Czech comedy films on the rise
A Catfish Summer, a Czech comedy about a big-city, small-time hustler who finds adventure in a remote village in the middle of nowhere, represents a new trend in the Czech…
Czech student faces piracy charges over Simpsons film (update)
A 19-year-old Czech student was formally charged on Monday with illegally recording The Simpsons Movie and posting it on the Internet, marking the first such prosecution in a country plagued…
Scandinavian Day at Gdynia festival to highlight cooperation
The artistic director of Poland's most important film festival believes Central Europe filmmakers have much to learn from the close cooperation among the film industries of the Nordic countries.
Cinema building boom advances in Central Europe
The number of cinema screens across Central Europe is set to rise to more than 3,000 by 2011, says a report by the U.K.-based film industry analysts Dodona Research.
UPC revenues rise 10% in 1H
UPC Holding B.V., the Netherlands-based media company with cable and telephone holdings in 11 countries, reported revenues rose 10% year-on-year to €827 million in the first half. The increase was…
Latest Jan Hrebejk film to premiere Sept. 6
Leading Czech director Jan Hrebejk will premiere the latest of his tragi-comedies, Teddy Bear (Medvidek), on Sept. 6. The film is co-produced by the Prague-based company Total HelpArt T.H.A., which…
TVN Group 2Q results beat management targets
Private Polish broadcaster TVN Group (www.tvn.pl) said its second-quarter results beat management's own expectations, with revenues up 32% from the same period in 2006 to 407 million zloty (€109 million).…
Multimedia Polska reports 12.3 percent rise in 1H profits
Triple-play operator Multimedia Polska (www.multimedia.pl) reported first-half profits rose 12.3% compared to the same period in 2006 as it continues its acquisition spree. Multimedia recently acquired 15 cable operators in…
Czech authorities plan tax rebate law for films
Authorities are preparing to put the Czech Republic on a par with its Central European neighbors by establishing tax exemptions for foreign films - but not before 2009. The so-called…
Viasat catches handball rights in Hungary and Slovenia
Viasat Broadcasting (www.viasatworld.com), a European satellite broadcaster, has obtained the exclusive rights to air the next five seasons of the EHF Champions League for handball in Hungary and Slovenia.
Defiance filming in Lithuania at end of August
Defiance, a U.S. film directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond), will begin filming in Lithuania at the end August for six weeks. Daniel Craig, hot off his success in Casino…
Baltic countries seeing future box office growth
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are expected to face serious growth in film admissions, according to U.K.-based cinema business researchers Dodona Research (http://www.dodona.co.uk). They announced the results of their study, titled…
TVP1 retains its lead in Polish audience share
The average Pole spent two hours and 47 minutes before a TV screen daily in July, according to a new survey by the TNS OBOP agency (www.tns-global.pl). That represents a…
Eastern Europe featured at EU Film Week in South Africa
Several films from Central and Eastern Europe will be shown at the EU Film Week in Durban, South Africa.The festival begins Aug. 17 and ends Aug. 23.
IPTV competition heats up in Czech Republic
Volny (http://web.volny.cz ), a telecommunications company in the Czech Republic, has announced the launch of its new IPTV service. Titled Volny TV, the service offers 40 foreign and national stations…
CME looks poised to bid for Top TV
Central European Media Enterprises looks poised to bid for Czech TV channel Top TV as part of a renewed acquisition spree according to media analysts.
Jerzy Skolimowski plans new project
Jerzy Skolimowski, a Polish director permanently residing in the U.S.A., plans to stand behind the camera again with Cztery noce z Anna (Four Nights with Anna). It is a story…
Era New Horizons festival declares winners
The Era New Horizons International Film Festival, in Wroclaw, Poland, came to a close on July 29. The international jury composed of Ron Havilio, an Israeli film director; Marina Fabbri,…
Granada sells 400 hours of programming to Eastern Europe
Granada International (www.granadamedia.com/international), a distribution company based in the U.K., announced the sale of 400 hours worth of dramas to Eastern and Central European broadcasters.
