reported by Tanner Shorer, CyberScreenwriter.com

John Culton, Chairman of the Hollywood based entertainment portal, FilmStew.com, has purchased the screen rights to Erich Maria Remarque's novel "Spark of Life." Remarque, author of "All Quiet on the Western Front" and one of the premiere novelists of the twentieth century, wrote thirteen novels, twelve of which were made into motion pictures ("All Quiet on the Western Front" was produced for the screen three times including the classic 1930 version, and again for television in 1979). "Spark of Life", his eighth novel published in 1952, is the compelling story of starving slave laborers finding hope enough to live out the last days of World War II.

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reported by Dana Horton, CyberScreenwriter.com

At the recent NATPE Convention which was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Del Weston of the Action On Film International Film Festival and Glen Hartford of the Cinamour Entertainment Company signed an initial deal which will give Cinamour Entertainment First Look rights to all films and filmmakers submitting work to the 2007 Action On Film Festival.

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Barbara A. Schloman, Cyberscreenwriter.com

Concerned about the number of aspiring African American filmmakers struggling with lack of access to capital and training, 99 Ways Entertainment, a new film company telling urban stories, is working to break down barriers for young directors and producers. The firm will host a star-studded screening of its latest feature, MVP, an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival, at February's NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. The screening is a kick-off of its "Make it Happen Tour," which will bring panel discussions on filmmaking to five major cities across the U.S. in conjunction with VIBE Media Group. MVP, a film by award-winning director-writer Harry Davis, was produced by a team including basketball greats Charles Oakley and Kevin Edwards who, in building their own second careers as producers, aim to build 99 Ways into the "Def Jam" of independent film companies.

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