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New Toronto mega-studio Filmport officially opens for business

Toronto’s brand new, state-of-the-art, full-service production studio, Filmport, officially opened its doors with a widely attended media launch party / red carpet ribbon cutting ceremony for invited guests to enjoy. Complimented by the attendance of mayor David Miller, along with other industry notables including celebrated Canadian movie director, David Cronenberg, the tented outdoor event boasted a feeling of significant optimism for the future of Toronto’s struggling film and television sector.

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WB, Fox tussle over ‘Watchmen’ rights

“Watchmen” could find itself in court before it arrives at the multiplex. Warner Bros. is scheduled to release Zack Snyder’s big-screen adaptation of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons comics series on March 6, but a federal judge in Los Angeles complicated that plan Wednesday when he refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 20th Century Fox against Warners over rights to the property.

Heath Ledger’s final movie a tough sell

Heath Ledger has helped propel “The Dark Knight” to the top of the boxoffice but his presence might have a less beneficial effect on his next and final film, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” For U.S. distributors, the quirky Terry Gilliam film presents a conundrum. On the one hand, it’s a chance for the history-making opportunity — not to mention a marketing coup — of releasing Ledger’s last movie. But it also comes with challenges that lately have followed the stubbornly noncommercial Gilliam. Buyers who might otherwise be willing to shell out for a Ledger film are holding back.

Universal joins the $1 billion club

Universal Pictures International became the third major overseas distribution company to pass $1 billion in foreign boxoffice earnings, reaching the industry yardstick on Wednesday. Paramount International Pictures hit the mark on June 17 and 20th Century Fox International joined on July 9. Universal chairman Marc Shmuger and co-chairman David Linde said it marks the fastest time that the studio’s overseas unit has made it to $1 billion and “puts it on track to its most successful year in history.”

Canadian producers concerned about new cuts to culture funds

The CFTPA and the APFTQ are very concerned about the government’s recent decision to cancel several programs in support of Canadian artists, including the film and television industry. Specifically, the Conservative Government announced quietly last Friday that the A-V Preservation Trust ($300,000), the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund ($1.5-million), the National Training Schools Program ($2.5- million), PromArt ($4.7-million) and Trade Routes ($9-million) will be eliminated as of March 31, 2009.