PARK CITY '08 | Sundance Buying Spree Stirs Talk; Sony Classics Adds "Baghead," "River," and "Wackness" to '08 Slate

In a Sundance year that saw buyers zeroing in on a small handful of titles like "Hamlet 2," "American Teen," and "Choke," each going to a different Indiewood company, Sony Pictures Classics' slow-and-steady approach yielded a bounty of three notable acquisitions late in the festival. "Frozen River," which went onto win the Grand Jury Prize, and "Baghead," the Duplass brother's comedy, were bought for a song by comparison (low-to-mid six figure sums each), while the Sundance audience award winner "The Wackness," an early '90s-set hip-hop coming-of-age dramedy from the director of "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane," was purchased for upwards of seven figures. The news has had insiders, observers (and bloggers) buzzing.
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PARK CITY '08 | Wasatch Deal Watch: Some 100 Features Seeking U.S. Distribution at Sundance '08

Intriguing stats emerged when Geoff Gilmore and John Cooper unvelied the lineup for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival more than a month ago. Not only is the festival touting more than 50 first-time filmmakers for the upcoming festival, organizers are also saying that fewer than 20 of the 121 feature films set to screen have U.S. distribution. Based on data provided by the Sundance Film Festival's Industry Office and a number of sales companies who are heading to the event this week, about 100 new feature films are arriving at the festival with available U.S. rights. Coming off what was by all accounts a bad year for documentaries and low budget indies theatrically, not to mention the pressures created by the ongoing WGA strike, Sundance '08 has the potential to be a busy one for buyers at the festival. But, will the recent glut of fall films and the fact that most of last year's Sundance acquisitions didn't perform at the box office give buyers pause?
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PARK CITY '08 | Don't Overlook the World: 10+ International Films to Watch at Sundance '08

Next week, the global film industry will turn to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. But does Sundance, in turn, look back at the rest of the globe? The answer, of course, is sort of. While press, paparazzi and moviegoers will be tracking the every movement of this year's American celebs (Josh Hartnett, Charlize Theron and Jack Black, just to name a few), Sundance has increasingly tried to boost its international competition sections, with more prizes and more prestige value for the festival's global entrants.
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PARK CITY '07 BIZ WRAP | 15 Films For $50 Million: "Sunshine" Dreams Spark Sundance Deals

Fox Searchlight's North American rights deal for John Carney's "Once," considered the sleeper hit of this year's Sundance Film Festival, capped a wave of deals from the festival as buyers now prepare to make their way to Berlin this week for the increasingly important European Film Market. While some $50 million has already been spent for some 15 theatrical deals (see the complete list at the end of this story), insiders expect more Park City pacts to emerge. Buyers and sellers also continue to try and make sense of why the market was so robust this year given pre-fest trade reports that downplayed the upcoming festival and painted a relatively bleak picture. In The Hollywood Reporter an opening day Sundance piece said that the fest lacked "obvious crowd-pleasers" and "high-concept" projects, while an unnamed buyer told Variety that the fest would, "probably be great for ThinkFilm, but I'll be surprised if Focus or Vantage or Searchlight buy anything."
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Sundance at 25: Celebrating the Institute and Examining its Future

While Paul Newman, 81, carried around a bucket full of beers, collecting tips amounting to $450, other actors, from Parker Posey to Uma Thurman to Stanley Tucci, served wine to attendees. It was their way of saying thanks to the Sundance Institute, which celebrated its 25th anniversary at a fundraiser Monday night. At the gala benefit at New York's Metropolitan Pavilion, with tables costing upwards of $25,000 a pop, Sundance co-founder Robert Redford suggested modestly that he had no idea what Sundance would become 25 years ago. "I didn't know where it was headed," he said. "Now I'm interested in the future and more opportunities," he continued. "Having said that, the purpose of Sundance will always remain the same: creating a safe environment for filmmakers."
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Kino Scores U.S./Canadian Rights to Reichardt's Acclaimed "Old Joy"

One of the most acclaimed U.S. independent films from the 2006 festival circuit so far, Kelly Reichardt's "Old Joy," has been acquired for U.S. and Canadian distribution by Kino International. The film, which debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and later screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, the New Directors/New Films Series in New York and SXSW, stirred interest from niche distributors in the States, with Kino emerging as the buyer. Forward Entertainment is launching international sales at the Cannes market this week.
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ThinkFilm Makes Worldwide Deal for "Off The Black"; Will Sell International Rights at Cannes Market

James Ponsoldt's "Off The Black" has been acquired by ThinkFilm, in a worldwide rights deal announced by the company Thursday. Think will be handling international sales for the film at the Cannes market next week. A 2006 Sundance Film Festival debut, the film is described as the "coming-of-age story of teenager who copes with his own distant father by forming an unlikely friendship with a disheveled, irascible high school umpire."
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Sony Classics Closes Deal for Sundance Double Award Winner, "Quinceanera"

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's "Quinceanera," winner of the dramatic grand jury prize and audience award at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The company has closed a pact for North American and Latin American rights to the film. The coming-of-age story of two teens growing up in a rapidly changing region of Southern California, the movie will next screen at the New Directors/New Films series in New York later this month and Sony Classics is understood to be eyeing a potential August release for the picture. Other festival bookings are pending according to insiders.
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Palm Pictures Takes U.S. and Caribbean Rights to Sundance Winner "13 (Tzameti)"

First-time Georgian filmmaker Gela Babluani's "13 (Tzameti)," winner of this year's world cinema grand jury prize for dramatic feature at the Sundance Film Festival, has been acquired by Palm Pictures, the company announced Thursday. David Koh, head of acquisitions and production for Palm Pictures and Florence Stern, head of international sales for MK2 negotiated the deal, which includes U.S. and Caribbean rights. Palm Pictures plans a platform theatrical release this autumn, followed by a DVD Release on the Palm label.
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Sony Classics Closes Deal For Punk Rock Doc, "American Hardcore"

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American, Mexican, Australian, New Zealand and German rights to director Paul Rachman's 2006 Sundance Film Festival world premiere doc "American Hardcore," written by Steven Blush, and inspired by his book "American Hardcore: A Tribal History." The film gives an account of the American hardcore punk movement from its early roots in 1980 through its heyday in urban centers through its decline in 1986. Originally scheduled to screen at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival later this week, the film was pulled from the event following the acquisition.
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Another Season of Buying & Selling: Surveying the Brokers

NOW UPDATED WITH SUNDANCE '06 FILM INFO

[EDITORS NOTE: The data included in this article has been revised since it was first published in December 2005] At a recent dinner, an active dealmaker who has been involved with many festival film sales in recent years explained that each year filmmakers have little information available that can help them to make decisions about selling their films. The annual Sundance Film Festival in January ushers in a new year of films and flmmakers as a new crop enters the festival circuit. Yet those without seasoned producers may find it hard to decide how to navigate the business side of the festival.
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PARK CITY '06 BIZ DAILY: Roadside & Netflix Get "The Puffy Chair" From Sundance '05; IFC Films Nabs Two

With heavy snow falling from a big winter storm in Park City this afternoon (and buyers back in New York City wondering how the weather might impact travel plans), a trio of acquisitions deals were announced today on the eve of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. A highlight of last year's Sundance Film Festival was the low-budget indie feature "The Puffy Chair" by Jay and Mark Duplass. Roadside Attractions and Netflix announced today a joint venture to release the movie together in theaters this Spring, followed by DVD and TV distribution. In other acquisitions news, IFC Films announced a pair of deals, picking up Caveh Zahedi's "I Am A Sex Addict" and Cedric Klapisch's "Russian Dolls". Both "Puffy Chair" and "Sex Addict" were selected by the editors and writers of indieWIRE as two of of the best films of 2005 without distribution.
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Sundance Announces Slate for Winter '06 Screenwriters Lab

The Sundance Institute has announced the 12 film projects it has invited to its January 2006 Screenwriters Lab. The Screenwriters Lab is a five-day workshop during which time selected participants focus exclusively on developing their feature film scripts. Established writers provide workshop participants with creative guidance. Todd Graff, Allison Anders, John August, Anthony Drazan, Naomi Foner-Gyllenhaal, John Lee Hancock, Erik Jendresen, Douglas McGrath, Christopher McQuarrie, Walter Mosley, Ron Nyswaner, Frank Pierson, Jeremy Pikser, Daniel Pyne, Howard Rodman, Susan Shilliday and Zachary Sklar will serve as advisors at the upcoming Screenwriters Lab, which will run January 13–18 at the Sundance Resort in Utah.
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