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Geographical Region: Europe

Channel Headline News

Sony TV Launches Anime Channel in Germany

Sony Pictures Television Int'l (SPTI) announced that its anime channel, Animax, is set to launch in Germany. The announcement was made following the signing of an agreement with Unity Media, the first distribution partner for Animax in the country. The channel will commence broadcasting from early June 2007 and will be available to digital pay-tv subscribers in the German regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, which have more than five million cable households. Further roll out of the channel through other distribution partners is to follow over the coming months.

Headline News

Demon Knight Director Takes On The Un-Dead

Ernest Dickerson (TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT) is set to direct THE UN-DEAD, based on an extension of Bram Stoker's DRACULA written by the writer's great grand-nephew, Dacre Stoker, and Ian Holt, reports VARIETY.

Holt penned the screenplay, which starts the story 25 years after the original and features new infamous killers such as Jack the Ripper and Madame Bathory.

Ken Atchity's AEI and Jan De Bont's Blue Tulip Prods. are producing the film, which will be funded by private financing in Europe.

Game Headline News

Activision's Shrek the Third Videogame Ships to Retail

Activision Inc. has shipped SHREK THE THIRD videogame to retail stores in the U.S. The fate of Far Far Away is in gamers' hands as they assume the role of their favorite characters from the film and embark on an all-new adventure to save the land from the clutches of the evil Prince Charming. The SHREK THE THIRD videogame is based on DreamWorks Animation's highly anticipated feature film, which opens on May 18, 2007.

Home Headline News

The Fountain Opens on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray

Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN, his thought provoking movie that was six years in the making, arrives May 15, 2007, on DVD, HD DVD Combo and Blu-ray Disc (Warner Home Video, $27.95, $39.99 and $34.99).

Sound Headline News

ILM & Skywalker Sound Connect with Marvel for Iron Man

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has come on board as the principal visual effects house on the new Marvel Studios production of IRON MAN. Sister company Skywalker Sound, which houses EFILMs northern California outpost, completes the post-production triumvirate. Skywalker Sound will handle sound design and mix duties for the film.

Headline News

REALVIZ Announces 2007 World Image-Processing Tour

REALVIZ announced details for their forthcoming World Image-Processing Tour, which opens in London on May 22, and continues through June, taking in key cities across Europe, the U.S. and Canada. During the tour, the company will be unveiling their latest technology releases, including version 5.6 of Stitcher Unlimited, available this week, which introduces Mac Universal and HDR capabilities for the very first time, as well as REALVIZ VTour 1.2 HDR and REALVIZ Movimento, among the most advanced video-based motion capture software on the market today.

Awards Headline News

Academy Announces Finalists for 2007 Student Academy Awards

Thirty-three students from 16 colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 34th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Their films will now be screened for and judged by Academy members, who will vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash prizes of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, may be presented in each of four categories. Winning filmmakers will participate in a week of industry-related and social activities, culminating in the awards ceremony on June 9, 2007.

Headline News

Ratatouille to Kick Off With 'Big Cheese Tour'

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios will celebrate their animated RATATOUILLE (opening June 29, 2007) by bringing a mouthwatering experience to cities across the country with "The Big Cheese Tour." The tour will kick off today (May 11) at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, and continue to cross the country stopping at many events and major food festivals throughout the summer.

Home Headline News

Little Princess Coming to Home Textiles

TV-Loonland has announced that a home textiles deal for the highly acclaimed preschool show LITTLE PRINCESS has been agreed with Belgium based S.A. Belltex N.V. This deal follows the recent award LITTLE PRINCESS received as Best Animated Series at the Stuttgart Animation Festival in April.

Headline News

Jetix Europe, SIP Animation & TF1 to Co-Produce Combo Ninos

Jetix Europe's latest co-production is animated action/comedy series, COMBO NINOS. Done in close collaboration with the French production house SIP Animation and TF1, COMBO NINOS is designed to appeal to kids 6-10 and will debut on Jetix Europeâs channels in Aug. 2008.

World Headline News

Shrek Golden at McDonald's

In promotion of DreamWorks' SHREK THE THIRD, McDonald's will launch one of its largest promotions ever. Shrek will arrive at participating McDonald's restaurants in North America on May 11, 2007, the first stop in the company's multi-faceted global promotion.

"We're committed to bringing our customers the best and most trusted properties around," said Mary Dillon, global cmo, McDonald's. "Shrek, one of the most beloved characters in the world, is helping us bring special excitement to our restaurants, everything from food and fun to activities and entertainment."

Mobile Headline News

NVIDIA Unveils New Visual Computing Architecture for Notebooks

NVIDIA Corp. has introduced a breakthrough NVIDIA Quadro professional GPU architecture for notebook computers that enables entirely new graphics and visual computing capabilities for mobile professionals. The new line of mobile graphics solutions includes NVIDIA Quadro FX 1600M, Quadro FX 570M and Quadro FX 360M.

Headline News

Pooh Series Director Terry Harrison Passes Away

Veteran animator Terence "Terry" Harrison, who won an Emmy in 1990 as the co-director of DISNEY'S THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH, died on Feb. 28, 2007, in his native England at the age of 75.

Harrison also shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program in 1992 for POOH.

Harrison was an animator and director on Halas and Batchelor's FOO-FOO (1960). Harrison directed three shorts for the National Film Board of Canada, which included IN A NUTSHELL (1971), TILT (1972) and 11 STEPS TO SURVIVAL (1973).

Design Headline News

ARTVPS to Open U.S. Branch

ARTVPS, a leading developer of 3D rendering solutions, has expanded its operations in the U.S.

ARTVPS will initially employ a business development manager and a 3D specialist, who will start the operation from a new base in Los Angeles, but plans are already in place to extend operations to New York City and Chicago to address the scale of market and geography involved. ARTVPS is also looking to integrate into the U.S. Channel, forging new partnerships with resellers focused on selling both hardware and software rendering solutions.

Film Headline News

Memories of Dogs Wins Stuttgart

The Stuttgart Festival of Animation wrapped up May 1, 2007, with the presentation of its prize winners. Simone Massi's short film, THE MEMORIES OF DOGS, took home the grand prize. On the TV side, TV-Loonland and The Illuminated Film Co.'s THE LITTLE PRINCESS was awarded the top prize. In the feature category, AZUR ET ASMAR by Michel Ocelot garnered the award.

Film Headline News

Spider-Man 3 Web Blasts Its Way to Record Opening

The summer season has exploded in high fashion with the opening of Columbia Pictures' SPIDER-MAN 3, which spun a North American gross of $151M and a worldwide gross of $231M for a total of $382M for the weekend period ended May 6, 2007. It's the highest opening ever in movie history. Playing in a record 4,252 domestic locations, the film took in an average of $35,540 per screen. The film also unspooled at more than 8,900 locations abroad.

Headline News

Portfolio Ent. Ups Rutherford to Director of Sales & Acquisitions

Portfolio Ent. has upped Jon Rutherford to director of sales and acquisitions, additionally responsible for sales in Europe, Latin America, the U.S. and Canada, as well as acquisitions for worldwide distribution.

"Jon is unstoppable," said Joy Rosen, founder/president, Portfolio Ent. "He has done a tremendous job cultivating new international relationships while conscientiously maintaining existing relationships with broadcasters and production companies."

Animation Headline News

Shaolin Kids Kicks Into China

China's Shanghai Fantasia Animation Co. Ltd. and France's Les Cartooneur Animation Co. are in talks with China Central Television (CCTV) to bring the international hit, SHAOLIN KIDS, to China in October after debuting abroad four years ago, reports XinhuaNet.com.

Budgeted at 40 million yuan ($5.2 million), the series follows three Chinese kids who use their superior kung fu skills to battle monsters.

The show is already a hit on TV3 in France and is garnering solid ratings in Germany and Canada as well.

Game Headline News

Activision's Spider-Man 3 Game Unleashes the Power of the Black Suit Into Retail

Activision Inc. wants gamers to unleash their dark side in the SPIDER-MAN 3 videogame, timed to hit retail with the highly anticipated theatrical release of Sony Pictures Ent.'s Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios' SPIDER-MAN 3. Based on the famous Marvel characters, the game allows players to experience, for the first time, Spider-Man's mysterious black-suited persona, as well as his heroic red suit and battle villains in a massive New York City playground teeming with activity.

Films Headline News

Nordisk Panorama Brings Regional Films to Finland

Nordisk Panorama - 5 Cities Film Festival 2007Oulu, Finland, Sept. 21-26, 2007Deadline: May15, 2007

Nordisk Panorama Event is the main platform for short films and documentaries in the Nordic region, offering an annual business venue and showcase, spanning all professional focus areas from development and financing to distribution and exhibition.

International Headline News

Deadline Nears for Hamburg ShortFilmFestivals

23rd Int'l ShortFilmFestival & 9th Mo & Friese Children's ShortFilmFestivalHamburg, Germany June 3-11, 2007Deadline: May 19, 2007

The 23rd International ShortFilmFestival and the 9th Mo & Friese Children's ShortFilmFestival are going to present the best international short films, chosen from more than 3,800 submissions.

Cartoon Headline News

Turner Promotes Preschool Programming with Channel Changes in U.K.

Turner Broadcasting is making changes to its portfolio of kids' channels in the U.K., which is comprised of Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Toonami, Cartoon Network Too and Boomerang +1. On May 24, 2007, Toonami will change into Cartoon Network Too, available across Sky (602), Tiscali TV, Virgin TV and Top Up TV. Cartoon Network Too will feature the very best Toonami shows alongside current Cartoon Network favorites.

Meanwhile, Cartoonito, the preschool block that airs daily on Cartoon Network Too between 6:00 am and 3:00 pm will become a full preschool channel.

Animation Headline News

Snyder to Lead Turner's Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media Division

Stuart Snyder will take the reigns of Turner Broadcasting System's newly aligned portfolio of cable networks, digital properties and entertainment businesses for kids and young adults.

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