Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. It was once so rich that Concorde used to fly from Caracas to Paris. But in the last three years its economy has collapsed. Hunger has gripped the nation for years. Now, it’s killing people and animals that are dying of starvation. The Venezuelan government knows, but won’t admit it!!! Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty. People queue for hours to buy food. Much of the time they go without. People are also dying from a lack of medicines. Inflation is at 82,766% and there are warnings it could exceed one million per cent by the end of this year. Venezuelans are trying to get out. The UN says 2.3 million people have fled the country - 7% of the population.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Critics not-so-silent acclaim for 'The Artist'

Posted: Mon., Dec. 19, 2011, 4:35pm PT

Though acclaim and kudos rarely align, this year's more black and white

By CHRISTY GROSZ

Crix stick with 'The Artist.'

Critical acclaim has never been the most reliable bellwether for Oscar glory, but the flurry of end-of-year choices by critics groups offers some insight into the films that have awards momentum.

With nearly 20 groups having already announced -- and at least a dozen left to come -- one thing has become abundantly clear: Critics like "The Artist." A lot.

The Boston, Indiana, Las Vegas, New York and San Diego orgs have been charmed enough by the black-and-white pic to give it top honors. In fact, with a total of seven so far, Michel Haznavicius' "The Artist" has earned more best-picture nods from critics groups than other Oscar contenders like "The Descendants" (four: Houston, Los Angeles, Florida and Southeastern), "The Tree of Life" (four: African-American Film Critics, San Francisco, Toronto and Chicago) and "Hugo" (one: the National Board of Review).

A lack of recognition for "The Help," which is still considered a very viable contender for Oscar, points to the disconnect between critics and Academy voters. The film is a virtual lock for a best picture Oscar nom and continues to collect kudos for Viola Davis, yet this broad-based drama that earned almost $170 million at the box office is a little too conventional for critics.

Despite the notion that critics are out of touch with the Oscar vote, the groups' ancillary categories reveal some definite consensus.

For his menacing turn in "Drive," Albert Brooks has earned 10 best supporting actor nods from critics groups -- more than any other thesp in any category. The lack of a SAG nomination has been his only weakness on the way to an Academy Awards berth. Christopher Plummer has earned five critics picks for his role in "Beginners," plus the SAG nom.

The kudos for lead actor have been much more spread around, with Michael Fassbender ("Shame"), Michael Shannon ("Take Shelter") and George Clooney ("The Descendants") earning three apiece and Brad Pitt ("Moneyball," "Tree of Life") at two.

Lead actress kudos have gone to Michelle Williams six times for "My Week With Marilyn," followed closely by Tilda Swinton for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady," each at three. Viola Davis has been tapped by two groups for "The Help."

Supporting actresses Jessica Chastain (for multiple roles) and Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants") have been named in four critics announcements. "Bridesmaids" supporting actress Melissa McCarthy continues on the roll she started at the Emmys in September, earning three critics nods so far. "The Help's" Octavia Spencer has been tapped twice.

And while the cinematography category isn't usually at the top of handicappers' lists, one name has dominated for critics: "Tree of Life" d.p. Emmanuel Lubezki has been tapped for his work 11 times.

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Apple prepping movie cloud service...

Apple Inc. is preparing to put movies in the cloud, entering a market in which it may be both competitor and ally to a similar offering backed by most Hollywood studios.

Representatives of the iPhone and iPad maker have been meeting with studios to finalize deals that would allow consumers to buy movies through iTunes and access them on any Apple device, according to knowledgeable people who requested anonymity because the discussions are private. The service is expected to launch in late 2011 or early 2012.

The talks come as the first movies from the multi-studio venture known as Ultraviolet are launching this week: Warner Bros.' "Horrible Bosses" and "Green Lantern."

People who buy DVDs or Blu-ray discs for those and other upcoming titles, including Sony Pictures' "The Smurfs" and Universal Pictures' "Cowboys and Aliens," will have access to digital cloud copies they can instantly watch on their Internet-connected TVs, smartphones and tablet computers. Ultraviolet purchases via the Web, without discs, are expected to come in 2012.

Every major studio except Disney is working on Ultraviolet with a large group of retailers and electronics companies that notably does not include Apple.

The studios are eager to boost purchases of movies, which have flat-lined in the face of competition from less expensive video on demand and Netflix and Redbox rentals. Sales of DVDs and digital downloads are still crucial to the studios' bottom line, as they are much more profitable than rentals.

However, despite the increasing popularity of digital distribution, online movie purchases are on track to bring in only $231 million this year, about the same as in 2010, according to IHS Screen Digest.

Storing digital films in the cloud, instead of making buyers manage the digital copy themselves on a computer or other device, could help spur online purchases by making it easier for people to access the movies on any device.

On Wednesday, Apple began rolling out an update to its operating system for mobile devices, called iOS5, which enables users to access music, photos, and some other media from the cloud, but not yet movies.

Though studios have spent years building Ultraviolet, people familiar with the thinking of several studio executives say they'd be happy to see Apple join as well, since it accounts for 66% of online movie sales and rentals.

"This is going to be a huge boost to a struggling online movie business," said Arash Amel, digital media research director for IHS. "Apple is going to make it work right off the bat."

Building a cloud movie business without iTunes would be difficult, Amel noted, as it accounts for 66% of online movie sales and rentals.

Under the plan Apple is proposing, users could stream movies they buy via iTunes on any device the company makes, such as the Apple TV, iPhones and iPads, as well as on PCs.

In addition, though Apple is not part of Ultraviolet, its devices could be compatible. The people who have talked to Apple representatives said the company is considering allowing people who buy and store movies with Ultraviolet to easily watch them on Apple devices via apps. That would be a big help to Ultraviolet, as Apple dominates the market for tablets and is one of the top two players in smartphones.

Movies bought on iTunes, however, would continue to work only on Apple devices and computers. That's because the company makes its biggest profits on hardware and wants to encourage people to keep buying its digital devices.

A spokesman for Apple declined to comment.

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Can Netflix Sell U.S. Users on Foreign Shows?

The online video giant returns from MIPCOM with a slate of foreign series, including Norwegian gangster drama 'Lilyhammer' starring Steve Van Zandt and 'Borgia' from Tom Fontana.

To all Netflix users: get ready for Norwegian gangsters, British vampires and Roman degenerates.

MIPCOM 2011: Steve Van Zandt Talks 'Lilyhammer,' Netflix Deal and the Television Revolution (Q&A)

'Arrested Development' Bidding War Breaks Out Between Hulu, Netflix (Report)

Deauville 2011: Tom Fontana Discusses 'Borgia's' Move to Netflix, Plans for Cable (Q&A)
The online video giant went on a spending spree at international television market MIPCOM last week and returns with its bags stuffed with foreign-made series that Netflix hopes will appeal to its 25 million subscribers.

PHOTOS: Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time

They include Lilyhammer, a bilingual gangster drama starring Sopranos alumnus Steven Van Zandt as an ex-mobster sent to Norway via the witness protection program and the French/German co-production Borgia – a historic drama centered, like Showtime's The Borgias, on Medieval Rome's most nefarious family created by Tom Fontana(Oz) and starring John Doman(The Wire). Netflix has also licensed British supernatural drama Being Human, which follows three housemates who happen to be a ghost, a werewolf and a vampire.

Being Human, both the British original and Syfy's U.S. remake, have appeared on American screens before, but Lilyhammer and Borgia will be Netflix premieres.Together with House of Cards, Netflix' upcoming remake of the BBC drama starring Kevin Spacey and directed by David Fincher, they mark the company's push into original, first-run drama series. Netflix has already committed to a second season of both Borgia and Lilyhammer, suggesting its taste for original and foreign-made fare is no passing fancy.

At the moment, the company is also in a bidding war with Showtime and Hulu for the rights for the relaunch of cult comedy series Arrested Development. The series, cancelled after three seasons on Fox, will return for a limited run series intended to set up a feature film version of the show.

STORY: Netflix Stock Hits 52-Week Low After It Cancels DVD-Streaming Split

"Netflix can go after non-exclusive content, which is more of a commodity, or they can try to pursue exclusives and originals, which bring a higher risk," said Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Tony Wible in explaining the pros and cons of original fare. "The problem is there is no more exclusive content to be had. They have to make the exclusive content now" - or find it overseas.
That is moving the company into new territory though. "Netflix is used to buying stuff based on previous release information and data collected from their users," said Wible. "They can try to use that here, but that's not a guarantee for success."

Speaking at MIPCOM, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said the company's shift to original series was in part a reaction to customer demand. He pointed out TV shows account for 50-60 percent of total viewing on Netflix.

With Netflix' high-profile content deal with Starz set to expire in February, the company needs new, fresh shows to feed user demand, and analysts say it has started to redeploy money it would have spent on a Starz renewal. The Starz deal cost Netflix $30 million a year, but a renewal was expected to cost multiples of that.

"We've moved very aggressively into this space," Sarandos said. "The growing audience for these 1 hour serialized dramas is typically on pay TV: Showtime, HBO or Starz, those ones who are least likely to want to sell their shows to me on our (second-run) season-after model. So we have to develop the muscle to create and distributing these shows ourselves."

Sarandos said the company would not be spending much on traditional marketing and promotion for its first-run series, instead relying on its patented algorithms to put Borgia and Lilyhammer in front of users most likely to want them. So Lilyhammer might be recommended, say, to fans of the Sopranos. Netflix used that tech-driven strategy successfully with Starz' Spartacus, pitching the series first to fans of the movie 300.

"It's kind of the opposite of launching a movie where you try to get it into as many theaters as possible and get as many people in the seats the first week and you have 50 percent fall off the second week," said Sarandos. "We're doing the opposite – building it on the basis of people who love the show. And then they'll tell their friends and the algorithms will also influence and put the show in front of more people."

Analysts said they expect Netflix to stay focused on its recommendation feature, even though it could experiment with additional approaches. "There is no appointment viewing on Netflix now," said Lazard Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett. "So, the customized view you get right now will be the main way to promote new series as well. And they'll probably send you an email when an original series that you may be interested in is online."

Added Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Securities: "I don't think they will market much differently than they do now." But he expects viral marketing of original or exclusive fare to "drive more loyalty to Netflix."

No one expects Netflix to launch a special section or channel for its original fare online.

"I think with this ability to zero in on people's taste you can get around all of the pre-conceived prejudice about what works in terms of TV content," said Sarandos. "Like can content be subtitled, does it have to be in English, can they have accents? Lilyhammer is a great example of a show that would be very difficult to break into the U.S. market because of the pre-conceived of buyers. And I think it is going to be very successful… It's been proven that selling Hollywood to the world is a big business. But I think the world to the world is an even bigger business."

Sarandos added that Netflix can also afford to be more flexible in how it releases a show, suggesting the service could premiere several episodes at once, allowing fans to "binge" on their favorite series, much like buyers of DVD box sets.

"The Netflix approach is ideal for a show like Lilyhammer," says Jens Richter, MD at SevenOne International, which handles international rights for the series. "In the traditional broadcast space it's always about the short-term ratings. If the ratings aren't right, the show's canned after 4 or 5 episodes. Netflix is more about brand building, building a subscriber base."
Adding original or exclusive series also puts on notice other online content providers, according to analysts.

"Content still is king and the best way to maintain a content distribution franchise is to ensure that it delivers content no one else can," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey. "You can either shoot for blockbusters a la HBO and Showtime -- which Netflix is doing with Spacey's $100 million deal -- or you can shoot for broad selection that means something in aggregate, which the company also appears willing to do."

While he said he "can't really explain what Netflix sees in its data to suggest Lilyhammer will succeed," he and other analysts said the investment in foreign fare could be a low-cost play with potential upside.

"Netflix needs content, period," explained Pachter. "I can't say that two shows will make a meaningful difference, especially U.S. rights to foreign shows, but they probably didn't spend much on them."
All of this puts Amazon and Google on alert: Netflix intends to stay relevant in the video business even as its original strengths become commonplace strategies. If I were Apple, I would just buy Netflix right now before its stock gets any higher!

And indeed Sarandos calls Lilyhammer, Borgia and House of Cards experiments to test what Netflix users want. "At the moment this (budget for first-run series) is a very large commitment but it is very small relative to our content spend…if the take up is good we will increase the spend," he said.
But Lazard Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett sees challenges for Netflix's push into original series, including ones from abroad. "There is a big question whether they can gather an audience for new shows," he said. "It's different from what the service has been, which has been focused on movies and TV shows people recognize. It's another thing to log in and see a promotion for House of Cards, which you have never heard of or seen before."

Sarandos seems to have anticipated this problem. For their original series, Netflix' focus is more on access than exclusivity, he says. Sarandos points to Australian tween mermaids series H20: Just Add Water– a Netflix hit – as an example of an international show "that just wasn't getting distributed under the old method."

Even with Borgia, a $35 million production, Netflix will only have exclusive streaming rights for North America, meaning the Tom Fontana series could still be aired on a traditional pay TV or cable broadcaster.

"It's non-exclusive, which at first seems strange but it could make sense for Netflix," says Eric Welbers, managing director of Borgia's sales outfit, Beta Film. "Having the show on another channel could drive more users to it on Netflix, if they missed an episode or want to catch up."
Observers have in recent months often compared Netflix's push into original fare to premium channels, such as HBO, Showtime and Starz. But Crocket said the comparison isn't quite fair. "Netflix's investment in originals is so far from HBO - like Pluto from the sun," he said. "It's a different orbit. It's a totally different zip code. It's something that's not at a level that's meaningful yet."

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The Painful Death of Hollywood's Producers: No First Class, No Calls Back...

Even high-flying big names are being treated badly as studio economics mean cutbacks; says one producer, "I feel like Willy Loman."

This article originally appeared in the Oct. 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

You aren't going to get me to talk about how awful the studios are!" says one veteran producer before launching into a tirade on the subject. "The studios just don't respect what producers do. They'd rather not have them around. … Studios have way too many executives and waste way too much money on that."

Says another producer who ranks among the Hollywood elite: "The bigger the movies get, the more executives feel they're producing them. I believe there are more executives being dispatched to locations than ever before. … When the executive says 'my' movie, it drives you crazy, and it's happening more and more."

With the movie business undergoing a historic realignment as DVD revenue has shriveled and new technology has not yet generated cash to take its place, the issues facing the business are squeezing the top rank of producers, including those who still have generous deals with studios -- on paper. It's trickle-up economics, and those who have long been used to having their voices respected are finding that sometimes -- ouch -- their calls aren't even returned.

Some believe that life has changed forever in the movie business, while others -- noting that studios are making increasingly homogeneous movies -- are hoping that eventually it will become clear that audiences crave something different and that producers are the ones with the experience and skill to develop and execute original, sometimes even great, material.

Evidence of the pressure studios are imposing on big-name producers is everywhere. Jerry Bruckheimer just underwent what he described to THR as the most difficult negotiation of his career with Disney to launch The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer of Imagine have seen their rich deal at Universal cut back and the studio pull the plug on their ambitious fantasy Western The Dark Tower, based on a series of books by Stephen King. A-list producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy just departed from Sony after two years without a green light. Even the industry's ultimate 800-pound gorilla, Steven Spielberg, has had struggles raising money.

Some of the industry's most successful producers say the studios are making them feel, as one puts it, increasingly "irrelevant." And a top executive at one studio acknowledges that in many cases, they have a point. "I wish I could tell you they're wrong or they're being babies," he says. "But [their complaints] are legitimate. And it doesn't feel like it's to the benefit of the movie business. But studios are more involved in movies because the stakes are so high. You get pressure from the bosses to be sure you're managing the projects well -- but that used to be the producer's job."

And that's from an executive at a studio that is considered relatively respectful. Not all are. There seems to be broad agreement among high-level producers that Fox has long been the most contentious with producers, even before the economics became so challenging, largely due to a strong-arm culture created by studio chief Tom Rothman. Disney, with suppliers such as Marvel and Pixar and its focus on branded entertainment, now makes few movies of its own and scarcely seems to need producers. Paramount and Universal also seem largely indifferent, except for a clutch of stars like J.J. Abrams (who, notably, is a filmmaker himself). Sony and Warner Bros. -- in that order -- get the highest marks.

"Even when they're f--ing you, they're apologetic," says one prominent producer. "Fox, Paramount, Universal -- it's simply: 'This is what we're doing. Sorry we forgot to tell you.' "

Says producer Laurence Mark (Julie & Julia): "Sony's the only studio that sort of harks back to the old studio days. Amy [Pascal] deals with the big picture. She's happy to make bold moves. They have great relationships that pay off." Notably, Sony has made The Social Network and Moneyball with powerhouse producer Scott Rudin -- films that other studios would have been unlikely to make. (In fact, one producer says he has heard executives at other studios make snide comments about Sony's decision to take a chance on Moneyball.) But some with ties to the studio say even Pascal has had to trim her sails in the current environment.

"The studios trust a smaller and smaller number of producers," says Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. But he adds that he got that memo long ago. "I don't have a deal anymore," says Herskovitz. "Am I upset? Yes. But there's no point in crying about it." Instead, he says, he and many others have adapted: "Every producer I know has had to learn about independent financing. It may be that these tectonic shifts are finally hitting people who thought they were invulnerable, but most people have adapted. Producers have moved into television and new media and looked for other ways to finance features because that's what producers do. They're coping." (One producer says he has, like many others, sought opportunities in television, but even that is a struggle. "Suddenly you're going from office to office, peddling TV," he says. "There's a little bit of a Willy Loman aspect to it.")

"We can yell our heads off, but we collectively need to adapt to changes in the business," says current guild co-president Mark Gordon. "The world is changing, and we have to change with it."

Perhaps nothing illustrates more vividly the difference between then and now for producers than the Imagine experience. Last decade, Universal was giving Howard and Grazer a hefty $17 million a year in overhead as well as fees of $2 million up front against at least 5 percent of gross (more if Howard was directing). The partners even had two "put" pictures -- meaning they could force projects into Universal's pipeline -- though they never exercised that option. Their deal has since been trimmed to $8 million-plus a year, according to a knowledgeable source, but when the time comes for renegotiation (it runs through 2013), they are sure to face further pressure.

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VFX vet will discuss the impact of globalization and technology on the busines

VFX vet will discuss the impact of globalization and technology on the business, 2D-to-3D conversion and the role of technical standards.

Visual effects veteran Scott Ross will deliver the keynote address at the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers' Technical Conference & Exposition, Oct. 24-28 in Hollywood.

MPAA's Chris Dodd to Address Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Conference
He will discuss the current state of 2D-to-3D conversion, as well as address the combined impact of globalization and technology trends on visual effects and the role of standards in movie production.

STORY: Groundbreaking 3D Vision Eye Clinic Opens Thursday

Ross is a founder and former CEO of Digital Domain and served as the general manager of George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic and as senior vp of LucasArts. He currently works as a professional consultant and producer and serves on the boards of multiple technology and entertainment companies.
"Effects and world-class imagery will continue to be box-office drivers worldwide," Ross said. "So it's critical for the livelihood of everyone involved along the production chain to fully understand the impact of dynamic globalization and technology trends, particularly on effects. SMPTE understands that standards can help accelerate industry growth as well as ensure U.S. competitiveness amid these trends – and that the next generation of digital tools will require the fusion of motion science and the creative vision of great storytellers."

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On Location: Overall L.A. film activity dropped 15% last week...

It was a tepid week for on-location filming. Production days for film, TV and commercial shoots declined 15% compared with the same period last year, according to the latest permit figures from FilmL.A. Inc.

The decrease was driven by feature films, which generated only 81 production days, a 44 % drop over the same period a year earlier. Commercials saw an 11 % decline in production activity, while television production fell 7%.

The permit data tracks filming on streets and non-certified sound stages in L.A. and unincorporated areas of the county.

This week's shoots include a feature called "Death of the Sheik" (downtown), the Warner Bros. movie "Gangster Squad" (Beverly Hills), the reality TV show "Excused" (Encino) and the legal drama "Franklin & Bash" (Santa Clarita). See those and other shoots in the map below.

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TIFFCOM Market Opens at Tokyo Fest With Record Exhibitors...

The UniJapan Entertainment Forum got into full swing Monday as the focus at the Tokyo International Film Festival shifted to business.

TOKYO -- The TIFFCOM market opened its high-rise doors Monday, as the UniJapan Entertainment Forum got into full swing and the focus at the Tokyo International Film Festival shifted to business.
With tourism way down post-Fukushima, and some entertainment artists still avoiding Japanese tours, many market participants expressed pleasant surprise at the record 226 exhibitors and overall traffic at TIFFCOM.

"The turnout is really good. We were worried whether people from overseas were going to come. It's good to see the support for Japan," said one local exhibitor.
The U.K. was one of the new country pavilions, with eight companies, including BBC Worldwide, under the Pact (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) umbrella.
"Markets like the U.S. are already well exploited, but Japan is still relatively untapped for many of our member companies," said Dawn McCarthy-Simpson, senior policy executive at Pact, who reported there were 27 applications for the eight pavilion slots.
The expanded booth spaces at TIFFCOM were all taken and foot traffic was typically brisk for a first market day. However, there were gripes about the rearrangement of the market layout on the 40th floor of the Roppongi Hills tower.
"There's a new company doing the organizing this year, and there have been a lot of mix-ups with screenings, badges, stuff like that. And the tables in the aisles that we used to use all the time for meetings are gone. Compared to many markets, it's still well organized, but not to Japanese standards," said another exhibitor who asked not to be identified.
For many buyers and sellers, Tokyo has become the middle section of a Busan-TIFFCOM-American Film Market triple, during which prolonged negotiations take place.
Meanwhile, the UniJapan Entertainment Forum has expanded rapidly in its first few years and is now billed by organizers as Asia's largest. With one seminar kicking off proceedings Sunday, things stepped up a gear Tuesday as four seminars took place across the 40th and 49th floors.
"Promoting and Protecting the On-Line Distribution of Films and TV Content in China" was packed beyond capacity as a six-member panel from China, Korea and the U.S. discussed how to tap the fast-growing market and the threats from piracy.
Lucia Rangel, head of anti-piracy for Asia-Pacific and Latin America at Warner Bros. spoke about how her company had cooperated with illegal file-sharing sites to turn them into legitimate partners and revenue providers. Zhu Huilong, vp of one of those former pirate sites, Youku, was now a fellow panelist at the event.
Nearly 50 floors below the seminars and negotiations, legendary actress Kyoko Kagawa was being feted for her long career and recent award from the International Federation of Film Archives. Kagawa appeared in the films of Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Naruse and Ozu during the golden age of Japanese cinema in the 1950s.
"Seeing the remastered version of Chikamatsu Monogatari [A Story from Chikamatsu by Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954] -- which was one of the toughest films for me to make -- filled me with joy," said Kagawa.
A retrospective of Kagawa's films is being screened during the fest.

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$1.2 Billion Anti-Piracy Suit Filed in Russia...

Hollywood majors and local players hope it could create an important precedent in fighting online piracy.
MOSCOW– The highest profile criminal case for copyright infringement is launched in Russia, which Hollywood majors and local players hope could create an important precedent in fighting online piracy.

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The country's general prosecutor's office has accused Andrei and Natalia Lopukhov, a Moscow-based married couple, of illegal online distribution of features and animated films through the web sites interfilm.ru and puzkarapuz.ru back in 2007 and 2008. The prosecutors claim that the damages caused by the Lopukhovs for their activities during nearly 18 months caused the damages of 38 billion roubles ($1.24 billion), which makes the case the biggest ever copyright lawsuit in Russia.
The films illegally distributed by the defendants include, among many others, Shrek the Third, Resident Evil: Extinction and 28 Weeks Later.
STORY: British Telecom Ordered to Block Newzbin2 Filesharing Site Within 14 Days
Among the companies whose movies were illegally distributed are 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros., Disney Enterprises, Sony Pictures and Universal, as well as the domestic film producers Central Partnership, Riki, STV and Paradiz.
"We don't disclose the figure [of our claims], but our calculations were based on the values of relevant deals with [legitimate] video services," Zlata Polishchuk, executive vice president of Central Partnership, which also represents Paramount in the Russian market, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The plaintiffs don't expect that the damages could be actually paid to them but hope that the case could create an important precedent that would help to fight online piracy in the future.
"A lawsuit of such a high value has been filed for the first time here," Alexei Ryazantsev, general director of Karo Premier, which represents Warner Bros. in the Russian market, told THR. "It is unlikely that the damages will be paid, but the case could really scare off some people and dissuade them from pirate activities in the future."
A date for court hearings has not yet been set.

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Vancouver is losing ground to Toronto and Montreal in attracting Hollywood film and TV shoots.

Eastwards shift of major studio production in Canada continues as the westernmost province fails to keep pace with Ontario and Quebec on tax credit savings.

TORONTO – Vancouver is losing ground to Toronto and Montreal in attracting Hollywood film and TV shoots.

Tax Change Threatens Hollywood Production in British Columbia

The latest activity report from British Columbia Film + Media indicates foreign, mostly Hollywood producers spent $778 million locally in the westernmost province in 2010, the last year surveyed.
That's well down on the just under $1.1 billion in foreign production activity in 2009 in B.C.
The steep fall follows B.C.'s labor-based tax credit failing to keep pace with a more generous all-spend tax credit in Ontario and Quebec, and the impact of a rising Canadian dollar in comparison to the American greenback.
Fox's Fringe TV series and the Matt Damon-starring film Elysium are among the Hollywood productions to shoot locally in B.C. in the last year.
And the fall-off in foreign production has been partially offset by local film and TV production, which edged up to $244 million in 2010, from $218 million in 2009, according to the report.
But B.C. still faces a "deeper competitive problem," given more generous tax credits on offer to Los Angeles producers in Ontario and Quebec, according to British Columbia Film chairman Michael Francis.
"…it is more difficult to develop and finance scripted drama and feature films in B.C. than it is in many other provinces. This is a result of a number of factors including: the absence of equity funding in BC, the more lucrative production incentives available in other jurisdictions and the fact that broadcasters, who commission content, are based in Toronto and are increasingly relying on Ontario produced product," Francis wrote in the report.
Hollywood North in recent years has been largely centered on British Columbia and Ontario, with tax policy helping to determine where the major studios shoot north of the border.
U.S. foreign location shooting rebounded in Ontario in 2010 after the province followed Quebec and introduced its all-spend 25 percent film tax credit.
The eastwards shift of Hollywood film and TV production in Canada is expected to pick up steam after B.C. voted in a referendum to phase out its harmonized sales tax (HST).
Foreign producers can now recover the former 8% provincial sales tax (PST) as part of the HST, but that will change when B.C. eventually phases out the PST.

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Netflix Stock Tanks; U.S. Subscriber Base Loses 800,000

UPDATED: The company's third-quarter results are the first look at its financial situation since a series of controversial moves sent its shares reeling.

Netflix lost 800,000 U.S. subscribers in the third quarter, about 210,000 more than the company had projected, and the stock was off $32 in after-hours trading as a result.

Netflix's Reed Hastings Hasn't Considered Stepping Down, 'Not for A Second'

The company's subscriber metrics were released Monday along with quarterly earnings, which were better than analyst expectations. The company earned $62.5 million, up from $38 million a year ago, on revenue that rose 49 percent to $821.8 million.

STORY: Netflix Yanks Plan to Separate DVD-By-Mail From Streaming Service
Netflix shares rose 2 percent to $118.86 during the regular session but were down 27 percent after the closing bell.
The company's shares had already lost 60 percent of their value since July when the company announced a large price increase for subscribers who want both streaming and DVDs. The stock took another hit after CEO Reed Hastings announced he'd split the company in two, calling one half Qwikster, but then reversed that decision days later.
If after-hours action is to be believed, Netflix shares could open in $85-range Tuesday morning, which would represent a fall of 72 percent in three months time.
STORY: Winners and Losers of Netflix's Aborted Qwikster Plan
During a conference call Monday, analysts peppered Hastings with questions about the price increase, Qwikster, the rising cost of acquiring streaming content and other developments that have decimated the stock lately.
Hastings said the company lost more subscribers than anticipated because "a second wave of cancellations" occured in September and October once consumers got a look at the price increase that was announced in July, which was when the first wave of cancellations took place.
Of Qwikster, said Hastings: "In hindsight, it's hard to justify."
Hastings predicted "a slow decline over the next many years for DVD," even comparing it to the AOL dialup service from 2002 through today. In a 17-page letter to shareholders that included quarterly financial results, Netflix said it doesn't anticipate any further material investment in property, plant and equipment to support the DVD side of its business.
Ahead of its earnings announcement Monday, Netflix announced its intention to launch a service in Ireland and the U.K. next year. Some analysts suspected the timing was intended to counter a negative financial report.
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Biggest Blunders
Netflix added Canada to its lineup last year. Last month, it added 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. International subscriptions increased from 970,000 in the second quarter to 1.5 million in the third quarter.
Domestically, though, Netflix ended the third quarter with 23.4 million subs, down from 24.6 million in the second quarter.
Netflix said that "for a few quarters" starting in the first quarter it will not make a profit because of its push into the U.K. and Ireland. "We will pause on opening new international markets until we return to global profitability," Netflix said in its letter to shareholders.
The letter also boasted of recent content deals with DreamWorks Animation, Open Road and The CW, and it noted that the new Johnny Depp film The Rum Diary, as well as the stylish action flick Immortals will be available to Netflix subscribers exclusively in the pay TV window. (The letter, though, gets both titles slightly wrong).
The letter also seemingly defends Netflix's decision to soon end a relationship with Starz rather than renew it at a substantial fee increase -- or perhaps the passage is a negotiating tactic. "An Oscar-nominated film may be of less value to Netflix subscribers than Pawn Stars, because subs are watching the reality show more than the Oscar-nominated movie," the letter states.
"We have the Starz offering within our service, and it is currently running about 6 percent of viewing hours because we have added so many other movies and TV shows," says the letter. "In other words, 94 percent of the time members stream from Netflix, they are watching a non-Starz title."

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| 22.10.11 | 13h18 • Mis à jour le 24.10.11 | 10h28 par Alain Beuve-Méry

Stupeur et consternation ont saisi, vendredi 21 octobre, les 600 invités des 21^esRencontres cinématographiques de l'ARP, la société civile des Auteurs, réalisateurs et producteurs, qui se tenaient à Dijon, en Côte-d'Or. Toute la famille du cinéma français, voire européen, réunie pour deux jours, ne s'attendait pas à pareil coup. Les membres des institutions publiques, comme Eric Garandeau, président du Centre national du cinéma (CNC), non plus.

Avec au programme des débats sur une meilleure exposition du cinéma européen, animé par la réalisatrice Tony Marshall, ou sur les bouleversements du paysage audiovisuel et ses conséquences immédiates pour le cinéma, avec la présence de tous les pontes de la télévision - Nonce Paolini (TF1), Nicolas de Tavernost (M6),Rémy Pfimlin (France Télévisions) et Rodolphe Belmer (Canal+) -, le programme était déjà plus que chargé. Mais l'actualité s'est malicieusement invitée au rendez-vous.

Deux amendements, l'un voté jeudi soir, l'autre, vendredi midi, à l'Assemblée nationale ont largement contribué à animer le débat. Le premier amendement qui sanctuarise à 705 millions d'euros le budget du CNC était jugé, vendredi, très positif par M. Garandeau. Pour la première fois, l'assiette sur laquelle reposent les recettes du CNC était même élargie. Le second amendement, en revanche, a jeté le trouble parmi les professionnels.

En raison de la crise économique et de la menace qui plane sur la France deperdre sa notation triple A, le gouvernement a en effet décidé de fixer des plafonds pour toutes les taxes affectées, et de récupérer les surplus pour les réorienter vers le budget de l'Etat. Cette mesure concerne le CNC, mais aussi une trentaine d'autres organismes publics, comme le Centre national du livre (CNL), l'Agence pour la maîtrise de l'énergie (Ademe), l'Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (OFII) ou encore les Voies navigables de France (VNF).

La profession s'est immédiatement mobilisée. Pour la première fois depuis la grande époque des débats sur l'exception culturelle, toutes les organisations professionnelles - ARP (Société civile des auteurs-réalisateurs-producteurs), BLIC (Bureau de liaison des industries cinématographiques), BLOC (Bureau de liaison des organisations du cinéma), SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques) et UPF (Union des producteurs de films), qui regroupent plus de 25 associations et syndicats - condamnent "l'amendement gouvernemental visant àplafonner le niveau de chaque taxe affectée au CNC".

"Un tel amendement mettrait à bas le système de soutien mutualiste du cinéma français qui, depuis 1946, a permis de maintenir tout à la fois une industrie cinématographique forte et une création dynamique et diversifiée", soulignent les signataires. "Si un tel amendement était voté, le CNC ne pourrait plus remplir ses missions, qui sont au coeur du financement de la diversité culturelle", poursuivent-ils.

C'est pourquoi ils demandent "avec la plus grande fermeté", le retrait de cet amendement. "L'écrêtement, taxe par taxe est particulièrement dangereux", explique Pascal Rogard, directeur général de la SACD, "car il mène tout droit à la fin de l'autonomie budgétaire du CNC." Le CNC est aujourd'hui, financé par quatre taxes (sur les salles de cinéma, sur la vidéo, sur la VoD et sur les éditeurs et distributeurs de télévision).

Pour Florence Gastaud, secrétaire général de l'ARP, "Le cinéma est prêt à faire un geste en faveur de la solidarité nationale, mais à condition que cela ne remette pas en cause son système de financement." Dès lundi 24 octobre, une réunion interministérielle est prévue pour allumer des contre-feux. D'ores et déjà, un nouvel amendement devrait être proposé lors de l'examen au Sénat du texte litigieux.

Alain Beuve-Méry
merci le monde!

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Sony Looks to Move PlayStation Titles to Tablets, Mobile Devices...

The company wants to expand its portable gaming presence, thus far limited to two tablets and a mobile phone.

Sony Corp. is in talks with various manufacturers of mobile phones and tablet computers in an effort to bring video game titles from its PlayStation over to more portable devises.
The Wall Street Journal reports Sony revealed ambitions for widening its video game market during All Things Digital's Asia D conference in Hong Kong Friday.

This would involve the expansion of tie-in application PlayStation Suite, which is currently only available on two Sony-made tablets and a mobile phone, and more partnering on its Sony Ericsson joint venture.

"This isn't an ecosystem where we want to keep everything within the Sony family," said Sony executive deputy president Kazuo Hirai. "This is not just for Sony devices."

Hirai wouldn't comment on what companies Sony had approached about carrying PlayStation Suite, but the application currently runs on Google's Android platform and individual devices would need to meet certain hardware specifications set by the company.

He would not comment on reports that Sony is in advanced talks to buy out its partner, Ericsson.

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Mumbai Film Mart Offers Learning Lessons...

Organized under the aegis of the Mumbai Film Festival, the Mumbai Film Mart is evolving into a much needed B2B platform for the industry.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World: Telluride Film Review
MUMBAI - The ongoing week-long Mumbai Film Festival (which concludes Thursday) has been attracting its fair share of cineastes given the festival's top notch programming which includes the buzzworthy Martin Scorsese documentary George Harrison: Living In The Material World considering the late ex-Beatles' India connections. But there is also a growing buzz around the Mumbai Film Mart, launched as a concept at last year's festival. "
We ended up receiving 2,000 requests from independent film-makers and buying agents which yielded 400 meetings," said MFF manager Rashmi Lamba.
With this year's focus on exploring non-traditional markets for Indian films in Europe, Latin America, Korea and Japan, the three day MFF (which concluded Monday) saw foreign participants such as IM Global (USA), Rapid Eye (Germany), Novo Films (France), Metropolitan (France), Top Films (CIS), Showbox (Korea), Nikkatsu (Japan), Happinet (Japan), Pioniwa (Japan), 1 Production (Taiwan), Apex Entertainment (Korea), Zeus Film (Taiwan), CJ Entertainment (Korea) and Huayi Brothers (China).
One of India's most successful films, 2009 comedy caper 3 Idiots recently opened in Korea where it collected $7.5 million. "The acceptance of 3 Idiots at the Korean box office shows that audiences are open to Bollywood films and its worth pursuing this genre for the future," said the film's Korean distributor Apex Entertainment director B J Park. Apex will next release Guzaarish in November starring top star Hrithik Roshan.
Another well-documented example of a brewing non-traditional market is Germany where Cologne-based Rapid Eye Movies can be credited for expanding Bollywood's presence over the years releasing films by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, among others. "We are hoping that with Khan's December release (action sequel) Don 2, we can take things to the next level as the film was shot in Germany," said Rapid Eye Movies MD Stephan Holl. But beyond blockbusters, Rapid Eye has also experimented with Indian arthouse fare such as Mumbai Diaries and Peepli Live.
Japan has only seen one breakout hit with South Indian musical film Muthu - The Dancing Maharaja, starring superstar Rajnikant which became a rage when released in 1998 collecting an estimated $1.6 million. "Since then, there has actually been a long gap in marketing Indian films in Japan but we now hope to explore this segment and which is why its good to be at the mart to learn about the industry here," said Nikkatsu Corporation director/GM, Licensing and Acquistions, Aki Sugihara. A major player, the 100-year-old Nikkatsu has a history of distributing international fare in Japan ranging from Wim Wenders' Buena Vista Social Club to Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, among others.
While the jury is still out on whether an Indian film can truly travel globally, attempts to mix cultures in story-telling have been made in a bid to wow non-traditional audiences. Though the much anticipated 2010 romance drama Kites performed below expectations, the film's Mexican lead actress Barbara Mori was seen as a driver to introduce Kites in Latin America. Distributed by a major player like IM Global, Kites received a wide release in 70 markets worldwide, "more than double the typical 30 market figure for most Bollywood films," according to IM Global senior vp, International Sales, David Jourdan. Among foreign players, IM Global has a strong India connection in that leading Indian conglomerate Reliance Entertainment - a major sponsor of the Mumbai Film Fest - has a majority stake in the L.A.-based company.
While no immediate deals were announced after all the "speed dating" meetings at MFM, an example of a project resulting from last year's relatively modest mart could point to the future. London-based film promotions consultancy Special Treats director Colin Burrows met with Indian producer Ashwani Sharma who pitched the concept for Nobel Chor (Nobel Thief) partly inspired by a true incident where the Nobel Prize for renowned Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore went missing. "We kept in touch during shooting and now I am a Supervising Producer on the film (directed by Suman Ghosh) and shepherding it through the London Film Festival where it screened to great acclaim," Burrows told THR in an email interview from London.
Among the many independent film-makers this year seeking interest in their projects was Paris-based director of Indian origin Prashant Nairw hose debut Delhi In A Day screened in the festival's Film India Worldwide section. "Because I made connections at the mart, I now have something to follow up on which is a good beginning for any independent project," said Nair.
"While its early days to assess what benefits will come out of the mart and its also unfair to compare it with established overseas marts, the fact is that Mumbai as the film capital needed a B2B platform and this could fill that void," said leading Indian banner Balaji Films CEO Tanuj Garg.
"The best thing about the mart is that we get to meet most industry players in one location and this is a blessing given the crazy traffic in Mumbai," concluded Holl.

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Critics not-so-silent acclaim for 'The Artist'

Though acclaim and kudos rarely align, this year's more black and white

Apple prepping movie cloud service...

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Can Netflix Sell U.S. Users on Foreign Shows?

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Painful Death of Hollywood's Producers: No First Class, No Calls Back...

VFX vet will discuss the impact of globalization and technology on the busines

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

On Location: Overall L.A. film activity dropped 15% last week...

TIFFCOM Market Opens at Tokyo Fest With Record Exhibitors...

$1.2 Billion Anti-Piracy Suit Filed in Russia...

Monday, October 24, 2011

Vancouver is losing ground to Toronto and Montreal in attracting Hollywood film and TV shoots.

Netflix Stock Tanks; U.S. Subscriber Base Loses 800,000

CNC : l'amendement qui effraie le cinéma français

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Sony Looks to Move PlayStation Titles to Tablets, Mobile Devices...

Mumbai Film Mart Offers Learning Lessons...