Boxoffice-August.11.1975

Col, Int'l
Cinemedia
Sign Multi-Film Pact
BURBANK—Columbia Pictures and International
Cinemedia Center. Ltd.. have
entered into an exclusive multiple-picture
agreement, it was announced jointly by
David Begelman. president of Columbia
Pictures, and John Kemeny, head of the
Montreal-based production company.
Kemeny most recently produced the current
Columbia boxoffice success. '"White
Line Fever." and previously had produced
the award-winning "The Apprenticeship of
Duddy Kravitz." which won prizes at the
Berlin. Atlanta and Sorrento festivals and
nominations for a Golden Globe and an
Academy Award.
Under his new agreement with Columbia
Pictures. Kemeny will develop and produce
an open-end slate of diversified projects to
be filmed in both the U.S. and Canada with
emphasis on a number of properties utilizing
Canadian story themes and locales.
Among the projects now in various stages
of preparation are a French Foreign Legion
action-adventure currently in the writing
stage; a historical romantic adventure for
which Kemeny is seeking a major screenwriter:
an early prohibition story depicting
the rise of a bootlegging czar: a contemporary
version of "Gilda," with a top female
star for the Rita Hayworth starring role in
Columbia's 1946 boxoffice hit: "Davie and
the Last Day of Summer." a screenplay by
Canadian Len McColl on the life span of a
tum-of-the-century bank robber to the
1950s, and a proposed screen biography of
Dr. Norman Bethume. eminent Canadian
surgeon and pioneer in socialized medicine,
who participated in the Spanish Civil War
and died while performing battlefield surgery
in China.
NITE Slates Sept. 23-24
Confab in Kansas City
HOLLYWOOD—The first organizational
meeting of the proposed National Independent
Theatre Exhibitors Ass'n is slated
to be held September 23-24 in the Crown
Center Hotel in Kansas City. At least one
delegate from each state or various regions
in the U.S. is expected to participate in
the sessions, according to Gayle Essary, Los
Angeles management consultant who is
coordinating
the organizational effort.
NITE is not intended as a competitor
to NATO, according to Harvey Dunn of
Encino, Calif., who headed an organizational
meeting of Southern California exhibitors
Thursday (7), but is designed to supplement
the work done by the larger association,
as related to small exhibitors.
Spearheading the NITE drive is Tom
Patterson, president of the Southern Independent
Theatre Exhibitors Ass'n. Interest
in the national movement was spurred,
Essary said, by reports of the organizational
meeting of the Southern group.
NITE is envisioned as an organization to
which the smaller exhibitor can turn with
problems, such as inability to obtain product,
Essary stated.
BOXOmCE :: August 11, 1975
Omni Capital Corp. Forms Affiliate,
Cinema Shares Int'l
NEW YORK—Omni Capital Corp.,
privately owned investment banking firm
specializing in
real estate and related investments,
has announced the formation of
Cinema Shares International Distribution
Corp. (CSID), wholly owned affiliate which
will produce and distribute feature films
in the domestic and international markets.
Richard Friedberg, president and chief
operating officer of Omni and chairman
of the board of the new company, expert
in both the financial and entertainment
fields, was vice-president of a major member
firm of the New York and American
Stock exchanges four years ago prior to
founding Omni.
David Blake Is President
The CSID management team includes
David Blake, president; Mel Maron, executive
vice-president for domestic sales, and
Barry Minsky, vice-president and secretarytreasurer.
Minsky, son of veteran film producer
Howard Minsky, also is a vice-president
of the parent company.
Blake, most recently in a major executive
post with Worldvision, for many years
was U.S. representative for British Lion:
Maron most recently was sales manager for
Group 1 Films, and Minsky, before joining
Omni Capital, was a financial planning
consultant with Investors Economic Systems
and previously was with the Bank of
America.
Friedberg, in discussing production plans
for CSID, stated, "The first project will be
'The Ultra Secret,' based on the current
Ernest Tidyman, who wrote the
best-seller.
screenplay for 'The French Connection,"
is working on his first draft for us and we
are talking to major directors and stars
about a start early next year. The project
will be completely financed by Omni
Capital."
Added Friedberg, "We are investigating
a number of projects of this stature. All we
require is
that the deal make sense financially-"
Now Releasing 34 Films
CSID currently is releasing 34 films,
including "Ripped Off," with Robert Blake
and Ernest Borgnine: "No Way Out," with
Alain Delon; "Crime Boss." with Telly
Savalas, and "Mark the Cop," with Lee J.
Cobb.
Set for fall release in New York is the
film biography of Muhammcd Ali, "Ali
the Man/ Ali the Fighter." a CinAmerica
production.
CSID has five features for foreign distribution,
including "The Legend of Boggy
Creek," "Where the Red Fern Grows."
"Seven Alone" and "The Bootleggers." Foreign
sales will be conducted through the
New York office and through representatives
in London and Los Angeles. The company
also has the TV rights in the U.S.
Distribution
for all its domestic product and worldwide
TV rights for its foreign releases.
Blake, who headed the CSID sales contingent
at the recent Cannes Film Festival,
said that deals were made by way of
minimum guarantees and outright sales
overseas in excess of $400,000. This included
a deal for "Bootleggers" and "Red
Fern" in England with EMI for a TV
saturation Christmas release.
Observed Blake, "Although we are a
relatively small independent today, we are
in the unusual position of having direct
access to extensive financial support through
our parent company, both for operating
needs and for acquisition and production.
We have the machinery here to handle all
aspects of this business from the financing
to the domestic, foreign and TV sales."
Warners Names Semel
V-P, Domestic Sales
HOLLYWOOD — Warner Bros, has
named Terry S. Semel as vice-president
domestic sales, suc-
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and chief executive officer of Warner Bros.
Semel comes to his new position from
Buena Vista Distribution Co. where he
was vice-president and general sales manager
for Walt Disney Productions.
He began his film career in 1966 in
the sales department of Warners in New
York, later transferring to Cleveland. After
returning to New York in 1967 as a salesman,
Semel was appointed Cleveland branch
manager and then was transferred to Los
Angeles as WB branch manager in 1969.
In 1971 he became domestic sales manager
for Cinema Center Filnis, based in
Hollywood. When that company was dissolved.
Semel joined Buena Vista.
New World's 'Crazy Mama'
Set by Edinburgh Fest
HOLLYWOOD—"Crazy Mama" has become
New World Pictures' second current
release to be invited for a screening at the
Edinburgh International Film Festival Sunday
(24) through September 6. The first
was Paul Barters "Death Race 2000."
Produced by Julie Corman and directed
by Jonathan Demme. "Crazy Mama" stars
Cloris Leachman. Stuart Whitman. Ann
Sothern and Jim Backus.