UK CINEMA STAFF REWARDED FOR PREVENTING PIRACY

17 employees from cinemas across the UK have been presented with awards totalling over £7,000 for their efforts in preventing illegal recordings taking place. Illegal recordings of films are the primary source for pirate copies worldwide - recordings are uploaded to the internet and made available within hours to millions of people. Film piracy in the UK alone costs legitimate businesses over half a billion pounds a year and directly threatens the jobs of tens of thousands of people who work across the film sector.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (‘FACT’) operates a training, prevention and reward scheme for UK cinemas funded and supported by Film Distributors’ Association (‘FDA’).

FACT works closely with cinema operators to ensure that staff are trained to detect and prevent recordings, as well as assisting in raising awareness with police on this issue so they are able to assist when called to an incident. Night vision devices supplied by FDA form part of the best practice deterrence, as digital recording equipment is not easy to spot.

The FACT/FDA programme has engaged the support and co-operation of exhibitors UK-wide. It has achieved great success in reducing the number of recordings taken from UK cinemas, making the UK one of the most secure environments for releasing movies.

Kieron Sharp, FACT Director General, said that the actions of those present today had prevented the recording of films and that those recordings would then have been uploaded to the internet and made available to millions of people globally, harming the livelihoods of industry employees as well as the prospects of the films affected.

Mark Batey, FDA Chief Executive, said: “FDA congratulates the cinema staff receiving their due rewards today, and thanks them for their vigilance at the sharp end of the business. The better protected a release territory is, the more likely it is to attract innovation and further new content – so the work of our partners at FACT and colleagues across exhibition is important and appreciated.”

Awards summary

• 14 cinema employees received awards for their actions.
• All 12 incidents were reported to the police.
• Four incidents led to arrests
• Three led to formal cautions in police custody
• One led to an instant fine by the police

Three awards were presented to winners of a quiz on www.fightfilmtheft.org.uk At a specially-convened ceremony at Warner Bros, London, each received a cheque for their part in deterring attempted recordings at their cinema.

Awards were presented to:

• Empire Slough from Salimah Azim Adatia
• Empire Slough from Muhammad Imran Wattoo
• Cineworld Aberdeen Queen’s Link from Spencer Owen
• Vue North Finchley from Rachel Hewer
• Odeon Bournemouth from Destiny Okoh
• Empire Newcastle from Victoria Landale
• Cineworld Leigh from Stephanie Mortimore
• Cineworld Leigh from Kevin King
• Cineworld Wandsworth from Parthiban Subburaj
• Cineworld Wandsworth from Siddharthayappan Rajkumar
• Vue Wood Green from Grishma Bam
• Empire Newcastle from Danielle Carver
• Odeon Manchester from Richard Brammer
• Odeon Manchester from Paul Bannister
• Cineworld Weymouth from Gemma Humphreys
• Cineworld Boldon from Paul Whale
• Odeon Blackpool from Rebecca Cartwright

Each individual receiving a reward - in many cases matched by a similar amount from their employing company - did so as a result of the FDA-funded scheme available to any member of UK cinema staff involved in the successful apprehension of film thieves.

Kieron Sharp, FACT Director General, said: "The FACT/FDA reward scheme is now in its fifth year and has paid out many thousands of pounds to cinema staff who have worked diligently to prevent illegal recordings. Those present today have come from across the UK, showing that the threat is widespread but that proactive engagement from those working in cinemas is having a major impact.I am delighted to be able to acknowledge and reward their achievements."

Katy Perry at the European Premiere

Yesterday saw the European premiere of Katy Perry's film. Paramount has sent over a short featurette about the event.

KATY PERRY: PART OF ME is a really fun and engaging movie that celebrates every aspect of Katy’s life including her relationship with fans

KATY PERRY: PART OF ME hits UK cinemas July 5, 2012

The Dark Knight gets some banners

Not that long to go before the film hits UK cinema screens. This means that we get the next set of posters as well as some fun things for you to do!

Not only do we get the below banners, you can also design your own Tumbler or help fight crime with The Fire Rises.

 

 

 

 

 

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

Flying into UK cinemas July 20, 2012
© 2012 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND LEGENDARY PICTURES FUNDING, LLC

HELL: Survival is everything.

From producer, Roland Emmerich (2012, The Day After Tomorrow) comes HELL, the story of a post-apocalyptic future where the sun has scorched the Earth and left it too bright to inhabit.

Click to see the full-sized version

It was once the source of life, light and warmth but now the sun has turned the entire world into a baked and barren wasteland. Forests are scorched. Animal carcasses line the roads. Even the nights are dazzlingly bright. Marie, her little sister Leonie and Phillip are heading for the mountains. Rumour has it that water can still be found there but it is a hazardous trip into the unknown.  Despite their struggle to overcome the odds, they are lured into an ambush and then the real battle for survival begins…

A searing sci-fi thriller about the terrifying lengths humans will go to survive; HELL is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray now.

Problems with Hysteria

Sony Pictures Releasing is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of HYSTERIA, a uproarious romantic comedy with a superb cast led by Oscar nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart), Hugh Dancy (Adam), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean), Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) and Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding).

Directed by Tanya Wexler, HYSTERIA tells an untold tale of discovery – the surprising story of the birth of the electro-mechanical vibrator at the very peak of Victorian prudishness.

Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), a dedicated and forward-thinking young doctor, is struggling to establish his career when he meets Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce), London’s leading specialist in women’s medicine. Dalrymple’s waiting room is overflowing with well-dressed women suffering from “hysteria.” Fortunately, Dalrymple’s treatments are so successful that “another pair of hands” is his urgent need. Granville is hired on the spot.

Granville’s improved lot in life makes him a worthy suitor for Dalrymple’s daughter Emily (Felicity Jones), whom Granville considers “the epitome of English virtue and womanliness”. As dutiful and proper a daughter as is Emily, her elder sister Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is the opposite: she’s a firebrand social reformer, arguing passionately for women’s rights to be educated, vote, and live independent lives unshackled by domestic drudgery.

Just as Granville’s life seems to be settling into prosperity and security, engaged to Emily with the prospect of partnership in Dalrymple’s lucrative practice, his hopes are dashed by an affliction of his own: hand cramps.

This is the story of how one of the first electrical appliances in history to earn a patent sent sparks flying between a cautious man and a liberated woman, brought together by the wonders of friction.

Hitting UK cinemas September 21, 2012

Cleanskin - featurette

With the film available to buy from today on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download. With that out of the way, we have been sent over a great featurette about the film.

Sophisticated British action thriller CLEANSKIN explodes onto cinema screens in March with an exciting cast lead by Sean Bean, who plays Ewan, a Secret Service Agent working undercover in the criminal underbelly of London. His mission is to pose as the body guard of a small time arms dealer and discover who he is selling the Semtex to. However, when they are brazenly ambushed by a masked gunman in a West End hotel lobby, Ewan is shot and wounded and the dealer assassinated. The Semtex is stolen.

Days later, a suicide bomber detonates himself inside a busy London restaurant and the Secret Services worse fears are confirmed – the stolen Semtex was used in the bombing. There is a terrorist cell operating in London, hell bent on bringing death and destruction to the nation's capital. Briefed by his operators (Charlotte Rampling and James Fox), Ewan is tasked with finding the cell and executing them. His orders are to terminate with extreme prejudice. Operating off grid, no one will know what his mission is; and if he is caught, they will deny all knowledge.

Unknown to Ewan, the mastermind behind these bombings is Ash (Abhin Galeya), an idealistic embittered young man, who was 'turned' whilst at University. Ash is utterly devoted to the cause but with no criminal history, he is every agent's worst nightmare. He is a 'cleanskin': a terrorist with no previous convictions and unknown to the national security services. Can Ewan take him out before the unthinkable occurs?

Cleanskin is out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download.

Magic Mike on your desktop

From incomparable director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11,12,13, Traffic), comes this generation’s Saturday Night Fever, starring Channing Tatum (Dear John, GI Joe, Step Up), Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four) and Matthew McConaughey (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Fool’s Gold).

To a rebellious 19-year-old kid (Pettyfer) looking for independence from his family, Magic Mike (Tatum) seems like the perfect role model: he’s got a nice car, a nice apartment, and a seemingly endless supply of women. What’s his secret? He’s a male stripper, and when the kid dives headlong into Magic Mike’s world, his mad dancing skills and hunger for excitement make for an unforgettable summer...

Sexy, funny and shocking, this film is a hedonistic thrill ride with a powerful undertow. A razor sharp cast - led by top liner Channing Tatum in a career-defining turn as the titular Magic Mike devours the up-to-the moment freight train of a script, and the result will be relentlessly entertaining and sure to be one of the most talked about films of the year... and let’s not forget the price-of-admission dancing sequences...

Dancing into UK cinemas July 11, 2012