A Victory for Indies
A group of independent filmmakers and organizations have won their case against the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) on the controversial screener issue. The MPAA ban on screeners was struck down as an "unlawful restraint of trade" in what is seen as a victory for independent film. Now filmmakers have begun the rush to distribute screener copies of the film as the prohibition has been lifted with immediate effect, and the MPAA has announced that it will appeal the court's decision on the issue.
LA Critics Awards Back On
Due to the lifting of the screener ban, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association will reinstate its movie awards. The Association announced that it would not be presenting its awards this year as a protest against the MPAA's screener ban, but now group President Jean Oppenheimer has announced that the awards will take place after all. Around fifty Los Angeles critics cast their ballots in the annual Association awards, but it has not been announced when the top choices of 2003 will be officially made public this year.
Ruben Gonzalez 1919-2003
Cuban Ruben Gonzalez, who appeared in Wim Wenders' documentary Buena Vista Social Club, has died at the age of eighty-four. Gonzalez died on Monday at his home in Havana following months of deteriorated health. The arthritic Gonzalez formed an integral part of the Buena Vista Social Club, which toured the world and released a number of albums in addition to being the subjects of the heralded documentary. Gonzalez is survived by his wife Eneida Lima.
Jackson Sets His Eye on Prequel
As the world waits for The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – the final chapter in the Tolkien trilogy – director Peter Jackson has announced that he'd like to make The Hobbit, the prequel to the classic saga. He told journalists in Berlin that he'd like to direct the first part of the story and work with many of the same actors again. Many of the Lord of the Rings characters do not, however, appear in the first novel, which centres around the hobbit characters of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. |
