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Munich,
December 07, 2004
Press Release
OPENPICTURES acquires "Quill"
· Agreement on broad exploitation
Munich - OPENPICTURES has acquired rights for the motion
picture QUILL, a Shochiku production, and thus can announce its first cooperation with
the leading Japanese producer.
OPENPICTURES closed a deal that includes in addition to the rights
for the German speaking territories, the rights for whole Eastern Europe. "We are
happy that we have been able to secure the rights in a production that raised
a tremendous interest already in the run-up. But above all we're looking forward for our first cooperation
with Shochiku, a leading Japanese producer and distributor, who is celebrating its 110th year in 2005".
QUILL is based on a true story and goes along with the life of a
Labrador Retriever, who will become a "seeing-eye dog".
The gentle dog will team up with his new partner, a blind man, who
first refuses to take a seeing-eye dog. After an incident the
seemingly incompatible man and the dog come to rely on each other,
and begin to walk together. And when he walks with QUILL, his
partner feels the wind, and he can see the sky through QUILL.
QUILL has been presented at the 29th Toronto
International Film Festival® and was released with
overwhelming success in Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
There he led the charts as number one.
Munich/Sofia,
October 12, 2004
Press Release
FAHRENHEIT 9/11 will hit screens in Bulgaria
· Bulgarian distributor Big Bang! Entertainment will release
Michael Moore's exceptional documentary in November
Munich/Sofia - As announced on the fringes of the “Golden
Chest” festival in Plovdiv, FAHRENHEIT 9/11 by Michael Moore will
be released in Bulgaria by local distributor Big Bang! Entertainment.
After
FAHRENHEIT 9/11’s huge success at the this year’s Karlovy Vary
International Film Festival it met outstanding response by the audience at
the 29th Golden Chest International TV Festival, hosted by the Bulgarian
National Television in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
“We’re pleased to cooperate with Big Bang! Entertainment”,
OpenPictures states, “and our company looks forward working together
with Bulgaria’s most serious arthouse and independent films distributor
on upcoming projects”. Big Bang! Entertainment has released successful
titles like “Talk to Her” “8 Women”, "Y Tu Mamá También”,
and “Kill Bill”. FAHRENHEIT 9/11 will be released on Bulgarian screens
by Big Bang! Entertainment in November.
FAHRENHEIT 9/11 was released in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in
September and is the most successful feature-doc ever. FAHRENHEIT 9/11,
which took the Palm d'Or at this year's Cannes International Film
Festival, takes on the burning issues facing America today. Combining rare
Footage, expert testimony and collages Michael Moore turns a skeptical
lens on President George W. Bush and his inner circle, who ignored the
Saudi connection to 9/11 and instead rushed hardheaded toward a doubtful
war on Iraq.
Munich/Prague,
September 06, 2004
Press Release
OPENPICTURES awards FAHRENHEIT 9/11
· Release by largest Czech distributor Bonton Film on September 16,
2004
Munich/Prague - OPENPICTURES, Munich, closes a deal
concerning the rights of
FAHRENHEIT 9/11 by US-American director and author Michael Moore for
the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Michael Moore's reflections on the
current state of America, including the powerful role oil and greed
may have played after the 9-11 attacks will be officially released
on Czech and Slovak screens on September 16, 2004. For the
exploitation OPENPICTURES partners with the largest domestic
distributor, Bonton Film, Prague.
Already on September 11, 2004 the movie will be screened in Special Previews. FAHRENHEIT
9/11 won the Palme d'Or at the this years 57. Festival de Cannes.
As a first documentary the potential Oscar aspirant topped US box office
and took US$ 21,8 million on the first weekend. This makes FAHRENHEIT
9/11 commercially to the most successful documentary ever.
"We have secured the rights on FAHRENHEIT 9/11 for a couple of Eastern
European countries at Cannes in spring", OPENPICTURES says,
"and this already before the first screenings, and the award of the Palme
d'Or". In July the documentary has been screened at the 39.
International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary with tremenous response.
"Now we are happy, that FAHRENHEIT 9/11 will be brought to the
audiences in this countries. Further sales will be closed within a
short time". OPENPICTURES holdes distribution rights on
FAHRENHEIT 9/11 for different Eastern European territories.
Munich, June 17, 2004
Press Release
OPENPICTURES congratulates Intertainment
· Intertainment wins fraud trial in the US
· Franchise Pictures sued for damages of US$ 77.1 million
Munich/Santa Ana
- OPENPICTURES
is pleased
to congratulate
Intertainment to
the positive verdict.
After
an earlier settlement with one of the defendants this
decision of the jury
could be seen as a trend-setting result for Intertainment and
its partners as well as for the film industry as a whole.
In the filed lawsuit for damages, the jury found Franchise
Pictures, its CEO Elie Samaha, and various other production
companies of Franchise Pictures liable for fraud as a result of
inflated film budgets. The jury awared
Intertainment damages in the amount of US$ 77.1 million.
Furthermore the jury dismissed all countersues by Franchise Pictures
against Intertainment.
Intertainment sued Franchise Pictures, Elie Samaha
as well as other parties already in December 2000. After the lawsuit
has been pending for more than three years and has been postponed
repeatedly, the trail was confirmed by the judge in charge at the Federal District Court in Santa
Ana in a pretrial conference on April 09, 2004.
Matthias Batthyány, COO of OPENPICTURES: "We are extraordinarily pleased,
that Intertainment won in this groundbreaking proceeding. After a
stony path we are content, that our combined efforts got a
positive appraisal.“
"The desicion of a US-jury for the benefit of a German
company has not just to be positive evaluated with respect to the
international film industry", Dr.
Stefan Piëch, CEO of OPENPICTURES says. "Last but not least this desicion
strenghtens the legal certainty of investors in the media sector of
the German capital markets."
OPENPICTURES betrachtet die Entscheidung als Bestätigung der Leistungen der professionell und verlässlich
arbeitenden US-amerikanischen Kollegen in der Filmwirtschaft, die Transparenz
und Kontrolle nicht scheuen.
Nach dem endgültigen Abschluss der anhängigen Verfahren, freut sich die
OPENPICTURES AG, die weiteren im Rahmen der strategischen Partnerschaft
gemeinsam beschlossenen Schritte umsetzen zu können. Nach den bisherigen
Erfolgen sieht die OPENPICTURES AG der weiteren Zusammenarbeit beider
Unternehmen zuversichtlich entgegen (PR as of July 09, 2003).
Munich/Cannes, May 24, 2004
Press Release
OPENPICTURES acquires rights on FAHRENHEIT 9/11
· Palme d'Or for FAHRENHEIT 9/11 by Michael Moore
· OPENPICTURES acquires rights on Cannes winner
Munich/Cannes - FAHRENHEIT
9/11, the latest Picture by US-director Michael Moore
won the Palme d'Or on Saturday at the
57. Festival de Cannes. OPENPICTURES has assured distribution rights
in FAHRENHEIT 9/11 already during the run-up.
The acquisition of the price-winning movie is a first result of
the cooperation between OPENPICTURES and THE STEEL COMPANY. By
purchasing the rights on FAHRENHEIT 9/11 OPENPICTURES moves on with
its focusing on the growing Eastern European markets.
"We are pleased, that with FAHRENHEIT 9/11 after a long time
once again a documentary has been awarded with the Palme
d'Or. The award for Michael Moore’s FAHRENHEIT 9/11
is for a great political documentary, that deserved its ovation“, OPENPICTURES states. "After the
early acquisition of this title this desicion of the jury, presided
by Quentin Tarantino,
shows we are on the right track."
Munich/Los
Angeles, May
06, 2004
Press Release
OPENPICTURES peers eastwards
· Cooperation with THE STEEL COMPANY
· Access to US-productions for Eastern Europe
Munich/Los Angeles - As OPENPICTURES AG, Munich, and THE STEEL
COMPANY, Los Angeles, announce, the companies have signed an
agreement regarding the acquisition of feature film rights.
The agreement provides the opportunity to OPENPICTURES AG, to gain
access to licensing rights for the Eastern European territories at
an early stage. Hence attractive exploitation rights can be acquired
already in the development stage by OPENPICTURES. With the focus on
the growing markets of Eastern Europe international productions can
be brought to a huge and interested audience and a growing marketing
potential can be tapped."
"With THE STEEL COMPANY we have found an established and
profiled partner", OPENPICTURES
AG says. "Against the background of the current entry of the
new members of the European Union and the perspectives connected
therewith, we are pleased to announce a further forward-looking
decision with this transatlantic cooperation."
Gordon Steel, President of THE STEEL COMPANY, stated: "We are
excited to be in business with a quality company such as
OPENPICTURES AG and look forward to working with OPENPICTURES to
bring both commercial and appealing feature films to the
fast-growing Eastern European market."
Munich,
April 19, 2004
Press Release
Intertainment AG: First Results in Franchise Trial
· OPENPICTURES sees trial to be well on the way
Munich/Ismaning - As announced by Intertainment AG on
April 19, 2004 one of the defendants has entered into a settlement
close to the beginning of the trial against Franchise Pictures. For
this purpose OPENPICTURES AG congratulates the management board as
well as all employees of Intertainment AG.
With this extrajudical settlement in the run-up to the fourthcoming
trial against the US-American film producer Franchise Pictures and
against other parties Intertainment AG is able to announce a further
remarkable success. After confirmation by the judge in charge the
claim for damages against Franchise Pictures for damages on the
grounds of fraudulently inflated budgets will go to trial on April
20, 2004 in Los Angeles.
"We are pleased that our joint efforts in this outstanding
trial lead to a positive achievement", the management of OPENPICTURES
AG says. "We assess this settlement as a positive step, to put
the long time grown and established relationsship between the German
and the US-American film industry back to a stable basis. Just fair
terms of competition will ensure, that the media industries of
Germany and the US will come upon mutual trust for a common value
creation in the future. Together with Intertainment AG we are
confident to be on a promising way for the continuation of the
proceedings."
Munich,
February 18, 2004
Press Release
OPENPICTURES signs License Agreement with Intertainment AG
· Acquisition of a TV license rights package from Intertainment AG
· TV License Agreement signed with Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF)
Munich/Ismaning/Vienna - OPENPICTURES AG has acquired a package of
TV rights consisting of first cycle license rights from Intertainment AG.
Shortly after the agreement was signed the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation
(ORF) has secured Free-TV rights covered therein.
The package includes films such as ACTIVE STEALTH, with Hannes
Jaenicke, THE THIRD MIRACLE, starring Ed Harris, Anne Heche and Armin Mueller-Stahl,
as well as THE WHOLE SHEBANG, with Stanley Tucci and Bridget Fonda.
"We are pleased to further build up our distribution with the recent deal
consequently and successfully", says Volker Hempfling, sales executive of
OPENPICTURES AG.
Munich, January 13, 2004
Press Release
THE ORANGE PAPER wird vom Österreichischen Rundfunk (ORF) gefördert
· Titel erhält Innovationsförderung
· ORF wertet Spielfilm für Österreich aus
München/Wien - Die OPENPICTURES AG freut
sich, bei Ihrer Produktion THE ORANGE PAPER mit dem Österreichischen
Rundfunk (ORF) einen bedeutenden europäischen Programmanbieter als
Förderer vorstellen zu können.
Der Titel wird mit Mitteln des zwischen dem Österreichischen
Filminstitut und dem ORF geschlossenen Film-/Fernsehabkommens gefördert
werden. Dass THE ORANGE PAPER dabei Mittel im Rahmen der „Nachwuchs- und Innovationsförderung“
zuteil werden, unterstreicht den profilierten Charakter dieses engagierten Projektes.
Nach Fertigstellung des Projektes wird der ORF den Spielfilm, von dem er gleichzeitig
die entsprechenden Fernsehrechte erworben hat, im österreichischen Fernsehen auswerten.
Die internationale Kinoauswertung von THE ORANGE PAPER wird weiterhin durch die
Austrian Film Commission unterstützt.
Der in New York angesiedelte Spielfilm, mit Mark Meyer und Claudia Vick
in den Hauptrollen, erzählt in rätselhaften und intensiven Bildern von einem Mann,
der sich auf der Fluch vor seiner Vergangenheit befindet.
Die OPENPICTURES AG betont: „Mit dem ORF wird einer der führenden Programmanbieter im
deutschsprachigen Raum als Kooperationspartner an der Auswertung von THE ORANGE PAPER
mitwirken. Der ORF deckt als öffentlichrechtlicher Programmanbieter den sehr interessanten
österreichischen Markt ab und ist für Produzenten ein ausgesprochen attraktiver Partner.
Besonders freut uns, dass das Projekt die hohen qualitativen Programmstandards des ORF erfüllt.“
Munich, July 9, 2003
Press
Release
Intertainment and OPENPICTURES are geared to a strong
future together
· Cooperation on US film productions
· Positive conclusion to the Intertainment lawsuits expected
Ismaning/Munich - Media companies Intertainment AG, Ismaning
near Munich, and OPENPICTURES AG, Munich, have agreed a strategic
partnership with the aim of strengthening operating business over
the long term. It is conceivable over the medium term that OpenPictures
may also acquire a strategic stake in Intertainment. This was confirmed
by the CEOs of both companies in Munich today.
"Our partnership
is geared to the long term. It is clearly focused on operations",
explained Rüdiger Baeres, Chief Executive Officer of
Intertainment.
"We believe that we have found a very good partner in OPENPICTURES
with a view to achieving our operating goals." The strategy
is for OPENPICTURES
to be involved in the development and production
of joint films with Intertainment. "OPENPICTURES
also intends
to market individual territorial rights in the joint productions",
said Dr. Stefan Piëch, CEO of OPENPICTURES. It is conceivable that OPENPICTURES
will already start getting involved in films that Intertainment
is currently developing.
The two companies
intend to exploit their good links to major Hollywood Studios within
the partnership for the mutual benefit of both parties.
Intertainment has already granted OPENPICTURES the right to market films from
the Intertainment film library in German-speaking territories. OPENPICTURES
will concentrate in particular on exploiting the Free and Pay-TV rights for these films.
Baeres also
gave a detailed explanation of the opportunities presented by the
pending litigation against US film producer Franchise Pictures and
the additional lawsuit against the other parties involved in the
fraud, e.g. insurance companies. Intertainment filed a lawsuit against
Franchise for damages amounting to at least 100 million dollars
on account of inflated budgets. The legal dispute has been pending
in Los Angeles since the end of 2000. Two RICO claims have been
admitted by the court. RICO claims are a special feature of the
American Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. They allow victims of
organized criminality three times the amount payable in compensation
for damages. If the trial is decided in favor of Intertainment,
this would entail compensation for damages amounting to more than
300 million dollars.
The trial will
begin on August 5 and the parties have been allowed 16 trial days.
"We are anticipating a positive outcome for Intertainment",
declared Piëch. "The court responsible for the trial proceedings
has already decided that specific budget items declared by Franchise
did not exist. And Elie Samaha, CEO of Franchise has publicly admitted
that the company operated with different levels of budgets",
explained Baeres.
The strategic
partnership also offers OPENPICTURES
the option of getting involved
in the costs of litigation against Franchise and any other legal
costs resulting from litigation against the other parties involved
in the fraud. "We will provide Intertainment with support in
order to promote the continued future of the joint strategic
partnership.
We will ensure that appropriate damages are paid in compensation
for this unique case in the history of the US film industry",
stated Piëch. "However, finance for the legal proceedings is
subject to the agreement of Intertainment." Baeres added: "There
are currently no grounds for seeking outside finance to fund the
costs of the trial. However, we are very pleased to have a strong
partner in the background when it comes to future proceedings."
Baeres and Piech
did not exclude the possibility that OPENPICTURES
might also take
a stake in Intertainment. "We regard Intertainment as an attractive
partner, although we are not interested in a majority holding",
commented Matthias Batthyány, Chief Operating Officer of
OPENPICTURES.
Munich, January 22, 2003
OPENPICTURES AG congratulates Dres. Kölmel for the successfully
completed acquisition of Kinowelt Medien AG
OPENPICTURES is pleased to congratulate the founders of Kinowelt Medien
AG and all employees to the successfully completed continuation of
the company.
With clearing of the purchase price for the core business
of Kinowelt Media Group by the Dres. Kölmel investor group a new chapter
in the history of the renowned Kinowelt starts. We feel certain that the
positive closing is a sanguine sign for the German film industry.
OPENPICTURES AG is confident that the management as well as
the employees of the new Kinowelt will tie up to established tarditions and will
will promote the successful development of the company with visions and
flair.
The management of OPENPICTURES AG is attuned to a further positive and trustful
cooperation with the owners of the future "Kinowelt GmbH".
The management board of OPENPICTURES AG wishes Dr. Michael Kölmel and
Dr. Rainer Kölmel as well as all fellow employees confidence and success
for the responsible assignment.
Munich, August 08, 2002
OPENPICTURES AG und Kölmel-Brüder kämpfen gemeinsam für die
Zukunft der Kinowelt Medien AG
·
Umfassende Kooperation vereinbart
Die OPENPICTURES AG, München, schließt mit den Vorständen der insolventen
Kinowelt Medien AG, Dr. Michael Kölmel und Dr. Rainer Kölmel, eine
umfassende Kooperationsvereinbarung. Diese sieht unter anderem die
aktive Unterstützung der beiden Unternehmensgründer bei der geplanten
Übernahme der verbleibenden Teile der Kinowelt und die Beibehaltung
der Aktiennotiz der Kinowelt Medien AG vor.
Munich/Cannes,
May 21, 2002
OPENPICTURES AG debütiert auf dem Festival de Cannes 2002
Die auf die Entwicklung, Finanzierung und Vermarktung internationaler
Top-Spielfilme spezialisierte OPENPICTURES AG, München, feiert am
Rande des 55. Festival de Cannes mit zwei Filmprojekten erfolgreich
ihr Debüt. Neben dem ersten Spielfilm "The Orange Paper"
stellt sich die OPENPICTURES AG mit dem Projekt "The Flirting
Club" der internationalen Öffentlichkeit vor.
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