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The MPAA chairman and CEO Dan Glickman called upon exhibitors at the annual ShoWest convention in Las Vegas to join distributors to fight the scourge of film piracy. His call was made against the background of a boxoffice revenue drop of nearly 8% to $23.2 billion.

Glickman unveiled a new website, FightFilmTheft.org, launched by the MPAA, the National Association of Theatre Owners, the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Assn. and the Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada. The site offers an online theatre employee training programme in the US and Canada designed to provide employees with information on identifying and preventing illegal camcording. It is estimated that 90% of the piracy of new releases in North America comes from such illegal camcording.

The site builds on the “Take Action!” campaign started by the MPAA and NATO in September 2004 that offers a $500 reward to employees who identify and prevent movie theft. In the US, it has resulted in stopping 69 camcording incidents and gave rewards to 30 people.

The much-ballyhooed launch this month of the next-generation HD-DVD format promises to be more of a whimper than a bang. Warner Home Video, the only studio that in January had set a firm date, March 28, for its first HD-DVD titles to arrive in stores, now says it might not be ready in time because of technical problems.

“To be honest, the outlook is tenuous — we’re still coming out with an initial slate, but we may be a week or two later; we just don’t know,” division president Ron Sanders said. Wal-Mart had been taking advance orders for the first slate.

Article courtesy Hollywood Reporter

The Organisers of the 53rd Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival have announced today the members of this year’s Film and Press juries.

David Droga, Creative Chairman of Drogafive will preside over both juries in Cannes. Representing South Africa on the Film Jury will be Sandra de Witt, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, and Rob McLennan, Executive Creative Director, JWT on the Press Jury.

The press judging will take place 15 to 20 June with the winners being announced Wednesday evening, 21 June. The Film entries will be judged 18-23 June culminating in the winners being honoured on Saturday evening, 24 June.

“These award winning creatives will bring together their global points of view to award great innovative and inspirational work that will raise the international creative benchmark” commented Terry Savage, Executive Chairman of the Festival.

FILM JURY MEMBERS

USA David Droga, Creative Chairman, Drogafive (Jury President)
ArgentinaJuan Manuel Ricciarelli, Creative Director, McCann Erickson
Australia James McGrath, Creative Director, George Patterson Y&R
Belgium Christophe Ghewy, Creative Partner, LG&F
Brazil Jader Rossetto, Creative Vice President, Fischer America Comunicação Total
Canada Judy John, Snr VP, Managing Partner, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
Denmark Carsten Schiott, Creative Director, BBDO
France Farid Mokart, Co-President, Marcel Paris
Germany Frank Dopheide, Chairman, Grey Worldwide Düsseldorf
India Prasoon Pandey, Director, Corcoise Films
Italy Pietro Maestri, Executive Creative Director, JWT Italy
Japan Yoshimitsu Sawamoto, Creative Director, Dentsu
Mexico Tony Hidalgo, CEO/Executive Creative Director, Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi
New Zealand Nick Worthington, Executive Creative Director, Publicis Mojo New Zealand
Norway Magdalena Kamøy, Creative Director, DDB Oslo
South Africa Sandra de Witt, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris
Spain CarloHolemans, President/Creative Director, El Laboratorio/Springer & Jacoby
Sweden Malin von Werder, Art Director, Garbergs
Thailand Thirasak Tanapatanakul, Executive Creative Director, Creative Juice\GI
The Netherlands Jacqueline Donker, Creative Business Partner, FCB Amsterdam
United Kingdom Rosie Arnold, Creative Director, Bartle Bogle Hegarty
USA David Apicella, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather

PRESS JURY MEMBERS

USA David Droga, Creative Chairman, Drogafive (Jury President)
Argentina Carlos Perez, President, BBDO Argentina
Australia Scott Whybin, Chairman/Executive Creative Director, Whybin\TBWA
Belgium Sophie Norman, Associate Creative Director, Y&R
Brazil Ruy Lindenberg, Creative Vice President, Leo Burnett Brazil
Canada Elspeth Lynn, Partner/Co-Creative Director, ZiG
FranceChristophe Lafarge, President, Scher Lafarge
Germany Gepa Hinrichsen, Chief Creative Officer, ZOO Werbeagentur
India Preeti Vyas Giannetti, Chairwoman/Chief Creative Officer, Vyas Giannetti Creative
Portugal Luís Silva Dias, President & CEO, FCB Portugal
South Africa Rob McLennan, Executive Creative Director, JWT
Spain Urs Frick, Founder & President, Zapping
Sweden Andreas Ullenius, Art Director, Åkestam.Holst
Switzerland Juerg Aemmer, Creative Director, Euro RSCG Zürich
Thailand Wisit Lumsiricharoenchoke, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather
The Netherlands Hakan Coskunsoy, Creative Art Director, N=5
Turkey Ayse Bali, Creative Director, Rafineri
United Kingdom Jeremy Craigen, Executive Creative Director, DDB London
USA Joyce King Thomas, Chief Creative Officer, McCann Erickson

The Top 10 movies for weekend 10 to 12 March 2006 –

1. PINK PANTHER
2. FINAL DESTINATION 3
3. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
4. TSOTSI
5. BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE 2
6. CASANOVA
7. SYRIANA
8. PRIDE & PREJUDICE
9. DERAILED
10.AEON FLUX

The Top 10 title on circuit with highest life to date box office is: BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE 2 with R9 059 264

My Hare Krishna Family, a 48-minute documentary directed and produced by local filmmakers Frank Opperman and Denise Slabbert won three awards at the first Hare Krishna Film Festival in Mayapur, India on 11 March 2006.

This film was first aired on SABC2 during August 2005 and has subsequently been rebroadcast during February 2006 as well as appearing on SABC Africa.

The film tells the story of Frank Opperman and his relationship with his younger sister Yvonne – a Hare Krishna devotee. It follows the story of Yvonne (aka Ila Devi Dasi), her Ghanaian husband – Shastra Das and their little son Ramananda Raya.

My Hare Krishna Family was shot on two locations, the first being Opperman’s home in Melville, Johannesburg, when his family comes to visit from Ghana. The other location is a rural village, outside Accra, when Opperman visits his Hare Krishna family in West Africa.

He says, ‘It’s a real honour to have won the awards, not only for best film but for best soundtrack and script as well. A highlight of this production is the soundtrack which consists of a number of songs from a band of street children from Kenya called Little Gokul, and it’s great that they have been recognised as well’

Producer Denise Slabbert says that expanding the audience across SA’s borders is a real bonus. ‘I think its incredible that My Hare Krishna Family has received recognition as far away as Mayapur, one of the holiest places in India. To get accolades from the international Krishna community for a documentary with a totally independent voice is praise indeed.’ she says.

Yvonne Opperman and Shastra Das, who recently left Ghana and are now living in Mayapur (some 150kilometres from Calcutta), they were on hand to collect the awards. “It was really nerve-wracking,” says Yvonne Opperman, “There were over 4 000 devotees and I was really nervous.” She says that the South African devotees attending the awards were very pleased at the outcome of a local film winning the Hare Krishna ‘Oscars’.

My Hare Krishna Family was produced by Darling Lama Productions in conjunction with Mafisa Media, with Piet Snyman as DOP and Tiny Laubscher editing.

It is unclear whether Haggis will tackle the hot-button political drama next or sandwich in another helming project first. Either way, he will initially supervise scribe James Vanderbilt (“The Rundown”), who is penning a second draft of “Enemies.” Haggis is currently writing “Death and Dishonor” for Warner Bros. Pictures, which he is attached to direct.

Based on Richard A. Clarke’s best-selling memoir, “Enemies” chronicles how the Bush administration handled the al-Qaida threat before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Clarke, a former U.S. terrorism czar, offers the ultimate insider’s account into the nation’s security apparatus, featuring a cast of power brokers that includes President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Clarke.

The book was published by Free Press in March 2004 and hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, fueling intense criticism over the administration’s security failures and its decision to go to war with Iraq.

John Calley is producing through his Sony-based shingle, while Len Sherman is executive producing. Haggis’ manager Larry Becsey will serve in an as-yet-determined producer’s capacity.

Sony’s Doug Belgrad and Rachel O’Connor are shepherding the project for the studio.

In addition to nabbing a best picture Oscar for producing “Crash,” Haggis also won a statuette for penning the film’s original screenplay. His producing credits also include last year’s best picture winner, “Million Dollar Baby.” He is repped by CAA, Becsey and attorneys Peter Dekom and Wayne Alexander.

South Africa’s Oscar winner, Tsotsi, is maintaining its excellent performance on the local cinema circuit with R3 573 246 in takings as at 9 March. The film is likely to make significantly more given all the Oscar publicity it is currently enjoying.

Tsotsi is in third place on the mainstream circuit and number two on Ster-Kinekor’s Screened by Jameson Cinema Nouvea arthouse circuit. Brokeback Mountain, which missed out on the Best Film Oscar but won for its director Ang Lee, tops Cinema Nouveau in its first week of release.

Meanwhile, top earner this week on the mainstream circuit is the romantic historical romp, Casanova, followed by Big Momma’s House 2 (currently at a huge R8 549 290). Syriana is in third place followed by Pride & Prejudice and Derailed.

The country is hanging out the welcome flags for the director and stars of the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi. On Sunday director Gavin Hood and lead actor Presley Chweneyagae received a heroes’ welcome when they arrived back in South Africa. Shouts of “Halala Tsotsi” greeted them when they displayed their Oscar statuette for best foreign language film.

Now it is Cape Town’s turn to pay homage.
The Cape Film Commission (CFC) will host the Tsotsi cast on 14 and 15 March in Cape Town. A press conference in Cape Town with Hood, Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto has been arranged for Wednesday 14 March and there will also be a Tsotsi procession through Cape Town’s streets on Wednesday.

It is gratifying to see how South African’s have responded to Tsotsi’s Oscar win. While everyone was delighted by Charlize Theron’s Oscar win, the fact remains she resides in the US. This film with its entirely SA cast has made us feel that the award belongs to us all.

The National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF) has disputed as a misrepresentation of fact the statement made by the Director-General of Arts and Culture in parliament on 9 March 2006 which says, “the Auditor-General identified some irregularities in the institution’s books”.

The opinion of the Auditor-General as stated in the NFVF Annual Report 2005 is as follows: “… in my opinion, the financial statements fairly present, in all material respects, the financial position of the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa at 31 March 2005 and the results of its operations and cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with South African Statements of Generally Accepted Accounting Practice and in the manner required by the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No.1 of 1999)”.

The issue highlighted by the DG relates to the matters raised by the Auditor-General under the heading, “Matters of emphasis” which is not related to financial management issues but rather compliance issues. The DG raised these issues as matters of concern to him and requested the audit committee to assure him that these matters are dealt with. The Audit Committee of the NFVF has since dealt with the issues and reported back to the DG, who has confirmed his satisfaction in writing.

The NFVF is not aware of an amount of R12m that has been committed nor is it aware that the department is withholding this amount. In anticipation of the lapse of the feature film fund, the NFVF presented its plans to the DAC in 2004 and again in March 2005, as indicated in the Annual Report (page 8), nothing has been forthcoming from the DAC. Failure to get a response to numerous communications to the Department on the NFVF programmes and budget, the NFVF in November 2005 requested for the Portfolio Committee’s intervention.

The NFVF is disturbed by the inaccurate information supplied by the DG to the public through parliament. The council of the NFVF still awaits a date for the meeting between the DAC and the NFVF as promised by the Portfolio Committee. The statements by the DG makes the NFVF’s request for intervention in November 2055 all the more urgent.

Brokeback Mountain
Tsotsi
Syriana
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Walk the Line
March of the Penguins
Pride & Prejudice
Goodnight & Good Luck
The Constant Gardener
The New World