CHICAS PRODUCTIONS: Film

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.

Showing posts with label Film. Show all posts

Sunday, November 17, 2013

French Film Exports Reach a 10-Year Record With $282 Million in 2012...

Will Caviar and Champagne Lure Auds to Luxe French Multiplex? Powered by Gaumont's "The Intouchables" (pictured above), EuropaCorp's "Taken 2″ and Wild Bunch's Oscar-winning "The Artist," French film sales scored €211.3 million ($282.2 million) in 2012, a 34.9% year-on hike and a 10-year record.

Figures were compiled by the National Film Board (CNC), in collaboration with the ADEF (Assn. of French Sales Agents) and IFCIC.

While film sales surged, the overseas box office of French pics also skyrocketed by 93.8% to 144.1 million admissions, of which 70.6% were garnered by the top five movies.

Yet, while "Intouchables" and "The Artist" sold a combined 45 million tickets in 2012, a flurry of other French-language films – notably Wild Bunch's "Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia," EuropaCorp's toon "Monster in Paris" and Les Films du Losange's "Amour" — sold 20 million theater admissions. "Taken 2," meanwhile, attracted 47.3 million moviegoers outside France.

Nine pics fared particularly well, selling between half a million and 1 million admissions. These included Pathe's "Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami" and "What's in a Name," SND's "Service Entrance," Studiocanal's "La Delicatesse" and Wild Bunch's "Rust and Bone."
French sales companies thrived with both homegrown and foreign films in 2012. Indeed, revs from foreign pics sales climbed 17.1% to $118.6 million, while deals on Gallic movies rose 43.1% to $248.4 million.

Sales to North America climbed 35.2% to $80 million, repping 28.6% of worldwide deals.
Western Europe remained the No. 1 territory for French films concentrating 42.8% of 2012's worldwide sales revenue, rising 36.8% to $121.3 million. Gallic pics proved particularly attractive to Teuton distribs. Sales to Germany increased by 72.3% to $46.3 million. Even in Italy, sales doubled to $12 million in 2012.

Revenue from Central and Eastern Europe rose 40.9% to $30.7 million, while sales to Asia also increased to $20 million, a 27.6% year-rise.

Hitting such a modern high point in 2012, it will be difficult for so many stars to align again in 2013. French sales outfits have been hit by the collapse of Southern European markets and declining minimum guarantees across most international territories.

So far, Gaumont's tightly budgeted comedy "Paulette," about a retiree-turned-drug dealer, and Other Angle's "On the Other Side of the Tracks," a buddy laffer toplining Omar Sy, are the top two highest-grossing French-language films released overseas in 2013.

This year's list of best-selling French-language movies include Guillaume Gallienne's "Me, Myself and Mum" (Gaumont), Jalil Lespert's "Yves Saint Laurent" (SND) and Abdellatif Kechiche's "Blue Is the Warmest Color" (Wild Bunch).

Thank you Variety

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U.K., South Korea Sign Cultural Agreement...

Mainland Chinese opportunities have led to a filmmaking exodus, but the territory is thriving as a shooting destination.
Mainland China's industry is hogging the limelight, but Hong Kong is the most efficient gateway into the booming market north of the border, industryites from the territory said Thursday during an AFM panel discussion.

Michael Bay Hails Hong Kong Despite 'Scary' 'Transformers' AttackHong Kong Directors Guild Boss Calls 'Transformers 4' Incident 'Ridiculous'Michael Mann's 'Cyber' Film Shoot Moves to Hong KongThe number of local productions in Hong Kong has fallen as directors and producers turn their attention to the world's second-largest film market in China.

STORY: Michael Bay Hails Hong Kong Despite 'Scary' 'Transformers' Attack

Independent filmmaker Maria Lo Orzel spoke of how almost all Hong Kong filmmakers are working with China.

"Going from 300 to 50 films a year shows that most of the local filmmakers have moved north, but they will mostly come to Hong Kong to help start their projects.

"We cannot survive without China," she told the gathering.

Film productions from Hong Kong can take advantage of CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement), which affords them special status.

Hong Kong also is proving itself to be a popular location. Recent projects that shot there include Transformers: Age of Extinction, Cyber, Pacific Rim and Fast & Furious 6.

STORY: Michael Mann's 'Cyber' Film Shoot Moves to Hong Kong

Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that one of the most eagerly listened to figures on the panel was Zhou Tiedong, president of China Film Promotion International.

"Hong Kong has been acting as a major production force -- Hong Kong filmmakers made the only Chinese genre that can travel internationally: the kung fu movie. It is a better way to go through Hong Kong filmmakers," said Zhou.

He said a ratings system would probably happen in China, but only if the market wants it. "The audience is always right," he joked.

Panelist Jeffrey Chan, COO of Bona Film Group, said Hong Kong still has plenty to offer that China does not.

"I rarely find people who don't like Hong Kong; it's a base camp. It's efficient, it's quick to set up a company, it was under British rule so it has common law. The Chinese yuan is not an internationally convertible currency," he said.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

Turkey’s Economic Boom Fuels Film Expansion..

Budgets rise as producers tap more coin from new sources

Turkey's booming economy is spilling over into the local film industry, boosting budgets and exports.

Still, Turkey's film sector has plenty of room for improvement, especially compared with its terrific TV trade.

With the country in turbo mode, Turkish film and TV producers over the past decade have been tapping into more coin, from both private investors and government subsidies, which are regulated by a 2004 law. This law is being modified to provide more incentives, including breaks for foreign productions, which get a refund of the country's 18% VAT tax when they shoot in Turkey.

What's driving the Turkish film industry is the strong and stable local market share.

Homegrown fare in 2012, the most recent year for which figures are available, accounted for a whopping 46.6% of the total box office.

The Turkish box office champ in 2012 was turbans-and-testosterone epic "Fetih 1453," helmed by Faruk Aksoy, about the capture of Constantinople in the 15th century by the Ottoman Turks, toplining local hunk Ibrahim Celikkol as a heroic Turkish martyr.

Produced by Aksoy Film Prods., "Fetih" pulled $31 million, more than 10% of the nation's $234 million total box office last year, and has traveled widely.

But Abdurrahman Celik, an adviser to the Turkish culture ministry, cautions that only five Turkish pics last year reached 1 million admissions at the local box office, considered the benchmark for a successful pic.

This year, "The Butterfly's Dream," which is directed by poet, playwright, and actor Yilmaz Erdogan, has scored $10 million-plus domestically, which is especially impressive considering it's a much more delicate narrative than "Fetih." Budgeted at $15 million and already exported quite widely, "Dream" is a World War II-set romancer about two young poets forced to work in a coal mine and who fall in love with the same young woman from a wealthy family.

The film is also Turkey's entry into the foreign-language film Oscar race.

FilmNation sales exececutive Tara Erer, who is Turkish, notes that there are two main genres of films that are made in the country: drama and comedy, both of which are "very culture and language-specific," which makes it more difficult for them to travel.

A notable exception is director Mahsun Kirmizigul's Hollywood-style auctioner "Five Minarets in New York" (aka "Act of Vengeance") with Danny Glover and Gina Gershon, about two Turkish agents sent to New York City to capture a notorious terrorist. The 2010 pic, reportedly budgeted at $20 million, pulled in more than $40 million, about half from domestic auds and the rest internationally, including the U.S.

Germany, which has a large Turkish population, is the main territory for the exports, and also the country with which Turkey has the closest cinematic ties creatively.

According to distributor Pamir Demirtas, whose Pinema mainly brings Hollywood product to Turkey but would love to see local exports rise, luring more foreign productions "could encourage local producers and investors to think bigger."

The government is also paying attention, as Celik assures "we are planning to give direct support to foreign productions soon."

Still, the current lack of incentives has not prevented several high-profile Hollywood pics, including "Argo," "Taken 2" and "Skyfall," from shooting in Turkey. Expected next on Turkish shores is Russell Crowe's directorial debut, "The Water Diviner.

Thank you Variety

Film London Creates Department for Artists Looking to Make Movies...

The U.K. government-backed agency appoints current production and talent development tsar Maggie Ellis to run the newly formed unit.

LONDON – Film London, the British capital's movie agency familiar to Hollywood's location decision makers, is setting up a dedicated department for artists looking to make movies.

Berlin 2013: U.K.'s Production Film Market Renews Aussie Partnership (Exclusive)
The U.K. government-backed agency has tasked current head of production and talent development Maggie Ellis with the job of overseeing the newly created department.
STORY: BFI to Decide on U.K. Applications for TV Production Tax Credits
Ellis is named head of Artists' Moving Image and will aim to build on the growth in artists turning to film.
Funded by Arts Council England (ACE), Film London launched its Artists' Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) in 2005 to provide British capital-based artists working in the moving image access to funding, guidance, development opportunities and promotional and exhibition platforms.
The present set up runs the successful Film London Jarman Award, an annual prize which awards $16,000 (£10,000) and a broadcast commission alongside FLAMIN Productions, the commissioning fund behind the multi award-winning Two Years At Sea directed by Ben Rivers and West Hinder by Elizabeth Price, who won last year's Turner Prize, the U.K.'s highest profile art nod.
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: "Over the past seven years we have seen extraordinary growth and development in this sector. This is of course down to the talent of the artists and the work, but in part it is also a result of the work of FLAMIN, which has been integral in supporting and nurturing many of those individuals in this area of work. Maggie has been a guiding force in that work and her appointment as Head of Artists' Moving Image will ensure she is in a position to drive it further."
Ellis said: "When we started this work at Film London we were one of very few voices championing artists' moving image practice. Artists' films are now being released theatrically in cinemas as well as being screened in galleries and across other platforms, commanding large audiences. This work is gaining in profile and momentum – a fact demonstrated last year when three of the four artists nominated for the Turner Prize were moving image artists. We have seen an exciting blurring of boundaries over the past few years, due in no small part to Film London's and ACE's commitment to artist film-makers."
Film London will appoint a new head of talent development and production in the coming months with Ellis continuing to oversee all of the agency's production activity including Film London Microwave and its shorts and training programs.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

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Kodak Introduces New Film Aimed at Archiving...

The film stock was developed to address Hollywood’s “Digital Dilemma.”Kodak has developed a new color film designed to address industry concern about long-term preservation of movies and TV content in the digital age.

OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS AMPAS tackles digital dilemmas“The Digital Dilemma reports published by the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have carefully outlined the risks of digital storage,” said Kim Snyder, president of Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging Division. “(Digital) file-based projects often end up stored on tapes or drives, which need to be continually re-mastered or migrated, and run the risk of format obsolescence.

Our goal was to create an affordable film option designed for content owners working on television programs, independent features and documentaries to assure long-term access and preservation of their valuable content."Kodak reported that its new Color Asset Protection Film 2332 offers more than a century of dye stability when stored in recommended environments. This film is now available in the 35mm format.

The company plans to add a black-and-white separation film to their asset protection portfolio later this year. A presentation about the new film stock will be made at the Association of Moving Image Archivists’ Reel Thing Technical Symposium, which starts Friday at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

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Demian Bichir’s Performance in "A Better Life" Oscar Worthy

Opens in Limited Release Friday, June 24th

Bel Hernandez
bhernandez@latinheat.com

Demain Bichir’s performance in director Chris Weitz newest film A Better Life is being touted as an Oscar worthy performance and has Hollywood insiders, who can make that happen, talking. Opening in a limited release this Friday, June 24th, A Better Life, the powerful drama about an a family looking to embrace the American dream, only to see it ripped from their grasp, will leave you re-thinking, or at least thinking about, the illegal immigrant debate.

This story is not the usual Hollywood immigrant story about drug mules, sinister coyotes, or the big bad border patrol, it is about survival - of family and dreams. Carlos (Bichir) is gentleminded, hardworking single father trying to make ends meet who takes a leap of faith by purchasing a truck which would allow him, not only to be his own boss but to make more money and make a better life for his son Luis, (Jose Julian). However, fate steps in with a change of plans.

After the financial success of his second directing gig, Twilight Oscar nominee Weitz (for About a Boy) could have done any film, but he chose A Better Life. He called it the “best thing that I’d read in 20 years”.

Weitz , whose grandmother is actress Lupita Tovar (Dracula (1931)), was intent on making this film and was responsible for bringing in the team that made the film happen: Writer Eric Eason (Manito; first time producer, actress Jami Gertz (Still Standing) and former agent Stacey Lubliner, as producers through their production company, Lime Orchard Productions; in addition to producers Christian McLaughlin and famed television and film producer Paul Junger Witt (Dead Poet’s Society, Insomnia).

If distributor Summit Entertainment marketing is successful, and with substantial marketing dollars for the film’s national rollout, the film can potentially find its audience. As for the awards A Better Life is being talked about as a likely contender for a Spirit Award nom next year. However, talk of Oscar consideration will only materialize if there should be a re-release later in the year. Time has a way with helping powerful performances fade away, especially without marketing campaigns to keep it front and center.

A Better Life opens June 24th in a limited release.

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Historic Change as Women Directors Leave Mark at Cannes...

Historic Change as Women Directors Leave Mark at Cannes

It's a cornucopia of female directing talent at the Cannes Film Festival 2011 after a year in which protests were loud over the fact that women were entirely absent from the competition.

This year marks an historic change: no fewer than four women directors are screening films in the competition this year -- a record, according to festival organizers -- and many more are competing in other categories.

It's hard to say if the festival reacted to last year's protest or if last year was a dry spell in a changed era of equality. Certainly it can't hurt that Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar in 2010, breaking that particular glass ceiling.

Included in the main competition this year are:

* Britain's Lynne Ramsay, who directed "We Need to Talk About Kevin," which debuted on Thursday; it is a dark vision of American parenthood in which Tilda Swinton plays a mother riven with pain and guilt over her teenage son's violent actions. (It does not yet have U.S. distribution.)

* Australia's Julia Leigh (mentored by Jane Campion) brought "Sleeping Beauty' to the festival -- which Sasha Stone on TheWrap called "a wretched, stifling" fairy tale [1]– about beautiful women hired to be put to sleep by men and sexually used while unconscious.

See also: Cannes: 'Sleeping Beauty' Premieres, Tilda Swinton Turns Heads (Slideshow) [2]

* "Polisse" is an ambitious, multi-character police story by the French filmmaker who goes by the single name of Maiwenn (pictured, right). The film is set in the juvenile protection unit and chronicles the daily grind for cops dealing with child molesters, underage pickpockets and abusive parents. Maiwenn co-wrote and directed the film -- spending time immersed in a police unit to learn the subject -- in addition to playing a photographer in the story.

* "Hanezu" by Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase is a study of comparing the tradition of valuing the passage of time. Kawase wrote, directed, photographed and edited the film.

And these are far from the only films by women in the festival. "And Now Where Are We Going?" (`Et Maintenant On Va Ou") by Nadine Labaki is about a group of Lebanese women who try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village.

Jodie Foster's "The Beaver" is screening out of competition, "The Big Fix" by Rebecca and Josh Tickell is part of the festival as is "Return," by first-time filmmaker Liza Johnson, about a woman soldier (Linda Cardellini) returning to small-town life in Ohio and her husband (played by Michael Shannon).

"I was interested in doing a story set in a town like the one I came from," said Johnson, in an interview. "It seemed interesting, important, and under-told. The story that gets told most is expulsive – about men's rage. But the intimate ways in which people across a new gap is not often told." (See video)

"The Slut," screening in the Director's Fortnight section, is Israeli filmmaker Hagar Ben-Asher's poetic take on promiscuity. She wrote, directed and stars in the film as a woman living on an agricultural commune who services the men of the community as she raises chickens, and two daughters. The film has very little dialogue, but conveys emotion and the complexity of relations that sex engenders.

Whether women directors add a different dimension to the panorama of filmmaking is a matter of debate (I believe they do – more intimate stories, more stories that are

interested in and understand female characters).

I asked Maiwenn -- with striking looks and a mane of brown hair -- about the number of women directors this year, and she took offense at the notion that it was a reaction to last year's absence. (Which yielded an online petition [3]that raised 1,000 signatures in protest.)

Festival director "Thierry Fremaux and the committee love cinema and women enough to judge if films have their place in Cannes, directed by men or women," she said combatively at Friday's press conference. "It would be deplorable to create a quota of women to fill. I'm sure my film was taken it's because it's good not because I'm a woman.

But at the same time, Maiwenn noted that directing "is a masculine profession."

"It's very hard on the set," she conceded. "It's a masculine profession, about taking things in charge. That's the difficulty. And we are up against misogynistic financiers."

Johnson could connect with that sentiment. She finally found financing from Fork Films, a company run by Abigail Disney, a filmmaker and philanthropist interested in both peace-related and women's issues (bullseye!).

But that was before Johnson heard a lot of `Nos.' "I've had people say, `We're already doing a film with a woman this year,'" as a reason to turn her down, Johnson recalled.

There's still work to do.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

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Creative Scotland Investing $1 Million Into Initiatives to Boost Scottish Film..

Among the four initiatives is Scottish production banner Sigma Films.

Scottish government backed agency Creative Scotland is pumping £1 million ($1.6 million) into a quartet of initiatives in an attempt to boost Scottish cultural content, develop audiences and bring fame and fortune to Scottish film companies.

Among the four initiatives is Scottish production banner Sigma Films.
It secures a quarter of the cash to help set up its distribution arm Sigma Releasing, to co-release its titles with other distributors and contribute to the p&a costs. An example would be the company's collaboration with Icon for the rollout of You Instead, starring Luke Treadaway.
Also benefiting from Creative Scotland largesse to the tune of £500,000 ($810,000) is a co-venture with the existing Aegis Fund and Prescience, named the MacKendrick Fund. It will offer debt and equity finance to local and international movie projects with Scottish elements or those to be shot in Scotland or post-produced there.

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Feature and Short meet in cannes selections around common theme Muslim saves young jews in Paris WW2 a true story

2 Films with a message meet in Cannes around same subject and true story: Muslim saves young jews in occupied Paris WW2

Both films (a feature film and a short film) tell a story based on the true life of Rector of The Grande Mosquée de Paris who saved young jews in 1942 by forging certificates of muslim origin for hundreds of young jews. 500 to 1600 the exact figure is not available, on Schindlers's list there WAS a list!

Free Men (Les hommes libres) written and directed by Ismaël FERROUKHI, produced by Fabienne Vonier starring Tahar Ramin... will screen may 19th in Official selection, a special screening out of competition as one of the two 'School Screenings', aimed at 'secondary pupils'may.

1942, in German-occupied Paris: Younes, a young unemployed Algerian, earns his living as a black marketeer. Arrested by the French police, Younes agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque. The police suspects indeed the Mosque authorities, among which Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit, its Rector, of helping Resistance fighters and Jews by giving them false certificates.
At the Mosque, Younes meets the Algerian singer Salim Halali. Younes is moved by Salim's beautiful voice and strong personality and they become friends. Soon after, he discovers that Salim is Jewish. In spite of the risks it entails, Younes stops collaborating with the police. Confronted by this barbarism, Younes gradually develops from being a politically ignorant immigrant worker into a fully-fledged freedom fighter.
A Pyramide production by Pyramide, screenplay by Ismaël FERROUKHI and Alain-Michel BLANC starring :Tahar RAHIM (le Prophète), Michael LONSDALE (of Gods and Men), Mahmoud SHALABY

Ensemble Directed by Mohamed Fékrane (2010) 12 minutes tell the same story from a different perspective, and with a shorter focus of the Imam's life played by Habib Kadi.
It will be shown as one of the 8 co-winners of Banlieuz'Art competition (sponsored by BNP and Région Ile de France) Salle Bazin May 20th at 2.00 followed by a press conference with the 8 jury members (each supporting their protégé film. Jean-Rachid producer of Grand Corps Malade, an actor, singer, stand up comedian: a man with many talents and tastes.

Paris, 1942, Isaac (inspired by Salim Halali) a Jewish child, escapes the Nazis, he finds refuge in the Mosquée of Paris where Ahmed, the founder and rector of the The Grande Mosquée de Paris, takes him under his protection, teaches him Coran and arab, fakes his certificate....
Ahmed then started to save as many children as possible from certain death. Before he was arrested...
A poignant story based on true events. though it is still impossible to evaluate the number of lives saved through these extraordinary brave acts, the estimates range between 600 and 1500.

Cast: Habib Kadi, Clémence Thioly, Arsene Mosca, DjamelBourriahi, Tony Baillargeat, Styéphane Mercier, Jacques Guillet, Leo Ouadfel, Chistophe Kourdouly and Erwan, the first Emotion Film Factory production (the company was set up by Christophe Kourdouly and Bruno Chatelin)
Crew:Director of photography : Victor Dupuis, Sound: Olivier Roux, Deco: Mark-R, Editing: Wadi Laadam, Color: Lamine Diakite
Produced by Christophe Kourdouly and Bruno Chatelin

The film is available online on Cinando. Ask for a invitation
Click to watch the trailer

Contacts in Cannes
Ensemble: Bruno Chatelin + 33 6 80 99 57 34 brunochatelin@emotion film factory
Free Men: André Paul Ricci +33 (0)6 12 44 30 62 apricci@wanadoo.fr

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Oscar ratings down from last year

Still, kudocast holds relatively well among young adults
By RICK KISSELL

Hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco couldn't raise the younger Oscars demo as producers had hoped, with the show down 7% from last year.

Sunday's Oscars were highest-rated in New York, which had a 33.9 household rating to top local markets.

One year after expanding the best-pic category to 10 films, ratings for the Academy Awards remained strong despite showing some declines.
An average aud of 37.6 million tuned in to ABC's telecast Sunday, off 10% from last year's 41.7 million, which repped a five-year high, but ahead of both 2009 (36.3 million) and the record low of 2008 (32.0 million). This is a larger aud than anything but football these days, towering over the top-rated seg of this season's "American Idol" on Fox (26.2 million) as well as the second most popular kudocast (the Grammys on CBS drew 26.7 million).

And a somewhat calculated decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to go for a younger audience with 20-something thesp hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway seems to have paid off: The Oscars were down just 5% in adults 18-34 (10.6 vs. 11.1). Ratings fell off in the 12%-13% range in other categories including adults 18-49 (11.7 vs. a 13.3 last year), 25-54 (13.2 vs. 15.2) and 50-plus (19.8 vs. 22.5).

This year's list of Oscar nominees recognized an unusually diverse crop of specialty titles ("The King's Speech" and "Black Swan") and B.O. powerhouses ("Inception" and "Toy Story 3") -- a byproduct of the expanded best pic category; in all, five of the best-pic nominees have topped $100 million domestically.

Still, there was nothing approaching the B.O. bounty of last year's "Avatar," which holds the all-time North America record for box office receipts and was a big factor in last year's ratings surge.

The preliminary national household rating/share for this year's Oscars was a 21.1/33 -- down 9% from last year's 23.3/37.

New York reclaimed its title as the top-rated local market (33.9 household rating), edging out Chicago (33.0), with Gotham up 14% from last year (when a battle between ABC station WABC and Cablevision kept the kudocast off the screens in roughly 3 million homes at the start of the show) and the Windy City down 12%.

Other markets in which more than 30% of households were tuned in to the Oscars were: San Francisco-Oakland (33.6), Kansas City (32.7), Boston (32.0), Denver (31.2), host city Los Angeles (30.8) and neighbor San Diego (30.3).

Advertiser demand was strong for this year's Academy Awards, with ABC reporting more than two weeks before the telecast that it had sold all available spots. And with each 30-second spot fetching roughly $1.7 million, the network was able to collect more than $80 million in revenue.

From 8 to 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC's "Oscar's Red Carpet Live" averaged a preliminary 26.4 million viewers, the spec's largest aud since 2007. And E! scored the most-watched "Live from the Red Carpet" in the net's history from 6 to 8 p.m., with its nearly 4 million viewers outperforming last year's delivery by 9% to become one of the net's 10 most-watched telecasts ever.

Following the Oscars, a special "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC averaged about 4.5 million viewers, including 1.75 million in the 18-49 demo -- the second best post-Oscar "JKL" in the last four years. Featuring special appearances by Jessica Alba, Eva Longoria, Kelly Ripa, Minka Kelly and Sofia Vergara, it was up slightly vs. last year in women 18-34.

ABC also noted that preliminary data showed a 29% increase in viewers vs. last year on Oscar.com and the Oscar Backstage Pass App.

Thanks Variety!
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Industry News: Los Angeles On-Location Film Permits Increase By 16% in 2010...

Compared to a 23 percent decline in production permits issued in 2009 in the county, the uptick is a sign that an economic recovery is under way.
The number on location film permits in Los Angeles County issued in 2010 for movies, TV and commercials production jumped an impressive 16 percent after declining by 23 percent in the previous year, according to a report by the L.A. County Economic Development Corp.

It's a sign that the recession is over and that an economic recovery is under way in Southern California, especially for the entertainment industry.

"Compared with a year ago, there is a huge change," said Nancy Sidhu, the country's chief economist and one of the authors of the 2011-12 Economic Forecast & Industry Outlook.

Sidhu said the L.A. economy is starting on the path to recovery. "It looks to me like that substantial activity will continue this year," she said.

A key breakout measure is the number of film production days that required permits. That doesn't include the projects made on studio lots, but Sidhu said that "when you talk to studio people, they say, `Hey, we were busy.' So you know it is going on inside the studios too."

The number of film production days measured by FilmL.A. rose 15 percent in 2010 to 43,646 days, compared to 37,979 in 2009. However, that remains below the peak year of 2006, when FilmL.A. recorded 55,400 days.

According to the report, TV show permits climbed 12 percent year to year, and commercials permits shot up 28 percent.

"We're making progress," Sidhu said. "That's the kind of year 2011 is, a year of progress and improvement everywhere I look."

There is jobs progress as well. The movie and TV production sector in 2010 added 16,500 employees, a 13.4 percent improvement, which according to the report made it one of the fastest-growing segments.

In December, Sidhu said, there were 144,400 people employed in the motion picture industry (which does not include independent contractors). That compares with 130,400 in the same month a year earlier. "So it's a big increase," Sidhu said. "It is mostly studio employment, and it is substantial in terms of everything that went on last year."

The peak year for jobs was 1999, when 146,3000 people were employed in movies and sound recording.

There also is positive indications for those concerned about runaway production.

"The outward migration of film production was slowed by the state's program of film tax credits," says the study, which notes that California granted $300 million in tax credits to more than 100 projects in 2009-10. That program provided a 20 percent to 25 percent tax credit on qualified production expenses, which could be used to offset state income tax or sales tax.

Employment in the broadcasting segment (radio, TV and cable), however, was down. It fell from 18,300 employees in 2009 to 17,917 in 2010. The report notes movie theater attendance also was off in 2010 by about 5 percent.

Piracy continues to grow as a threat, says the report, and advances in technology are making it easier. There also is a continuing decline in revenue from the sales of DVDs, which has not been offset by the increase in VOD and electronic download sales.

Last summer, the number of pay TV customers declined for the first time. The report suggests more people are dropping cable and turning to such services as Netflix or Redbox for cheap rentals.

However, the bigger picture is bright. "A year ago, we were still worrying about whether we would have another collapse in the financial markets," Sidhu said.

She said there also are indications that money is available once again from outside funding sources to make movies. "People who have money are beginning to look at what they are going to do with it," she added, "because they too have come to the conclusion the recession is over and it's probably safe to go out again."

Sidhu has been with the LAEDC for 11 years, but this in her first year as chief economist. She replaced Jack Kyser, who died in December.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

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www.chicas-productions.com

INTERNSHIP: Full Feature Film

Currently looking for enthusiastic and hard-working interns!
For students looking to get into public relations,production, and digital media. Full Picture internships are a great way to learn more about the industry.

Company is known for developing and executive producing hit shows including Project Runway, Models of the Runway and the CW's Stylista, as well as Lifetime's upcoming Seriously Funny Kids. Full Picture Productions continues to bring its lifestyle, fashion and beauty expertise to the online space by creating compelling, interactive digital content.
Company is an award-winning team of highly creative individuals who bring your ideas into focus in the global market place. We live and work at the crossroads of fashion, design, television and technology, and are able to forecast trends and identify key moments that help our clients capture the public's interest. The objective of this unique and multifaceted approach is to build significantly client profiles, increase media presence into new ventures and deliver stand out results.

Internship Description:

This unpaid internship offers a chance for students to earn school credit. The intern's role is to be a professional, proactive member of our public relations team who is organized, detail oriented and has effective and consistent follow through on all tasks undertaken. Our interns will learn and assist in brainstorm meetings, writing press memos, pitching media, and staffing events. The intern's job also includes facilitating office duties and administrative responsibilities that may include rolling executive calls and updating our contact database.

Qualities/Skills
• Assertive
• Organized
• Detail Oriented
• Resourceful
• Effective Communicator (Interoffice, to media & clients)
• Follow-through
• Initiative
• Ability to finesse difficult personalities and situations
• Intuitiveness

In order to avoid all the SCAMS, we decide not to publish all the info of the recruter in the job postings. You'll find this info in our Daily Newsletter.

You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here

Thanks.

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www.chicas-productions.com

Industry News: Media That Matters 11 Call-for-Entries

Media That Matters 11
Call-for-Entries
Opens March 1, 2011

In 2011, Media That Matters moves to the Fall!

Submit your film for the chance to work with us in empowering
communities working for social change. Let your film be the tool that
affects hearts and minds, and supports collective struggle for a more
just world.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, including educators,
activists and nonprofits, will watch and use your film through an
international, multi-platform campaign streaming and playing to
audiences everywhere. Media That Matters -- the premier showcase for
short films with big messages -- is your conduit. Join us in our
ELEVENTH year and submit your film now!

Short Films: 10-minutes is the MAX; under 8-minutes is ideal.

Social Issues: Any and all issues will be considered. This year we are
particularly interested in films focusing on Disability Rights,
Interfaith Dialogue and Religious Tolerance, Bias-based Bullying,
Gender/Women and Youth Activism.

All Genres: Documentary, narrative, animation, music video, drama,
comedy, public service announcement. Hybrid, or a new genre
altogether? Absolutely, creativity is encouraged -- but your film must
focus on a social issue.

All ages: Youth-produced projects encouraged!

MUST be cleared for NONEXCLUSIVE home video, educational, online,
broadcast and theatrical distribution.

Deadline: May 1, 2011

Check website for more details and to apply online: www.mediathatmattersfest.org/submit
.
Questions?
Send us an email at festival@artsengine.net.

ABOUT MEDIA THAT MATTERS
Media That Matters is the premiere showcase for short films on the
most important topics of the day. Local and global, online and in
communities around the world, Media That Matters engages diverse
audiences year-round and inspires them to take action.

ABOUT ARTS ENGINE
Arts Engine, Inc. supports, produces, and distributes independent
media of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by
advocates, educators and the general public.

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www.chicas-productions.com

Industry News: The first to see films: film festival gatekeepers...

A pre-screener's lot is double-sided. Yes, there's the possibility of being the one to discover a great new movie. But there are a lot of movies out there.

It sounded like a dream job: plop down on a couch, throw some popcorn in the microwave and spend your days watching movies.

That's what Christine Davila thought, anyway. The 32-year-old Los Angeles resident had spent years toiling as an assistant to a number of Hollywood producers before she finally got a shot at her ideal gig — working as a programming associate for the Sundance Film Festival, the annual independent movie mega-event that kicked off in Park City, Utah, this week.

Davila landed the job in 2008, and every year since, she's been paid to screen hundreds of hours of film for the festival's international section. From June to November, she has to meet a quota: watch 200 films. After viewing each, she fills out an elaborate "coverage" form — writing a synopsis of the plot, sharing her opinion on the film's production quality or storytelling, noting if any famous actors or directors are involved and ranking it overall from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Her comments are used to help determine which movies make it into the prestigious festival.

"I love telling people what I do, because it sounds glamorous," admitted Davila, who now spends the other half of the year screening films for the Los Angeles Film Festival. "But the truth is that it sounds a lot more glamorous than it is."

With the technology to make a film — especially an indie film — getting cheaper and more accessible, the volume of submissions to festivals across the country is on the rise, meaning more work for people like Davila. This year, Sundance had more than 10,000 entries — including narrative and documentary features as well as short films — up from about 7,500 in 2006. To handle the deluge, the Utah festival employs 32 part-time screeners and eight part-time programming associates including Davila, in addition to the 22 full-time staff members who also view films.

Screeners such as Davila and the worker bees beneath her can't guarantee that a given movie will get into the festival — those final calls lie with the top decision-makers, and this year only about 120 feature films made the cut at Sundance. But the front-line gatekeepers do have a big say in what gets passed up the chain. She and others involved in the submission process for festivals held everywhere from California to New York say the work can be extremely tedious. You might watch days of material and only stumble across one gem. The films all start to blend together. Fatigue — or even delirium — begins to set in.

"You go to bed and have a nightmare because of a film you've watched, so you'll watch another film just to forget the one that came before it," said Darryl Macdonald, director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which wrapped earlier this month. In addition to his 9-to-5 duties, Macdonald says he wakes up at 6 a.m. on weekends and watches films until 7 p.m.

"I wouldn't wish it on anyone," he said, only half-joking. "Of course, you take breaks. You have to. The process itself of watching them can be incredibly draining."

At least he's on salary. Many lower-level volunteers and contract employees sign up to sift through film festival submissions in exchange for almost nothing. Sundance's regular screeners — who do the initial viewing and ranking of most films to determine whether someone like Davila should then check them out — are paid $15 per film and watch a minimum of 75 films. (That's a rather underwhelming $1,125, considering minimum wage in California is $8 an hour.) And most other festivals only offer a pass to their event as compensation.

But that's more than enough reimbursement for Dan Paicopulos, 66, who has been a pre-screener for the Palm Springs fest for the last nine years. Now retired from a job he describes as "glorified social worker," Paicopulos spent three months last year watching 150 films because he wants to "support the art form of film in this tiny, little way."

"It's not for everybody, to be able to sit by yourself in a room and translate that experience into one for an audience of 300 or 400 people," Paicopulos said. "At a world-class film festival, not just anybody can get in. It really has to be something special. I didn't realize how difficult it would be."

Many would-be screeners don't comprehend what the process truly entails, said Candace Schermerhorn, director of programming for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. That festival, which begins Thursday, has a review committee of about 30 local residents who do a first pass on many of its submissions.

"We don't take just anyone. They have to have a real interest in film, because you have to make a commitment to watch at least 100 hours worth of films before you earn a festival pass," Schermerhorn said. "If we have somebody come on board and they aren't really interested and they drop out, it really creates problems for the other reviewers. And we do have turnover. We've come to a point where we've started to revise our strategy — just because you're on the review committee this year doesn't mean you stay. We need an influx of opinions and people and ideas about what make a good film."

Still, many festival programmers say they're increasingly on the receiving end of angry phone calls from filmmakers who question whether their project was actually seen or just lost in the shuffle. Adam Montgomery, manager of Sundance's programming department, says each film is watched at least twice.

"One thing I will say to everyone out there who spreads that rumor that film festivals don't watch films: We do," agreed Nancy Schafer, the executive director of New York's Tribeca Film Festival. "The films are watched. All of them. And they are watched by people that we trust."

Palm Springs' Macdonald did offer up one tip, however: Filmmakers who send their movies in far in advance of the submission deadline have a better shot of winning him over.

"In the early part of the process, I'm a lot kinder than I am in the later stages. I'll stick with the film right until the end, because I always hope a film will save itself by the end," he said. "But by the later stages, I'm seeing as many as eight films a day, and you learn after a while that if it isn't working a half-hour in, you move on. There's just too little time."

It's a mantra that that Paicopulos said has been drilled into his mind: Time is of the essence.

"My job is to not waste the paid staff's time," he explained. "When I say a film should be considered, I'm saying it's worth two hours of your time to look at it. And I have an obligation to the audience. Every day before I start looking, I ask myself the question: If I drove to Palm Springs, had to find a place to park, stood in line, paid 11 bucks and had to sit in the second row for two hours, would this be worth it?"

Alex Ago, 31, whose full-time job is as director of programming and special projects for USC's School of Cinematic Arts, recently completed his first year as a regular screener for Sundance. He thought the position would give him a glimpse at some of the up-and-coming films he could later show to the university's students — but he also hopes to one day move his way up the food chain at a festival.

"I definitely saw some films that I thought were great, but I didn't see anything where I picked up the phone and started raving about it to someone," said Ago, who this week traveled to Park City on USC's dime — not Sundance's — to check out even more new films.

Yes, he still likes watching movies and says he even went to the theater every once in a while during the screening season.

"I always find it refreshing when I go out to a commercial movie theater, because I can enjoy the movie in public and get movie theater popcorn," he said. "Going to 'Tron' during Christmas was great."

Despite the time commitment and the paltry wages, Ago says he'd readily take on the gig again next year. Because when he's watching a movie that starts to derail, and his eyes begin to droop after hours in front of the television, he reminds himself that he might be the one to discover the next Quentin Tarantino.

"I would love to find the next 'Run Lola Run' or 'City of God,' " he said. "I recognize that I probably watch more bad films than anyone I know in the process of finding the diamond in the rough, but then when I find it, I'm the one who did."

Thank you Los Angeles Times

A.
www.chicas-productions.com

Industry News: The 2011 Total Film Movie Blog Awards

http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-2011-total-film-movie-blog-awards/page:3

Are We Shooting Yet?

- Filmmaker

Film Industry Bloggers

- Film industry insiders

Going Somewhere

- Filmmaker

Hit RECord

- Joseph Gordon-Levitt's blog

Hope For Film

- Producer Ted Hope

I'm an actor, they don't get it

- Actor

It's a 1st AD thing

- Assistant Director

John August

- Screenwriter

Life Through A Lens

- Filmmaker Ryan Mackfall

Looper Production Blog

- Production blog for Rian Johnson's latest film, Looper

O'Dwyer Pictures

- Filmmaker

One Step Inside, Doesn't Mean You Understand

- Director of Photography, Karen Abad

Rolling Shutter

- Director Of Photography

Rising Stars Productions

- Production Company

Sam Reich

- Filmmaker

Standard Protocol

- Production Company

Stephen Diaz

- Filmmaker

Tom Hole

- Director Of Photography

Writers Of Screen

- Screenwriter

Read more: Film features: The 2011 Total Film Movie Blog Awards | TotalFilm.com

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www.chicas-productions.com

Sunday, November 17, 2013

French Film Exports Reach a 10-Year Record With $282 Million in 2012...

U.K., South Korea Sign Cultural Agreement...

Turkey’s Economic Boom Fuels Film Expansion..

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Film London Creates Department for Artists Looking to Make Movies...

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Kodak Introduces New Film Aimed at Archiving...

Friday, June 24, 2011

Demian Bichir’s Performance in "A Better Life" Oscar Worthy

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Historic Change as Women Directors Leave Mark at Cannes...

Creative Scotland Investing $1 Million Into Initiatives to Boost Scottish Film..

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Feature and Short meet in cannes selections around common theme Muslim saves young jews in Paris WW2 a true story

Monday, February 28, 2011

Oscar ratings down from last year

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Industry News: Los Angeles On-Location Film Permits Increase By 16% in 2010...

Thursday, February 10, 2011

INTERNSHIP: Full Feature Film

Industry News: Media That Matters 11 Call-for-Entries

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Industry News: The first to see films: film festival gatekeepers...

Industry News: The 2011 Total Film Movie Blog Awards