Catch up with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in Knight and Day

Catch up with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz this weekend in Knight and Day

Knight and Day centers on a lonely woman (Diaz) whose seemingly harmless blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when a super spy (Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source. Grace is playing Diaz’s sister, who is getting married, excited that Diaz will take the place of their late father and walk her down the aisle. .

knight-and-day

The Story
A woman is caught between a covert agent and those he claims set him up. As their globetrotting adventure erupts into a maze of double-crosses, close escapes, false identities, and head-spinning romantic snafus, they come to realize that all they can count on is each other.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance and Thriller

Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.

Release Date: June 23rd, 2010 (wide)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action violence throughout, and brief strong language.

Distributors: 20th Century Fox Distribution

See Full Details

Cast and Credits

Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Maggie Grace, Marc Blucas, Paul Dano

Directed by: James Mangold

Produced by: E. Bennett Walsh, Joe Roth, Gregory Goodman

Box Office Charts
Weekend Box Office Estimates (U.S.)
Jun 18 – 20 weekend

1. Toy Story 3
2. The Karate Kid
Sony Pictures Releasing
3. The A-Team
4. Get Him to the Greek
5. Shrek Forever After
6. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
7. Killers
8. Jonah Hex
9. Iron Man 2
10. Marmaduke

Independent Film, SPOKEN WORD, Featuring Ruben Blades Picked up by Variance Films

Spoken Word Poster

22 Jun 2010 12:00 Africa/Lagos

Synopsis

Cruz Montoya (Kuno Becker) is a rock star on the West Coast poetry circuit, where audiences from San Diego to Seattle gather to hear him perform. Just off the road from such a tour, he gets an unexpected phone call alerting him that his father, Senior (Rubén Blades), is fatally ill.

Cruz rushes home to his dying father, a reclusive former schoolteacher still leading a traditional life in their once bucolic mountain valley, now ravaged by poverty, drug abuse, and violence. Once home, Cruz retreats to his old life, managing a Santa Fe hip-hop club owned by local crime boss, Emilio (Miguel Sandoval), who Senior used to run with back in the day. Seduced by the fast action and easy money, Cruz loses his poetic voice, his identity, and almost his life, before he finds a way to heal his relationships with his family, his community, and himself.

cruznshaeA scene from the film

Spoken Word depicts the edgy collision of old and new worlds, and explores how families can move beyond words, both spoken and unspoken, to share the language of their hearts.

Independent Film, SPOKEN WORD, Featuring Ruben Blades Picked up by Variance Films

NEW YORK, June 22 /PRNewswire/ — Variance Films is proud to announce the acquisition of US theatrical rights for SPOKEN WORD, the latest feature from director Victor Nunez, featuring acclaimed actor, Ruben Blades.

Ruben BladesRuben Blades

SPOKEN WORD stars Kuno Becker (“From Mexico With Love”, the “Goal!” trilogy) as Cruz, a San Francisco spoken word artist who returns to New Mexico to care for his dying father, played by legendary actor and Grammy-award winning recording artist Ruben Blades (“Assassination Tango,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”). Aided by shady nightclub owner Emilio, played by Miguel Sandoval (“Bottle Shock,” CBS’ “Medium”), Cruz quickly finds himself slipping back into the dangerous life he tried to escape. Seduced by the fast action and easy money, Cruz loses his poetic voice, his identity, and almost his life, before he finds a way to heal his relationships with his family, his community, and himself. The film was directed by Victor Nunez, who also directed the Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning drama “Ulee’s Gold.”

Variance, in conjunction with Santa Fe-based Luminaria, will release SPOKEN WORD in New York at Big Cinemas Manhattan on July 23rd, followed by runs in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Chicago, and additional cities to be added in the weeks following.

In a statement, Luminaria’s William T. Conway said, “Written and developed in New Mexico to tell a universal story in a very specific place, SPOKEN WORD has attracted an amazing team of international film artists led by director Victor Nunez and stars Kuno Becker, Ruben Blades and Miguel Sandoval to help bring that story to life. As we embark on our theatrical release, Luminaria is excited to welcome Dylan Marchetti and Variance Films as part of that talented team.”

Variance Films President Dylan Marchetti added, “Victor, Kuno, Ruben, Miguel, and the Luminaria team have put together a fantastic film, with great performances and a wonderful balance of emotion and warmth. Audiences are going to walk out of theaters absolutely glowing.”

Variance Films, www.variancefilms.com, is a privately held, full-service theatrical distribution company designed to bridge the gap between self-distribution and traditional theatrical distribution. Luminaria, LLC, www.luminariafilms.com, is a New Mexico based film and television production company, and acts as the production arm of New Mexico Media Partners.

Source: Variance Films

CONTACT: Contact for the film: Dylan Marchetti, Variance Films,
+1-212-537-6769, dylan@variancefilms.com or Neyda Martinez, +1-917-656-7846,
monserrat536@msn.com

Web Site: http://www.variancefilms.com/
http://www.luminariafilms.com/

Hollywood Discovery Awards for the Next Hollywood Star

hollywood_film_festival

22 Jun 2010 10:15 Africa/Lagos

Hollywood Discovery Awards – Be Discovered and Become the Next Hollywood Star

HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL TEAMS UP WITH THE CASTING SOCIETY OF AMERICA, HOLLYWOODNEWS.COM AND YAHOO! MOVIES FOR THE HOLLYWOOD DISCOVERY AWARDS®

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire/ — The Casting Society of America (CSA), Hollywoodnews.com and Yahoo! Movies are teaming up with the Hollywood Film Festival® and the Hollywood Awards®, to present the Hollywood Discovery Awards®, a nationwide acting competition which will celebrate the talent and star quality of two lucky winners. A blue-ribbon panel of casting directors from the Casting Society of America will select ten finalists, and their audition videos will be posted on Yahoo! Movies, where the general public will vote online for their favorite.

“We are very excited and proud that Actorcast.com, Casting Society of America , Hollywoodnews.com, and Yahoo! Movies joined us in our quest to discover the next Hollywood Star,” stated festival founder and executive director Carlos de Abreu. “We want to ensure that we bridge the gap between established Hollywood and new talent during the 14th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards®.”

The two winners will receive round-trip air transportation to Los Angeles, plus hotel accommodations, to receive the Hollywood Discovery Awards® at the prestigious 14th Annual Hollywood Awards® Gala, on October 25, 2010, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California.

“Casting Directors are always opening their doors to new and exciting performers. The Casting Society of America is pleased to bring the talent-spotting skills of our members to this nationwide competition,” said Pam Dixon, President of the CSA.

The Hollywood Awards® Gala ceremony itself is one of the most glittering nights in the film calendar and is known for launching the awards season. The Hollywood Discovery Awards® winners will have a unique opportunity to walk the red carpet and be recognized in a full room of major Hollywood players and stars. At last year’s event, attending luminaries included Kate Beckinsale, Sandra Bullock, Diablo Cody, Zooey Deschanel, Morgan Freeman, Kathleen Kennedy, Diane Kruger, Anthony Mackie, Michael Mann, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Monaghan, Steven Spielberg, Charlize Theron, Marisa Tomei, and Chris Weitz among many other Hollywood stars and executives. Our honorees included Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank, Christoph Waltz, Julianne Moore, Jeremy Renner, Carey Mulligan, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Melanie Lynskey, Zachary Quinto, Paul Schneider, and Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe for acting, Bradley Cooper for comedy, Kathryn Bigelow and Lee Daniels for directing.

We encourage all aspiring young actors with great talent to submit their audition video. For guidelines and submission protocol please go to www.discoveryawardsopencall.com.

The 14th annual Hollywood Film Festival kicks off October 20 for a six-day series of screenings and special presentations with Q/A sessions at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. On October 25, the festival culminates with the prestigious Hollywood Awards®, which honor both established Hollywood and emerging talent.

The festival and awards presenter is Starz Entertainment, LLC, a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.1 million and 31.1 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies and new original series every month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz, a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.

Source: Hollywood Film Festival

CONTACT: Hollywood Film Festival, +1-310-288-1882,
awards@hollywoodawards.com, Hollywood Discovery Awards®, 433 N. Camden Drive,
Suite 600, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, http://www.hollywoodawards.com/

Web Site: http://www.hollywoodawards.com/
http://www.discoveryawardsopencall.com/

Prof. Wole Soyinka to Star in new Film

soyinka-photo-homepageimagecomponent

Not many people know that the first African Nobel Laureate in Literature Prof. Wole Soyinka whose corpus promotes the Yorùbá religious tradition is a professional actor and director on stage and the silver screen. His movies are Kongi’s Harvest in 1970 and Blues for a Prodigal, in 1984 and he is returning to play a leading role in a new feature Letter to the Prof by Chike Ibekwe.

Michelle Bello’s Small Boy

michelle-bello

The Story
Set in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, Small Boy is based on a true story of a Sunny, 10 year old boy and his treacherous journey of survival. Living in Africa’s most densely populated slum, he witnesses his father’s regular physical abuse of his mother. Living in fear of his father, he tries to protect his mother but ends up in the crossfire.

He runs away terrified and ends up on the streets of Lagos beginning his journey of survival. Wondering the streets he meets a street kid, Deola, and becomes part of his gang. Sunny soon discovers the world of drugs, violence and must learn how to survive or perish

About the Director

Michelle Bello is one of the hottest young filmmakers in the Nollywood film industry today. Hailing from Adamawa State, Bello’s debut movie Small Boy, won two awards at the 2009 African Movie Academy Award (AMAA 2009). The film was also part of the Federal Government delegation to the Israeli Film Festival. Her movie Small Boy tells the riveting tale of a 10-year-old boy who runs away from home to the streets of Lagos because of physical abuse by his parents. This true-to-life story won the awards for Best Art Direction and Best Performance by a Child Actor at the 2009 African Movie Academy Awards. Ms. Bello is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C. where she earned a degree in Mass Communication, specializing in Visual Media. Michelle Bello is the daughter of respected arts promoter, Mrs. Sylva Bello, of the Masoma Foundation. During the 2007 Abuja Film Festival, Bello launched the ‘Movie Directory,’ containing information about artists, directors, and producers informing Nigerians about the up and coming talents in Nollywood. Bello also has past experience producing music videos, but her true love is film.

Jaden Smith is the New Karate Kid, Kudos to Jackie Chan

What pulled the crowds to the theatres for Karate Kid, Jaden Smith or Jackie Chan?

It is a simply linear plot of a romantic boy (Jaden Smith) who likes a young girl, but he has to fight over her with a bully who beats him silly at the beginning. But he learns kung fu from a master (Jackie Chan) and returns to beat the bully and becomes the hero of his sweetheart.

The film was shot in Beijing, China, from July to October last year and released last Friday.
The film cost $40 million and made over $19 million in its first weekend at the box office and definitely would rake in more millions from China, Japan and South Korea where Jackie Chan is a mega super star and can actually pull more millions of moviegoers to the cinemas and make Jaden a martial arts super star and his parents richer than ever before.

The new Karate Kid has mixed reviews as reported by the CNN and compared to the first one made in 1984 and the sequels. Apparently Mr. and Mrs. Smith have financed this remake to give their darling son wider wings to soar like an eagle to greater heights in Hollywood. And thanks to Jackie Chan.

untitled

The Story

Twelve-year-old Dre Parker could’ve been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother’s latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying — and the feeling is mutual — but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre’s feelings make an enemy of the class bully, and kung fu prodigy, Cheng. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

Directed by Harald Zwart
Produced by Jerry Weintraub
Will Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith
James Lassiter
Ken Stovitz
Written by Screenplay:
Christopher Murphey
Story:
Robert Mark Kamen
Starring Jackie Chan
Jaden Smith
Taraji P. Henson
Music by James Horner
Cinematography Roger Pratt
Editing by Kevin Stermer
Studio Overbrook Entertainment
JW Productions
China Film Group
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) June 11, 2010 (2010-06-11)
Running time 139 minutes
Country United States
China
Language English
Budget $40 million
Gross revenue $56,000,000

Movie Theaters to Get a Makeover at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

10 Jun 2010 12:00 Africa/Lagos

Movie Theaters to Get a Makeover at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza; New Operator to Bring First Class Moviegoing Experience

Major Renovation of Existing Theater Complex to Start Immediately

LOS ANGELES, June 10 /PRNewswire/ — Starting Monday, the movie theaters at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza are getting an extreme makeover. The mall’s owner, Capri Urban Investors, LLC (“Capri”), a commingled fund of institutional investors, will transform the current theaters into a modern, state-of-the-art multiplex featuring stadium seating, new amenities, digital technology, 3-D screens and new decor throughout. The theater upgrade also calls for a new operator, which Capri plans to announce later this month.

“We are thrilled to be bringing in a new theater operator at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza,” said Ken Lombard, Partner and President of Capri Urban Investors, LLC. “We are currently finalizing a new contract with an operator that truly understands Los Angeles, the urban marketplace, and has an absolute commitment to delivering the best movie experience you’ll find anywhere. Transforming the mall is about giving shoppers more choices and better amenities, and having a new state-of-the-art multiplex is an important step in that direction.”

The transformation will begin with an immediate decommissioning of the existing theater, to be followed over the next several months with an extensive remodel of the theater complex both inside and out that will provide a completely new movie-going experience. Due to the extensive renovation that will take place, the theater facility, located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Marlton Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, will be closed temporarily beginning in the month of June.

Beyond the new multiplex, renovation plans for the mall’s continued transformation are underway, including a vibrant, brand-new interior design featuring a dining terrace and live entertainment performance area, new flooring, lighting and other amenities, as well as extensive exterior building, site and landscape improvements throughout the 43-acre property. The mall renovation will be completed before the 2011 holiday season.

About Capri Urban Investors, LLC and Capri Capital Partners, LLC

Capri Urban Investors, LLC owns Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on behalf of institutional investors. Capri Capital Partners, LLC is the investment manager of Capri Urban Investors, LLC. Capri Capital Partners, LLC is an institutional real estate investment advisory firm, investing and managing commercial real estate properties and portfolios since 1992. Capri offers a broad spectrum of equity and debt products to its customers through separate account and commingled fund vehicles. Diversified assets managed on behalf of its pension fund and other institutional clients totaled $3.617 billion in fair market value as of March 31, 2010. For more information, please call 312-573-5275 or visit the company’s website www.capricapital.com.

Source: Capri Urban Investors, LLC

CONTACT: Steve Sugerman, +1-310-689-7535, for Capri Urban Investors,
LLC

Web Site: http://www.capricapital.com/

Young Nigerian Director gets Hubert Bals Fund to make his Film

KENNETH GYANG

Young Nigerian Director gets Hubert Bals Fund to make his Film

Kenneth Gyang who was once recognized as the youngest filmmaker in Nigeria years ago is one of the few filmmakers selected from all over the world to share the Hubert Bals Fund in Netherlands. Gyang was selected for his film Confusion Na Wa and has already secured a lucrative distribution deal for Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Confusion Na Wa has also been selected for the competitive Durban FilmMart of the Durban Film Festival next month July.

Gyang has patnered with the BBC as director on Wetin Dey. He produced and directed the Finding Aisha series for which he won the Young Producer of the Year award at the last Future Awards in Lagos.

The Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) selected twenty-nine projects to be given grants for script development, digital production, postproduction, distribution or workshops. In its Spring 2010 selection, the Fund gives 450,000 Euro to projects from twenty-two countries. (see full list below).

The line up of the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund Spring 2010 Selection Round in full:

Postproduction & final financing

A alegria (The Joy) – Felipe Bragança & Marina Meliande, Brazil
Agonistes, The Myth of Nation – Lav Diaz, Philippines
Cornelia At Her Mirror – Daniel Rosenfeld, Argentina
Harud – Aamir Bashir, India
Hawi – Ibrahim El Batout, Egypt
Ocaso – Théo Court, Chile
Tilva Roš – Nikola Lezaic, Serbia
Winter Vacation – Li Hongqi, China

Digital Production

Confusion Na Wa – Kenneth Gyang, Nigeria
Lukas nino – John Torres, Philippines
Marimbas del infierno – Julio Hernandez Cordon, Guatemala
Through the Windshield – Vimukthi Jayasundara, Sri Lanka

Script & Project development

Aral – Ella Vakkasova, Uzbekistan
Betok – Sherman Ong, Malaysia
Bull Down! – Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil
Germania – Maximiliano Schonfeld, Argentina
Ibn Battuta – Tariq Teguia, Algeria
Karma Police – Visra Vichit-Vadakan, Thailand
Melaza – Carlos Lechuga, Cuba
Past Love – Lee Chatametikool, Thailand
Straw Man – Peng Tao, China
La tercera orilla – Celina Murga, Argentina
Tormentero – Ruben Imaz Castro, Mexico
La última tierra – Pablo Lamar, Paraguay

Distribution

Chaque jour est une fête – Dima El-Horr, Lebanon, distribution in Lebanon by MC Distribution
Manuel De Ribera – Christopher Murray & Pablo Carrera, distribution in Chile by Jirafa

Special Projects

Directors Across Borders Script and Project Development Workshop – Yerevan Golden Apricot Film Festival, Armenia
Hubert Bals Fund Award – Durban FilmMart, Durban International Film Festival, South Africa
East Timor Film Production Workshop – East Timor

More About Kenneth Gyang

Kenneth Gyang is a director, writer and producer from Barkin Ladi, Plateau State. His work in film and television has gained recognition at home and abroad.

Inspired by listening to BBC World Service, Kenneth’s early ambition was a career in radio. However, shortly after completing school he came across a poster advertsing Nigeria’s National Film Institute, located in
the nearby state capital, Jos. He applied and was accepted.

Kenneth’s interest was initially in screen-writing only but, frustrated with seeing unimaginative interpretations of his work, decided to try directing one of his scripts. The result was the award winning short Mummy Lagos, a two-minute meditation on the African food that has been screened at festivals worldwide. Most notably, Kenneth presented the film at the 2006 Berllinale.

Following this early success, Kenneth has been working constantly as a director.
Highlights include being one of three directors of the groundbreaking BBC series Wetin Dey and writing and directing SoundCity’s drama series Finding Aisha. The former is widely acknowledged to have set new standards in West African television and was screened at the 2007 EMMY awards in Los Angeles. In recognition of the latter he won Screen Producer of the Year at the 2010 Future Awards.

Kenneth is currently preparing to direct his debut feature, Confusion Na Wa

Nigerian filmmaker wins Best Film Prize at 14th Ecrans Noirs Film Festival in Cameroun

Chike Ibekwe

Nigerian filmmaker wins Best Film Prize at 14th Ecrans Noirs Film Festival in Cameroun

Chike Ibekwe’s Eternal shared the best film prize at the 14th annual “Ecrans noirs” Film Festival in Yaounde (Cameroon) last Saturday.

Chike Ibekwe’s Eternalshared the Golden Screen best film award with “An Unusual Woman” by Burkinabe director Abdoulaye Dao.

Abdoulaye Dao.’s film is a melodramatic story about a wealthy businesswoman in an unfortunate marriage to a man who was unfaithful, slothful and brutal and who decided to take a second wife.

Chike Ibekwe’s Eternal was the only Nigerian film in competition with other outstanding features from France, Haiti, and other countries but it came out tops.

Eternal poster

Eternal, the 94 minutes film tells the unforgettable story of Dozie and Chima, two faithful Nigerian friends who were soldiers with the ECOMOG mission in West Africa and after returning from the peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone, they went to a social event. But on the way back, Chima was struck by a car and died on the spot. Dozie was heartbroken as he mourned the loss of his dearest buddy until one day the ghost of his faithful companion Chima inhabited his body to continue their eternal bond.

Chike got funding support from France to shoot Eternal. The film was selected and screened at Film festival d’armiens in France in 2008 and also at ZUMA Film festival in Nigeria in 2008. He is currently working on his second film Letter to the Professor featuring Prof. Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel laureate in Literature.

Chike Ibekwe is a hardworking filmmaker/producer and writer. He created, produced and directed OFF CAMPUS a TV Sitcom series.