International
BO hits, remakes, sequels dominate Razzie noms
MUMBAI: Following a banner year for bad movies, voting members of The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation have shifted through the cinematic rubble and selected what they consider to be last year’s Berry Worst Achievements in Film.
In addition to 2009’s top under-achievers, The Gala 30th Annual Razzie Awards will dis-honour The Worst of the “Uh-Ohs,” with special awards for the worst picture, actor and actress of the decade in ceremonies scheduled on 6 March 2010.
In addition to being nominated for an Oscar for The Blindside, Sandra Bullock has been nominated for a Razzie for All About Steve. She could win both.
Leading the pack among this year’s Razzie contenders are one of the year’s biggest money-makers and the year’s biggest money-loser, each with seven nods. Repeat Offender Michael Bay helped lead the over-loud, over-long, uber-stupid Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen to a huge box office take…and to a huge haul of Razzie nominations as well. In addition to worst director and worst picture, the film is up for worst remake, rip-off or sequel, worst screenplay, worst supporting actress (Julie White as the stoned, screaming mother of Shia Le Bouf), worst screen couple (Le Bouf and either Megan Fox or Any Transformer) and worst actress (Fox again, dually nominated for this film and Jennifer‘s Body).
The biggest box office failure Land Of The Lost, also got seven shots at taking home spray-painted gold. The film‘s star Will Ferrell is listed in both worst actor and worst screen couple (Ferrell and any co-star, creature or “Comic Riff”) and the film itself is also nominated for worst picture, worst director, worst screenplay, worst remake, rip-off or sequel and worst supporting actor (the screaching Jorma Taccone as the monkeylike Cha-Ka). Rounding out the worst picture list are the Disney dud Old Dogs, the awful ‘action-figures-come-to-life‘ nine-year-old-boy-movie G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra and the previously mentioned “So-Good-It-Was-Held-Back-from-Release-for-two-Years comedy” All About Steve.
Other well-known names shamed as being last year’s worst include this year‘s Oscar co-host Steve Martin (worst actor for Pink Panther 2), Beyonce (worst actress for Obsessed), worst actor of the decade contenders Eddie Murphy (up for worst actor of 2009 in Imagine That) and John Travolta (worst actor of 2009 for Old Dogs) as well as the twitty Dizz-Knee ’tween idols Miley Cyrus (worst actress for Hannah Montana: The Movie) and any two or more of the Jonas Brothers, nominated jointly for worst actor and worst screen couple — for their documentary Jonas Bros. A 3-D Concert Experience.
International
Moskino and Bollywood: Moscow Film Cluster and Film City Mumbai signed a cooperation agreement
Moscow Film Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Film City Mumbai. The parties agreed to cooperate in developing the film industry, promoting shooting locations and supporting filmmakers.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the India International Film Tourism (IIFTC) Conclave in Mumbai. At this forum, the Moscow Film Cluster presented Moscow’s opportunities for film shooting, including infrastructure projects such as Film City Moskino and Film Factory. Special attention was paid to the Moscow rebate system – up to 45% – and the co-production development.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Film City and Moscow Film Cluster provides for the establishment and development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the film industry development, including joint promotion of shooting locations, support for filmmakers, implementation of marketing and industry events, development of incentive support measures and strengthening of economic and cultural interaction between India and Moscow.
The parties also intend to promote the development of the audiovisual sector through the exchange of experience, joint initiatives and the search for opportunities to create new industry partnerships and clusters.
Moscow Film Cluster is a major city initiative led by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to develop the capital into a global cinema hub. It brings together key production infrastructure – such as the Moskino Film Сity, Film Factory and Gorky Film Studio – along with the Film Commission, digital platform and cinema chain to streamline shooting, support productions and attract international filmmaking to Moscow.
Also, Moscow offers a rebate of up to 45%: 30% as direct production cost compensation, up to 15% for visa and accommodation support. The Moscow Image Grant provides up to $255,000 for films showcasing iconic city views.
The Moscow Film Cluster booth attracted considerable attention from Indian producers and studios. Over 80 business meetings were held, including those with major Indian companies.
One of the booth guests was the famous Indian actress Khushboo Sundar, known to Soviet and Russian audiences for her role in My Soul and considered the leading star of Tamil cinema, in whose honor one of the local temples was even built. Prithul Kumar, representative of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of the officials responsible for regulating the film industry in the country, also expressed interest in the development of the Moscow Film Cluster.
One of the highlights of the India International Film Tourism Conclave was the awarding of The Greatest of All Time in the For Cinematic Excellence category. The movie was shot in Moscow. The jury members noted the project’s contribution to the development of tourism.
The shooting of The Greatest of All Time AGS by Entertainment was organized with the assistance of the Moscow Film Cluster and the Moscow Film Commission and took place in April 2024 on the streets of Moscow. The scenes were shot in such famous locations as Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, Manezhnaya Square, Kazarmenny Lane, Podsosensky Lane, Nikolskaya Street and one of the festival venues of Moscow Seasons.
The Greatest of All Time became a landmark event in Indian box office history. It ranked fourth in box office earnings among all movies released in India in 2024 and is one of the most successful Tamil-language movies in history.
At the same time, the shooting of another joint Russian-Indian movie started at the Moskino Film City in Moscow. A film project dedicated to badminton became one of the first participants in the Moscow rebate program.
A project by Smena & WISH Media (Russia) and Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited (India) will tell the story of a badminton player who travels to India with the Russian national team to compete in a tournament. Russian viewers will see for the first time the scale of sporting competitions in Asia, where badminton is a cult sport and draws packed stands of fans.
The agreement on the joint production of the Smash movie was signed st the Moscow International Film Week in August 2025. And as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, a rebate application was also submitted at that time to reimburse part of the costs incurred during the shooting process in the Russian capital.
