A memorandum on cooperation signed in March between Poland and Ukraine is yielding swift results. A series of Polish films representative of several generations of filmmakers is being screened this month in Lviv, Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov.
Reflecting on the success of Malta, the government of Cyprus has approved a study to find ways of attracting foreign film producers to the island. The Cabinet also plans to appoint a specialist to conduct a study on the feasibility of establishing a film studio, according to the Cyprus online newspaper Famagusta Gazette.
Barrandov Studios was unable to land production of the latest James Bond film, but some of the sets for Bond 22 have been built in Prague. The film's producers placed an order with Barrandov Studios to create the furnishings for the luxurious International Grand Hotel to be featured in the next episode of the successful film series about Agent 007.
Director Stefan Ruzowitzky, who won this year's Academy Award for best foreign-language film for The Counterfeiters, was in Prague recently to finish shooting the trailer for Love at War. Ruzowitzky brought his statuette along to Barrandov, where he had started working in February with the FFP Agency and Barrandov Productions (www.barrandovproductions.cz)
A Danish film in which the island of Malta plays itself - rather than being the location for a film set elsewhere - will be released in the next week in Malta. The Lost Treasures of the Knights Templar III, the third and final instalment of a popular Danish adventure feature for children, was shot on the island last summer.
Seven Czech films will be screened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, next week and in early April as part of showcase of Czech cinematography organized by Czech Film Center (www.filmcenter.cz) and the Czech Center in the Argentine capital. Besides public screenings, the week-long celebration of contemporary Czech film will feature special screenings for local distributors and other film professionals.
Hungarian director Tamas Toth picked up the best director prize for his film Wolf at the European Independent Film Festival 2008 in Paris on Sunday. The weekend event featured 102 films from 28 countries, the festival website said.
Public broadcaster Czech Television collected 5 billion crowns (€200,000) in licence fees in 2007, a nearly 25% increase from the previous year. License fees represent the main source of income for CT.
Polish authorities have launched a new program to help young filmmakers get a crucial boost at the beginning of their careers:.the "Youth and Film" Studio, named after Andrzej Munk, a leading auteur of Polish cinema. Representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the Polish Filmmakers Association and the Polish Film Institute signed an agreement establishing the studio on Friday.
Katyń, renowned Polish director Andrzej Wajda's film about the massacre of over 20,000 Polish officers in the Soviet Union in 1940, will be screened in Moscow today through Wednesday for select audiences including artists, members of the opposition and VIPs, according to Polish Radio's external service (www.theeews.pl).
