NEW YORK (AFP) ― New York’s Tribeca Film Festival, created a decade ago after the 9/11 attacks, opens Thursday with a touch of sparkle from Cannes thanks to new artistic director Frederic Boyer.Boyer joined festival founders Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal for an opening presentation Wednesday in lower Manhattan where movies will be shown until April 29.The 89 films, including 50 world premiers, and 60 short films were selected from 46 countries for Tribeca.Boyer, who was recently in

Disney to produce part of ‘Iron Man 3’ in partnership with Chinese companyLOS ANGELES (AP) ― There’s a new breach in China’s great cultural wall and Hollywood is cautiously moving in.Disney’s announcement Monday that it will make “Iron Man 3’’ in partnership with a Chinese company is the latest sign that movie studios are warming to China’s new openness.For decades, China has capped the number of foreign films it allows into the country. Until recently, the limit was 20, but in February Chinese

HONG KONG (AFP) ― A heart-warming drama film depicting the relationship between an elderly loyal servant and her young master swept all the major categories of the Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday.“A Simple Life,” which is based on a true story, scooped five gongs for best film, director, screenplay, actor and actress at the star-studded event considered Hong Kong’s equivalent of the Oscars.“I would like to thank Hong Kong,” Ann Hui said after grabbing the best director award.“I grew up here and

PARIS (AFP) ― Cannes season kicks off this week as the film festival unveils its pick of Hollywood giants and arthouse newcomers to compete for the coveted Palme d’Or at the glitzy event on the French Riviera next month.Organisers will announce the 20-odd films in the official competition at a press conference in Paris Thursday, ending film buff speculation about who will make the cut for the world’s top movie showcase on May 16-27.Cannes’ general delegate Thierry Fremaux selects the line-up eac

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― The hunt is on for a director for the next “The Hunger Games” movie after the record-breaking film’s maker announced he was pulling out of the franchise. Gary Ross said he will not make the planned sequel “Catching Fire” for Lionsgate Films, the company behind the movie phenomenon based on a teen book trilogy set in a post-apocalyptic world.“Despite recent speculation in the media, and after difficult but sincere consideration, I have decided not to direct ‘Catching Fire,’” R

LOS ANGELES ― In America, moviegoer interest in “Titanic 3-D” may soon start to ebb ― but in China, the tide of box office receipts for the updated James Cameron classic is rising high.The reformatted version of the 1997 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet debuted in China on Tuesday and posted the second-highest opening day ever in the country, not accounting for inflation. In one day, the historical romance sold $11.6 million worth of tickets ― or roughly 26 percent of the $44 mil

About 130 local and foreign films featuring various environmental issues will be screened during the ninth Green Film Festival in Seoul (GFFIS) to be held at the CGV Yogsan in Seoul from May 9-15, organizers said Monday.The festival will give audiences the opportunity to learn more about environmental issues of the world, and a number of films about the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) are included in this year’s festival. It marks the 20th anniversary of the firs

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Thirteen years after “American Pie,” the adolescents from the worldwide hit movie are back for a fourth helping, still tempted by the juicy bits despite having grown up, somewhat, in the meantime.Released in 1999, the original was the latest to tap into U.S. movie-goers’ huge appetite for adult-rated comedies, harking back to 1978’s “Animal House” and more recently demonstrated, arguably, by the “Hangover” films.Famous for a scene in which Jason Biggs pleasured himself with a