LAT | FIRST LOOK: Cannes colors "Blindness"

If eyes are the window to the soul, then Cannes Film Festival organizers' choice of "Blindness" as the opening night film promises a 24-frames-per-second allegory about the fragile state of civil society and the human spirit. Sheigh Crabtree reports with a trailer sneak peak. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

AFP: The year that shook Cannes

A year of revolt the world over, tumultuous 1968 also brought high drama to Cannes, the single time the film festival had to be cut short, with no one taking home a prize and no red-carpet finale. Claire Rosemberg herereports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

Reuters: Cannes pits Hollywood against obscure arthouse

Hollywood legends and obscure arthouse directors descend on Cannes from Wednesday for the world's biggest film festival that combines edgy cinema with A-list celebrities, glitzy parties and frenetic deal-making. Mike Collett-White
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Provincetown Celebrates 10 Years With Garcia Bernal

The 10th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival announced some of its programming and its annual honorary awards Monday, with Gael Garcia Bernal taking the Excellence in Acting Award and Jane Lynch receiving the Faith Hubley Memorial Award. As previously announced, Quentin Tarantino will be awarded the Filmmaker of The Edge Award. All previous winners of that award have been invited back to participate in the 10th anniversary celebration, including John Waters, Christine Vachon, Ted Hope, James Schamus, Gus Van Sant, Todd Haynes, Jim Jarmusch, Mary Harron, Gregg Araki and Todd Solondz. The festival will open with Madonna's "Filth and Wisdom" and close with Clark Gregg's "Choke." The centerpiece selections will be Alan Ball's "Towelhead" and James Marsh's "Man on Wire." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "The Fall" Leads

While "Speed Racer" became the first major casualty of the summer blockbuster season, new specialty releases also failed to significantly impress this weekend, with Tarsem's "The Fall" leading the specialty-focused iW BOT, according to those films that submitted numbers to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon. Roadside Attractions' "The Fall" grossed $80,188 from 9 screens for a decent $8,910 average. Other openers included Bruce Burgess's doc "Bloodline," which took in $6,200 from one screen for Cinema Libre. Fairing worse were two ThinkFilm openers, Bruce McDonald's Ellen Page starrer, "The Tracey Fragments," which grossed $3,330 on one screen, and Henry Bean's "Noise," starring Tim Robbins and Bridget Moynahan, which averaged just $2,025 on 2 screens. Among holdovers, Claude Lelouch's "Roman De Gare," distributed by IDP and Samuel Goldwyn, continued to pull good numbers, grossing $64,000 from 15 screens for a $4,267 average and a $333,582 cume. Last week's top two openers, "Mister Lonely" and "Son of Rambow," switched places this week, with "Rambow" averaging $3,833 from an expanded 36 screens, and "Lonely" just behind with a $3,600 average, about a fifth of its opening average. Finally, Spring's specialty breakout, Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor," expanded to 217 screens and maintained a healthy average of $3,521, taking its total to over $2.5 million. indieWIRE publishes its weekly box office column on Mondays and final weekend numbers for specialty and limited release films on Tuesdays. Get the latest in the indieWIRE Box Office section. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Edinburgh Film Fest Announces Slate

The Edinburgh International Film Festival announced its programming for its 62nd edition this week. This year the Festival, which runs from 18 - 29 June, will host fifteen World premieres including the previously announced Opening Night Gala, John Maybury's "The Edge of Love," while the Closing Night Gala will be the World premiere of "Faithheart," a comedy by Vito Rocco. The Festival will showcase 142 feature-length films from 29 countries, including 15 World premieres. Highlights include new Pixar release "Wall-E" screening as the Family Gala; Shane Meadows' "Somers Town" and Duane Hopkins' "Better Things" both in the British Gala section; Brad Anderson's "Transsiberian" and Isabel Coixet's "Elegy" both screening in the Gala section. The festival runs June 18-29, 2007. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Lionsgate To Release "W"

Lionsgate has announced that it has acquired all North American distribution rights to Oliver Stone's anticipated George W. Bush biopic, "W." Lionsgate will also distribute the film in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. "W" stars Josh Brolin as the current president, Elizabeth Banks as his wife Laura, James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn as his parents and former first couple, Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice, Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell, Scott Glenn as Donald Rumsfeld and Ioan Gruffud as Tony Blair. The film begins production on May 12, 2008 in Louisiana, and Lionsgate will released the film on October 17, 2008, just a few weeks before the presidential election. "The impact of George W. Bush's presidency will be felt for many years to come," said Oliver Stone in a statement." Despite a meteoric, almost illogical rise to power, and a tremendous influence on the world, we don't really know much about Mr. Bush beyond the controlled images we've been allowed to see on TV. This movie's taking a bold stab at looking behind that curtain. I'm real pleased that Lionsgate has the independence necessary to bring this provocative story to an American audience." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Participant Media and Pangea Day Announce Winners

Participant Media, as part of its involvement with Pangea Day, a global event showcasing short films from around the world on May 10, 2008, has announced the five films whose filmmakers will receive $5,000 grants in the "Outstanding Filmmakers Awards Program." One winner from each continent was announced at a filmmakers retreat in Santa Monica Thursday night: From Africa, Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza's "Dear Mandela;" from Asia/Australia, Zeina Aboul Hosn's "I Remember Lebanon;" from Europe, Saleyha Ashan's "My Mother's Daughter;" from North America, Ari Kushnir's "Moving Windmills;" from South America, Jaoquin Baldwin's "Papiroflexia." In addition, Participant is sponsoring the "Filmmaker Development Grant Program," in which all 34 filmmakers whose films will be broadcast on television and/or posted on the Pangea Day website are eligible to submit a treatment for a feature film or documentary. These filmmakers will also compete for the grand prize of $20,000 to continue the development of the treatment and a non-binding first look deal with Participant for the treatment. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

REUTERS | Canadian Finances Film Over Internet

Aspiring Canadian filmmaker Casey Walker launched a website earlier this year to raise C$1 million to finance his film "Free for all.. But you." He's doing so by selling frames of his film over the Internet for C$10 a piece. And as Reuters reports, investors will in return receive a credit in his movie, advertising rights on his site and a cut of the profits if the film makes money. So far Walker has raised C$170,000.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Costantin Films Sets "Pandorum"

Costantin FIlm and Impact Pictures announced that Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster are in final negotiations to join "Pandorum," a science-fiction thriller set aboard an "abandoned pioneer space vessel." The film, to be directed by Christian Alvart will be financed by Constatin under its joint venture deal with Impact, and will be released in North America by Overture Films. Summit Entertainment is handling foreign sales for Constantin Film and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Golden Trailer Awards Announced

Thursday night at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, the 9th Annual Golden Trailer Awards were handed out in a ceremony hosted by comedian Sinbad. The upcoming "The Dark Knight" won best action trailer, while "Iron Man" won the best overall for summer 2008. "In Bruges" was named the most original, while "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" won for best music and best voice-over, respectively. "No Country For Old Men" was awarded the best dramatic trailer, "Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?" best documentary, and "Day Night Day Night" for best independent. The awards will be televised on May 26, 2008 on MyNetworkTV, which will include the winner of the publicly voted "trailer of the year." All other winners were deciphered by a jury that included Joss Whedon, Jonathan D. Krane, Morgan Spurlock, Eli Roth, Gary Meyet and Claudia Puig. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Warner Bros. Shuts Picturehouse and Warner Independent

Warner Bros. President and COO Alan Horn has announced the closure of studio specialty divisions Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures today. The news follows the recent move to severely scale back New Line Cinema and incorporate it into the WB studio apparatus, cutting hundreds of jobs at the company. "With New Line now a key part of Warner Bros., we're able to handle films across the entire spectrum of genres and budgets without overlapping production, marketing and distribution infrastructures, Horn said, continuing, "We're confident that the spirit of independent filmmaking and the opportunity to find and give a voice to new talent will continue to have a presence at Warner Bros." The complete press release from Warner Bros. is available now via indieWIRE Insider. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Palm Pictures Croons to "Patti Smith"

North American rights to photographer Steven Sebring's directorial debut, "Patti Smith: Dream of Life," which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival have been acquired by Palm Pictures. The deal, which encompasses North American theatrical, non-theatrical and home video and VOD distribution rights, was announced by Jan Korbelin, managing partner of Palm Pictures. The agreement was negotiated by Pierre Menahem, on behalf of Celluloid Dreams. Palm is currently planning a late summer 2008 theatrical release, followed by the DVD release in the early 2009. The doc is a portrait of poet, artist, punk pioneer and activist Patti Smith. "Palm Pictures has long been dedicated to bringing audiences the best in music films." commented Korbelin in a statement. "Patti Smith is a cultural pioneer whose energy and powerful vision redefined the world of music." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Oberhausen Shorts Fest Announces Winners

The 54th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen was held May 1-6, 2008 in Oberhausen, Germany, and handed out awards Tuesday night at the Lichtburg Filmpalast. The Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen, handed out by the international jury and worth 7,500 euros, went to Australian Dennis Tupicoff's "Chainsaw," for "its masterful synthesis of social commentary, formal experimentation, and its exploration of bareback riding both within the rodeo arena and beyond." The two Principal Prizes, worth 3,500 euros each, went to Romanian Radu Jude's "Alexandra" and Russian Alina Rudnitskaya's "Kak stat stervoi" ("Vixen Academy"). The Jury of the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia gave its prize for regional work to Belgian director Alexia Bonta's "Parlez-moi d'amou" ("Tell Me About Love"), while the FIPRESCI Prize (International Critic's Prize) went to Russian Pavel Medvedev's "Nezrimoe" ("The Unseen"). [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Cinema Guild Takes "Myths"

The Cinema Guild announced its acquisition of the U.S. distribution rights to Margaret Brown's second feature film, "The Order of Myths." "Myths," a documentary which looks at race in America through the Mardi Gras celebration in Mobile, Alabama, will open in New York and Los Angeles in July and August, followed by a national release. "With 'The Order of Myths,' Margaret has made an incredibly engaging film, a beautifully-composed, thoughtful investigation into our nation's history and its lingering effect on one community," said Ryan Krivoshey, Director of Distrubution for The Cinema Guild. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | 24 frames Acquires "Partes Usadas"

Independent distributor 24 frames announced that it has acquired the North American rights to Mexican film "Partes Usadas, which was distributed in Mexico through Canana Films, founded by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. The first feature of writer-director Aaron Fernandez, the film follows a 14 year old boy ad his shady uncle who are saving up to illegally immigrate to Chicago. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | IFP Minnesota Announces Grant

IFP Minnesota, in partnership with ETS Pictures and Twin Cities-based production community, announced the "Fresh Filmmakers Production Grant," intended to assist new narrative filmmakers in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. The first of its kind for the region, the grant will facilitate the production of one short narrative film directed by a filmmaker who has been making films for no more than five years. The grant is to honor the memory of Dennis O'Rourke, who was a friend to the regional film community for over thirty years before his death in 2006. The application deadline for the grant is August 19, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Seattle To Honor Kingsley

Sir Ben Kingsley has been named the recipient of the 2008 Golden Space Needle for Outstanding Achievement in Acting at the 34th Seattle International Film Festival. The award will be given at a tribute event at the Egyptian Theatre in Seattle on May, 25, 2008, and will be followed by the North American premiere of Isabel Coixet's "Elegy," which Kingsley stars in. After the screening, Kingsley will take the stage again for an interview moderated by David Poland. Three other Kingsley films, a special screening of "Sexy Beast" and two Seattle premieres, Jonathan Levine's "The Wackness" and Brad Anderson's "Transsiberian" will also play during the festival, which runs from May 22 through June 15. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

iW NEWS | Fortissimo Set with "Subaru"

Hong Kong director Lee Chi-Ngai is directing "Dance Subaru," adapted from Masahito Soda's popular Japanese comic book. The producers of the project, which has just completed production and will be introduced at the upcoming Cannes Market, are Bill Kong ("House of Flying Daggers"), Masato Matsuura from Avex Entertainment Inc. and Ryuhei Chiba, co-CEO of Avex. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

iW NEWS | Salmona Wins New Director's Prize in San Francisco

iAt the San Francisco International Film Festival yesterday, Mushon Salmona's "Vasermil" won the New Director's Award, while Yung Chang's "Up The Yangtze" won the prize for best documentary feature. Dawn Logsdon's "Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans" won the Bay Area Documentary Feature prize and Todd Herman's "Cabinet" won the Bay Area short prize and the New Visions prize. Christina A. Voros' "The Ladies" won the documentary short prize and Jean-Bernard Marlin & Benoit Rambourg "Thick Skinned" won the narrative short award, Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski won the animated short film prize for "Madame Tutli-Putli." [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Cannes Classics Set For Fifth Year

The Cannes Film Festival will spotlight classic films on rediscovered or restored masterworks or films that have been re-released in theaters or DVD with the Cannes Classics 2008 program. Presented at the Palais des Festival, the Cinema de la Plage and the La Licorne Theatre, the program includes a tribute to Manoel de Oliveira for his 100th birthday, featuring a screening of one of his first films, 1931's "Douro, Faina Fluvial," as well as Wong Kar Wai presenting "Ashes of Time Redux." Overall, the program features dozens of films, including a new or restored prints of Marcel Ophuls' 1955 film "Lola Montes," Vijay Anand's 1965 film "Guide," Paul Newman's 1972 film "Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," Bruce Weber's 1988 film "Let's Get Lost," Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1989 film "Santa Sangre," Jean Cocteau's 1949 film "Orphee," James Toback's 1977 film "Fingers," Lester James Peries' 1965 film "Gamperaliya," and Ben Maddow, Syndey Meyers and Joseph Strick's 1960 collaboration "The Savage Eye." Two new films will also be presented in the Documentaries About Cinema section: James Cressanthis's "No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos," which follows the journey and friendship of Hungarian directors Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, and Richard Schickel's documentary about the history of Warner Brothers, "You Must Remember This," which will be accompanied by 10 screenings of classic Warner films, including a one-off "Looney Tunes." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Critics Week Takes on "Poverty"

Philippe Diaz's "The End of Poverty?" has been added to Critics Week as part of the fest's "Cinema & Politics" day on May 19. Narrated by Martin Sheen, Diaz's ("Now & Later") doc explores whether the "true causes of povery today" stem from a deliberate orchestration since colonial times in which wealthy nations exploit the poor. Filmed in high definition in countries in Europe, Africa and South America, the film features economists, politicians and people engaged in social movements. Following its screening, Diaz and figures from the film will participate in a panel discussion. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Locarno to Honor Producer Christine Vachon at Fest

Producer Christine Vachon of Killer Films will be awarded the Raimondo Rezzonico Prize at the 61st Locarno International Film Festival, taking place August 6 - 16. Through her production company, founded in 1995, Vachon has helped launch the careers of filmmakers such as Larry Clark ("Kids," 1995) and John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch," 2001) in addition to working with established directors such as Robert Altman ("The Company," 2003) and John Waters ("A Dirty Shame," 2004). "Locarno is celebrating an exceptional producer, who has made a decisive contribution to independent American cinema over the last fifteen years," commented Locarno's artistic director Frederic Maire in a statement. The award began in 2002 in memory of the man who was president of the Locarno Festival for almost twenty years. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

NYT: Sundance Is Sold to Cablevision for $496 Million

The twelve-year-old channel, available in nearly 30 million homes, is currently a joint venture of NBC Universal, CBS Corporation and Robert Redford. Mr. Redford, the actor, director and producer, will remain with the network. Brian Stelter reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Fortissimo Takes Non-North American Rights to Madonna's "I Am"

Director Nathan Rissman's "I Am Because We Are," produced, written and narrated by Madonna, has been acquired by Fortissimo Films. The doc will have its international premiere during Cannes where it will be presented as part of amfAR's annual "Cinema Against AIDS" event. The film spotlights the camera on Malawi an African country of twelve million people ravaged by the AIDS epidemic -- an epidemic that has left more than one million children as orphans. The film also examines global and individual solutions to solve the crisis of this small nation. Fortissimo's SVP, Sales & Acquisitions, Winnie Lau negotiated the deal, which includes all rights outside North America, with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) which represents the film. Madonna will be in Cannes May 22 as a co-chair of "Cinema Against AIDS." "I Am Because We Are" had its world premiere at the recent Tribeca Film Festival. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

LAT | Independent Picturehouse's fate at Warner Bros. is cloudy

Considering the fate of Picturehouse and Warner Independent, the LA Times' Rachel Abramowitz notes, "For the last few weeks, Warner Bros. has been in talks with Picturehouse head Bob Berney about taking over as co-president with Warner Independent President Polly Cohen of some merged entity, though talks appear to have bogged down over the exact parameters of such a venture, according to various inside sources." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

VAR | Sony Classics Gets Egoyan's Cannes Entry

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired "domestic and select international rights" to Atom Egoyan's Cannes Film Festival competition entry, "Adoration," according to Variety. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Cannes ]

iW NEWS | "Tru Loved" and "World" to Bookend 20th NewFest

Stewart Wade's romantic comedy "Tru Loved" will open the 20th NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Film Festival, taking place June 5 - 15. Closing the event is Tom Gustafson's "Were the World Mine." "Especially in a milestone year such as this, we want to bring NYC an even better LGBT film festival than the year before," commented NewFest artistic director Basil Tsiokos in a statement. "Along with an extremely strong lineup of films and panels, we're offering a few brand new special additions to our programming. This year introduces the John Outcalt NewFest Lounge where audiences and filmmakers alike can relax between screenings." The NewFest Lounge will be located at the HK Lounge on Ninth Avenue at 39th Street in Manhattan. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ]

SF360: Nights on the Towne: Film Society Awards Night

You know a film festival is beginning to work its way into your brain when, in a landscape of intersecting ideas, you begin to witness the collisions. The diners at S.F. Film Society Awards Night this past Thursday -- including Warren Beatty, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, Maria Bello, John Burton and Dede Wilsey-- saw a mash-up of two opposing approaches to the art of great filmmaking in awards to Mike Leigh and Robert Towne. Susan Gerhard reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | "Heaven," "Chris & Don" Top Miami Gay & Lesbian Winners

The 10th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival closed for business, announcing a series of juried and audience awards presented at the Gala Closing night party at the Miami Art Space. Fatih Akin's "The Edge of Heaven" won the jury's fiction feature award, while Guido Santi and Tina Mascara's "Chris & Don: A Love Story" won the juried documentary award. Audience awards were handed out to Shamim Sarifis's "The World Unseen" for favorite feature, Scott Bloom's "Call Me Troy" for documentary, and Jesse Peretz's "Who I Am" for short. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors, Queer Cinema ]

iW NEWS | Hamptons To Host Screenwriter's Lab

The Hamptons International Film Festival will host its 8th annual Screenwirters' Lab May 9-11, 2008, in East Hampton. Co-sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the event will allow emerging screenwriters to work with mentors who will advise them on revising their scripts in preparation for production. "The Screenwriters' Lab consistently provides one of the most exciting and fulfilling aspects of the Hamptons' year-round activities," said Director of Programming David Nugent in a statement. The fest announced the lab's participants: Alex R. Johnson with "La Sobrina," James Ponsoldt with "Refresh, Refresh," Bradford Tatum with "Book of Water," and Avi Weider with "Zeroes and Ones." They will be mentored by Maria Maggneti, Ira Sachs, Jeffrey Sharp and Whit Stillman. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

iW NEWS | Regent Ups Aubry to VP, Theatrical Marketing

Regent Releasing's Jonathon Aubry has been promoted to Vice President, Theatrical Marketing, the Los Angeles-based company announced Tuesday. In his new position, Aubry will report to Mark Reinhart, Gernal Manager, West Coast Operations and Executive Vice President, Distribution and Acquisitions. Aubry will oversee all theatrical and DVD marketing and publicity for both here! Films and Regent Releasing’s other independent theatrical releases. This includes all gay and lesbian titles released under the here! Films banner as well as Regent’s roster of independent and specialized releases. Formerly, Aubry served as Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

iW NEWS | Woodstock Fest Partners With STF

The Woodstock Film Festival will co-present three screenings as part of the Stranger Than Fiction series at the IFC Center in New York. On consecutive Tuesdays in May, directors Barbara Kopple ("My Generation"), Leon Gast ("When We Were Kings") and Jonathan Demme ("The Agronomist") will present and discuss their films. "We are thrilled to be able to show three amazing films as part of the Stranger Than Fiction film series at the IFC Center, and to offer the community a chance to meet and interact with these great filmmakers," said WFF executive director Meira Blaustein. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

iW NEWS | Visit Gets Safdie's "Robbed" for Cannes

Unveiling its lineup for next week's Cannes Market, Visit Films has announced its acquisition of international rights to Josh Safdie's "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," which will close the Director's Fortnight section this year. Also on Visit's slate are Azazel Jacobs's Sundance hit "Momma's Man," Olaf De Fleur's Berlinale Teddy Award winner "The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela," Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey's "The Matador" from SXSW and Guy Moshe's "Holly." The company recently closed a spate of deals on recent market titles, including a 4 film pact with MovieMobz in Brazil for "Arranged," "Hannah Takes The Stairs," "Choking Man," and "Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America." It also licensed "Hannah Takes the Stairs" to ICA Films (UK), "Choking Man" to Soda (UK), and "Severed Ways" to Ascot-Elite (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Cannes ]

The Week in Fests | Rome, Cairo and Sydney

The latest from the festival scene this week. A link exchange by Variety.com and indieWIRE.

DIRECTORS BACK ROME FILM FESTIVAL
Filmmakers take aim at Alemanno's plan

'AAL GAZIRA', 'HEENA' WIN IN CAIRO
Pics take National Festival for Cinema awards

LEIGH'S 'HAPPY' TO PLAY IN SYDNEY
'Lucky' film to open, compete in festival

More at Variety's Festival Central  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

HR | Maya Makes "Sleep Dealer" Pact

Maya Entertainment is acquiring all U.S. rights to Alex Rivera's "Sleep Dealer," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The company is planning a theatrical and home video release.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Marche du Film Sees Rise in Attendance

As of April 15th, more than 8,000 professionals from 93 countries already confirmed their participation in the Marche du Film at the Cannes Film Festival, an 8% rise from 2007 and 40% since 2003. In response to a significant screenings demand, 3 new screening rooms will complete the 30 existing ones, with an overall of 12 digital screening rooms. The Marche will be ready to host the 1,600 screenings already booked for the 2008 edition. Additionally, about 300 companies will showcase their productions on more than 6,000 square meters of exhibiting surface. About 120 exhibitors will be present in hotels or flats on the Croisette. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | NonStop Takes Nordic Rights For "Cowboys," "Faster"

Sweden-based NonStop Entertainment left the Tribeca Film Festival with two documentaries - Billy Corben's "Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustin' With The Godmother," and Christopher Bells' "Bigger, Stronger, Faster." NonStop acquired distribution rights from Magnolia PIctures for both films in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Strand Buds a "Blossom"

Doris Doerrie's "Cherry Blossoms-Hanami" has been been picked by Strand Releasing in the U.S. from Bavaria Film International. L.A. based Strand plans an Autumn release for the film. Bavaria is touting sales in over 30 territories, including Hong Kong and Denmark. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Mister" Box Office

While "Iron Man" kicked off the summer blockbuster season with an astounding $100.7 million opening weekend, Harmony Korine's "Mister Lonely" impressively led the specialty-focused iW BOT, according to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon. The IFC release took in $19,133 on its one screen, outpacing two other decent openers, David Mamet's "Redbelt" and Garth Jennings' "Son of Rambow." Sony Pictures Classics' "Redbelt" managed $68,646 from 6 screens for an average of $11,441, while Paramount Vantage's "Rambow" was just behind, averaging $10,600 on 5 screens. A less fortunate opener was Jeremy Podeswa's Holocaust drama "Fugitive Pieces," which averaged $3,600 from 30 screens for IDP and Samuel Goldwyn. Among those holdovers reporting, Claude Lelouch's "Roman De Gare," also distributed by IDP and Samuel Goldwyn, saw its average fall only $700 with $12,022, while the continued expansion of Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor" to 130 screens found a decent $663,000, for an average of $5,100 and a cume of almost $1.7 million after 4 weeks. Errol Morris's latest doc, "Standard Operating Procedure," saw its average fall more than 60% in its second weekend, taking in $33,688 from 11 screens. indieWIRE publishes its weekly box office column on Mondays and final weekend numbers for specialty and limited release films on Tuesdays. Get the latest in the indieWIRE Box Office section. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | "War Child" Wins Tribeca Audience Prize

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

C. Karim Chrobog's' "War Child" won The Cadillac Award, receiving a $25,000 cash prize after being named the audience favorite at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. The event, which concludes today in Manhattan, presented jury prizes earlier in the week, naming Tomas Alfredson's "Let the Right One In" (Lat den ratte komma in) the best narrative feature, while Gini Reticker's "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" won best documentary feature prize. Complete coversage of the festival is available in indieWIRE's special section.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors, New York ]

Reuters: New mayor to tone down glitz at Rome film festival

Expect less Hollywood glamour and more home-grown cinema at the Rome Film Festival -- the new right-wing mayor of Italy's capital has made clear he wants to see changes at the movie showcase created by his predecessor. Reuters reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

indieWIRE PRESENTS | TODAY: Adam Yauch and Tribeca Student Filmmakers@ Apple Store SoHo

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Apple and indieWIRE daily Filmmaker Talks CONTINUE at the Apple Store, SoHo during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

Adam Yauch: Friday, May 2, 6:30 p.m.
Before turning to film and directing--first with Awesome; I Shot That! and then with Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (now screening at the Tribeca Film Festival)--Adam Yauch also remains a founding member of the hip-hop trio Beastie Boys. He brings a unique perspective to filmmaking, which you'll discover as he discusses his latest project and fields questions from the audience. ABC News Radio's Movie Critic David Blaustein will moderate the discussion.

Student Filmmaker Panel: Friday, May 2, 8:00 p.m.
You may not recognize their names now, but that's about to change. Meet some up-and-coming filmmakers whose movies are being screened at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. Apple's Michael Wong will moderate the discussion.

Read the entire lineup here.

 
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iW NEWS | Thirteen Projects on Tap for Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs

Thirteen projects have been selected by the Sundance Institute to participate in its June directors and screenwriters labs. Emerging filmmakers from the U.S., U.K., South Africa, China, Costa Rica and Brazil will participate in the programs which take place at the Sundance Resort in Utah May 26 - June 26 under the leadership of Michelle Satter and artistic direction of Gyula Gazdag. Projects participating in the June directors lab (May 26 - June 21) include: "Blood Abundance, or the Half-Life of Antoinette" by John Magary (writer/director, U.S.), "Casa Grande" by Felipe Gamarano Barbosa (co-writer/director) and Karen Sztajnberg (co-writer, U.S./Brazil), "Meadowlandz" by Moon Molson (writer/director, U.S.), "Pariah" by Dee Rees" (writer/director, U.S.), "Poletown" by Daniel Casey (writer/director, U.S.), "Return" by Liza Johnson (writer/director, U.S.), "Shockheaded Peter" by Frank Budgen (writer/director, U.K.), and "Tshepang" by Lara Foot Newton and Gerhard Marx (co-writers/co-directors, South Africa). Screenwriters lab participants (June 21 - 26) include: "Agua Fria de Mar" by Paz Fabrega (writer/director, Costa Rica), "All Fall Down" by Jonathan Wysocki (writer/director, U.S.), "Look for Water" by Jennifer Phang (co-writer/director) and Dominic Mah (co-writer, U.S.), "The White Circus" by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (co-writers/co-directors, Canada) and "That Year When We Were Young," by Peng Tao ) co-writer/director) and Zeng Wenwen (co-writer, China). "We are thrilled to be supporting such a promising group of filmmakers who bring authenticity, urgency, and innovation to their storytelling," commented Satter, director of the feature film program in a statement. "The June Lab offers a place to fully explore the potential of their material and to develop their craft as screenwriters and directors." [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | "Battle," "Shock," and "Kiss" Among Highlights for 34th Seattle Fest

One hundred and ninety-one features as well as 170 shorts are on tap for the 34th Seattle International Film Festival taking place May 22 - June 15, including 38 North American and 19 U.S. premieres. As previously announced, Stuart Townsend's "Battle in Seattle" will kick off the 25-day long event with "Seattle" actors Charlize Theron and Martin Henderson as well as Townsend in attendance. Randall Miller's "Bottle Shock," described as a "cinematic love letter to California's wine country," starring Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman will close the festival. Sean McGinly's "The Great Buck Howard" with Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Tom Hanks will screen as a Centerpiece Gala June 6, while a "Gay-la" extravaganza and post-screening party will be held on Thursday, May 29 for the romantic comedy, "Kiss the Bride," starring Tori Spelling, and Philipp Karne. Among the festival highlights are the world premiere of "Jolene," co-directed by SIFF founder Dan Ireland. Eight films are slated to screen in the festival's New American Cinema competition, including the world premieres of Russell Brown's "The Bluetooth Virgin," "Em" by Tony Barbieri, and Jared Drake's "Visioneers." Debuting in the doc competition are "Combalimon," by Raphael Mathie (U.S. premiere), "Fairytale of Kathmandu," by Neasa Ni Chianain (North American premiere), "Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go" by Kim Longinotto, "In Search of Kennedy" by Chuck Workman (world premiere) and "Shadow of the Holy Book" by Arto Halonen. For more information and a full line up, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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INDUSTRY MOVES | Phathanavirangoon Joins Toronto Fest

Raymond Phathanavirangoon has been named the Southest Asian progammer for this year's Toronto International Film Festival. He joins TIFF from Fortissimo Films where he served as director of marketing and special projects. Phathanavirangoon has served as an international programmer for the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, worked for the Hong Kong International Film Festival and served on the Teddy Jury at last year's Berlin International Film Festival. 
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INDUSTRY MOVES | Yeung Joins Fortissimo's HK Office; Lim Promoted

Esther Yeung has been named director of marketing and special projects, replacing Raymond Phathanavirangoon in the Hong Kong office of Fortissimo Films. She joins the company from the Asia Film Financing Forum. Additionally, Ingrid Y. Lim has been promoted to director of distribution and Asian sales.  
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iW NEWS | TV Deal for "Waiting for Hockney"

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Channel 4 and More 4 have announced a UK television deal for Julia Checkoway's "Waiting For Hockney," about American artist Billy Pappas. The film had its world premiere in the Discovery section at the Tribeca Film Festival.  
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IMDUSTRY MOVES | Dubinet at Unified

Ann Dubinet has been named Head of Strategic Planning, Acquisitions & Distribution at Unified Pictures. She will oversee the company's international sales and distribution operations, as well as handling domestic distribution and marketing duties.  
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indieWIRE PRESENTS | TODAY: Harmony Korine @ Apple Store SoHo

Tribeca Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Apple and indieWIRE daily Filmmaker Talks continue at the Apple Store, SoHo during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

Harmony Korine: Thursday, May 1, 6:30 p.m.
Hear screenwriter, director, and producer Harmony Korine (Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy) discuss Mister Lonely, his third feature film. Screening at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, Mister Lonely debuted at Cannes, and is scheduled for release by IFC Films on May 2, 2008.
Film Producer Scott Macaulay (Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy, Raising Victor Vargas) will moderate the discussion.

Read the entire lineup here.

 
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