International London-based film and TV producer and distributor Highpoint seems to have hit something of a low point in an otherwise meteoric sixteen year dramatic rise and rise, raising finance for TV dramas like the BBC's Shakespeare Retold and packaging and selling films like the Oscar-nominated Twin Sisters.

In what was certainly not a case of Much Ado About Nothing, the company looks as though it is going to have to move offices unexpectedly, because of the actions of Camden Council. The full story though, bears a strong resemblance to a Ricky Gervais script.

Passions High Over Classic Cinema Conversion Plans

An oft quoted fact that you hear in Edinburgh is that the city has more pubs per capita than anywhere else in Scotland. There's no shortage of places to drink, with bars at every turn. So you can understand why a recent proposal by arthouse cinema chain City Screen to convert Edinburgh's oldest cinema into a large bar and restaurant met with such widespread protest and disbelief.

Guy Ritchie is now reportedly turning his back on gangster movies to make children's films, following in the footsteps of his wife Madonna, who released a series of children's books based on Kabbalah teachings.

Rant by Self-appointed Community Leaders

The hotly anticipated demonstration against the filming of Monica Ali's novel in East London was in fact a ragbag collection of short-tempered, middle-aged men.

A small group of middle-aged Bangladeshi men staged a demonstration in Brick Lane, East London, on Sunday to protest against the film adaptation of Monica Ali's novel Brick Lane, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2003. But this so-called ‘Battle of Brick Lane' was not so much a battle as a rant by a group of self-appointed community leaders who have been given disproportionate attention in the media and unfounded power to dictate what can and cannot be said by authors and filmmakers.

"New Distribution Rules Are Being Written"

Billionaire trustee of the American Film Institute, Todd Wagner, delivered a wake-up call to the movie industry  at the AFI Digital Content Festival where he delivered the keynote address. Describing Hollywod as "one of the oldest closed clubs in the world," he warned the industry, times are changing and they had to get used to seeing new players on the field. His wake-up speech has been distributed globally by podcast.

Protesters to  Target EIFF Opening Gala Over Unpaid Wages

Protesters are set to target the Edinburgh International Film Festival's opening gala in a row over unpaid wages. One of the companies behind The Flying Scotsman, the movie which will kick off the event, has gone into administration - leaving about 60 crew members and extras out of pocket.

The union which represents the workers is organising a mass picket and boycott of the movie's world premiere at Fountain Park on 14 August. BECTU said that its members were owed a total of £79,000. The stars of the film, including Brian Cox and Jonny Lee Miller, are understood to have been paid.

Disney this week confirmed earlier reports in Variety by slashing the number of major films produced each year from 18 to 12. Despite having one of its most successful summers in years, with Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest becoming the year's number one film after just two weeks, the 'Mouse House' has decided to scale back production, slashing 650 jobs worldwide in the process. The company claims that it wants to focus on family oprientated entertainment as they offer far more lucratative marketing and tie-in opportunities.

An Oscar-winning screenwriter says the British film industry produces depressing and dispiriting films that nobody wants to watch

 Julian Fellowes, the actor and Oscar-winning writer of Gosford Park, has accused a new generation of film-makers of living in a "child's paradise" and thinking they can sustain a career on "irritating and naive polemics".

Fellowes, who also wrote the screenplay for Vanity Fair, said that far too much lottery funding was going to films which either struggled to be released or flopped at the box office. He added that there was a mindset that had led to a wall of prejudice against "commercial and bourgeois" films.