IFP Minnesota Names Seven Finalists for McKnight Screenwriting Program

Seven projects have been named finalists in the 2006 McKnight Screenwriting program, IFP Minnesota announced Friday. Administered by IFP Minnesota for ten years, the money awarded recognizes and support resident screenwriters of Minnesota who have "excelled in the artistic discipline of writing for cinema." Each applicant submits one narrative feature screenplay, which is judged by professional screenwriters, directors, producers, development executives, and literary agents/managers outside Minnesota. Each of the two winning Fellows will receive a $25,000 cash award for excellence in the art of screenwriting. Additionally, the two Fellows are automatically admitted to the 2006 IFP Market in New York City. Fellows will be announced in June 2006. The finalists are: "Balance" by Zach Hammill, "Holiday Beach" by Steven Larson and Gary Jenneke, "The Prom Committee" by Matthew Stenerson, "Beaded Road" by Wenonah Wilms, "Supposedly Empty" by May Chaplin, "Gone the Sun" by Tom Weber, "Law Officer" by Emily Haddad. [Brian Brooks]  
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Strand Raises Curtain to Tribeca Pic "Backstage"

Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to Emmanuelle Bercot's "Backstage," which received its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival Wednesday. The film stars Emmanuelle Seigner as a pop idol whose life is turned upside down when a young, obssessed fan, played by Islid Le Besco, invades her life when they meet on a television show taping. The deal was negotiated between Carole Baraton of Wild Bunch and Marcus Hu and Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing during the Tribeca Film Festival. "Backstage" will also be screening at the San Francisco International Film Festival, currently underway, and at the upcoming Seattle International Film Festival. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

indieLOOP: Billy Corben's "Cocaine Cowboys"

During the Tribeca Film Festival, indieWIRE's new online social network/community site, indieLOOP is hosting two discussion groups: Tribeca Film Festival '06 Filmmakers, where we have invited directors from this year's program to post in a group journal about their experience at the festival; and Tribeca Film Festival, where we encourage festival goers to discuss what movies they've seen, parties they've been attending, and who've they've been meeting. In today's Filmmakers journal, Director Billy Corben talks about the world premiere of his documentary "Cocaine Cowboys": "The theater was PACKED! There was a mad scramble for seats and people kept coming well after the movie started, standing at the back of the theater and in the aisles (what the hell else do people gotta do on a Wednesday night). Most, if not all of the people on the "door sales" line were accommodated, which is outstanding -- so, even if the screening is SOLD OUT, get to the show early enough and you'll probably get in! In attendance (in addition to my parents): Alec Baldwin, Steve Van Zandt and Jan Hammer." [James Israel] 
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Cannes Fest Adds to Lineup

Cannes Film Festival organizers announced Thursday that Israeli filmmaker Adrian Caetano's "Cronica de Una Fuga" has been added to the festival's competition section, moved over from the Un Certain Regard section, meanwhile Murali K. Thalluri's first film, "Two Thirty 7" has been added to the Un Certain Regard section. Also added, in the special screenings section, is a showing of Wim Wenders' short film, "Chambre 666," a movie he shot at the festival in 1982, it will be followed by Holger Ernst's "The House Is Burning." [Eugene Hernandez] 
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NY Times: "The TV Set" at the Tribeca Film Festival Sends Up the Making of Sitcoms

David Carr reports on "The TV Set," screening Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival. "Where does bad television come from? "The TV Set," a movie that has its premiere tomorrow night at the Tribeca Film Festival, considers the question of agency, or blame, for the dreck that generally passes for the modern sitcom. As fate, or the process, would have it, everyone who touches the mythical pilot at the heart of the film manages to leave it a little worse for wear, most notably Lenny, the ferocious executive played by Sigourney Weaver."  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, New York ]

"American Cannibal" Claims Premiere Audience in East Village

The Reeler reports on last night's premiere screening of "American Cannibal" at the Tribeca Film Festival, "More than a handful of this year's Tribeca selections have evoked that most puerile of criticisms in me: the one that shakes my head and insists to myself and anyone who will listen, 'Jesus Christ--I can make a better movie than that.' And then there are the few exceptional films that I not only enjoy but also ruminate on for hours or days afterward, thinking, 'Jesus Christ--not only can I not make a better movie than that, but I should fucking distribute that film.' The inner distributor in me is particularly excited about the documentary "American Cannibal: The Road to Reality", which premiered to an enthusiastic New York crowd yesterday at the AMC Village."  
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indieWIRE Presents: "Four Eyed Monsters" at Apple Store Soho This Friday

indieWIRE continues its monthly series this Spring with Apple Store - SoHo that presents indie film professionals discussing various aspects of the filmmaking process. On Friday, April 28th, (7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m) filmmakers Susan Buice and Arin Crumley will discuss their autobiographical digital feature film, "Four Eyed Monsters," (made entirely on a Mac) which they are marketing through a unique video podcast series. The film, which screened at Slamdance and SXSW (among many other film festivals) blends narrative and non-fiction elements and captures the ups and downs of a relationship between two young, frustrated artists who meet online. Buice and Crumley will explain how they developed the "Four Eyed Monsters" video podcast series which is distributed through MySpace and iTunes. For more information, please visit indieWIRE Calendar.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

Toronto International Film Festival Group Receives $500K Donation for Children's Film Collection

The Toronto International Film Festival Group announced the creation of a new children's international film collection following a $500,000 donation from the Toronto-based Harbinger Foundation. The gift, to be called the John VanDuzer Children's Film Collection in memory of Harbinger president Joan VanDuzer's late husband, is described as "a major step" towards establishing a solid foundation for the development of youth education programs for TIFFG. In recognition of the gift, TIFFG will create an endowment fund to support the yearly acquisition of film prints, education rights, storage, maintenance, cataloging and preparation to be used for events in TIFFG's planned Festival Centre as well as for outside institutions. [Brian Brooks] 
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Cablevision Names Oines SVP and General Manager for Clearview Cinemas

Cablevision has appointed Douglas Oines as its senior vice president and general manager for Clearview Cinemas, the cable company, which also owns entities such as Rainbow Media and Madison Square Garden, announced Wednesday. Effective immediately, Oines will oversee the day-to-day business of Clearview, the New York metropolitan area's second largest movie exhibitor. Oines will oversee theater operations, marketing and custormer service for the company's 53 theaters. He will report to Cablevision's COO, Thomas Rutledge. Most recently, Oines served as VP of operations for Clearview. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

LA Weekly Interview: Mickey Cottrell

Ella Taylor (LA Weekly) interviews indie film publicist Mickey Cottrell and says, "a prince among independent film publicists, Mickey Cottrell was the first and most persevering of my callers when I took over as film editor at the L.A. Weekly in 1989." 'El-la, bee-yootiful El-la,' he sang into my voice mail in his arch, ambiguously patrician countertenor. 'It's Mickey Cottrel-la,' and I knew I was in for a mega-pitch on behalf of some outlaw filmmaker with no publicity budget and a potential audience of 20." 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

indieLOOP: On The Scene During Tribeca

During the Tribeca Film Festival, indieWIRE's new online social network/community site, indieLOOP is hosting two discussion groups: Tribeca Film Festival '06 Filmmakers, where we have invited directors from this year's program to post in a group journal about their experience at the festival; and Tribeca Film Festival, where we encourage festival goers to discuss what movies they've seen, parties they've been attending, and who've they've been meeting. In today's Filmmakers journal, Director Ishai Setton talks about gearing up for the screenings of his feature narrative film, "The Big Bad Swim" which is premiering tonight. In the journal he writes, "I just found out Huffington Post is going to take me from my apartment to our premiere party in a car, with a "webcam" a la Taxicab Confessions. I'm just trying to figure out what secrets I can reveal in the car." [James Israel] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, New York ]

SF Chronicle: Interview: Werner Herzog

There are a few places that Werner Herzog, in his long and peripatetic filmmaking career, has not gotten around to visiting. One is the central Sahara, but the director, as unflaggingly curious and fearless as he is, says dangerous civil wars will probably make the region forever inaccessible to him. And then there is space. John McMurtrie reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

NY Times: At the Tribeca Festival, Heavy on the Reality, Light on the Light

In the NY Times, Stephen Holden asks, "Whatever happened to the notion of movies as the "'Great Escape?' As the fifth annual Tribeca Film Festival consumes New York over the next two weeks, a more apt description of the mood of world cinema expressed in TriBeCa might be "No Escape." From tonight's (Tuesday's) opening film, "United 93," to "The Road to Guantanamo" to "The War Tapes"" (the titles tell you the subject matter), brute reality and simulations of it constitute the artistic flashpoints of a festival obsessed with history and current events and short on love stories and fluffy comedies.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, New York ]

"The Making of a Martyr" Takes 2nd U.N. Doc Film Fest Prize

The 2nd annual United Nations Documentary Film Festival honored "The Making of a Martyr" with its audience award for best film. First-time Canadian-born directors Brooke Goldstein and Alistair Leyland were on hand to accept the prize for the film about a 15 year old suicide bomber who surrenders his own mission to blow himself up on the Israeli border. The directors find themselves with unprecedented access in his home, with his mother, father and sister; in the Israeli prison where he is held; and in the school he attended. The UN Documentary Film Festival featured films that deal with the UN's millennium goals including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empower women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

The Top Ten So Far...

Each Monday, indieWIRE receives the final weekend numbers for specialty releases in theaters. This is our top ten for the past weekend so far, with most numbers already in. The top ten is subject to change before the final chart is published tomorrow and the weekly box office column is written. Three day weekend box office data provided by Rentrak as of Monday, 6:00 p.m. EST. 1."Hard Candy: (Lionsgate) $37,802 wknd ($18,901 per scrn) 2. "Drawing Restraint 9" (IFC Films) $21,052 wknd ($7,017 per scrn) 3. "Stolen" (International Film Circuit) $6,250 wknd ($6,250 per scrn) 4. "The Celestine Prophecy (RAM Entertainment) $25,297 wknd ($5,059 per scrn) 5. "Sisters In Law" (Women Make Movies) $4,675 wknd ($4,675 per scrn) 6. "Kinky Boots" (Miramax) $116,120 wknd ($4,466 per scrn) 7. "Somersault" (Magnolia Pictures) $21,566 wknd ($4,313 per scrn) 8. "4" (Leisure Time Features) $4,000 wknd ($4,000 per scrn) 9. "Brick" (Focus Features) $176,425 wknd ($3,920 per scrn) 10. "The Notorious Betty Page" (Picturehouse Films) $186,309 wknd ($3,582 per scrn) 
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Arclight to Take "Rajapur" to the World

Arclight Films has acquired Nanda Anand's debut film "Return to Rajapur" for worldwide sales. The film, described as a "heartfelt tale of love and destiny set in the sand-swept terrains of Rajapur, a desert city in Northern India," will will have its world premiere April 26th as an official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival. Arclight's Gary Hamilton negotiated the deal with the film's Anand, Chris Edwards and Jonathan Gray. International sales will commence at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. [Brian Brooks] 
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AFP: More movie shoots making New York Hollywood East

Long one of Hollywood's favorite backdrops -- though, in recent years, only so far as its grit and flash can be depicted from stand-in California studios and Vancouver streets -- New York is increasingly drawing producers when it comes to location work. With 31,500 days of filming tallied in a year -- twice as much as in 2002 -- 2005 beat all of the city's records, according to the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. The movie and television production business, which employs about 100,000 people in New York, has become the biggest job-creating industry. Agence France Presse reports. 
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Sundance Institute Appoints Mertes to Documentary Fund and Initiatives Post

The Sundance Institute announced that Cara Mertes has been named its new director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. In her new position, Mertes will oversee all of the initiatives of the program, including the Sundance Documentary Fund, the annual Documentary Edit and Story Laboratory, the annual Documentary Composers Laboratory, the House of Docs programming at the Filmmaker Lodge at the Sundance Film Festival and ongoing year-round support for doc filmmakers. She will also curate documentary series with partner institutions, acting as liaison with other Sundance entities on doc initiatives and representing the Institute in the worldwide documentary community. Mertes, who is currently executive director of American Documentary, Inc. and executive producer of the PBS series P.O.V., will officially begin her work with Sundance this summer and will be involved with planning the Documentary Film Labs taking place at the Sundance Resort in Utah. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

SF Chronicle: We'll Always Have Paris

The mayor of Paris got the full-throttle star treatment at Thursday's opening of the San Francisco International Film Festival. With no actual movie stars in attendance, photographers and TV cameramen hovered outside the Castro Theatre awaiting the arrival of Mayor Bertrand Delanoe here for a 10th anniversary celebration of the sister city bond between his town and ours. Ruthe Stein reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

The Guardian: US bars United 93 star from premiere

An Iraqi actor who stars in "United 93," Paul Greengrass's new film about one of the planes hijacked on September 11, has been refused entry into the US for the movie's premiere. UK-based Lewis Alsamari has been told he will not get a visa for this week's screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. The actor, who plays the lead hijacker on board United Airlines flight 93, has not been given a reason by the US embassy in London. The Guardian reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]