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Film News: Edell brought in to help grow the company
— Business maverick Jeffrey Edell has been brought aboard as prexy-CEO of Inferno Entertainment.

Film News: ‘Incendiary,’ ‘Helen’ among first releases — Toronto-headquartered international distributor E1 Entertainment is heading Down Under, expanding its global network to cover Australia and New Zealand, and positioning the company for future moves in the region, E1 Filmed Entertainment president Patrice Theroux announced Tuesday.

Film News: Funding org taps new head of current development — Public funding org the U.K. Film Council has tapped current development fund topper Tanya Seghatchian as head of its new, unified film fund.

Film News: Star keeps a hand in Hollywood while remaining a maverick — It’s been a surprise to find Mel Gibson out there, trolling the talkshow circuit on behalf of his new film, “Edge of Darkness.”

Film News: L.A. judge denies plea to be sentenced in absentia — An attorney for Roman Polanski said he would appeal a ruling denying the director’s legal efforts to be sentenced in absentia.

Film News: With a tighter focus, Toby Emmerich readies a pair of “Hobbit” pics — Two years ago, the 40-plus-year run of New Line as a largely autonomous film entity came to an abrupt end.

Film News: Duo launch new sidebars, revamp opening night — As Sundance launches its 2010 edition tonight, under new management, the fest might not look drastically different from prior years, but some subtle tweaks might prove significant as the year unfolds.

Film News: Two large filmmaking facilities launch in Apulia — Apulia, the southeastern Italian region on the heel of the Italian boot, is stepping up efforts to become a prominent Italo production hub with the launch of two large filmmaking facilities, along with a new film fund and a high-profile fest set to host the Italo bow of “Nine.”

Film News: Online views up 109% in anticipation of release — Online film trailer views for “Avatar” increased 109% for a total of 4.7 million in anticipation of James Cameron’s epic 3-D sci-fi release this weekend.