Veteran Miramax Execs Cohen and Faber Named to Weinstein Company Posts

Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein announced today that two long time Miramax executives have joined The Weinstein Company to co-head the Marketing department. Matthew Cohen has been named executive vice president of marketing and creative affairs and Gary Faber has been named executive vice president of marketing. Both executives will report directly to Bob and Harvey Weinstein and will be based in New York. Cohen and Faber will oversee the marketing and Academy Awards campaigns on all Weinstein Company and Dimension films. Both will oversee strategic marketing while Cohen will focus on creating trailers, TV and radio spots as well as print creative advertising. Faber, meanwhile, will oversee the strategic marketing, market research and all media planning for The Weinstein Company as well as spearhead the creative on selected projects. "Matthew and Gary are outstanding creative executives that will play an integral role in the success of our new slate of films," said Bob and Harvey Weinstein in a joint statement. "They are an asset to the company and we could not be happier that they are joining us." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Film Independent to Host First Annual Filmmakers Forum on Selling Film

Film Independent executive director Dawn Hudson announced today that the organization will host, "Sell Your Film Without Getting Screwed!" The forum will take place on Saturday, October 15, 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Forum panelists include: Tom Bernard (co-president, Sony Pictures Classics), Peter Broderick (Paradigm Consulting), Jeremy Coon (executive producer, "Napoleon Dynamite"), Cassian Elwes (WMA), Catherine Hardwicke (director, "Lords of Dogtown,"), Richard Klubeck (UTA), Jeffrey Levy-Hinte (producer, "Thirteen"), Linda Lichter (Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Goodman Inc.), Tom Ortenberg (president, Lions Gate Films Releasing), Peggy Rajski (executive producer, "Bee Season"), Ted Sarandos (chief content officer, Netflix) and John Sloss (founding member, Cinetic Media). "This forum will bring together a phenomenal group of experienced filmmakers and experts who are committed to giving effective and trustworthy advice on how to best navigate the festival circuit," said Hudson. "It's about giving filmmakers the information they need to take control of the destiny of their films." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

AFI Fest Swoons "Casanova" for Closing Night; Announces Over a Dozen U.S. Premieres

The AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival announced that Lasse Hallstrom's North American premiere of "Casanova," starring Heath Ledger will close its event, which will take place November 3 - 13. Set in 18th century Venice, thecomedy gives the legend of Giacomo Casanova who meets his ultimate romantic match in Francesca Bruni (Sienna Miller), succumbing to the only woman to ever refuse his charms. The film was produced by Mark Gordon, Betsy Beers and Leslie Holleran, based on a script by Jeffrey Hatcher and Kimberly Simi from a story by Kimberly Simi and Michael Cristofer. Also announced by the festival are 15 narrative U.S. premieres, including Toronto '05 titles, including audience award winner "Tsotsi" by Gavin Hood, "C.R.A.Z.Y." by Jean-Marc Vallee and "Bam Bam and Celeste" by Lorene Machado. Danis Tanovic's latest, "Hell" is also slated to screen at AFI Fest as well as the late Dutch director Theo Van Gogh's "06/05 The Fifth of May." For more information and a list of films, visit the AFI webiste. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

NY Times: Defying Terror, Filmgoers Attend a Festival in Baghdad

In what was perhaps as much an act of defiance as a leisurely way of spending an afternoon, more than 300 Iraqis walked into a theater this past Saturday, and without metal detectors or security guards, sat down and watched a movie. It was the start of Baghdad's first film festival since the American-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein, a six-day event that by Wednesday evening had produced hundreds of happy Iraqis and not a single casualty. Sabrina Tavernise reports (free subscription required to view full NY Times article). 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

SF Chronicle: Resfest's digital media festival a portent of future filmmaking

So it is with a great sense of timing that RESFEST makes its annual Bay Area stop, beginning Thursday at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Developed in 1996 by the RES Media Group, which focuses on digital filmmaking, RESFEST brings together more than 150 cutting-edge features and short subjects -- narratives, music videos and documentaries -- all made without the aid of traditional celluloid. G. Allen Johnson reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

AP: 'Capote' May Be Breakout Role for Hoffman

The hesitation Philip Seymour Hoffman felt about playing Truman Capote was not unlike the uncertainty audiences might feel over seeing a movie about the man who wrote the true-crime classic "In Cold Blood." Hoffman wondered how he would hold up in the title role of "Capote," impersonating the author's weirdly effete, self-important mannerisms and cadences, and questioned whether moviegoers would want to watch him do it. A.P. reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

7th Art On Board WIth Breast Cancer Doc

Udy Epstein's 7th Art Releasing has signed on to executive produce and distribute Linda Pattillo's "The Breast Cancer Diaries" featuring former NBC affiliate anchor Ann Murray Page's battle with the disease. Epstein closed the deal at the IFP Market last week in New York. Pattillo is a former ABC TV reporter and CNN staffer, she co-produced the film with Kate Nelligan, who also edited the project. It screened at the IFP Market as a work-in-progress and includes an intimate diary of Ann Murray Page's nine-month struggle with breast cancer. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

AFP: Fellini's erotic drawings a crowdpuller in Austria

Erotic drawings by Italian film director Federico Fellini showing his unusual taste in women are proving popular with art lovers in Austria, where an exhibition opened this month. A gallery in Krems, north Austria, has seen great interest in its "Erotomachia" exhibition, which assembles 29 erotic drawings sketched by Fellini in his twilight years 1991-1992, a spokeswoman for the Karikaturmuseam, Katrin Draxl, told AFP. The drawings feature his last mistress -- Gianna -- with whom Fellini spent several years before his death in 1993 at the age of 73. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Hollywood Reporter: Hong Kong, Palestine, Mexico select Oscar contenders

"Perhaps Love," the first Chinese musical made in more than three decades, is Hong Kong's official submission in the foreign language film category for next year's Academy Awards. Meanwhile, "Paradise Now," which deals with two potential suicide bombers who plan an attack on Tel Aviv, was chosen by Palestine as its official Oscar contender. And Mexico will be represented by Gustavo Loza's "Al Otro Lado," which tells three separate stories that share a common immigration theme. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Biz ]

Atom and Intel Partner on Indie Film Contest

More than $45,000 in cash and prizes are being offered to the winners of the new AtomFilms and Intel independent film contest. Entries are being accepted online with the criteria being, in the words of the announcement asking entrants, "to create films that imagine what they would do with a magic wand." Films must be four minutes or less in length and submitted by November 21, 2005.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Production ]

AP: Scorsese Attends Film Center Inauguration

Directors Martin Scorsese and Wong Kar-Wai joined hundreds of film buffs at the inauguration of a new home for La Cinematheque Francaise film center. The center moved Monday into a stylish building designed by Frank Gehry in eastern Paris, ending a two-decade hunt for a new location. The center was created in 1936 to promote art-house films and defend French cinema. It has had many locations over the years, most recently near the Eiffel Tower. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

NY Times: Reading from Left to Right

The studios themselves, especially after the stunning success of Mel Gibson's independently financed "The Passion of the Christ," have tried to strengthen their connection with religious and social conservatives, who represent not only a political constituency but a large and powerful segment of the market. A.O. Scott reports in the New York Times. (free subscription required to view full article in the NY Times). 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Young Names WGAW Interim Exec. Dir.

Writers Guild of America, West President Patric M. Verrone and the board of the WGAw have appointed David Young, the guild's top organizer, as its Interim Executive Director effective immediately. The board also appointed a search committee to replace outgoing executive director John McLean. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Romar Aims for Studio-style Releases for Indies

A newly formed distribution initiative from Romar Entertainment, with actor Billy Zane joining company founder Jim Schramm, is aiming to offer what it says are, "studio-style, wide releases via major theater chains to indie filmmakers for a fraction of what it would normally cost." As part of the model, filmmakers raise P & A (prints and advertising) money for a release and retain all rights to the film. Romar will handle the theatrical release and take a commission on the media buy for the theatrical distribution, along with a portion of ticket sales. The company will target national releases at 300 screens and higher. A DVD distribution deal is also an option. Romar founder and CEO Jim Schramm has 11 years of experience as a media buyer and through the National Cinema Network. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

NY Times: Answered Prayers: How 'Capote' Came Together

Around two years ago, a classic Hollywood pitch meeting was ending. In the Santa Monica offices of the now-defunct United Artists, a director with nothing more impressive than a low-budget documentary under his belt, a first-time screenwriter, a producer and an actor listened for a yes. "I would vouch for those two in the room with a very strong conviction," Philip Seymour Hoffman said of the writer and director. Friendship is rarely enough to get a movie made, but in what was to be one of several charmed moments in the life of "Capote," a key executive finally leaned forward, too - and spoke the yes they were waiting for. Christian Moerk reports (free NY Times subscription required to view entire article). 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

AP: Polanski Debuts 'Oliver Twist' in Prague

Roman Polanski, debuting his new film "Oliver Twist" on Saturday, said he chose to adapt the classic novel because he admires 19th-century English literature and wanted to make a movie his children would enjoy. The director, who in 2003 took home an Academy Award for his Holocaust drama "The Pianist," said he appreciated 19th-century authors' fascination "with banal elements that influence our destiny," specifically mentioning Thomas Hardy and "Oliver Twist" author Charles Dickens. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Reuters: 'The Squid and the Whale' tells NY family fable

Director Noah Baumbach dressed actor Jeff Daniels in his father's clothes and used his father's books as props in "The Squid and the Whale," but he insists his movie about a family broken by divorce is fiction. Still, the parallels to the director's real life are hard to ignore. Claudia Parsons reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

Miramax Set to Strike Again With "Tsotsi"

Miramax Films is reportedly set to make its second acquisition under the new leadership of Daniel Battsek. The company is expected to close a deal for North American rights to the Edinburgh and Toronto fest winner "Tsotsi" by Gavin Hood. During the Toronto fest, Miramax acquired rights to the doc "The Heart of the Game". Hood's "Tsotsi", based on Athol Fugard's novel, was described by the Toronto festival as tracing "six days in the lonely, violent life of Tsotsi (meaning 'thug'), a ruthless, young gang leader." Miramax neither confirmed nor denied the pact this weekend. As of late Sunday night a company spokesperson emphasized in a brief statement that the company, "declined to comment on the status of the aquisition." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ]

Next Reel Int'l Fest Underway at NYU

Now underway in New York is the re-named Next Reel International Film Festival, a biannual international film showcase that will offer screenings of some 111 films from 25 countries at New York University. Previously known as the NYU International Student Film Festival, the event is running now through October 1st at IFC Center and the Tisch School of the Arts in downtown Manhattan. David Lynch, Todd Solondz, and Lodge Kerrigan are among the filmmakers participating in discussions at the event. Also on tap is a panel discussion, organized by the Tribeca Film Festival, entitled, "Next Steps: Using Your Short Film to Achieve Your Career Goals." Tisch School of the Arts Vice Dean Pari Shirazi said in a statement:

This year marks exciting new changes for the festival. The festival's new look, and the partnerships with IFC Center and Tribeca, will bring much deserved attention to Next Reel's diverse line-up of films from emerging filmmakers around the world.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Reuters: Montreal film fests battle for funds, movie buffs

Reuters reported this weekend on the New Montreal Film Fest:

The New Montreal Film Fest, a highly touted upstart in the fight for festival supremacy in Montreal, is fending off jabs from local rivals, movie critics and even its own programming director at its inaugural edition.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Observer: LA confidential

A few days before power PR firm PMK/HBH opens its London office, the Observer offers a profile of publicist Pat Kingsley:

Pat Kingsley is in many respects the most powerful woman in Hollywood. She is feared by the press and revered by her clients. Stories of her techniques are legion and legendary - believing overexposure to be one of the prime risks of celebrity, she will drastically curb the number of interviews her clients give, she'll demand that her stars appear on the covers of magazines or not at all, that they have the right of veto over writers and photographers, that they get copy approval, and often she herself will be present throughout the interview. In short, she will ensure that nothing escapes her control. She is rumoured to have said to one editor: 'Why do you get to decide who goes on your cover?'

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]