Privately held, Korea-founded Maum Capital Group, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, has made a significant undisclosed investment in Globalgate Entertainment, creating a strategic and financial alliance. At the same time, Globalgate Executive Chairman William Pfeiffer has been appointed CEO of the Maum affiliates as they focus on the development of the intercultural content-based businesses of the group, which includes Maum Culture Innovation and Maum Studios.
The alliance furthers investment firm Maum’s plans to harness and expand Korean and global content, filmmakers and talent on a worldwide basis. This is a complement to Globalgate’s 15 consortium partners, including Lionsgate in the U.S./UK, Lotte in Korea, and the expansion of Globalgate’s global content production and co-financing business, as well as the expansion of Globalgate’s related businesses.
Headquartered in Seoul and Palo Alto, Maum Culture Innovation and Maum Studios, together with other Maum entities, are tuned into...
The alliance furthers investment firm Maum’s plans to harness and expand Korean and global content, filmmakers and talent on a worldwide basis. This is a complement to Globalgate’s 15 consortium partners, including Lionsgate in the U.S./UK, Lotte in Korea, and the expansion of Globalgate’s global content production and co-financing business, as well as the expansion of Globalgate’s related businesses.
Headquartered in Seoul and Palo Alto, Maum Culture Innovation and Maum Studios, together with other Maum entities, are tuned into...
- 2/13/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
More than 40 of the group are women and 50 come from outside the US.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 397 artists and executives, half of them from outside the US, to join its ranks.
Among the 30 actors invited are recent Oscar winners Troy Kotsur, from Coda, and Ariana DeBose, from West Side Story, along with Caitríona Balfe, Jessie Buckley, Jamie Dornan, Amir Jadidi, Kajol, Vincent Lindon, Hidetoshi Nishijima and Renate Reinsve.
Twenty-one directors were invited, including Pawo Choyning Dorji (Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom), Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Sian Harries...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 397 artists and executives, half of them from outside the US, to join its ranks.
Among the 30 actors invited are recent Oscar winners Troy Kotsur, from Coda, and Ariana DeBose, from West Side Story, along with Caitríona Balfe, Jessie Buckley, Jamie Dornan, Amir Jadidi, Kajol, Vincent Lindon, Hidetoshi Nishijima and Renate Reinsve.
Twenty-one directors were invited, including Pawo Choyning Dorji (Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom), Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Sian Harries...
- 6/28/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Upcoming releases from Globalgate partnerships include Hunting Season from Germany, Miss Granny from Mexico.
US-based Globalgate Entertainment has struck a deal with the Ratuken group and added the Japanese e-commerce and internet services company to its global network of producers and distributors.
Ratuken is ramping up its entertainment content creation, marketing and distribution businesses and will work with Globalgate to source co-financing opportunities.
Globalgate’s slate of films and digital/TV series includes Dhamaka from India and Mexico’s Sin Hijos and upcoming releases Hunting Season aka Jagdsaison from Germany, Miss Granny from Mexico and remake No Kids in South Korea.
US-based Globalgate Entertainment has struck a deal with the Ratuken group and added the Japanese e-commerce and internet services company to its global network of producers and distributors.
Ratuken is ramping up its entertainment content creation, marketing and distribution businesses and will work with Globalgate to source co-financing opportunities.
Globalgate’s slate of films and digital/TV series includes Dhamaka from India and Mexico’s Sin Hijos and upcoming releases Hunting Season aka Jagdsaison from Germany, Miss Granny from Mexico and remake No Kids in South Korea.
- 4/12/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Lionsgate’s local-language film consortium, Globalgate Entertainment, has added Indonesia’s Falcon Pictures to its consortium of production and distribution partners.
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo, Belga and Viva Communications.
Lionsgate launched Globalgate four years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding. Globalgate is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber.
Founded in 2010 by H.B. Naveen, Falcon Pictures has produced the three highest grossing Indonesian films: “Warkop Dki Reborn 1,” “Dilan 1990,” and “Dilan 1991.” In recent years, Falcon has achieved a 25% share of the local box office by releasing titles including “This Earth of Mankind,” the three “Comic 8” movies and the “My Stupid Boss” films.
Globalgate noted that Indonesia is the fourth most populous country...
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo, Belga and Viva Communications.
Lionsgate launched Globalgate four years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding. Globalgate is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber.
Founded in 2010 by H.B. Naveen, Falcon Pictures has produced the three highest grossing Indonesian films: “Warkop Dki Reborn 1,” “Dilan 1990,” and “Dilan 1991.” In recent years, Falcon has achieved a 25% share of the local box office by releasing titles including “This Earth of Mankind,” the three “Comic 8” movies and the “My Stupid Boss” films.
Globalgate noted that Indonesia is the fourth most populous country...
- 2/11/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Other partners include Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa.
Us-based local-language specialists Globalgate Entertainment has added Indonesia’s Falcon Pictures to its consortium of 14 global production and distribution partners.
Other partners at Globalgate include Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo, Belga and Viva Communications.
Falcon Pictures has produced the three highest grossing Indonesian films of all time: Warkop Dki Reborn 1, Dilan 1990, and Dilan 1991.
In recent years, the company claimed a 25% share of the local box office by releasing hits such as This Earth Of Mankind, Comic 8 1, 2 & 3, Si Doel The Movie 1, 2 & 3, Warkop...
Us-based local-language specialists Globalgate Entertainment has added Indonesia’s Falcon Pictures to its consortium of 14 global production and distribution partners.
Other partners at Globalgate include Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo, Belga and Viva Communications.
Falcon Pictures has produced the three highest grossing Indonesian films of all time: Warkop Dki Reborn 1, Dilan 1990, and Dilan 1991.
In recent years, the company claimed a 25% share of the local box office by releasing hits such as This Earth Of Mankind, Comic 8 1, 2 & 3, Si Doel The Movie 1, 2 & 3, Warkop...
- 2/11/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
As Asian cinema's global reach is spotlighted by Parasite's Oscar wins, Lionsgate's local-film remake consortium Globalgate on Tuesday said Indonesia's Falcon Pictures had joined its worldwide network.
H.B. Naveen's Falcon Pictures, which produces eight to 10 film titles every year, becomes the 14th partner for the studio's production and distribution network, which includes Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Rai, Belga and Viva Communications. Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to exploit the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for international markets.
Globalgate points to Indonesia ...
H.B. Naveen's Falcon Pictures, which produces eight to 10 film titles every year, becomes the 14th partner for the studio's production and distribution network, which includes Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Rai, Belga and Viva Communications. Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to exploit the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for international markets.
Globalgate points to Indonesia ...
- 2/11/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As Asian cinema's global reach is spotlighted by Parasite's Oscar wins, Lionsgate's local-film remake consortium Globalgate on Tuesday said Indonesia's Falcon Pictures had joined its worldwide network.
H.B. Naveen's Falcon Pictures, which produces eight to 10 film titles every year, becomes the 14th partner for the studio's production and distribution network, which includes Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Rai, Belga and Viva Communications. Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to exploit the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for international markets.
Globalgate points to Indonesia ...
H.B. Naveen's Falcon Pictures, which produces eight to 10 film titles every year, becomes the 14th partner for the studio's production and distribution network, which includes Televisa, TF1, Nordisk, Rai, Belga and Viva Communications. Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to exploit the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for international markets.
Globalgate points to Indonesia ...
- 2/11/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
France’s TF1 Studio has become the latest international studio to partner with Globalgate Entertainment, the Lionsgate-aligned local-language film and television production and financing venture.
It becomes the 14th international partner for the company, which has previously struck deals with Televisa (Mexico), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Tobis (Germany), Rai (Italy), Lotte (Korea), Kadokawa (Japan), Tme (Turkey), Paris Filmes (Brazil), CineColombia/Dynamo (Colombia), Belga (Benelux), and Viva (Philippines).
Globalgate had previously struck an arrangement with TF1 Studio’s French rival Gaumont and worked up remakes of its comedy Rolling to You in China and India. It said it was “grateful” of the relationship and the two companies would “continue to collaborate on existing projects and complementary opportunities”.
Globalgate’s pipeline of over 40 films and series includes remakes of Pantelion/Televisa’s Instructions Not Included in India and Korea and Ya Veremos in Italy, Lotte’s Terror Live in Japan and India, Midnight Runners in China,...
It becomes the 14th international partner for the company, which has previously struck deals with Televisa (Mexico), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Tobis (Germany), Rai (Italy), Lotte (Korea), Kadokawa (Japan), Tme (Turkey), Paris Filmes (Brazil), CineColombia/Dynamo (Colombia), Belga (Benelux), and Viva (Philippines).
Globalgate had previously struck an arrangement with TF1 Studio’s French rival Gaumont and worked up remakes of its comedy Rolling to You in China and India. It said it was “grateful” of the relationship and the two companies would “continue to collaborate on existing projects and complementary opportunities”.
Globalgate’s pipeline of over 40 films and series includes remakes of Pantelion/Televisa’s Instructions Not Included in India and Korea and Ya Veremos in Italy, Lotte’s Terror Live in Japan and India, Midnight Runners in China,...
- 7/10/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Lionsgate’s local-language film consortium, Globalgate Entertainment, has added TF1 Studio, the movie label of France’s TF1 Group, to its global collective of 13 production and distribution partners.
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo, Viva and Belga. Lionsgate launched Globalgate three years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding. Globalgate is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber.
TF1’s new high-profile projects include “The Lion,” “Way Down,” “Of Loves and Lies,” “Roxane,” “Who’s That Granny or The Morning After.” Digital brands include MYTF1VOD as well as the TFou Max youth-oriented Svod service. TF1 Studio has recently released the animated feature “The Queen’s Corgi” and inked a distribution deal with Universal Pictures Video.
“We’re...
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo, Viva and Belga. Lionsgate launched Globalgate three years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding. Globalgate is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber.
TF1’s new high-profile projects include “The Lion,” “Way Down,” “Of Loves and Lies,” “Roxane,” “Who’s That Granny or The Morning After.” Digital brands include MYTF1VOD as well as the TFou Max youth-oriented Svod service. TF1 Studio has recently released the animated feature “The Queen’s Corgi” and inked a distribution deal with Universal Pictures Video.
“We’re...
- 7/10/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Remakes in works with international partners include Midnight Runners in China, No Kids in Germany.
Globalgate, the local-language venture aligned with Lionsgate, has added French TF1 Group’s film label TF1 Studio to its consortium of 13 production and distribution partners.
Existing partners include Televisa (Mexico), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Tobis (Germany), Rai (Italy), Lotte (Korea), Kadokawa (Japan), Tme (Turkey), Paris Filmes (Brazil), CineColombia/Dynamo (Colombia), Belga (Benelux), and Viva (Philippines).
The pipeline of more than 40 films and series includes remakes of Pantelion / Televisa’s Instructions Not Included in India and South Korea, and Ya Veremos in Italy; Gaumont’s Rolling To You...
Globalgate, the local-language venture aligned with Lionsgate, has added French TF1 Group’s film label TF1 Studio to its consortium of 13 production and distribution partners.
Existing partners include Televisa (Mexico), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Tobis (Germany), Rai (Italy), Lotte (Korea), Kadokawa (Japan), Tme (Turkey), Paris Filmes (Brazil), CineColombia/Dynamo (Colombia), Belga (Benelux), and Viva (Philippines).
The pipeline of more than 40 films and series includes remakes of Pantelion / Televisa’s Instructions Not Included in India and South Korea, and Ya Veremos in Italy; Gaumont’s Rolling To You...
- 7/10/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
TF1 Studios, the theatrical division of French commercial television company TF1 Group, has signed up to Lionsgate's local-film remake consortium Globalgate.
Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to take advantage of the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for other non-u.S. markets.
With TF1 Studios, Globalgate now has 13 international production and distribution partners, including Mexico's Televisa, Tobis in Germany, Rai in Taly and Kadokawa in Japan, among others.
“Globalgate has successfully harnessed the fast-growing local content market and their growing roster of blue-chip production and ...
Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to take advantage of the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for other non-u.S. markets.
With TF1 Studios, Globalgate now has 13 international production and distribution partners, including Mexico's Televisa, Tobis in Germany, Rai in Taly and Kadokawa in Japan, among others.
“Globalgate has successfully harnessed the fast-growing local content market and their growing roster of blue-chip production and ...
- 7/10/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
TF1 Studios, the theatrical division of French commercial television company TF1 Group, has signed up to Lionsgate's local-film remake consortium Globalgate.
Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to take advantage of the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for other non-u.S. markets.
With TF1 Studios, Globalgate now has 13 international production and distribution partners, including Mexico's Televisa, Tobis in Germany, Rai in Taly and Kadokawa in Japan, among others.
“Globalgate has successfully harnessed the fast-growing local content market and their growing roster of blue-chip production and ...
Globalgate, set up by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, aims to take advantage of the boom in local-language features worldwide by remaking local hits, mainly for other non-u.S. markets.
With TF1 Studios, Globalgate now has 13 international production and distribution partners, including Mexico's Televisa, Tobis in Germany, Rai in Taly and Kadokawa in Japan, among others.
“Globalgate has successfully harnessed the fast-growing local content market and their growing roster of blue-chip production and ...
- 7/10/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lionsgate’s local-language film consortium GlobalGate Entertainment has added the Philippines’ Viva Communications to its worldwide consortium of 13 production and distribution partners.
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo and Belga. Lionsgate launched GlobalGate three years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding. GlobalGate is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber,
Since its launch in 1981, Viva Communications has been a multimedia distributor of Hollywood and local-language content in The Philippines with affiliated labels including Viva Films, Viva International Pictures, Viva Live, Viva Networks, Viva and Vicor Records, Viva Music Publishing and Viva Artists Agency. Local films released by Viva include “Kita Kita,” “Sid & Aya,” “Aurora,” “Miss Granny,” “Fantastika” and “Never Not Love You.”
Viva Communications chairman and CEO Vicente R.
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo and Belga. Lionsgate launched GlobalGate three years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding. GlobalGate is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber,
Since its launch in 1981, Viva Communications has been a multimedia distributor of Hollywood and local-language content in The Philippines with affiliated labels including Viva Films, Viva International Pictures, Viva Live, Viva Networks, Viva and Vicor Records, Viva Music Publishing and Viva Artists Agency. Local films released by Viva include “Kita Kita,” “Sid & Aya,” “Aurora,” “Miss Granny,” “Fantastika” and “Never Not Love You.”
Viva Communications chairman and CEO Vicente R.
- 3/13/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Globalgate Entertainment, the local-language film and TV production and financing consortium closely aligned with Lionsgate, has added The Philippines’ Viva Communications to its worldwide network of 13 production and distribution companies.
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo and Belga.
Since its launch in 1981, Viva Communications has been a leading distributor of Hollywood and local-language content in The Philippines with affiliated labels including Viva Films, Viva International Pictures, Viva Live, Viva Networks, Viva and Vicor Records, Viva Music Publishing and Viva Artists Agency. Local films released by Viva include top grossing films Kita Kita, Sid & Aya, Aurora, Miss Granny, Fantastika and Never Not Love You.
Commented Viva Communications Chairman & CEO Vicente R. del Rosario, Jr., “William Pfeiffer has been a great friend, both professionally and personally, and we look forward to working with him alongside the rest of the Globalgate leadership team,...
Other Globalgate partners include Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Tobis, Rai, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tme, Paris Filmes, CineColombia/Dynamo and Belga.
Since its launch in 1981, Viva Communications has been a leading distributor of Hollywood and local-language content in The Philippines with affiliated labels including Viva Films, Viva International Pictures, Viva Live, Viva Networks, Viva and Vicor Records, Viva Music Publishing and Viva Artists Agency. Local films released by Viva include top grossing films Kita Kita, Sid & Aya, Aurora, Miss Granny, Fantastika and Never Not Love You.
Commented Viva Communications Chairman & CEO Vicente R. del Rosario, Jr., “William Pfeiffer has been a great friend, both professionally and personally, and we look forward to working with him alongside the rest of the Globalgate leadership team,...
- 3/13/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Existing partners include Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Kadokawa, CineColombia/Dynamo.
Globalgate Entertainment has added The Philippines’ Viva Communications to its worldwide consortium of 13 production and distribution partners.
The local language film and TV production and financing venture aligned with Lionsgate adds Viva to a network that includes partners Televisa (Latin America), Gaumont (France), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Kadokawa (Japan), Lotte (South Korea), Tobis (Germany), and Rai (Italy).
The consortium also spans Tme (Turkey), Belga Filmes, Paris Filmes (Brazil), and CineColombia/Dynamo (Colombia). Lionsgate covers the Us, UK, and Canada.
“William Pfeiffer has been a great friend, both professionally and personally, and we look...
Globalgate Entertainment has added The Philippines’ Viva Communications to its worldwide consortium of 13 production and distribution partners.
The local language film and TV production and financing venture aligned with Lionsgate adds Viva to a network that includes partners Televisa (Latin America), Gaumont (France), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Kadokawa (Japan), Lotte (South Korea), Tobis (Germany), and Rai (Italy).
The consortium also spans Tme (Turkey), Belga Filmes, Paris Filmes (Brazil), and CineColombia/Dynamo (Colombia). Lionsgate covers the Us, UK, and Canada.
“William Pfeiffer has been a great friend, both professionally and personally, and we look...
- 3/13/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Italian producer and distributor becomes the twelfth member.
Italian producer and distributor Rai Cinema has become a member of the Globalgate consortium that co-produces and co-finances wide release local-language films in key international territories.
Rai Cinema becomes the consortium’s twelfth member, joining Lionsgate in the Us, Televisa in Mexico, Gaumont in France, Nordisk in Scandinavia, Tobis in Germany, Belga in Benelux, Tme in Turkey, Kadokawa in Japan, Lotte in Korea, Cine Colombia in Colombia and Paris Filmes in Brazil.
Globalgate was designed by founders Clifford Werber, William Pfeiffer and Paul Presburger to source and curate intellectual properties and remakes,...
Italian producer and distributor Rai Cinema has become a member of the Globalgate consortium that co-produces and co-finances wide release local-language films in key international territories.
Rai Cinema becomes the consortium’s twelfth member, joining Lionsgate in the Us, Televisa in Mexico, Gaumont in France, Nordisk in Scandinavia, Tobis in Germany, Belga in Benelux, Tme in Turkey, Kadokawa in Japan, Lotte in Korea, Cine Colombia in Colombia and Paris Filmes in Brazil.
Globalgate was designed by founders Clifford Werber, William Pfeiffer and Paul Presburger to source and curate intellectual properties and remakes,...
- 5/17/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Italy’s Rai Cinema has joined Lionsgate’s local-language film consortium GlobalGate, becoming its twelfth partner.
The film arm of Italian pubcaster Rai is currently the country’s top distributor with a 15% market share, thanks to recent hits such as Gabriele Muccino’s ensemble dramedy “A casa tutti bene” which recently grossed more than $11 million. They are co-producers of five Italian titles in the Cannes Official Selection, including Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” which screens in competition today, and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro,” and are also a co-producer of Asghar Farhadi’s fest opener “Everybody Knows.”
GlobalGate, which is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, was launched by Lionsgate two years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding.
In a statement the three GlobalGate honchos...
The film arm of Italian pubcaster Rai is currently the country’s top distributor with a 15% market share, thanks to recent hits such as Gabriele Muccino’s ensemble dramedy “A casa tutti bene” which recently grossed more than $11 million. They are co-producers of five Italian titles in the Cannes Official Selection, including Matteo Garrone’s “Dogman,” which screens in competition today, and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro,” and are also a co-producer of Asghar Farhadi’s fest opener “Everybody Knows.”
GlobalGate, which is co-founded and headed by Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, was launched by Lionsgate two years ago to produce and distribute local-language films in markets around the world to capitalize on the fact that the market share of local-language films is expanding.
In a statement the three GlobalGate honchos...
- 5/16/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italian distributor Rai Cinema has become the 12th Globalgate Consortium Partner, joining Lionsgate, Televisa (Mexico), Gaumont (France), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Tobis (Germany), Belga (Benelux), Tme (Turkey), Kadokawa (Japan), Lotte (Korea), Cine Colombia (Colombia), and Paris Filmes (Brazil) in a partnership to grow the market for local-language content worldwide.
Rai Cinema’s 01 distribution arm is a leading Italian distributor with a 15% market share in Italy with recent hit films including Il principe abusivo, Mister Felicita, La pazza gioia, A casa tutti bene, Smetto quando Voglio, Il ragazzo invisibile, Metti la nonna in Freezer among many others.
“Italy has a legendary film culture, with a record 14 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Picture and a robust local industry, driven by Rai Cinema,” said Globalgate co-founders Clifford Werber, William Pfeiffer, and Paul Presburger in a statement. “We are proud to have Paolo Del Brocco and the Rai family join ours, as we together deliver...
Rai Cinema’s 01 distribution arm is a leading Italian distributor with a 15% market share in Italy with recent hit films including Il principe abusivo, Mister Felicita, La pazza gioia, A casa tutti bene, Smetto quando Voglio, Il ragazzo invisibile, Metti la nonna in Freezer among many others.
“Italy has a legendary film culture, with a record 14 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Picture and a robust local industry, driven by Rai Cinema,” said Globalgate co-founders Clifford Werber, William Pfeiffer, and Paul Presburger in a statement. “We are proud to have Paolo Del Brocco and the Rai family join ours, as we together deliver...
- 5/16/2018
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
Lionsgate's local-film remake venture, Globalgate Entertainment, led by co-founders Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, has added an Italian partner.
Rai Cinema, the film branch of Italian state broadcaster Rai, becomes the 12th member of the Hollywood studio's global consortium focused on remaking local-language movies that already includes Mexico's Televisa, France's Gaumont and Tobis in Germany.
The Italian film producer-distributor has a 15 percent share of that country's film market, with recent box-office performers like Il Principe Abusivo and Mister Felicita, among others.
Lionsgate, Globalgate and Indian banner Azure Entertainment recently unveiled plans to produce ...
Rai Cinema, the film branch of Italian state broadcaster Rai, becomes the 12th member of the Hollywood studio's global consortium focused on remaking local-language movies that already includes Mexico's Televisa, France's Gaumont and Tobis in Germany.
The Italian film producer-distributor has a 15 percent share of that country's film market, with recent box-office performers like Il Principe Abusivo and Mister Felicita, among others.
Lionsgate, Globalgate and Indian banner Azure Entertainment recently unveiled plans to produce ...
- 5/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lionsgate's local-film remake venture, Globalgate Entertainment, led by co-founders Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, has added an Italian partner.
Rai Cinema, the film branch of Italian state broadcaster Rai, becomes the 12th member of the Hollywood studio's global consortium focused on remaking local-language movies that already includes Mexico's Televisa, France's Gaumont and Tobis in Germany.
The Italian film producer-distributor has a 15 percent share of that country's film market, with recent box-office performers like Il Principe Abusivo and Mister Felicita, among others.
Lionsgate, Globalgate and Indian banner Azure Entertainment recently unveiled plans to produce ...
Rai Cinema, the film branch of Italian state broadcaster Rai, becomes the 12th member of the Hollywood studio's global consortium focused on remaking local-language movies that already includes Mexico's Televisa, France's Gaumont and Tobis in Germany.
The Italian film producer-distributor has a 15 percent share of that country's film market, with recent box-office performers like Il Principe Abusivo and Mister Felicita, among others.
Lionsgate, Globalgate and Indian banner Azure Entertainment recently unveiled plans to produce ...
- 5/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Lionsgate’s local-language venture that launched in May last year has added Paris Filmes and Cine Colombia to 11-strong consortium of production and distribution partners.
The network already includes Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tobis, Tme and Belga. Globalgate launched on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival 2016 and is led by co-founders Paul Presburger, the Pantelion Films CEO, Lionsgate senior advisor William Pfeiffer and former president of Worldview Entertainment motion pictures group Clifford Werber.
Paris Filmes is the number-one Brazilian distributor of local-language films with an 81% market share and is a leading Brazilian distributor of English-language films including those of Lionsgate.
Recent releases include Os Dez Mandamentos, Loucas Pra Casar, Minha Mae E Uma Peca and Meu Passado Me Condena 1 & 2.
Cine Colombia is the top distributor in Colombia on 46% market share and distributes studio, independent and local-language films.
It is joined in the Globalgate venture by Dynamo Productions, the country’s leading producer behind Netflix show Narcos...
The network already includes Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tobis, Tme and Belga. Globalgate launched on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival 2016 and is led by co-founders Paul Presburger, the Pantelion Films CEO, Lionsgate senior advisor William Pfeiffer and former president of Worldview Entertainment motion pictures group Clifford Werber.
Paris Filmes is the number-one Brazilian distributor of local-language films with an 81% market share and is a leading Brazilian distributor of English-language films including those of Lionsgate.
Recent releases include Os Dez Mandamentos, Loucas Pra Casar, Minha Mae E Uma Peca and Meu Passado Me Condena 1 & 2.
Cine Colombia is the top distributor in Colombia on 46% market share and distributes studio, independent and local-language films.
It is joined in the Globalgate venture by Dynamo Productions, the country’s leading producer behind Netflix show Narcos...
- 2/2/2017
- ScreenDaily
Lionsgate’s local-language venture that launched in May last year has added Paris Filmes and Cine Colombia to 11-strong consortium of production and distribution partners.
The network already includes Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tobis, Tme and Belga. Globalgate launched on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival 2016 and is led by co-founders Paul Presburger, the Pantelion Films CEO, Lionsgate senior advisor William Pfeiffer and former president of Worldview Entertainment motion pictures group Clifford Werber.
Paris Filmes is the number-one Brazilian distributor of local-language films with an 81% market share and is a leading Brazilian distributor of English-language films including those of Lionsgate.
Recent releases include Os Dez Mandamentos, Loucas Pra Casar, Minha Mae E Uma Peca and Meu Passado Me Condena 1 & 2.
Cine Colombia is the top distributor in Colombia on 46% market share and distributes studio, independent and local-language films.
It is joined in the Globalgate venture by Dynamo Productions, the country’s leading producer behind Netflix show Narcos...
The network already includes Televisa, Gaumont, Nordisk, Kadokawa, Lotte, Tobis, Tme and Belga. Globalgate launched on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival 2016 and is led by co-founders Paul Presburger, the Pantelion Films CEO, Lionsgate senior advisor William Pfeiffer and former president of Worldview Entertainment motion pictures group Clifford Werber.
Paris Filmes is the number-one Brazilian distributor of local-language films with an 81% market share and is a leading Brazilian distributor of English-language films including those of Lionsgate.
Recent releases include Os Dez Mandamentos, Loucas Pra Casar, Minha Mae E Uma Peca and Meu Passado Me Condena 1 & 2.
Cine Colombia is the top distributor in Colombia on 46% market share and distributes studio, independent and local-language films.
It is joined in the Globalgate venture by Dynamo Productions, the country’s leading producer behind Netflix show Narcos...
- 2/2/2017
- ScreenDaily
Lionsgate's global consortium focused on remaking local-language movies has added new partners in Brazil and Colombia.
Globalgate Entertainment has brought on board Brazil's Paris Filmes and Colombia’s Cine Colombia to make it an 11-member international consortium of production and distribution players. Also joining Cine Colombia in the Globalgate partnership is Dynamo Productions, the Colombian producer of Netflix's Narcos, The Hidden Face and Sundance audience award winner Undertow.
"Paris Filmes, Cine Colombia and Dynamo Productions are world-class film distribution and production companies and a perfect fit for Globalgate’s consortium," Globalgate co-founders Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber said...
Globalgate Entertainment has brought on board Brazil's Paris Filmes and Colombia’s Cine Colombia to make it an 11-member international consortium of production and distribution players. Also joining Cine Colombia in the Globalgate partnership is Dynamo Productions, the Colombian producer of Netflix's Narcos, The Hidden Face and Sundance audience award winner Undertow.
"Paris Filmes, Cine Colombia and Dynamo Productions are world-class film distribution and production companies and a perfect fit for Globalgate’s consortium," Globalgate co-founders Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber said...
- 2/2/2017
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The studio has partnered on a worldwide local-language venture with Pantelion Films CEO Paul Presburger, Lionsgate senior advisor William Pfeiffer and former president of Worldview Entertainment motion pictures group Clifford Werber.
Acknowledging the growth of local-language market share in key territories, Globalgate has assembled a consortium of international producers, distributors and co-financing partners including Gaumont, Kadokawa, Tobis, Nordisk Film and Televisa/Videocine.
The venture will identify intellectual property ripe for local-language production in select regions and work with third-party Us and international properties on remakes.
The partners will distribute the films and co-finance with the Globalgate Fund, whose backers include Lionsgate, strategic investors and private equity. The consortium partners include Gaumont (France), Tobis (Germany), Kadokawa (Japan), Televisa/Videocine (Mexico), Nordisk Film (Scandinavia), Lotte (South Korea), Belga (Benelux), and Tme (Turkey).
Globalgate was concevied roughly 18 months again when Pantelion — the joint venture owned by Lionsgate and Mexican giant Grupo Televisa that targets Latino audiences — put together local-language remakes...
Acknowledging the growth of local-language market share in key territories, Globalgate has assembled a consortium of international producers, distributors and co-financing partners including Gaumont, Kadokawa, Tobis, Nordisk Film and Televisa/Videocine.
The venture will identify intellectual property ripe for local-language production in select regions and work with third-party Us and international properties on remakes.
The partners will distribute the films and co-finance with the Globalgate Fund, whose backers include Lionsgate, strategic investors and private equity. The consortium partners include Gaumont (France), Tobis (Germany), Kadokawa (Japan), Televisa/Videocine (Mexico), Nordisk Film (Scandinavia), Lotte (South Korea), Belga (Benelux), and Tme (Turkey).
Globalgate was concevied roughly 18 months again when Pantelion — the joint venture owned by Lionsgate and Mexican giant Grupo Televisa that targets Latino audiences — put together local-language remakes...
- 5/2/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Lionsgate sees a profit opportunity in films targeted to specific international markets, and hopes to tap it with a new partnership: Globalgate Entertainment. The initiative teams the studio with executives Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber. They’ve already created a consortium with overseas producers, distributors and co-financing partners including Belga (Benelux), Gaumont (France), Kadokawa (Japan), Lotte (Korea), Nordisk Film (Scandinavia)…...
- 5/2/2016
- Deadline
Weeks after Worldview Entertainment inked a five-year deal with the Weinstein Co., Chairman and CEO Christopher Woodrow has abruptly exited the company, an individual close to the situation told TheWrap. Worldview COO Molly Conners will take the reins of the company and serve as acting CEO. She'll oversee all Worldview titles along with Clifford Werber, the newly-named Motion Picture Group president who has been appointed COO. The board of Worldview and the company's lead investors have already approved the management changes. Also read: Weinstein Partners With Indie Powerhouse Worldview on Multi-Picture Deal A representative for Worldview declined to elaborate on Woodrow's exit,...
- 6/3/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Christopher Woodrow is out as CEO of New York-based financing and production company Worldview Entertainment. His abrupt exit comes only weeks after Worldview announced it had raised $200 million in new capital and, separately, signed a five-year co-production and distribution deal with The Weinstein Co. Woodrow and Worldview also had a major presence at the Cannes Film Festival, where Michel Hazanavicius' Chechnya war drama The Search played in competition.
Longtime Worldview COO Molly Conners will serve as acting CEO, while newly installed motion picture group president Clifford Werber will
read more...
Longtime Worldview COO Molly Conners will serve as acting CEO, while newly installed motion picture group president Clifford Werber will
read more...
- 6/2/2014
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: A major shakeup has gone down at Worldview Entertainment, and CEO Christopher Woodrow has exited abruptly amidst allegations of personal misconduct. I don’t have much more than that at this moment, but COO Molly Conners has taken the reins as acting CEO of the New York-based financing and production company. She and recently appointed Motion Picture Group president Clifford Werber will continue to oversee Worldview films that are in production and release, as well as future films. Those changes were made with the support of lead investors and the board and management team at Worldview. This is a shocker. With Woodrow at its helm, Worldview has quickly emerged as an up and coming backer of taste-maker fare, and they were very visible and busy at the Cannes Film Festival. The company just made a five-year co-fi deal with The Weinstein Company, and the projects Worldview is involved in are major.
- 6/2/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Formed in 2007, Worldview Entertainment has grown into a leading independent motion picture company. The company's continued success has created the opportunity to expand its executive ranks. As such, Worldview has hired Clifford Werber as President of its Motion Picture Group. Worldview Chairman and CEO, Christopher Woodrow, said that Werber was brought on “to help manage our product flow and evolving distribution deals. Clifford, with his extensive independent film production and major studio experience, was the perfect hire.” Also read: Worldview to Finance John Hillcoat's ‘Triple Nine’ After Megan Ellison's Panorama Exits (Exclusive) Werber comes to Worldview after time as a senior executive.
- 5/13/2014
- by Jason Hughes
- The Wrap
Snow White goes to college, emboldens a nerdy group of seven outcasts and vanquishes the evil witch in the plodding Sydney White. Like many Hollywood interpretations of fairy tales, this Amanda Bynes starrer draws its inspiration not from the Oedipal, bloody folk legend recorded by the Brothers Grimm but from the pop-culture Disney version. Cute and cartoonish rule the day, and teens and tweens will be the film's chief audience when it opens wide against R-rated genre pics and the fall's tonier fare.
Chad Gomez Creasey's occasionally clever script is a clunky mix of cartoonish caricature and feel-good message-mongering. Director Joe Nussbaum (George Lucas in Love) brings an affection for outsiders to the material, but the film takes far too long to build momentum.
Despite her real-girl appeal as the title character, Bynes, who was terrific in Hairspray, can't overcome the heavy-handedness of the dialogue. Raised by her widowed plumber Father John Schneider), Sydney is a tomboy who knows her way around a construction site but has no experience on the social scene. She arrives at Florida's Southern Atlantic U. with a scholarship and a suitcase full of comic books and quickly catches the eye of dreamy, clean-cut Tyler Prince (Matt Long). That puts her in the sights of his ex, uber-meanie Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton), who rules the sisterhood of bleached blondes known as Kappa Phi Nu. The film's dramatic high points usually involve someone calling Rachel a bitch.
Kappa happens to be the sorority of Sydney's beloved mother, but even with her sparkly eye shadow and borrowed dresses, she has no chance against the conniving Rachel, who soon banishes the frosh pledge. Sydney finds refuge at the Vortex, the dilapidated house of seven socially challenged dorks of the Sneezy/Bashful/Sleepy variety.
This is no Ball of Fire, Bynes no Stanwyck, but her Sydney is a spark of life in the sheltered world of her ridiculous roomies, among them a sweet hypochondriac (Jack Carpenter), a gangly science geek (Jeremy Howard) and a permanently jet-lagged Nigerian transfer student (Donte Bonner). Nussbaum orchestrates some nice comic moments with this bunch -- like their collective awe, to the strains of Strauss, at the sight of Sydney's sports bra drying in the bathroom.
She pushes them to get involved in student politics, challenging the Witchburn oligarchy and turning the film into a tepid lesson in campaign democracy. The Freedom to the Seventh Power ticket reaches out to ROTC and LGBT alike, not to mention Hasidic Jews and the marching band. The need to belong, the value of diversity and the right to stand up to injustice are all folded into the cliched cry of emancipation for everyone's inner dork.
Amid its easy shots at conformism and the creepier aspects of Greek life, Gomez Creasey's script transposes some fairy-tale elements to the digital age in clever, if obvious, ways: The witch's magic mirror becomes Rachel's laptop screen, on which she daily checks her standing as No. 1 in the campus' Hot or Not rankings on MySpace. The poisoned apple, alas, is a virus-infected Mac.
Technical and design contributions are polished, with Orlando locations creating a fittingly idyllic campus setting.
SYDNEY WHITE
Universal Pictures
James G. Robinson presents a Morgan Creek production
Credits:
Director: Joe Nussbaum
Screenwriter: Chad Gomez Creasey
Producers: James G. Robinson, Clifford Werber, David Robinson
Executive producers: Guy McElwaine, Wayne Morris
Director of photography: Mark Irwin
Production designer: Mark Garner
Music: Deborah Lurie
Co-producer: Dara Resnik Creasey
Costumer designer: Beverly Safier
Editor: Danny Saphire
Cast:
Sydney White: Amanda Bynes
Rachel: Sara Paxton
Tyler: Matt Long
Lenny: Jack Carpenter
Terrence: Jeremy Howard
Dinky: Crystal Hunt
Jeremy: Adam Hendershott
Gurkin: Danny Strong
Spanky: Samm Levine
Christy: Libby Mintz
Paul White: John Schneider
George: Arnie Pantoja
Embele: Donte Bonner
Professor Carleton: Brian Patrick Clarke
Katy: Lauren Leech
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Chad Gomez Creasey's occasionally clever script is a clunky mix of cartoonish caricature and feel-good message-mongering. Director Joe Nussbaum (George Lucas in Love) brings an affection for outsiders to the material, but the film takes far too long to build momentum.
Despite her real-girl appeal as the title character, Bynes, who was terrific in Hairspray, can't overcome the heavy-handedness of the dialogue. Raised by her widowed plumber Father John Schneider), Sydney is a tomboy who knows her way around a construction site but has no experience on the social scene. She arrives at Florida's Southern Atlantic U. with a scholarship and a suitcase full of comic books and quickly catches the eye of dreamy, clean-cut Tyler Prince (Matt Long). That puts her in the sights of his ex, uber-meanie Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton), who rules the sisterhood of bleached blondes known as Kappa Phi Nu. The film's dramatic high points usually involve someone calling Rachel a bitch.
Kappa happens to be the sorority of Sydney's beloved mother, but even with her sparkly eye shadow and borrowed dresses, she has no chance against the conniving Rachel, who soon banishes the frosh pledge. Sydney finds refuge at the Vortex, the dilapidated house of seven socially challenged dorks of the Sneezy/Bashful/Sleepy variety.
This is no Ball of Fire, Bynes no Stanwyck, but her Sydney is a spark of life in the sheltered world of her ridiculous roomies, among them a sweet hypochondriac (Jack Carpenter), a gangly science geek (Jeremy Howard) and a permanently jet-lagged Nigerian transfer student (Donte Bonner). Nussbaum orchestrates some nice comic moments with this bunch -- like their collective awe, to the strains of Strauss, at the sight of Sydney's sports bra drying in the bathroom.
She pushes them to get involved in student politics, challenging the Witchburn oligarchy and turning the film into a tepid lesson in campaign democracy. The Freedom to the Seventh Power ticket reaches out to ROTC and LGBT alike, not to mention Hasidic Jews and the marching band. The need to belong, the value of diversity and the right to stand up to injustice are all folded into the cliched cry of emancipation for everyone's inner dork.
Amid its easy shots at conformism and the creepier aspects of Greek life, Gomez Creasey's script transposes some fairy-tale elements to the digital age in clever, if obvious, ways: The witch's magic mirror becomes Rachel's laptop screen, on which she daily checks her standing as No. 1 in the campus' Hot or Not rankings on MySpace. The poisoned apple, alas, is a virus-infected Mac.
Technical and design contributions are polished, with Orlando locations creating a fittingly idyllic campus setting.
SYDNEY WHITE
Universal Pictures
James G. Robinson presents a Morgan Creek production
Credits:
Director: Joe Nussbaum
Screenwriter: Chad Gomez Creasey
Producers: James G. Robinson, Clifford Werber, David Robinson
Executive producers: Guy McElwaine, Wayne Morris
Director of photography: Mark Irwin
Production designer: Mark Garner
Music: Deborah Lurie
Co-producer: Dara Resnik Creasey
Costumer designer: Beverly Safier
Editor: Danny Saphire
Cast:
Sydney White: Amanda Bynes
Rachel: Sara Paxton
Tyler: Matt Long
Lenny: Jack Carpenter
Terrence: Jeremy Howard
Dinky: Crystal Hunt
Jeremy: Adam Hendershott
Gurkin: Danny Strong
Spanky: Samm Levine
Christy: Libby Mintz
Paul White: John Schneider
George: Arnie Pantoja
Embele: Donte Bonner
Professor Carleton: Brian Patrick Clarke
Katy: Lauren Leech
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/21/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The magic is gone in this latest screen version of "Cinderella". From its uninspiring title -- and certain turnoff for young males -- to its limp slapstick and uneven acting, "A Cinderella Story" arrives with a dull thud. It doesn't help that this contemporary take on the classic fairy tale re-explores ground already covered this year by such movies as "Mean Girls" and "Ella Enchanted".
Thanks to popular young star Hilary Duff, the film might see a brisk boxoffice opening weekend. But word-of-mouth and more attractive options in the multiplexes should lead to a sharp drop-off by the second week.
Wicked stepmothers and Prince Charmings are awkward concepts in a contemporary setting. There is little evidence that writer Leigh Dunlap or her producers thought through how to re-imagine the fairy tale for modern day. Having Cinderella leave behind a cell phone instead of a glass slipper as the clock strikes midnight is not nearly enough.
First of all, the film never makes the case that our Cinderella, Valley high school senior Sam Montgomery (Duff), is truly abused. When her dear dad dies in the Northridge earthquake -- how exactly? we wonder -- her self-indulgent, plastic surgery-obsessed stepmom, Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge in an amusing but over-the-top performance), banishes Sam to the attic and puts her to work in her dad's '50s diner. The trouble is, designer Charles Breen turns that attic into a very cool-looking loft, Sam's paycheck goes to her college education and must we really feel sorry for a girl who complains that she has to drive a "beat-up old car"? The car runs, doesn't it?
Her high school is similarly disconnected from reality but not in the fairy tale sort of way. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Duff is a beauty, and costume designer Denise Wingate does nothing to make her seem otherwise. So why is Sam so unpopular with the boys? They mock her as "Diner Girl" -- what, no one else at school has a job? -- and her only male friend, geeky Carter (Dan Byrd), seems oblivious to her charms as well. Then she puts on a gown and mask and everyone is knocked out by her presence. Go figure.
Her dreamboat is popular football star Austin Ames Chad Michael Murray). He's a good-looking lad, but the script makes him into a boob. He's afraid of his dad, in a dead-end relationship with a shallow cheerleader (Julie Gonzalo), easily cowed by his buddies and unable or unwilling to pursue his Cinderella. They don't make Prince Charmings the way they used to.
Director Mark Rosman and Dunlap search for laughs in all the wrong places. Fiona's complete body makeover with implants, Botox, plastic surgery and a tanning machine earns a few laughs but gets old fast. The slapstick bumbling of Sam's "out-of-step-sisters," Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery), is thoroughly unfunny.
Duff and Byrd anchor the film in a perky though realistic acting style. But too many other actors resort to overblown shtick in a vain attempt to bring cartoonish characters to life. The diner sequences work the best: Regina King, Paul Rodriguez and others form a neat ensemble of characters who work hard, support one another and share a mutual contempt for the owner. Conversely, the sequences in high school or at home feel tired if not belabored.
Tech credits are pro though unexciting.
A Cinderella Story
Warner Bros. Oictures
A Clifford Werber production
Credits:
Director: Mark Rosman
Screenwriter: Leigh Dunlap
Producers: Clifford Werber, Ilyssa Goodman, Hunt Lowry, Dylan Sellers
Executive producers: Michael Rachmil, Peter Greene, Keith Giglio
Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond
Production designer: Charles Breen
Music: Christophe Beck
Costume designer: Denise Wingate
Editor: Cara Silverman
Cast:
Sam: Hilary Duff
Fiona: Jennifer Coolidge
Austin: Chad Michael Murray
Carter: Dan Byrd
Rhonda: Regina King, Shelby: Julie Gonzalo
Mrs. Wells: Lin Shaye
Brianna: Madeline Zima
Gabriella: Andrea Avery
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 95 minutes...
Thanks to popular young star Hilary Duff, the film might see a brisk boxoffice opening weekend. But word-of-mouth and more attractive options in the multiplexes should lead to a sharp drop-off by the second week.
Wicked stepmothers and Prince Charmings are awkward concepts in a contemporary setting. There is little evidence that writer Leigh Dunlap or her producers thought through how to re-imagine the fairy tale for modern day. Having Cinderella leave behind a cell phone instead of a glass slipper as the clock strikes midnight is not nearly enough.
First of all, the film never makes the case that our Cinderella, Valley high school senior Sam Montgomery (Duff), is truly abused. When her dear dad dies in the Northridge earthquake -- how exactly? we wonder -- her self-indulgent, plastic surgery-obsessed stepmom, Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge in an amusing but over-the-top performance), banishes Sam to the attic and puts her to work in her dad's '50s diner. The trouble is, designer Charles Breen turns that attic into a very cool-looking loft, Sam's paycheck goes to her college education and must we really feel sorry for a girl who complains that she has to drive a "beat-up old car"? The car runs, doesn't it?
Her high school is similarly disconnected from reality but not in the fairy tale sort of way. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Duff is a beauty, and costume designer Denise Wingate does nothing to make her seem otherwise. So why is Sam so unpopular with the boys? They mock her as "Diner Girl" -- what, no one else at school has a job? -- and her only male friend, geeky Carter (Dan Byrd), seems oblivious to her charms as well. Then she puts on a gown and mask and everyone is knocked out by her presence. Go figure.
Her dreamboat is popular football star Austin Ames Chad Michael Murray). He's a good-looking lad, but the script makes him into a boob. He's afraid of his dad, in a dead-end relationship with a shallow cheerleader (Julie Gonzalo), easily cowed by his buddies and unable or unwilling to pursue his Cinderella. They don't make Prince Charmings the way they used to.
Director Mark Rosman and Dunlap search for laughs in all the wrong places. Fiona's complete body makeover with implants, Botox, plastic surgery and a tanning machine earns a few laughs but gets old fast. The slapstick bumbling of Sam's "out-of-step-sisters," Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery), is thoroughly unfunny.
Duff and Byrd anchor the film in a perky though realistic acting style. But too many other actors resort to overblown shtick in a vain attempt to bring cartoonish characters to life. The diner sequences work the best: Regina King, Paul Rodriguez and others form a neat ensemble of characters who work hard, support one another and share a mutual contempt for the owner. Conversely, the sequences in high school or at home feel tired if not belabored.
Tech credits are pro though unexciting.
A Cinderella Story
Warner Bros. Oictures
A Clifford Werber production
Credits:
Director: Mark Rosman
Screenwriter: Leigh Dunlap
Producers: Clifford Werber, Ilyssa Goodman, Hunt Lowry, Dylan Sellers
Executive producers: Michael Rachmil, Peter Greene, Keith Giglio
Director of photography: Anthony B. Richmond
Production designer: Charles Breen
Music: Christophe Beck
Costume designer: Denise Wingate
Editor: Cara Silverman
Cast:
Sam: Hilary Duff
Fiona: Jennifer Coolidge
Austin: Chad Michael Murray
Carter: Dan Byrd
Rhonda: Regina King, Shelby: Julie Gonzalo
Mrs. Wells: Lin Shaye
Brianna: Madeline Zima
Gabriella: Andrea Avery
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 95 minutes...
- 7/23/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chad Michael Murray, who starred as the Lone Ranger in the recent WB Network telefilm of the same name, will star opposite Hilary Duff in Warner Bros. Pictures/Gaylord Films' Cinderella Story. The project is set to go into production June 30 with Mark Rosman at the helm and studio-based Dylan Sellers producing with Clifford Werber and Gaylord's Hunt Lowry. Duff toplines the Clueless-meets-Cinderella story, a modern-day comedy set in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. The tale revolves around a young and slightly dorky high school student who goes through a transformation, becoming one of the hottest girls in school. Murray would play her love interest. Warners creative executive Alysia Cotter brought the project into the studio and will oversee. Duff's mother, Susan Duff, will receive a co-executive producer credit. Signing Murray to the film shows synergy at work between the Warner TV and film divisions. In addition to his work on the WB's Lone Ranger, Murray was a recurring on the network's Dawson's Creek and The Gilmore Girls. He will next star in the WB midseason replacement series One Tree Hill. Murray is repped by CAA, Bonnie Liedtke and Simmonds Management.
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