Tag: film

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Directors Guild Awards Foreign Film Nominees – Getting Deserved Recognition

 

Awards Season is upon us, including the upcoming DGA Awards on February 2, 2019, and It looks as though foreign language films like Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma and Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War are receiving more recognition this year at awards ceremonies than in past years. Hopefully this will start a trend with American cinema because, as we all know, some of the best quality films are from different parts of the world, which has always been a challenge for American audiences. “We just don’t like to read subtitles,” but the stories and production value can be exceptional. The World Wide Motion Pictures team will be attending this year’s Director’s Guild of America (DGA) Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and we’ll be excited to see if this shift towards foreign language films continues.

With World Wide's upcoming release of the epic film The Road to Mother from Kazakhstan, directed by Akan Satayev, we’re hopeful that American audiences will be more willing to give these foreign language films a chance when competing against the big studio superhero productions like The Avengers, Wonder Woman and Black Panther. Although popcorn movies are crowd pleasers, it’’s refreshing to see the change going on in the US market. This shift gives the impression that The Road to Mother, with its wonderful acting, direction, writing and overall great family story will be a success in theaters this Spring!

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“Ways to Live Forever” Actor, Robbie Kay, Turns 23 Today!

 

By Ashley Callahan

Talented actor, Robbie Kay, celebrates his twenty-third birthday today. From sweet, boyish characters to action and science fiction, the young star has grown up in the spotlight. He has appeared in major feature films such as World Wide Motion Pictures’, Ways to Live Forever (2010) and Griff Furst’s Cold Moon (2016). With work that has been notably well received by critics, Alicia Cox of the magazine, Chatelaine, commented on his work in Fugitive Pieces (2007). She states, “Robbie Kay, who plays the young Jakob, gives a remarkable performance with little words and a lot of emotion. When he smiles, you can’t help but to be affected.”

Kay was born in Lymington, Hampshire, England although he moved to Brussels, Belgium at an early age. In 2006, the family moved to Prague where he attended the International School of Prague. After having traveled for much of his early life, he now resides in Houston, Texas, which he relocated to in 2011. His first role was in Peter Webber’s Hannibal Rising (2007). Since then, he has worked with actors such as Christopher Lloyd and Ella Purnell. In 2009, he was nominated for the Young Artist Award for best performance in both Fugitive Pieces (2007) and Pinocchio (2008). He was nominated again in 2014 for a Teen Choice Award for “Choice TV: Villain” for his performance as the sinister Peter-Pan in the Once Upon a Time series. Robbie Kay’s most recent projects have included the independent romantic comedy, No Postage Necessary (2018), and the comedy-horror flick, Blood Fest (2018). We look forward to see where the young star’s career takes him next and wish him well this upcoming year. Happy Birthday, Robbie Kay!

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Women Heroes in Film

 

By Ashley Callahan

For over four decades, Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated every year on August 26th. It was originally celebrated in 1973 to commemorate the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment into the US Constitution in 1920. It was this Amendment that granted women the right to vote. Women continue to make significant strides socially and politically. Today, a profound movement of women in the entertainment industry has been catching Hollywood and the rest of the world by storm. In addition, the trademark of a strong, female hero archetype has become a staple in a number of blockbuster films. From Gal Gadot’s character in Wonder Woman (2017) to Julie Andrew’s Maria The Sound of Music (1965), the narrative of a female hero has shown over and over again how courageous and strong women are.

            Within the past few years alone, we have seen the first female Jedi in The Force Awakens (2015), the resilient hero Katniss in The Hunger Games (2012), and the wit and clarity of Hermoine in the Harry Potter films (2001-2011). To go back even further, we must also recognize the impact female heroes have had throughout cinematic history. In Gone with the Wind (1939), Scarlett O’Hara faces an unrequited love and difficulties brought on by the Civil War. Audrey Hepburn showed us the feisty, independent spirit of Holly Golightly in the classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Jodie Foster portrayed the incredibly brave detective, Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and the strong-willed Elizabeth Bennett has been exhibited in several adaptations of Pride and Prejudice over the years. This Women’s Equality Day, we recognize and celebrate the impact women continue to have socially as well as in entertainment!  

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Happy Book Lovers Day: Books That Became Major Motion Pictures

 

By Mia Miller

From paper, to hardcover, to script to film celebrating books on National Book Lovers Day - we recognize the international best-selling books that made it to the big screen by being international best-sellers. One international best-seller dating back to the 1800s was Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice, which most recently was adapted to film in 2005, starring Keira Knightly. This internationally-acclaimed book is widely-known and recognizable with over 20 million copies sold, and is favored among scholars and general audiences as a classic. The romantic novel as been adapted into movies, televeision shows, and sequels, and it itself has been transformed in the past 200 years into one of the most popular novels in English literature.

In modern times, a more recent international best-selling book was a novel by author Stieg Larsson, who wrote the Swedish crime novel, The Girl with Dragon Tattoo in 2005. After being translated to English, the Swedish book was internationally sold and became a popular topic throughout the reading community. The Swedish book then became a Hollywood movie in 2009 and opened at United States box office at number three, grossing $102,514,793 domestically.

On the other hand, the Swedish crime novel Män som hatar kvinnor (English title: Men Who Hate Women), had many mixed reviews. The psychological thriller addressed political issues, the darkness in human nature, and sexual politics that provoked and angered many audiences in the way Swedish men treat women. Despite it’s themes, the crime novel captured audiences with characterization, plot, and despicable human nature.

One of our own past releases, Ways to Live Forever (2010), was turned into a movie from a book, written by award-winning author Sally Nicholls. Written and produced in the United Kingdom, Ways to Live Forever is about a young pre-teen living with the final stages of cancer and figure out life before it ends. We here at World Wide fell in love with the film and the book.

Celebrating Book Lovers Day, we have to recognize the most popular and most well-known international book sold to date, and that would be J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. This international best-seller turned into a huge franchise and a world-wide film series that influenced the 21st century and mainstreamed pop culture. The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was first released in 1997 and was almost immediately picked up to be produced into a film. The Harry Potter book and movie series earned over $25 billion dollars and over the course of twenty years it is known as a classic and a must read for younger generations to come. Even as the books have ended and the movies concluded, Harry Potter fans are still strong and are still Potterheads*. Spin offs have been created with films like Fantastic Beasts and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016. To those who have not read these inspiring books or have not seen the movies, these are classics that we recommend and hope you enjoy.

From all of us at World Wide Motion Pictures happy reading and happy Book Lovers Day!

 

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World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation Acquires Kazakhstan’s Academy Award/Golden Globes Submission, The Road to Mother

 

Los Angeles, CA, July 10, 2018 -- World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (formerly OTCBB:WWMO) announced today that it has acquired North American distribution rights to THE ROAD TO MOTHER (theroadtomother.com), Kazakhstan’s official submission for the 2017 Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film and the previous 74th Golden Globe Awards in the same category.

Executive Produced by Aliya Nazarbayeva, directed by Akan Sateyev (also known for Strayed, Zhauzhurek Myng Bala ), and starring internationally acclaimed Central Asia actors Bolat Abdilmanov, Aruzhan Jazilbekova, and Berik Aitzhanov, THE ROAD TO MOTHER was produced by KazakhFilm JSC. Inspired by true events and spanning nearly a century, the epic drama follows the journey of a young Kazakh family from the 1930s to present day and explores the history of Kazakhstan through war, famine, collectivization, and the determination of the clan to remain united.

“The film’s producers and I are honored to finally have THE ROAD TO MOTHER opening theatrically in the United States. I’m very happy that the World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation’s marketing and distribution team could see that the film’s heartwarming story was truly universal and could be enjoyed by audiences anywhere in the world,” states the film’s director, Akan Satayev.

THE ROAD TO MOTHER premiered at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival to critical acclaim and has been showcased at numerous other festivals, including: the New York Eurasian Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best Foreign Film; the Marco Polo Film Festival (Croatia) – Winner: Best Film; WeLink International Film Festival (USA) – Winner: Best Feature Film; the Eurasian Bridge International Film Festival (Yalta) – Winner: Grand Prix and Best Actress for Altynai Nogherbek; and the Almaty Independent Film Festival (Kazakhstan) – Winner: Tulpar Prize. Additionally, THE ROAD TO MOTHER was recognized by the Ak Ilbirs National Film Awards (Kyrgyzstan) in the category of Best Central Asia Film.

“World Wide is very proud to be releasing a meaningful multigenerational drama that also carries with it the high prestige of being Kazakhstan’s official foreign language entry for the Oscars,” states CEO Paul D. Hancock. “Families throughout the United States, especially mothers, will surely embrace this heartwarming story.”

THE ROAD TO MOTHER will be released in select theaters throughout the US in fall 2018, including major metropolitan areas, with many Kazakhstani and Asian American organizations offering their support.

Founded in 1977, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (www.wwmpc.com) is a diversified company with shareholders throughout the world, primarily involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short subjects, industrials and television productions. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television products, earning Academy awards, Emmy awards, and prizes from international film festivals.

Media Contacts:
Farid Hameditoloui
World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation
wwmpc@wwmpc.com
(714) 960-7264

Joshua Jason, Founder/President
JJPR
joshua@joshuajasonpr.com
(323) 933-5716

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Actor Malcolm McDowell Through the Years

 

 

At 75 years old, actor Malcolm McDowell has had an intensely unique and successful career. His boisterous, sometimes controversial roles have led to vast experience in various genres. McDowell has been best described as a character actor and first gained recognition 50 years ago in the film titled, If. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, this feature became a landmark of British counter culture cinema and became the 12th greatest British film of the 20th century. Just three years later, he played the sinister Alex DeLarge in the classic A Clockwork Orange (1971). He is perhaps best known for that role to this day.

Actor McDowell’s following feature works included Tinto Brass’s Caligula (1979), Time After Time (1979), Star Trek Generations (1994), remakes of the Halloween films, Easy A (2010), and The Artist (2011). In 2003, he starred in the Irish feature, Red Roses and Petrol which was distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation. McDowell has also had a string of television roles in shows such as Entourage (2009-2011) and Heroes (2007-2008). He has also become a prolific voice actor for video games and other animations like Fallout 3 (2008), God of War III (2010), Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015), and the Walt Disney Studios film Bolt (2008). The British actor began his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2012. His profound ability to succeed in a variety of roles and film genres is what makes his career truly impressive. Happy birthday, Malcolm! We wish you many more successes and triumphs throughout the years and projects to come!