Ymagis Group today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the acquisition of French subtitling company ST’501, which specializes in live broadcast subtitling for the television industry. According to the terms of the agreement and subject to the fulfillment of conditions precedent, Ymagis Group would become the sole shareholder of ST’501.
Screenvision has announced that Sir John Hegarty will join Screenvision Media as Creative Chair in Residence, an industry first, starting in May. Hegarty is one of the highest-acclaimed creative visionaries in the industry and brings to Screenvision Media more than five decades of creative insight and a shared passion for compelling storytelling.
CinemaCon 2016 demonstrated clearly that this is truly the dawn of the digital cinema era. The installation of digital projectors in virtually every movie theatre in the world has opened a world of possibilities for exhibitors. The tradeshow floors in Caesar’s Palace were crowded with new companies offering a wide range of products and services designed not simply to run movie theatres, but to expand the concept of what a movie theatre is. For the second year in a row, Digital Cinema Report has selected what we consider to be the best new technology at CinemaCon for a 2016 Catalyst Award.
The Bentonville Film Festival has announced its 2016 schedule of events. Taking place on May 3-8 in Bentonville, Arkansas, the festival will feature approximately 35 films in competition, and expand its platform with the addition of a short film competition, three community events and a new Diversity and Inclusion Summit to be held for senior level decision makers from multiple industries. The Bentonville Film Festival, which was founded by Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis, remains the only festival to offer winning films guaranteed distribution. For the second year, the winning films in three categories will receive full distribution from Walmart, VUDU and AMC Theaters.
In the wake of Barco CEO Eric Van Zele’s decision to retire later this year the company has named Jan De Witte, a former corporate officer of the General Electric Company, as CEO-designate. De Witte will join Barco’s core leadership team in June and effectively take over as CEO October 1.
Waypoint Entertainment has acquired the rights to two Mark Millar (Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service) properties, American Jesus and Supercrooks. Waypoint Entertainment’s Ken Kao (The Nice Guys), will produce with partner Dan Kao and Addictive Pictures' Russell Ackerman (Mama) and John Schoenfelder under their first-look deal.
The Digital Asset Symposium presented by the Association of Moving Image Archivists has crafted a comprehensive program that addresses the challenges of digital asset management in today’s constantly changing landscape. The event takes place May 4 at the Victor Borge Theater in New York. Six case study presentations from experts in the field will explore the many facets of the life cycle of content – from collection and maintenance strategies to delivery with the purpose of reaching new, bigger audiences.
Rooftop Films in New York City is celebrating its 20th Annual Summer Series. This year’s series will feature more than 50 outdoor screenings in more than 13 spectacular venues, with live music, special enhancements and the best new, independent films from around the world.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is opening a new theatre in Charlottesville, Virginia. The 33,000-square-foot Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will be the first in the Charlottesville market area and is expected to open in early summer 2017. In addition to in-theater dining, drinks and upgraded seating with recliner availability, the Charlottesville location will have one of the first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema premium large-format screens in the country, which will include the latest Sony Digital Cinema 4K projection and upgraded digital sound for a truly immersive film experience.
On the heels of this week’s limited theatrical engagement of The Empire of Corpses, Funimation Films has announced that advance tickets are now available for the movie Harmony, the second in the series of three animated films adapted from Project Itoh's novels. The film, produced by award-winning Studio 4°C, is co-directed by the duo of Michael Arias and Takashi Nakamura. Presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dub versions, Harmony will screen in more than 60 theaters across the United States on May 17 and 18.
