Technicolor Village Roadshow Announce Strategic Alliance

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Thu, 12/13/2012 - 19:00 -- Nick Dager

Technicolor has announced a strategic alliance with Village Roadshow a long-standing customer and a leading entertainment company operating in film and DVD distribution cinema film production theme parks and music. The agreement is designed to strengthen Technicolor's worldwide footprint by expanding its presence in Australia where the Group is already well established as the country's largest DVD/Blu-ray disc replicator. It will also strengthen its Australian operations. Since 2000 Technicolor is Village Roadshow's exclusive DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing supplier. The Group served both Australian and internationally produced titles such as Happy Feet  Red Dog  Sex & the City 1 & 2  Sherlock Holmes  The Hurt Locker  Ocean's 11  12 & 13  I am Legend  Mao's Last Dancer Underbelly and many others. Under the strategic alliance Technicolor and Village Roadshow will jointly progress the transition to digital content creation and delivery and will further extend Technicolor's existing service offerings in the Australian market including: digital cinema distribution service support DVD/BD manufacturing and distribution digital encoding content preparation transcoding and related digital media services including MediAffinity. We are delighted to be broadening our relationship with a leading entertainment company such as Village Roadshow said Frédéric Rose CEO of Technicolor. Leveraging our synergies we will be able to provide cutting-edge services to the Australian media and entertainment market.” This strategic alliance is an important milestone as Technicolor will become a key-partner in the provision of entertainment services in particular for our film DVD and digital distribution business in Australia. We look forward to expanding our close working relationship and thus further developing and distributing compelling content to consumers  said Chris Chard managing director Roadshow Films. ,3778
Can Bringing Light Make it to Sundance?,2012-12-14,A three-minute film about a tiny molecule that lights up brain tumors so neurosurgeons can better distinguish cancer from normal tissue has a chance to get its own moment in the spotlight as a semifinalist in the Sundance Film Festival in January. Bringing Light which focuses on the Tumor Paint research led by James Olson M.D. Ph.D. a clinical researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a pediatric oncologist at Seattle Children's Hospital is available online for viewing and voting. Viewers have until December 20 to cast their votes at http://vimeo.com/51888804. The film directed by Bert Klasey Chris Baron and James Allen Smith also features neurosurgeon Richard Ellenbogen M.D. chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine among others. It is part of a filmmaker competition called Short Films Big Ideas sponsored by Focus Forward Films. Out of 30 total entries five finalists will be screened at Sundance 2013 and the grand-prize winner will receive $100 000. Olson's team developed Tumor Paint by re-engineering scorpion venom (chlorotoxin) which naturally targets brain cancer cells by tagging it with a molecule that acts like a flashlight causing brain tumors to light up during surgery so the margins can be seen more easily. The goal is to help surgeons remove as much cancer as possible while safely leaving normal brain tissue intact. Tumor Paint is not yet in human use but is being developed by Blaze Bioscience a Seattle biotech founded by Olson and Heather Franklin president and CEO. The potential of Tumor Paint is not limited to brain tumors; it has been found in preclinical studies to light up prostate colon breast and other cancers.  It is anticipated that human trials in cancer patients will begin next year. If the human clinical trial results match the laboratory studies Tumor Paint will enable surgeons to distinguish cancer tissue from non-cancerous tissue in real time as they operate. The ultimate goal is to save lives while also reducing problems caused by surgical removal of normal tissue in critical areas. Another potential use for Tumor Paint is early detection of various forms of skin cancer. Olson and colleagues have demonstrated that it can light up non-pigmented skin cancers which are sometimes difficult to detect and pose a greater threat to the patient if they are not detected early. Olson gratefully points out that none of this research would have been possible without the support of private donors. The work on Tumor Paint was funded primarily through financial gifts made to Fred Hutch and Seattle Children's Hospital by individuals families and businesses that place their trust in our researchers to invent and develop new lifesaving therapies he said. At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center home to three Nobel laureates interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent diagnose and treat cancer HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent nonprofit research institute based in Seattle Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. ,3779
China Film Group Orders 800 Barco Digital Cinema Projectors,2013-01-14, The China Film Group has purchased 800 Barco digital cinema projectors to convert existing theaters to digital and to supply newly constructed digital cinemas a number that is expected to increase each year. As a digital cinema leader we continually invest in China and its digital cinema development. So we are really pleased that China Film Group has selected our leading technology to further develop the digital cinema market in China. This roll-out of digital cinema technology to many more theaters will enable China’s film industry to reach and benefit a large audience of moviegoers ” said Wim Buyens senior vice president entertainment for Barco. “Our comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital cinema solutions including 3D cinema sound advanced digital cinema projection technology and digital signage will offer Chinese moviegoers the ultimate cinema experience.” Chen Xuxiang general manager of CFG Barco said   “We are grateful for the trust and support we have received from China Film Group over the past few years. After many years of effort in digital cinema projection we have developed trend-setting technologies and comprehensive after-sales services. We look forward to continuing our close partnership with CFG and to establishing long-term relations with other premium exhibitors to provide them with advanced technologies and top-quality service.”