'Wolves' gets tougher rating
COLOGNE, Germany -- Controversial Turkish war film, Valley of The Wolves: Iraq has lost a battle with Germany's movie rating agency. Germany's FSK agency has upped the rating on Wolves from 16-and-over to 18-and-over, the territory's strictest movie rating. The move follows complaints by German politicians and Jewish organizations that Wolves was anti-American and Anti-Semitic. German media minister Eberhard Sinner welcomed the decision, calling it an "important ruling in favor of peaceful co-existence between cultures in Germany." Despite being attacked in the German media and being pulled from one major theater chain here, Wolves has been a major crossover success for art house distributor Maxximum Film. The movie has sold about 400,000 tickets in Germany and boxoffice stands at 2.6 million ($3 million).
- 3/13/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Wolves' controversy still howling
COLOGNE, Germany -- The political firestorm started in Germany with the release of Turkish war film Valley Of The Wolves: Iraq shows little sign of dying down. With German politicians and many journalists attacking Wolves as anti-American and anti-Semitic in its depiction of U.S. forces in Iraq, the movie's producer and screenwriter came to Berlin to defend it. "We wanted to make an anti-war film... It wasn't about trying to use (anti-American) cliches, this is about what's happening in Iraq," Wolves screenplay writer Bahadir Ozdener said at a press conference Friday at Berlin's Grand Hyatt Hotel. Together with Wolves producer and co-writer Raci Sasmaz, Ozdener accused critics of using a double standard in judging the film. Though Wolves is, in many ways, a run-of-the-mill action movie, the good guys are all Turkish and Muslim. The bad guys, played by Billy Zane and Gary Busey, are American and/or Jewish.
- 3/3/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
German chain yanks 'Wolves'
COLOGNE -- German multiplex giant CinemaxX has pulled the Turkish action blockbuster Valley of the Wolves: Iraq from theaters following accusations that the film, which stars Billy Zane and Gary Busey, is anti-Semitic and anti-American. CinemaxX, Germany's largest exhibition chain, dropped Valley of the Wolves from its lineup this week, deciding not to renew its rental contract with German distributor Maxximum. The move follows a targeted media campaign by German politicians who claim the movie is "hateful and dangerous" because it depicts U.S. troops in Iraq committing multiple atrocities and one of its bad guys, played by Busey, is a Jewish-American doctor dealing in stolen organs. "The controversy surrounding this film has really heated up," CinemaxX spokesman Arne Schmidt explained. "We didn't want to add oil to the fire so we decided to pull the film."...
- 2/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
U.S. wears black hat in 'Wolves'
BERLIN -- Turkey's Valley of the Wolves: Iraq, an action drama that depicts U.S. troops in Iraq committing multiple atrocities, is setting new boxoffice records in its homeland. The movie has sold more than 3 million tickets since its Feb. 3 release, according to Turkish tracking agency Kenda. The current record-holder for ticket sales in Turkey is G.O.R.A., which drew 4 million admissions in 2004. "'Valley of the Wolves' will maybe reach 5 million," a Kenda representative said. The film also has sold about 228,000 tickets on its opening week in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, where it is being released by specialist distributor Maxximum Films. "It is our best result yet," said Maxximum head Anil Sahin. The film is due to roll out in several other territories, including the U.K., in the coming weeks.
- 2/16/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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