Film Industry News

The Chinese State Council is currently drafting the Film Industry Promotion Law, the first law governing all policies related to the film industry in China.

Andres Santana of Aiete Ariane Films has picked up the film rights to Spanish journalists Eduardo Martin de Pozuelo and Jordi Bordas’ number one best-selling novel No Coverage from literary agency Pontas.

The Arts Council of Mongolia (ACM) is set to host the inaugural East Meets West Film Forum and Festival in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar from October 5-8.

Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures has appointed Gillian Zhao Fang as managing director, China.

Principal photography is scheduled to start in New York today [9] on Company Films’ Generation Um… starring Keanu Reeves, which Nicolas Chartier’s Voltage Pictures is introducing to buyers in Toronto.

Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television Entertainment is teaming up with Ron Howard to adapt Stephen King’s venerated fantasy saga The Dark Tower.

Emmy nominee Christina Hendricks from hit series Mad Men has joined Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan on Bold Films, OddLot Entertainment and Marc Platt Productions’ action thriller Drive.I

Ealing Studios International has taken on worldwide sales rights (excluding the US) to Michael Epstein’s LENNONYC.

Director Harmony Korine has joined International Film Festival Rotterdam’s (IFFR) Cinema Reloaded, the online film production fundraising platform.  

State owned film enterprise China Film Group (CFGC) has agreed a two-theatre deal with IMAX.

Simon Hewlett has been promoted to executive vice president of marketing for Universal Pictures International (UPI).

The 79 year old French director has written a “cordial, handwritten note” to the Academy suggesting he may be heading to Hollywood to pick up his award in person, despite earlier indications that he would shun the ceremony.

Three competition winners will have the chance to review some of the London Film Festival’s (Oct 13-28) highlights on behalf of Vue including opening night film Never Let Me Go and Darren Aronofsky’s thriller Black Swan.

SPC has acquired all US rights to Richard J. Lewis’ feature adaptation, which is in competition at Venice.

The programme for the 54th BFI London Film Festival also includes 11 world premieres, 23 international premieres and 33 European premieres.

The company has nade a number of sales on Aleksei Fedorchenko’s well received Venice competition film, which will go on to screen in Toronto.

StudioCanal and German broadcaster RTL Television today announced a comprehensive TV output deal in Germany beginning Jan 2011.

The microbudget feature will shoot in East London and is the sixth to come out of Film London’s Microwave scheme.

Stuttgart-based distributor Camino Filmverleih will release Benedek Fliegauf’s English language debut Womb in Germany next spring.

The latest round in the battle for Lionsgate took an expected turn as the company’s board rallied against Carl Icahn’s recently modified hostile takeover.