Bingham Ray to Head United Artists

Bingham Ray, co-founder of October Films, is to be the new head of MGM specialty division United Artists, according to Variety. Ray is currently the head of the feature division of Crossroads Films, which has a deal to produce two films per year budgeted at $3 - 5 million for UA to distribute in North America. At October, Ray released films such as Life is Sweet, Secrets and Lies, Breaking the Waves, The Celebration, Joe Gould's Secret, and The Apostle.

Shrek Devours $372m in Int'l Markets

DreamWork SKG's animated blockbuster Shrek, which has opened at number one in the majority of international markets that have received it, has now passed the $100 million international B.O. mark, according to Screen Daily. Shrek, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow, opened in North America May 18 and began its international run June 7 in Singapore. It has done particularly well in the UK ($28.5m), France ($15m), Australia ($14.3m) and Germany ($10.9m). Domestically, Shrek has taken in $255.5m after 11 weeks, and with no sign of slowing down it is expected to pass The Mummy Returns' $400m mark within the next few weeks. Shrek's worldwide gross now stands at over $372m.

Investors in the Red from Rouge Ruling

The Australian Tax Office denied a tax break for the Australian Moulin Rouge investors, a decision that will likely affect the country's current and future international film industry, according to Variety. Division 10B of the Tax Act is typically used as a funding mechanism for investors who put in 20% - 30% of the film budget, borrow the rest from banks, and then claim the entire amount as a tax write-off. Warner Bros. planned to use 10B for the second and third additions of The Matrix. The ATO's decision was announced Wednesday night on ABC's "Lateline." One person familiar with 10B financing warned: "The national risk to the palatability of this country as a place to make international films is huge. This is very, very unsettling. The ATO does not want to see 10B used for big pictures. They say it is being used as an entrepreneurial tax (device); we say it is a commercial transaction, which cauterizes the downside (for investors) and creates an upside."

Berlusconi Media Empire Reinforced

Marina Berlusconi, daughter of Italian prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, has been appointed president of Medusa Film, Italy's leading film production and distribution outfit, according to Screen Daily. Marina Berlusconi, 36, is also vice-president of Fininvest, the publicly-traded family holding company of which Medusa Film is but one branch. Medusa's board also includes brother Piersilvio Berlusconi, who also happens to be vice-president of Fininvest's TV branch, Mediaset. Medusa is currently the number one distributor in Italy, with a 2000-2001 market share of around 23% and BO takings of $86m (L190bn). The company's recently unveiled 2001-2002 line-up includes Gosford Park, Insomnia, High Crimes, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Mothman Prophecies and We Were Soldiers Once, And Young.

Haberkamp Joins Academy Foundation

Randy Haberkamp is to be Program Coordinator of Educational and Special Projects for the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to the Academy's official website. Haberkamp, previously employed by CBS as Director of Specials and Feature Films, will be in charge of Academy Foundation lectures and seminars and the Visiting Artists Program, among other duties. Haberkamp is founder of The Silent Society, a group devoted to screening silent films in the Hollywood Heritage Museum and preserving rare silents through the UCLA Film Archive. On his immediate agenda is a sold-out four-Wednesday screenwriting seminar which started this week in the Academy's Little Theater.

Spanish Condor Flies into US

Condor Media, founded by Argentine-born film veteran Peter Marai, is a new home video and DVD distribution company of Spanish-language films in the US which will kick off later this month, according to Screen Daily. Marai launched Condor Video in the mid-1980's, which went on to become the leading distribution company in the US Hispanic market. Condor Media, in its aim to bring quality features to the US from Latin America and Spain, will debut with two Spanish films, the erotic thriller Jealousy (Celos) by Vicente Aranda and the hit comedy Why Do They Call It Love When They Mean Sex (Por Que Lo Llaman Amor Cuando Quieren Decir Sexo). "The time is right to support the expansion of Latino cinema in the US," said Marai.

Senate Bill Brings Hollywood Home

A new bill designed to stem runaway production, introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., includes incentives for filmmakers to bring their productions to economically distressed areas, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Independent Film and Television Production Incentive Act, introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, encourages the film industry to stimulate the economies of small town and poor urban areas by providing a wage tax credit for the production of a broad array of theatrical films, telefilms and movies of the week that are shot in the United States and fall in the $200,000-$10 million wage expense bracket.