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.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Dish Wooing New Customers by Giving Away Subscriptions to Blockbuster...

Incoming CEO Joe Clayton says acquisitions and other initiatives are in store as it steps up competition with Netflix.
Dish Network said Thursday its new customers will become subscribers to Blockbuster By Mail for three months free.
The initiative is an example of the synergies Dish had in mind when it purchased Blockbuster out of bankruptcy for $228 million last month.
Blockbuster By Mail is a subscription movie service that competes with Netflix.
Separately on Thursday, Joe Clayton, who will take over as CEO of Dish when Charlie Ergen steps down next month, told the Associated Press he's looking for more companies to acquire. He hinted at stepping up the competition against Netflix, especially in streaming.
"If I were them, I'd be watching what's going on," he told the AP. "I'd stay tuned. Because no one's going to have a monopoly on this and I'm sure it's not just our company that's looking at trying to take a small piece of the pie from Netflix."

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Riviera market revival Cannes buyers in feeding frenzy after famine of the past

CANNES -- The Croisette was abuzz last week over helmer Lars von Tier's declarations of Nazi sympathy and subsequent condemnation by Cannes Festival officials. But Cannes is also about commerce, and that scandal couldn't overshadow the upbeat news coming from buyers and sellers: after a decade's gathering gloom, the robust, near-dramatic market vigor of 2011's Cannes suggested an international film biz that's finally turning a corner.
"The energy in the marketplace hasn't been seen in years," says Focus Features Intl.'s Alison Thompson. "We needed it."

Much of that energy comes from a healthy appetite for product, especially commercial pics. Other factors in play thatcreated an exciting marketplace include the promise of muscular new territories such as Russia and Latin America, and a plethora of product that sometimes led to bidding wars. While one mart cannot predict a whole industry's future, the Riviera revival points to a far healthier market-led scenario than the easy-money bonanzas of yesteryears.

Cannes' trading bravado is doubly remarkable given the international market isn't really coming back: DVD sales are in general decline and TV deals difficult to snag.

"The current market situation is driven only by product," says Constantin honcho Martin Moszkowicz.

After a famine, a feeding frenzy's natural.

"The market's partly recovered from crisis. Secondly, new product quality is way better, on both big and mid-range movies," says Lionel Uzan at France's SND. "With less silly money around, projects simply have to be better, with more attention paid to audiences."

Echoing Uzan, Summit Intl.'s David Garrett says, "Given the amount of seemingly good high-profile product at Cannes, people were keen to lock down what they can get here."

By the first weekend, Summit had pretty well sold out Paul W.S. Anderson's "Pompeii," and "Tarzan 3D," both from Germany's Constantin.

"This is the best market we've had in terms of volume of business done in a short period of time," says Garrett.

Buyers flocked to Lionsgate's "Great Hope Springs," Sierra/Parker seller "Ender's Game," and "End of Watch," sold by Exclusive Media.

Also flying off shelves: IM Global's "The Last Days of an American Crime," and Sam Worthington and James Wan's "Spectre." FilmNation's untitled Oren Peli project did good biz.

"We're delighted at the volume and breadth of deals across multiple projects," says IM Global's Stuart Ford. "This market reflects the number of strong buyers in all major territories."

Big business didn't stop there: Focus Features Intl.'s $100 million-plus "Cloud Atlas" racked up steady sales, lowering its estimated budget to buyers later on in the fest; Exclusive Media's "Snitch" attracted buyers' attention, especially after a mid-market Summit U.S. pickup.

There's also a new sense of confidence.

Entertainment One outbid rivals for various titles, including Summit's "Pompeii," while Alliance/Momentum, mirroring the activity of the Weinstein Co., threw some serious money down for bigger pics.

Inferno virtually sold out "The Host" by May 15 after intense major-territory bidding wars. It was a good market for the outfit. President of international sales Kimberly Fox says Inferno left the market with the vast majority of territories sold on its films.

Emerging markets also boosted confidence. Russia's Paradise/MGN alone picked up "Pompeii," "Tarzan 3D," "Switch," "Ender's Game," plus four Focus titles.

Latin America used to rep around 5% of a pic's budget. Now sales agents are asking for 8% or even 10%, says one Latin American distributor.

Newer market trends gathered force as well, with genre titles, such as SND's "Livid" and "The Incident," Spain's "Inertia," making a splash.

"If relatively original in concept, with high production levels, genre films work well," says Gonzalo Sagardia at Spain's Vertice Sales.

Indeed, L.A.-based Arclight fully financed "Tell," with Brendan Fraser, out of pre-sales, undercoring market demand for family-skewed adventure, per Arclight honcho Gary Hamilton.

Behind new product and enlarged appetite, however, longer-term factors are at play.

Hollywood's studios have largely given up on making mid-budget films, yet around the world, deep-pocketed indie distribs still need tentpoles or star-studded medium-budget movies to compete for key playdates and drive TV deals.

With the majors out of the game, a new breed of heavy-hitters is stepping into the breach, some producing quasi-studio films, many with large ambitions.

With close to 80% of StudioCanal's titles now mainstream, English-language films, "we've had steady growth, selling ever-stronger titles and doing ever-bigger deals," says StudioCanal's Harold Van Lier about the past couple of years.

Another bright factor in the market revival is the re-entry of two particularly troubled markets -- piracy-whammed Spain and local production-focused Japan -- in the pre-buy game, Van Lier adds.

Indie production still labors under large pressures.

"It's still important to bring budgets in at a range that's affordable, says Exclusive Media topper Alex Walton. "That's important to TV buyers too."

For pure-play arthouse, "The new trend is that art films with strong assets -- cast, director, big fest selection -- can sell," says Frederic Corvez, at France's Urban Distribution Intl. "But life's very hard for small films from first-time directors."

Just how long the boom will last is another question, but for now, why ask?

Nick Holdsworth and Emiliano de Pablos contributed to this report.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter
------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Fox International Announces Chinese Film Development Award (Cannes)

Recipients will receive a cash grant and a first-look deal with the studio.

CANNES -- Fox International Productions and the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) have announced the creation of the annual Fox Chinese Film Development Award, which is accompanied by a first-look deal with the studio and a cash grant of HK$100,000.

"We believe that there is a wealth of unrealized filmmakers in China," FIP president Sanford Panitch said during a press conference in Cannes. "One of the goals of FIP is about finding this talent and introducing them to the rest of the world."
The award is part of FIP's latest effort to break into the local-language film business in the worlds' fastest growing movie market.
Submissions are open to any Chinese-language project, or a project with the potential to be adapted into a Chinese-language film. They can be submitted by the copywriter of the project, whether a director, producer, writer or other talent.
The call for entries is open from now through Oct. 30. Projects will be judged based on their creativity, originality and Asian cultural content, as well as their potential for being made into a full-length feature.
Five projects will be shortlisted. The first winner will be announced at the HAF awards ceremony in March 2012.
"We are most grateful to Fox for their award," said Roger Garcia, executive director of the Hong International Film Festival society, which oversees HAF. "Fox's decision to make their award at HAF shows that Hong Kong continues to be the hub our our region's cinema."
Now in its 10th year, HAF supports cinema culture in the Asian region by selection projects from various countries to take part in the three-day event. HAF funding and awards have contributed to more than 50 film projects, many of which have have gone on to play at major film festivals and secure distribution.
The Fox Chinese Film Award comes as Hollywood studios amp up their efforts to make Chinese co-productions, and take part in the moviegoing boom in China.
FIP's first mandarin-language co-production, Hot Summer Days, made in 2009 with Beijing-based partners Huayi Brothers, was shot for $2.4 million and grossed $22 million. A sequel is in the works and FIP hopes soon to be able to announce its 2011 release in China.
FIP's second China foray, The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman, also with Huayi, cost less to make (under $1 million) and made less back (about $3 million), but exceeded the studio's expectations by launching an unknown director with great potential, Panitch says.
Director Wuershan, an ethnic minority from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, moved from his feature debut with FIP to direct the sequel to the 2008 hit Painted Skin, from Hong Kong director Gordon Chan, that grossed about $33 million at China's box office.
"With the directors we're finding, it's not about the future, it's about now," Panitch said in an earlier interview, noting that Wuershan's debut film The Butcher would help form the first slate of films launching the recently announced Fox World Cinema label.
Jonathan Landreth reported from Beijing.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

The New 3D Technology Behind 'Pirates of the Caribbean'...

The James Cameron and Vince Pace-created Fusion 3D camera system has a new feature that makes it easier to shoot in challenging locations.
When the production of Disney's 3D Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides tapped the James Cameron and Vince Pace-created Fusion 3D camera system, it used for the first time what might be a promising development in that technology.

Disney's `Pirates' $346 Million Opening Fourth-Biggest Worldwide Debut Ever at Weekend Box Office
A new, modular "x frame" system is "going to be a part of almost every" Cameron-Pace supported 3D project going forward, Pace, co-chairman and CEO of Cameron-Pace Group, told The Hollywood Reporter. Going forward, that might include support for features, documentaries, episodic TV series -- and Avatar 2 and 3.
For this latest Pirates movie, director of photography Dariusz Wolski (who also lensed the three earlier Pirates films) and his team incorporated this new x frame approach into the shoot, which used the Fusion system with Red MX cameras. Production involved shooting on location in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles and London.
Simply put, x frame is about reducing the size of the system -- which is something that the industry as a whole is working toward when 3D gear is concerned. "They had to be able to go from studio rigs, to handheld, to Steadicam -- and had to do it in the jungle in Hawaii," Pace told THR. "In some places the road was about 3 feet wide. There was no way to bring in heavy equipment on trucks. ... We had to treat this almost as a military operation, so if they had to take equipment on a helicopter and transport it to a beach -- which they did -- they were not restricted by a large support infrastructure.
"We concentrated on reducing the size as much as possible and increasing the mobility and making the rig robust enough to handle that kind of environment," Pace explained, saying that the company is now able to configure a Fusion system that in some cases might be 30-40 percent smaller than anything it did before.
As each production has different demands, the plan going forward is to use this x frame approach to create customized Fusion systems for anything from a small movie to a tentpole. "There are so many different recording options and configurations that it's hard to create a one size fits all," Pace said. "The package that gives you good 3D and a good workflow doesn't have to be the Avatar package."
Pace sees the potential of the x frame system extending beyond features, and at some point, contributing in the young area of 3D television programming production. "Where it really starts to pay off is when you are getting into episodic television," Pace suggested. "I think (the x frame system) will migrate to that type of television work where you want to make sure your footprint is mobile and has the least amount of impact on the set."
Pace also believes this system could be useful to filmmakers who what to shoot nature documentaries. "They can bring (only) the necessary equipment."
To begin to get this system in the hands of filmmakers, the x frame technology has already been shipped to Budapest, where Fusion rigs are being used to shoot 47 Ronin.
Development of Cameron-Pace's Fusion camera system began more then a decade ago. Since then it has been used in a variety of situations, including a dive to Titanic to shoot Cameron's 3D documentary Ghosts of the Abyss and recently on location with Michael Bay on the upcoming Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Belgium Launches First 3D Film Market...

3D Film Mart Runs Dec. 7-8 in Liege, Belgium and will feature some 20 projects in development with about ten equity investors will be invited.

COLOGNE, Germany - Belgium will launch the first ever film market exclusively devoted to 3D films. The 3D Film Mart, or 3DFM will bow for the first time Dec. 7-8 in Liege, Belgium and will offer a platform for producers of 3D features, animation, documentaries and TV fare to hook up with co-producers, financiers, sales agents and distributors from around the world. The inaugural 3DFM will feature some 20 projects in development and about ten equity investors will be invited.
Organizers, which include TWIST, organizers of Belgium's 3D Stereo MEDIA conference, and German consultancy group peacefulfish, hope the market will spur the production of 3D features in Europe.
The European Commission's MEDIA program will help bankroll the market. The first 3DFM is currently accepting submissions for projects and participants for the inaugural event. Information will be available from June 6 on www.3dstereomedia.eu. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 1.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Jafar Panahi not in Cannes for This Is Not a Film premiere

Banned Iranian director who received prison sentence for criticising regime stars in movie smuggled out of Iran

by Catherine Shoard, guardian.co.uk, Saturday 21 May 2011 12.45 BST

Most prints for films premiering at Cannes are delivered to the Croisette by private helicopter, or clutched in the sweaty paws of their devoted directors. Jafar Panahi's new film, This Is Not a Film, was smuggled into the country on a USB stick buried inside a cake posted from Iran to Paris.

Panahi, the virtuoso neo-realist who won a prize at Cannes for his debut, The White Balloon, in 1995, and, at 50, now has one of the most sagging mantlepieces in cinema, is currently stuck in Iran, awaiting the verdict of his appeal against a six-year prison term, and 20-year-ban on film-making, talking to the press and travelling abroad. The sentence was passed in December 2010, after the Iranian government accused him of "colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country's national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic". Panahi denies the charges.

So This Is Not A Film was presented by its nominal director, Mojtaba Mirtahasebi, who spends a day with Panahi in his high-rise apartment, sipping tea, chewing sugarlumps and watching the director map out scenes from a screenplay he's been working on. It sounds earnest: in fact it's fantastically entertaining, full of incidents that would be too far-fetched for the wildest farce: endless animals get dumped on the director to babysit, for instance, including a 6ft iguana which paces the apartment restlessly, as unhappy to be cooped up as his temporary master.

For most of the film, Panahi endeavours to exploit a loophole in his sentence by being in front of the camera, rather than behind. But he becomes disillusioned with the project – "Why would you make a film if you could just talk through it?" – and he's a compulsive director, filming his companion and any visitors on his iPhone; documenting the scenes outside the window. The pair even manage to have some fun with the censorship – the end credits give special thanks to a blank screen; that title feels more tongue-in-cheek than drum-beating.

"We have a saying in Iran," said Mirtahasebi, "that when hairdressers get bored they cut each others' hair. That is what we were doing: filming one another." The image is as amusing as it is poignant: for both, simply the documentation of events is enough to make such a project valuable.

It's also a tool in lobbying round the world for Panahi's liberty. "I think making a film is like giving birth to a child – it's a very complicated thing," said Mirtahasebi. "But I think at the same time to spread it around is more difficult – it's like actually raising a child. And that is the function of festivals like Cannes."

It is also the function of emerging technologies: Panahi speaks passionately about the role of the digital world in creating lasting archives, even if they cannot be shared at the time. Mirtahasebi, too, suggests that a familiarity with the online world gave them a natural advantage over the Iranian establishment, which he suspected of ignorance about both cinema itself and the internet: "They don't realise that they can't adapt it to fit their own vision." Indeed, Panahi watched the Cannes press conference unfold through a Skype and an iPad camera – although all interaction was, by necessity, one way.

His colleague, meanwhile, was visibly nervous to be presenting the film in public, eager to emphasise how closely he needed to monitor his words to protect his own safety once he returns to Iran (even the type of cake was information not deemed shareable). Solidarity with his colleague, he confirmed, was a fraught business.

"We have decided to take the risks of what we're doing. Step by step, we are trying to fight. This has a price. But we wanted to use that energy that is not being used in film-making. We didn't want to give up."

Panahi's arrest in December was not his first. During last year's Cannes festival, Panahi was on hunger strike in prison in Tehran to protest against being imprisoned on unspecified charges. The actor Juliette Binoche paid tribute to him in an emotional press conference, and, accepting the best actress award for Certified Copy (directed by the Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami), held up a placard bearing Panahi's name. These actions were widely believed to have aided his release less than a week later.

But his freedom proved shortlived. One might have forgiven Mirtahasebi and Panahi for feeling sceptical about the potential leverage of cinema. Martin Scorsese, Ken Loach, and thousands of others have signed petitions and campaigned for his release. Yet to no apparent avail. Surely there must be some disillusion? "Not at all," said Mirtahasebi. "Hope is what is guarding us. It's how we are able to work and to carry on. Hope is the last thing we've got."

Thanks The Guardian!


------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Retransmission consent fees to hit $3.6 billion in 2017...

For years, the broadcast television industry has griped about the unfair advantage the cable industry has because its business model is based on two revenue streams -- subscriptions and advertising -- while broadcast only gets money for commercials.

It's time to stop complaining.

A new report from SNL Kagan says that the broadcast networks and local television stations will be pulling in more than $3.6 billion annually in so-called retransmission consent fees from cable and satellite operators by the end of 2017. In 2010, SNL Kagan said retransmission consent generated about $1.14 billion.

Although the gains are impressive, broadcast fees still pale in comparison to what cable networks get in carriage deals. Kagan says a typical television station in a top market gets less than 75 cents per subscriber, per month, while ESPN is getting $4.76. TNT and Disney both average about $1 per subscriber.

Going forward, cable operators will have to find a way to stomach the rising costs of programming. It all can't be passed on to the consumer. Distributors may finally have to get tough on cable networks that are not delivering big ratings but whose subscription fees continue to rise.

In the past, cable operators have struggled to lower fees or drop networks that are not delivering big numbers. Part of the reason for that is that most cable networks are owned by a handful of companies who bundle their properties together, making it difficult for distributors to pick and choose which ones to carry.

As for what the broadcast networks will do with their retransmission consent loot, it could be used to pump up investments in programming and sports. Or they'll just save it for bonuses.

Thank you Los Angeles Times

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

MPAA Moves To Shut Down Online Rental Service Zediva...

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Nintendo adds 3-D video channel, Netflix streaming to 3DS...

Nintendo on Wednesday said it will launch a dedicated channel featuring short form 3-D videos and movie trailers for its 3DS handheld game console, set to hit stores later this month.

The announcement, made at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, was one of several new features Nintendo is layering onto the 3DS to help it compete against Apple's iPhone and iPad, which have made major inroads into the market for mobile games once dominated by Nintendo.

Reggie Fils-Aime, head of Nintendo's U.S. operations, said the 3DS will be able to support Netflix's instant streaming service and, by late May, be able to connect to the Web via 10,000 wireless Internet hot spots hosted by AT&T.

The Japanese game company also said it will launch eShop, an online marketplace similar to Apple's iTunes app store, to sell downloadable games for its 3DS.

Set to go on sale in the U.S. on March 27 for $250, the 3DS features two screens, one of which displays stereoscopic 3-D images that can be viewed without glasses. Nintendo said it will distribute a number of handpicked 3-D videos as well as 3-D movie trailers to the device beginning in late May.

But Fils-Aime emphasized that "the primary function of the 3DS is to play games." About 18 games, priced at $40 apiece, are slated to launch with the device later this month, including Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Ridge Racer 3D and Super Street Fighter IV 3D.

Thank you Los Angeles Times


------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

China Opens $690 Million Animation Facility Near Beijing...

The port city of Tianjin's new facility looks to take on foreign cartoons like 'Kung Fu Panda 2.'

BEIJING – China has opened a 4.5 billion yuan ($690 million) animation facility in Tianjin, the port city nearest the capital, Beijing, giving the domestic cartoon industry a much-needed boost just as Kung Fu Panda 2 reminds China how far behind Hollywood it is.
More than 180 firms have signed up for animation production and related services at the state-backed 190 acre base, located in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, about 30 minutes by high-speed rail from Beijing, the Xinhua news agency reported over the weekend.
Kung Fu Panda 2's opening on Saturday to packed cinemas in Beijing was a strong reminder that no animated Chinese feature has ever made it big outside China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, yet Hollywood is able to co-opt a Chinese symbol and laugh all the way to the bank.
In 2008, DreamWorks Animation's original Kung Fu Panda was the first animated feature to gross more than 100 million yuan at China's box office, which, three years ago, equaled about $15.2 million.

At an opening ceremony for the new Tianjin facility on Friday, China's Minister of Culture, Cai Wu, said that animation production was a part of China's overall development plan for its cultural industries from 2011-2015.
China's one-party central government, which is expected to undergo a leadership transition in 2012, introduced its latest five-year plan earlier this year. Much was said about the importance of media in promoting China's image overseas.
According to Xinhua, Cai said that over the past two years the culture ministry and the Tianjin government had worked together toward the development of a domestic animation industry that would include fund raising, financial and technology services.
The Tianjin animation base will be developed into a center for production, trading, exhibition, training, research and development and international exchanges, Cai said, according to Xinhua.
Earlier this year, Legend of a Rabbit, a feature-length 3D cartoon about a humble bunny who takes on a badass panda to save a kung fu school, was announced as the Tianjin Film Studio's $12 million attempt to give Kung Fu Panda 2 a run for its money.
Kung Fu Panda made $633 million worldwide. No Chinese animation character is known much wider than Greater China.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter


------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

China on forefront of major film market growth...

China on forefront of major film market growth
Changes likely to bring liberalization
By CLIFFORD COONAN

BEIJING - China is on the cusp of a golden era of growth, which will see it become the world's second biggest film market and bring with it more market liberalization, a report by the China Film Association Research Center shows.
The report is due for release in coming weeks and weighs in at a hefty 560,000 words, divided into an annual report, a special topic section and market research.

As well as becoming the second biggest film market in the world, by 2015 the market will see an end to monopoly control of the biz by state-owned groups, cinema-construction will spread to the second-tier and third-tier cities, there will be better branding of cinema chains and animation will become a big part of the biz.

This could be a reference to a loosening of the quota system, which allows around 20 overseas pics a year into China, but which biz figures insist is becoming less strict.

"The figure of 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) box office last year is one of the highlights of our report, but we are not only interested in the headline figure, but also the positive way in which the whole industry developed, and the focus on structure," said Liu Haodong, director of the China Film Association Research Centre and chief editor of the report.

Production, financing, cinema construction all expanded in 2010, and the scale of the industry grew significantly, the report said, while 3D and Imax technology also performed strongly.

The report notes that the make-up of the auds is changing, with more and more middle-aged people going to the movies, whereas previously cinema-going had been largely the preserve of 20- and 30-somethings.

Also a flurry of mid-sized cinemas in central and western China were helping boost the industry.

Film themes remained limited, the report said, so there needed to be more genres.

Zhou Tiedong, prexy of China Film Promotion International, said the report showed that Chinese films have little market abroad.

"We are now at the same stage of development as the US in the 1970s, and it's time to start promoting overseas sales. We've been connected with the international industry, except in marketing.

ing period as 1970s in US, and now it's time to promote the foreign-market development. We've been connected with the international film industry in a lot ways, except the marketing way.

"All the film productions which could go to the international market now are co-productions, and many are not representative of China's industry. We have 526 film productions, and almost 500 of them are stopped at the gate," he said.

Thank you Variety

------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more

Call for Entries - 10th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival

The 10th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival takes place October 14-16, 2011 in Duluth, Georgia. UMFF 2011 is seeking animations, documentaries, shorts, features, scripts, key art designs, music videos, web/TV series for competition. Submit today http://www.umff.com/mpages/submissions.html.


------------------------------------------------------ --> Submit to: 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 the Daily Password in our Monthly Newsletter. You can Subscribe to our Newsletter here Thanks. A. www.chicas-productions.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --> Translate post:
Share

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read more