideration.
“Dubai is now a qualifying festival for the Academy in short film in both the Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica categories,” said Bullock. Former Academy president Sid Ganis added: “If you’re a short filmmaker and win an award in Dubai, you qualify, which is very good news for filmmakers in the region.”
To be eligible for Oscars consideration, short films must either be commercially released in Los Angeles or have won a qualifying award at a festival on the Academy’s Short Film Qualifying Festival List. The list includes...
The move, which was announced by the Academy’s Vicangelo Bulluck at Diff yesterday, means that short films which win best film in the festival’s Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica competition will be eligible for Oscars awards consideration.
“Dubai is now a qualifying festival for the Academy in short film in both the Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica categories,” said Bullock. Former Academy president Sid Ganis added: “If you’re a short filmmaker and win an award in Dubai, you qualify, which is very good news for filmmakers in the region.”
To be eligible for Oscars consideration, short films must either be commercially released in Los Angeles or have won a qualifying award at a festival on the Academy’s Short Film Qualifying Festival List. The list includes...
- 12/8/2013
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Dubai — The Academy for Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said Sunday (Dec. 8) that the Dubai International Film Festival would be joining the ranks of qualifying festivals for the Oscar’s short film competition. AMPAS announced the deal on day three of the 10th edition of the festival in Dubai as the AMPAS delegation, made up of former Academy president Sid Ganis, managing director of outreach and strategic initiative, Vic Bulluck and the director of exhibitions and collections Ellen Harrington visited the event. "We’re really excited that Diff is now a qualifying film festival for short films," said Ganis.
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- 12/8/2013
- by Alex Ritman, Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Around the same time, ten years ago(!), as Doha Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Film Festival were beginning, at the peak of the world’s awareness that the Arab world not only was extremely rich but was also interested in breaking into the international film business through its extravagant and, at the same time, business oriented film festivals with markets attached, Dubai, under the leadership of Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma and Shivani Pandya, made a strong impression on us and has remained the frontrunner of the three in our mind. They have maintained stability in staffing and have not changed course. Their mixture of Western and Arab sensibilities seems to work well for all including Africa and Asia. Last year more than 1,600 industry delegates from 88 countries,1,300 media delegates and hundreds of filmmakers from Asia, Africa and the Arab world attended Diff.
This very interesting report comes from From 7 Days in Dubai. How do other festivals calculate the financials of their event? Read below how Dubai is measured.
From Hollywood film directors gulping cups of Arabic coffee between screenings to Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa, organisers of the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) on Sunday said the event has raised Dhs188 million ($51 million) for the emirate’s economy since it began in 2003.
The fresh figure comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the star-studded festival - which runs from December 6 to 14 this year.
Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma said the figure - arrived at after research from an independent international consultant - “shows business-minded people” that the film bash is a valid contributor in Dubai’s economic growth.
“They ask ‘why are you doing this’?” said Juma. “‘Why are you flying these people to Dubai? What does it give to us?’”
Juma responded directly to such often-made queries on Sunday. “We’ve calculated that this festival has a lot of economic impact,” he said. “You don’t necessarily see it because so much else happens in Dubai - but if this festival was the only thing in Dubai then [you would].”
Juma said a company that provides economic data for various film festivals across the world collated the numbers. The detailed sums include spending at malls frequented by visiting film crews, what coffees they bought and what cars they rented. It also examined how many industry players choose to visit the emirate with their families. Many do, according to Juma.
“A lot of stars come back to this place,” said Juma. “I know because I go and see them.
“They love this place. Gerard Butler came back, Zac Efron came back.”
The Emirati film chief added that last year he saw an interview with Morgan Freeman on television filmed “somewhere on Earth”.
“He was wearing a Jumeirah cap,” Juma said, adding that it’s not just the stars but also others from the film industry that return.
The Dhs188 million sum is from 2003 up until 2011 - and includes Tom Cruise’s Hollywood blockbuster ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’, which raised an estimated Dhs80 million alone for Dubai and had its world premiere at Diff 2011.
The film was the most successful ever at the box office for Cruise - who famously attempted to climb the world’s tallest building in the flick - raking in nearly $500 million worldwide.
Diff has also created an estimated $1 billion in global media coverage, Juma said.
Two years ago they partnered with the Film Society of New York’s Lincoln Center to showcase Arab cinema in a special Diff Focus. This year in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a delegation will attend the 10th edition of Diff (Dec 6-14) to deliver a program of events. Highlights will include a panel discussion with members of Academy titled “Beyond the Oscars,” an open session that will provide an overview of AMPAS and masterclasses for filmmakers.
The delegation includes Sid Ganis, producer and former president of the Academy; Vicangelo Bulluck, Academy md of outreach and strategic initiatives; Ellen Harrington, Academy Museum, director of exhibitions and collections; and Academy members, directors Ava DuVernay and Shekhar Kapur. DuVernay and Kapur will present “An Academy Conversation on Directing,” where they will discuss their personal experiences and insights on the impact that changing moviegoer demographics and new technologies have on the filmmaking process. Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma said: “This will be a fantastic opportunity for Diff audiences to gain an insight from Academy members about their craft, films and anecdotes from their illustrious careers.”
Read more on this Here...
This very interesting report comes from From 7 Days in Dubai. How do other festivals calculate the financials of their event? Read below how Dubai is measured.
From Hollywood film directors gulping cups of Arabic coffee between screenings to Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa, organisers of the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) on Sunday said the event has raised Dhs188 million ($51 million) for the emirate’s economy since it began in 2003.
The fresh figure comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the star-studded festival - which runs from December 6 to 14 this year.
Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma said the figure - arrived at after research from an independent international consultant - “shows business-minded people” that the film bash is a valid contributor in Dubai’s economic growth.
“They ask ‘why are you doing this’?” said Juma. “‘Why are you flying these people to Dubai? What does it give to us?’”
Juma responded directly to such often-made queries on Sunday. “We’ve calculated that this festival has a lot of economic impact,” he said. “You don’t necessarily see it because so much else happens in Dubai - but if this festival was the only thing in Dubai then [you would].”
Juma said a company that provides economic data for various film festivals across the world collated the numbers. The detailed sums include spending at malls frequented by visiting film crews, what coffees they bought and what cars they rented. It also examined how many industry players choose to visit the emirate with their families. Many do, according to Juma.
“A lot of stars come back to this place,” said Juma. “I know because I go and see them.
“They love this place. Gerard Butler came back, Zac Efron came back.”
The Emirati film chief added that last year he saw an interview with Morgan Freeman on television filmed “somewhere on Earth”.
“He was wearing a Jumeirah cap,” Juma said, adding that it’s not just the stars but also others from the film industry that return.
The Dhs188 million sum is from 2003 up until 2011 - and includes Tom Cruise’s Hollywood blockbuster ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’, which raised an estimated Dhs80 million alone for Dubai and had its world premiere at Diff 2011.
The film was the most successful ever at the box office for Cruise - who famously attempted to climb the world’s tallest building in the flick - raking in nearly $500 million worldwide.
Diff has also created an estimated $1 billion in global media coverage, Juma said.
Two years ago they partnered with the Film Society of New York’s Lincoln Center to showcase Arab cinema in a special Diff Focus. This year in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a delegation will attend the 10th edition of Diff (Dec 6-14) to deliver a program of events. Highlights will include a panel discussion with members of Academy titled “Beyond the Oscars,” an open session that will provide an overview of AMPAS and masterclasses for filmmakers.
The delegation includes Sid Ganis, producer and former president of the Academy; Vicangelo Bulluck, Academy md of outreach and strategic initiatives; Ellen Harrington, Academy Museum, director of exhibitions and collections; and Academy members, directors Ava DuVernay and Shekhar Kapur. DuVernay and Kapur will present “An Academy Conversation on Directing,” where they will discuss their personal experiences and insights on the impact that changing moviegoer demographics and new technologies have on the filmmaking process. Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma said: “This will be a fantastic opportunity for Diff audiences to gain an insight from Academy members about their craft, films and anecdotes from their illustrious careers.”
Read more on this Here...
- 11/30/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Delegation from AMPAS to attend the film festival in Dubai and present a series of events.
The Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) has secured a partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that will see a delegation attend the 10th edition of Diff (Dec 6-14) to deliver a programme of events.
Highlights will include a panel discussion with members of Academy titled “Beyond the Oscars,” an open session that will provide an overview of AMPAS and masterclasses for filmmakers.
The delegation includes Sid Ganis, producer and former president of the Academy; Vicangelo Bulluck, Academy md of outreach and strategic initiatives; Ellen Harrington, Academy Museum, director of exhibitions and collections; and Academy members, directors Ava DuVernay and Shekhar Kapur.
DuVernay and Kapur will present “An Academy Conversation on Directing,” where they will discuss their personal experiences and insights on the impact that changing moviegoer demographics and new technologies have on the filmmaking process.
Diff chairman...
The Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) has secured a partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that will see a delegation attend the 10th edition of Diff (Dec 6-14) to deliver a programme of events.
Highlights will include a panel discussion with members of Academy titled “Beyond the Oscars,” an open session that will provide an overview of AMPAS and masterclasses for filmmakers.
The delegation includes Sid Ganis, producer and former president of the Academy; Vicangelo Bulluck, Academy md of outreach and strategic initiatives; Ellen Harrington, Academy Museum, director of exhibitions and collections; and Academy members, directors Ava DuVernay and Shekhar Kapur.
DuVernay and Kapur will present “An Academy Conversation on Directing,” where they will discuss their personal experiences and insights on the impact that changing moviegoer demographics and new technologies have on the filmmaking process.
Diff chairman...
- 11/25/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
London – The Dubai International Film Festival has partnered with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to deliver a "customized program" of events involving a delegation from the Academy during the festival next month. The delegation includes Sid Ganis, producer and former president of the Academy, AMPAS managing director of outreach and strategic initiatives Vicangelo Bulluck, Ellen Harrington, Academy Museum director of exhibitions and collections, and Academy members and directors Ava DuVernay and Shekhar Kapur. DuVernay and Kapur will present "An Academy Conversation on Directing," in which they will discuss their personal experiences and insights on the
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- 11/25/2013
- by Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Twilight Saga – Eclipse, The Tree Of Life, Princess Bride, and Dirty Dancing are among the movies that will become available for transactional and subscription VOD on China‘s official streaming site, the companies say. They didn’t disclose terms, but say that they have a “multiyear licensing agreement” for classic Lionsgate and Summit films “and selected new releases.” Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution Jim Packer says the deal is one of many the studio is making to distribute its movies and TV shows in China — a huge market that Hollywood is eager to cultivate. “Our website becomes even more attractive to movie fans with the addition of these important Lionsgate and Summit titles, and our audience continues to grow as we present great Chinese and Western films,” M1905 VP Longfei Liang says. Jiaflix Enterprises is a partner at the official Web subsidiary of China Movie Channel/CCTV...
- 11/6/2013
- by DAVID LIEBERMAN, Financial Editor
- Deadline TV
Toronto – Lionsgate has pacted with Sid Ganis' Jiaflix Enterprises to extend its digital pipeline into China. The multi-year licensing agreement for Lionsgate and Summit films will make select movies available for transactional and subscription video on demand on the Chinese streaming website M1905.com, the online division of China Movie Channel and CCTV6. Lionsgate/Summit titles that will be available to Jiaflix subscribers include The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Tree of Life, The Princess Bride and Dirty Dancing. Analysis: Lionsgate Pins Growth Plans on 'Ender's Game' and 'Catching Fire' The Asian deal for Lionsgate was unveiled by the mini-
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- 11/6/2013
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cinematography, art direction and visual effects are so blended in new movies that it might be time for a new Oscar category to be introduced, admitted Hawk Koch, past president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and current co-president of the PGA. His suggestion? Something along the lines of "visual imaging." Koch, current Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and past president Sid Ganis discussed this blurring of the lines during an AMPAS presidents session at Visual Effects Society’s annual summit Saturday at the W in Hollywood. A key question was raised: how much does the success
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- 10/26/2013
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The San Francisco Film Society has announced plans for the first annual Fall Celebration – which will honor Fruitvale Station, Her, Nebraska and The Square. The event is described as a way to honor creativity, innovation, collaboration and inspiration in cinema. It is co-chaired by filmmakers and Sffs Board Members Victoria Raiser and Todd Traina and hosted by fellow Board Members Sid Ganis and Chris Columbus. It will take place on Thursday, November 14. Ryan Coogler, Spike Jonze, Michael B. Jordan, Jehane Noujaim, Alexander Payne and June Squibb will be in attendance. In a press release, San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Ted Hope stated: “The San Francisco Bay Area has a unique perspective on film, with different values...
- 10/22/2013
- by Patrick Luce
- Monsters and Critics
With more than fifty years of bringing cinema to the Bay Area, the San Francisco Film Society announced its first annual Fall Celebration. The new awards event seeks to honor "Creativity, innovation, collaboration and inspiration in cinema" with an inaugural including screening of "Fruitvale Station," "Her," "Nebraska" and the documentary "The Square." “The Fall Celebration is a great way to further link like minds in the Bay Area and Hollywood,” said San Francisco Film Society board member Sid Ganis. "The focus of the Awards Season has now been broadened to the Bay Area where there are thousands of creative artists in all areas of filmmaking." The Fall Celebration, which takes place on Thursday, November 14th, will host such guests as directors Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station"), Spike Jonze ("Her") and Alexander Payne ("Nebraska"). Fore more information visit their website.
- 10/22/2013
- by James Hiler
- Indiewire
David Bloom is a Deadline contributor. A Chinese charm offensive led by Beijing bureaucrats rolled into the heart of Hollywood this weekend, with prize money and production support for screenwriters, proffers of future TV and movie project backing and a film “panorama” a couple of weeks hence. The weekend’s key event was a Saturday night panel at the Beverly Hills Hilton, that slightly faded bastion of Hollywood glitz that is home to the Golden Globes and much else, and hosted by Beijing’s Municipal Office of Cultural Assets and Harvardwood, Harvard University’s alumni group focused on the entertainment industry. Panelists included former Motion Picture Academy President Sid Ganis (he’s now honorary chairman of a Chinese production company), East West Bank exec Bennett Pozil (the bank has financed Chinese co-productions such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero for more than a decade), Tony-winning theatrical producer Darren Bagert...
- 10/20/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Former Ticketmaster executive Fred Rosen has joined the board of advisors for Prima Cinema, which provides those with home screening rooms the opportunity to watch films on opening night, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. Rosen will consult on content agreements, as well as the company's business and marketing activities. “Fred’s unique ideas and expertise in service and technology will be a tremendous addition to Prima Cinema’s Board of Advisors,” said Prima Cinema CEO Jason Pang. Rosen joins Sid Ganis, Peter Farrelly, former Twentieth Century Fox executive vp Ira Rubenstein, Tk Theaters founder Theo Kalomirakis, Sandy Climan and Lauren
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- 8/8/2013
- by Philiana Ng
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
George Lucas has just pulled off his biggest production in years and this time it definitely won't ruin your childhood.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lucas threw a massive party right here in our own galaxy — more specifically, Chicago, Il. — over the weekend to celebrate his new marriage to Mellody Hobson. The couple had tied the knot on June 22 in a private ceremony in his California-based Skywalker Ranch but took things semi-public on Saturday with an intergalactically star-studded affair.
With them, the nuptial force was!
Reportedly, Lucas and Hobson pulled out all the stops for their Windy City-based shebang. As a bit of scale reference, when was the last time you attended a wedding reception that featured Prince as the house band? Or Robin Williams as live entertainment?
Besides those luminaries, the guest list was crowded with everyone from Lucas' own "Star Wars" homies like Mark Hamill and...
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lucas threw a massive party right here in our own galaxy — more specifically, Chicago, Il. — over the weekend to celebrate his new marriage to Mellody Hobson. The couple had tied the knot on June 22 in a private ceremony in his California-based Skywalker Ranch but took things semi-public on Saturday with an intergalactically star-studded affair.
With them, the nuptial force was!
Reportedly, Lucas and Hobson pulled out all the stops for their Windy City-based shebang. As a bit of scale reference, when was the last time you attended a wedding reception that featured Prince as the house band? Or Robin Williams as live entertainment?
Besides those luminaries, the guest list was crowded with everyone from Lucas' own "Star Wars" homies like Mark Hamill and...
- 7/1/2013
- by Scott Harris
- NextMovie
George Lucas and new bride Mellody Hobson, who officially tied the knot on June 22 at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif., brought Hollywood to the Windy City on Friday to celebrate their nuptials. Hollywood guests are expected to descend upon Hobson’s hometown of Chicago for the festivities, which will find the city’s lakeside Promontory Point closed to the public on Saturday. Asked if he's going to the wedding, producer Sid Ganis, former senior VP of Lucasfilm, tells THR, "'The wedding?' Think of what you just said -- there are about four billion weddings in June, and you're asking if I'm
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- 6/28/2013
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Beijing, China. (June 24, 2013) – MGM Television and Jiaflix Enterprises announced a multi-year licensing agreement that includes new MGM theatrical releases for Transactional Video on Demand (Tvod) and more than 200 classic library films primarily for Subscription Video on Demand (Svod). Jiaflix/M1905 is an internet-delivered programming service operated in partnership with M1905.com, the official internet subsidiary of China Movie Channel/CCTV6. The announcement was made today by Chris Ottinger, President of International Distribution & Acquisitions for MGM Television and Jiaflix Enterprises principals Sid Ganis, Marc Ganis and Kenneth Huang. New MGM film releases including the upcoming “RoboCop” with Columbia Pictures and “Hercules” with Paramount Pictures, will become available on the Jiaflix/M1905.com website beginning in 2014 on a Tvod basis. Over 200 MGM classic films including “Midnight Cowboy,” “Dressed to Kill,” and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” will be available to Jiaflix subscribers who can watch these films at their convenience. “We are thrilled...
- 6/24/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Beijing, China. (June 24, 2013) – MGM Television and Jiaflix Enterprises announced a multi-year licensing agreement that includes new MGM theatrical releases for Transactional Video on Demand (Tvod) and more than 200 classic library films primarily for Subscription Video on Demand (Svod). Jiaflix/M1905 is an internet-delivered programming service operated in partnership with M1905.com, the official internet subsidiary of China Movie Channel/CCTV6. The announcement was made today by Chris Ottinger, President of International Distribution & Acquisitions for MGM Television and Jiaflix Enterprises principals Sid Ganis, Marc Ganis and Kenneth Huang. New MGM film releases including the upcoming “RoboCop” with Columbia Pictures and “Hercules” with Paramount Pictures, will become available on the Jiaflix/M1905.com website beginning in 2014 on a Tvod basis. Over 200 MGM classic films including “Midnight Cowboy,” “Dressed to Kill,” and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” will be available to Jiaflix subscribers who can watch these films at their convenience. “We are thrilled...
- 6/24/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline TV
"No, there is another." This one line spoken by Yoda during "The Empire Strikes Back" set off three years of speculation before it was revealed in "Return of the Jedi" that Leia was Luke Skywalker's twin sister and, therefore, the "other" hope to defeat the Dark Side. Yet there was no Internet to post every hare-brained theory like there is today, so where did self-respecting nerds go for their dose of rumors? There's where the great "Starlog" magazine came in.
J.W. Rinzler's wonderful "The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (to be released Oct. 1) recounts a disagreement between George Lucas and his collaborators over Luke Skywalker's new lightsaber -- basically, "how did he get it?" In the end, Lucas shrugged off the need an explanation, pointing out that the worst that could happen is that someone would write a letter to "Starlog."
Back in December, I went...
J.W. Rinzler's wonderful "The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (to be released Oct. 1) recounts a disagreement between George Lucas and his collaborators over Luke Skywalker's new lightsaber -- basically, "how did he get it?" In the end, Lucas shrugged off the need an explanation, pointing out that the worst that could happen is that someone would write a letter to "Starlog."
Back in December, I went...
- 5/23/2013
- by Mike Ryan
- Huffington Post
So excited to report that acclaimed Chinese actress Li Bingbing (Resident Evil: Retribution) has joined the cast of Transformers 4 who is (just so you know) no relation to Fan Bingbing (X-Men: Days of Future Past). Here’s the announcement from Paramount.
Michael Bay And Paramount Pictures Announce The Casting Of Chinese Actress Li Bingbing In The Eagerly Awaited ‘Transformers 4’
Hollywood, CA (May 20, 2013) – Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures jointly announced today that Chinese actress Li Bingbing (“Resident Evil: Retribution”) has been cast in the eagerly awaited “Transformers 4.” The actress joins Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz and Sophia Myles in the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 27th, 2014.
“I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China.
Michael Bay And Paramount Pictures Announce The Casting Of Chinese Actress Li Bingbing In The Eagerly Awaited ‘Transformers 4’
Hollywood, CA (May 20, 2013) – Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures jointly announced today that Chinese actress Li Bingbing (“Resident Evil: Retribution”) has been cast in the eagerly awaited “Transformers 4.” The actress joins Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz and Sophia Myles in the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 27th, 2014.
“I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China.
- 5/21/2013
- by Jess Orso
- ScifiMafia
Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures jointly announced today that Chinese actress Li Bingbing (“Resident Evil: Retribution”) has been cast in the eagerly awaited Transformers 4. The actress joins Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz and Sophia Myles in the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 27th, 2014.
“I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China. I have always aspired to work with the best actors and this cast is especially exciting now with the addition of Li,” said Michael Bay.
Li’s recent hits in China include the Tsui Hark-directed “Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame” and “1911.” She has already begun to cross over into American films, most recently co-starring in the Paul W.S. Anderson...
“I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China. I have always aspired to work with the best actors and this cast is especially exciting now with the addition of Li,” said Michael Bay.
Li’s recent hits in China include the Tsui Hark-directed “Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame” and “1911.” She has already begun to cross over into American films, most recently co-starring in the Paul W.S. Anderson...
- 5/20/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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