Thursday 14 August 1997
By eBroadcast Staff and agencies.

Australian filmmakers are a bit perplexed by Miramax's U.S. ad campaign for Love Serenade, a quirky comedy which took the prestigious Camera d'Or prize at this year's Cannes film festival.

Producer Tristram Miall, upon learning that ads for the film, which is doing strong business at New York and L.A. art houses, emphasizes sex and "glam" -- while there is little of either in the movie, commented: "That's [Miramax co-chairman} Harvey [Weinstein]. He's a great marketer, but it's always tits and ass."

The film's producer, Jan Chapman, admitted succumbing to the exec's persuasiveness. "It isn't what we would have done but we decided to say, 'OK, see what happens.'"

Mark Gill, president of marketing for Miramax commented: "We have to sell to the audience that is America -- frightening though that might be. Even I admit you can go too far. But there's a tradition here at Miramax of finding different things to emphasize to provoke people into coming."