Dcinex Belgium has entered into an agreement with Thomas Rüttgers to acquire the 26 percent stake he owns in dcinex Austria. As a result of this agreement dcinex will own 77 percent of dcinex Austria the mother company of its exhibitor services operations in South Eastern Europe (Belarus Croatia Italy Hungary Romania and Russia). In parallel to this transaction Rüttgers owner and managing director of ECCO will leave all his management duties within dcinex including his South Eastern Europe coordination role. Consequently all dcinex country managers will now report directly to Till Cussmann vice president exhibitor services of dcinex.
We are very enthusiastic to increase our stake in Austria and in South East Europe as it will help us capture a larger share of the growth the region is currently experiencing said Serge Plasch CEO of dcinex. “I would also like to warmly thank Thomas for his friendship and professionalism which truly contributed to the success of dcinex. While the acquisition of FTT Thomas' Exhibitor Services business helped dcinex being well positioned in Germany and in The Netherlands his continued dedication brought us to the next level in more growing regions. When I joined dcinex in 2008 I would never have imagined our company growing that fast and having so many opportunities to develop in particular in Eastern Europe. Being part of it was a real pleasure said Rüttgers who will now act as an independent advisor to the cinema industry. ,3799
Digital Cinema Destinations Names Goldwater Senior Vice President,2013-01-16,Digital Cinema Destinations has announced the appointment of Chuck Goldwater as its senior vice president effective immediately. Goldwater joined the company's board of directors in early 2012 prior to the completion of its successful initial public offering. Goldwater is an entertainment industry veteran with over three decades of cinema experience. At the end of 2012 as the domestic digital cinema rollout business came to a close he ended his seven years of work at Cinedigm where he had served as president of its Media Services Group. Prior to his tenure at Cinedigm he was chief executive officer of Digital Cinema Initiatives a joint venture of the seven major Hollywood studios which established the technical specifications and initial business planning for the worldwide implementation of digital cinema. Goldwater has also held senior management positions at a number of leading theater exhibitors including USA Cinemas National Amusements and Loews Theatres and he served as president/CEO of Mann Theatres and president at Clearview Cinemas. He was also honored as a recent inductee into the ShowEast Hall of Fame in 2012. Digiplex chairman and CEO Bud Mayo said We are delighted that Chuck has agreed to join our senior management team as he brings a tremendous wealth of relevant experience and numerous important industry relationships to his new role at Digiplex. He has particular expertise in digital cinema deployment and with alternative entertainment programming two key areas of importance to our fast-growing exhibition chain's future success. Chuck also fits in very well with other executive team members as he worked with many of us at both Cinedigm and Clearview Cinemas. ,3800
Doremi IMS 1000 Gets DCI Compliance,2013-01-16,Doremi has announced that its Integrated Media Server the IMS1000 has passed the Compliance Test Plan and achieved the DCI standard of excellence. The server is the first commercially available single board Integrated Media Server on the market with key features that include a combined SMS digital storage and a secure DCI image media block in a compact form that enables it to fit inside DLP projectors. “Passing the CTP with our IMS1000 is indicative of the hard work exerted by our team at Doremi. We knew the design of the IMS1000 would be required to meet the new DCI guidelines related to storage ” said Michael Archer vice president of digital cinema Doremi. “Systems using off the shelf storage or central storage just won’t meet DCI and studio expectations.” “The introduction of the IMS1000 helps Barco deliver the required integrated solution for the market with our new 10s projector line said Wim Buyens senior vice president entertainment division. The tested reliability and ease of use has made this the right solution for today’s exhibitors.” “The NC900 is being delivered with the state of art IMS platform ” said Atsuki Kuroda general manager projector development division. “The cooperative development and testing between NEC and Doremi will ensure this product meets the rigorous environment inside of the projector.” “Demonstration of adherence to industry-wide specifications is a critical milestone for an enhanced movie going experience ” said Travis Spann president and laboratory director Aegisolve. “As a NIST accredited and DCI licensed testing laboratory we report that DCI CTP review and testing of the Doremi IMS1000 is complete and the results indicate compliance with all applicable requirements.” ,3802
Bulgaria to Lead European Audiovisual Observatory,2013-01-16,The European Audiovisual Observatory part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg has announced that Bulgaria will take over its annually rotating presidency for 2013. Bulgaria is represented in the Observatory’s Executive Council by Irina Kanousheva who is responsible for international relations festivals and promotion at the Bulgarian National Film Center. Kanousheva said she was looking forward to “a very dynamic and constructive” Bulgarian Presidency of the Observatory in 2013. As one of the founder members of the Observatory Bulgaria has always supported the Strasbourg-based information-clearing house on the audiovisual industries in Europe. Kanousheva announced that a major Observatory media conference would be organized in Sofia this summer with the subject to be announced very soon. Wolfgang Closs executive director of the Observatory stated that he felt “extremely optimistic” about the forthcoming year under the Bulgarian Presidency. The European Audiovisual Observatory collects and distributes information on the audiovisual industry in Europe covering 39 countries. Its major activities are the publication of a Yearbook newsletters and reports the compilation and management of databases and the provision of information through the Observatory’s Internet site (http://www.obs.coe.int). The European Audiovisual Observatory will be organizing its traditional Cannes conference during the Marché du Film in May. The subject will be announced in due course. ,3803
Keeping up with FreddieW,2013-01-16, Freddie Wong’s YouTube channel FreddieW is one of the most watched in the new age of web content. Between FreddieW and his new site www.rocketjump.com there have been over half a billion video views to date. To feed the excitement Wong needs to keep the content coming. One of the things that helps him get the most out of his shoots is Litepanels new Sola ENG Kit. “We’re very run-and-gun in a variety of environments ” Wong says “and we rarely have time to map out the power grid at wherever we’re shooting or often times simply don’t have access to it. Litepanels LED lights allow us to plug in and move quickly not incur huge amounts of heat and are lightweight and portable enough to be brought along to everything we do.
Recently we had the opportunity to interview Timur Bekmambetov [director of Wanted and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter] in conjunction with one of our videos we did on the channel. Our Sola ENG Kit saved us. We had a very narrow window of time to shoot the thing and we were shooting in the post production offices of ALVH literally as the movers were putting all the furniture into the trucks. The Sola ENG let us throw up a kit quickly without any danger of tripping a breaker somewhere in this building that was being torn apart all around us and we were able to get the interview done quickly and efficiently.
We also do most of our behind-the-scenes interviews lit primarily with the Sola ENG Kit on stands. Once again we are grabbing our writers and crew for quick interviews and the kit allows us to have a very mobile lighting set up for sound bites and interviews.”
Because Wong is always on the move his gear has to be easy to set up and break down and transport. The Litepanels Sola ENG Flight Kit’s wheeled case is so compact it can be carried onto a plane. Not only does this save him time it assures him that vital gear will reach the location when he does. The Sola ENG kit includes three Sola ENG Fixtures three Gel Kits three stands mounts adapters barndoors AC/DC power supplies and a softbox and diffusion. ,3805
Hong Kong Film Development Council Funds New Cinema,2013-01-16, The Hong Kong Film Development Council has provided funding support for the renovation of the Hong Kong Arts Centre cinema. With the upgraded facilities films of more diverse formats and genres can be screened at the cinema to further promote film culture in the community.
The Film Development Fund has allocated $4 million for the renovation of the HKAC cinema. An advanced playback system has been installed to run digital and 3D movies in addition to motion pictures shot on traditional film.
Auxiliary facilities are also in place for the visually and hearing impaired to enjoy movies.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the HKAC digital cinema on January 8 the chairman of the FDC Jack So said The FDC has been attaching great importance to the incubation and promotion of film culture. There is a need to set up a cinema of an alternative nature in Hong Kong for the screening of small- to medium-budget films art films non-commercial films and FDF-financed films as well as films selected for different film festivals in Hong Kong.
He said he believes that the digital cinema at the HKAC will bring film art to a wider audience and promote understanding and appreciation of film culture among the public in particular the new generation. More youngsters will be attracted to join the film industry which will in turn contribute to its long-term development.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So; the Head of Create Hong Kong Jerry Liu; and the Honorary President of the HKAC Cissy Pao Watari also attended the opening ceremony today.
An FDF-financed film 37 was screened at the digital cinema after the opening ceremony. ,3807
NCM Renews Agreements with Georgia Theatre Company Goodrich Quality Theaters,2013-01-16, National CineMedia has renewed its affiliate agreements with Georgia Theatre Company and Goodrich Quality Theaters. Under the terms of these exclusive long-term renewals a combined 61 movie theaters with 587 screens and approximately 16.1 million annual attendees will continue to be a part of the NCM Cinema Network and present NCM’s FirstLook pre-feature program as well as NCM Fathom Events. “These two high-quality regional theater circuits have been an important part of our national advertising and event networks for several years ” said Kurt Hall National CineMedia's chairman and chief executive officer. “We look forward to continuing this long and successful partnership as we bring their audiences exceptional entertainment through our FirstLook pre-show and special event programming from our NCM Fathom division.” “We are excited about renewing our relationship with NCM so that we may continue to provide our patrons with the best pre-show material available ” said Bo Chambliss president Georgia Theatre Company. “We also look forward to showing the high-quality live events provided by NCM. The NCM mobile application Movie Night Out with CinemaSync is a very creative tool that will help drive people to the theater and keep them entertained while they are waiting for their movie to begin.” “We are enthusiastic to continue both NCM’s on-screen advertising sales and audience focused FirstLook program for two compelling reasons ” said Bob Goodrich president Goodrich Quality Theaters. “NCM’s experienced sales personnel have repeatedly secured national advertisers we couldn’t even approach on our own. Additionally the creativity evident in every FirstLook edition always holds Goodrich moviegoers’ interest.” The NCM Cinema Network is the largest digital in-theater network in the United States with exclusive long-term cinema advertising agreements in place with founding member exhibitors AMC Entertainment Inc. Cinemark Holdings Inc. and Regal Entertainment Group the three largest exhibitors in the country totaling approximately 1 150 theaters and 15 250 screens. In addition NCM has network affiliate relationships with over 30 top regional theater circuits representing approximately 400 theaters and 4 250 screens. With the addition of these network affiliate renewals NCM’s national cinema network totals approximately 1 550 theaters and approximately 19 500 screens. ,3809
Kon-Tiki to Open Göteborg International Film Festival,2013-01-16, Norway's Oscar entry Kon-Tiki will open the 36th edition of the Göteborg International Film Festival. Kon-Tiki was made by the directors behind the previous film success Max Manus and is Norway's biggest and most expensive film production to date. For the first time the festival's opening film will be screened at several theaters simultaneously. Both the directors and actors will be visiting the festival. Kon-Tiki is about the young Norwegian researcher and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl who in 1947 sets out on a sensational expedition to prove that the small islands in Polynesia were populated by people from South America—not from Asia as the prevailing theory claims. Despite his fear of water and poor swimming skills he gathers a crew to sail 4 300 nautical miles on Kon-Tiki a raft built according to an ancient design of balsa wood reeds bamboo shoots and banana leaves. For three months the isolated crew sails the ocean while fighting sharks raging hurricanes and scorching sun. The journey is punctuated by dramatic twists where they risk losing all but in the end as we already know Heyerdahl proves that faith can move mountains.
“Kon-Tiki is a classic and inspiring adventure that will seize the public with its visual innovation its ingenuity and its delight in filmmaking ” the festival's artistic director Marit Kapla says.
Visiting the festival and attending the opening ceremony are the film's directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning producer Aage Aaberge executive producer Lone Korslund and actor Gustaf Skarsgård. A press conference with all guests from the film will be held at Stora Teatern on January 26.
By tradition the opening film will be shown at Cinema Draken the film festival's main theater and largest auditorium. However we have exciting news – the opening film will be shown at three other locations: Stora Teatern in Göteborg Röda Kvarn in Borås and Biograf Odeon in Skövde. The opening ceremony will take place at Draken before the film but each theater will broadcast the opening speech and awards live thanks to the festival's sponsor Telia.
“ Tickets to the opening film usually sell out in just a few minutes so we're happy to be able to offer three extra auditoriums this year and to use new technology to spread Draken's festival mood to other places. The audience in the greater Västra Götaland region is important to the festival and for that reason it's a lot fun to be present in Borås and Skövde for the first time ” Kapla says.
The festival will also screen the documentary Kon-Tiki från 1950 which was made by Thor Heyerdahl himself. The film won an Oscar for the best documentary in 1951. The festival in cooperation with the Kon-Tiki Museum will show an exhibit with pictures from the expedition.
The Göteborg International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Nordic countries. Each year circa 450 films from about 70 countries are shown to around 34 000 visitors. The next festival runs from January 25 to February 4.
Dcinex Increases Stake in Austria
