Technicolor, the Services division of Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), today announced that it has provided services for sixteen theatrical features and documentaries premiering at the 61st edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
Director Steven Soderbergh presents two eagerly awaited theatrical features at Cannes, based on the life of Latino revolutionary Che Guevara, The Argentine, and Guerilla – both digitally photographed by Mr. Soderbergh. At the festival, the films will premiere under the single title Che. A new digital color-science pipeline was created specifically for Mr. Soderbergh’s features, which are premiering in the Competition section of the festival, including services provided by Technicolor Creative Services’ facilities in New York, Burbank, Hollywood, London, as well as the company’s Theatrical Services facility in Madrid.
“Technicolor’s global service offering combines the best industry-leading digital and film services that our clients demand,” said Lanny Raimondo, Thomson Senior Executive Vice President, Services Division. “Only Technicolor can offer these integrated services and technologies across its global facilities.”
The volume of feature projects underscores Thomson’s industry-leading global service offerings. Major directors with films at Cannes, supported by Technicolor’s best-of-class services, include director Fernando Meirelles’ festival-opening, Blindness; director Woody Allen’s new Vicky Cristina Barcelona; director Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited sequel Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; and director Clint Eastwood’s drama, Changeling. Technicolor also handled many facets of the new DreamWorks Animation feature, Kung Fu Panda.
The Cannes Classics section also included three films restored (or re-mastered) by Technicolor, including Max Ophuls’ Lola Montes, and the new high-definition re-mastering of director David Lean’s This Happy Breed, and The Passionate Friend. David Lean’s films were re-mastered for Granada International who, along with Thomson and its Services division Technicolor, is the co-sponsor of this year’s Cannes Classics catalogue.
The Lola Montes project, one of French cinema’s most cherished classics, brought together a remarkable team of organizations committed to restoring Max Ophuls’ 1955 first color feature (shot in Cinemscope) back to a pristine state, with the original artistic intent of Mr. Ophuls. The Thomson Foundation for Film and TV Heritage launched in 2006 and acting worldwide, has been a key pillar in the restoration along with the Cinemathèque Française, the right owner Les Films du Jeudi, and the Franco-American Cultural Fund.
Other films that Technicolor, the Services division of Thomson provided various services for included Antonio Campos’ Afterschool, Matteo Garrone’s Gomorra, Marina Zenovich’s Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, Thomas Clay’s Soi Cowboy, James Gray’s Two Lovers, and Barry Levinson’s What Just Happened?.
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Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) provides technology, services, and systems to the Media, Entertainment & Communications players – content creators, content distributors and broadcasters – and supports them in order to help them to improve their commercial offers and their performance in a rapidly changing technology environment. For more information: http://www.thomson.net.
