AWN Headline News

Zoie Films Online FestivalWorld Wide WebFebruary 15, 2006Deadline: February 15, 2006

The Zoie Films Online Festival celebrates 10 years of independent cinema and showcases the best works from around the globe. This unique forum utilizes the best technology for presentation and allows filmmakers to be seen by an international audience. ZoieFest offers viewers a non-stop film festival from your desktop for anyone seeking an independent film, animation or documentary quick fix. For more information, visit www.zoiefilms.com.

Orlando-based Digital Ribbon has signed a cross-marketing agreement with Maxwell Render, a digital animation firm based in Spain, who will provide use of its digital animation software to Digital Ribbon clients. Both firms will earn commissions on software licensing agreements.

Producer and distributor Cinamour Ent. announced at NATPE that it signed fours deals for its martial arts film, FORBIDDEN WARRIOR. Cinamour sold the 90-minute film to Rainbow Media's VOOM HD Channels, Eurocine (Spain and Andorra), Brand View Media (China Home Video) and DAAR Communications (Nigeria). The fantasy-adventure film follows the adventures of a female Asian mythical hero.

Screen Gems has hired AMITYVILLE HORROR director Andrew Douglas to turn Min-Woo Hyungs manga PRIEST, published by TOKYOPOP, into a feature film, reports VARIETY. Mitchell Peck, Mike De Luca, Sam Raimi and Josh Donen will produce the film, which is set to start production this summer. Cory Goodman wrote the screenplay.

The tale is a vampire Western that follows a warrior priest who disobeys church law by partnering with a young sheriff and a priestess to hunt down a band of renegade vampires who have kidnapped his niece.

The Gnomon Workshop has released its first training titles from Stephen McClure titled, MATCHMOVING 101: FUNDAMENTALS. Matchmoving integrates computer-generated visual effects into a live-action plate for film, television, music videos or commercials. Using real-world situations, MATCHMOVING 101 takes the artist from the set-survey process through recreating camera elements in Maya.

Showtime Networks has ordered a second season of IDT Ent.'s anthology series, MASTERS OF HORROR. Thirteen new, one-hour episodes, to be produced by IDT Ent., will feature the most prominent directors in the horror genre and will premiere in Fall 2006.

Picturehouse has purchased the North American rights to HELLBOY director Guillermo del Toro's dark fairy tale PAN'S LABYRINTH for nearly $6 million, reports the trades. Picturehouse president Bob Berney and Wild Bunch's Carole Baraton netted the long-in-the-works deal at Sundance.

Set in fascist, 1940s Spain, the story follows Ofelia, a lonely, dreamy child who tries to come to terms with an era of postwar repression by creating a world filled with mythical creatures. Maribel Verdu, Sergi Lopez, Ivana Baquero and Doug Jones star.