IFC Films Joins Weinsteins “Transamerica” Release

Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers in TRANSAMERICA. Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company.

IFC Films has announced plans to partner on the release of Duncan Tucker‘s “Transamerica” with The Weinstein Company (TWC). IFC will jointly release the film, starring Felicity Huffman as a pre-op transsexual, debuting it at the new IFC Center in downtown Manhattan. In the film, Huffman’s character discovers that she has a son and pretends to be a Christian missionary, driving across the country to deliver him to his father. Alongside Huffman, the cast includes Kevin Zegers, Fionnula Flanagan, Elizabeth Peña and Graham Green.

In a conversation with indieWIRE Thursday, IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring explained that the announcement this weekend capped a deal that had actually been sealed some time ago. TWC and IFC will share costs and profits as part of the pact.

“When the opportunity came along to partner with Bob and Harvey on ‘Transamerica’ we jumped at the chance,” said Sehring in a statement. “Having produced ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and witnessing Hillary Swank’s transformation, we were immediately struck by Felicity Huffman’s jaw-dropping performance here. She is nothing short of fantastic.”

Linda Moran, Rene Bastian and Sebastian Dungan, through Belladonna, produced the film which debuted at the Berlinale this year and later screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. Huffman’s husband, actor William H. Macy served as executive producer on the film.

Insiders continue to speculate about a potential deeper partnership between TWC and IFC’s parent, Cablevision. When asked by indieWIRE, Sehring emphasized that the partnership to release “Transamerica” falls outside of a recent DVD distribution and international sales deal announced between the two companies. He emphasized that IFC has a history of joint releases, including the recent distribution of “Brothers” with Focus Features, and “Les Choristes” with Miramax. Last year, IFC Films joined forces with the Weinsteins and Lions Gate to release Michael Moore‘s “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

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“It really boiled down to two companies that saw an opportunity and (a way) we could both leverage assets,” Sehring explained. He noted that among the assets IFC Films brings to the table include opportunities for promotion on WE, AMC, and other affiliated networks, including promotion via cable operators around the country. posted on August 19, 2005 |Share