Picture This Gets Award-Winning "A Love To Hide"

Picture This! Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the Outfest 2006 award winner, "A Love To Hide" (Un Amour A Taire). Christian Faure's film, described by the company as a "heart-wrenching gay drama set during the Nazi occupation of France in 1942," will be releases in the U.S. and Canada in November. The film shared the audience award for best feature and also won the jury and audience prizes at the 2006 Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, among numerous other fest awards. The deal was negotiated by Douglas Witkins, President of Picture This! Entertainment, and Dimitri Stephanides of TF1 International. "This picture depicts an important yet terrifying period in the history of gay people and all others who suffered under hatred and intolerance," Witkins said in a statement. "It should be a permanent and prominent component of everyone’s film collection, so as we celebrate our personal freedoms we never forget the not-to-distant past." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ]

Reuters: 9/11 documentary director wants truth to prevail

The director of a new documentary on September 11 fears that two upcoming Hollywood dramatizations of the World Trade Center attacks may eclipse her project. "I hope the truth does not get lost amongst the fiction," Linda Ellman, a former NBC News producer, who made her film directorial debut with "On Native Soil," told Reuters. Ellman's goal with [the film], airing next month on cable channel Court TV, was to stay true to the 9/11 Commission Report -- the government's account of the suicide hijackings that killed about 3,000 people -- and present an historically accurate version of events as they unfolded, almost in real time. Sue Zeidler reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

H'Wood Reporter: Sayles has ear for '50s music drama

John Sayles will direct "Honeydripper," a period musical drama starring Danny Glover, blues guitarist Keb' Mo', R&B icon Ruth Brown and Gary Clark Jr., a Texas blues guitarist. Set in 1950s Alabama, Sayles' original script centers on Tyrone (Glover), owner of the Honeydripper juke joint. When business begins to drop off, against his better judgment, Tyrone hires Sonny (Clark), a young electric guitarist, in a last-ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time. Sheigh Crabtree reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Production ]

Six Musicians Named for 2006 Sundance Institute Composers Lab

The Sundance Institute announced its six musicians selected for the 9th annual Sundance Institute Composers Lab, which runs from July 25 until August 10 in Sundance, Utah. This year's Lab Fellows include: Terry Dame, Viktor Krauss, Jessica Lurie, Craig Richey, Hahn Rowe and Martin St-Pierre. During this two-week intensive lab, the group will participate in workshops and creative exercises under the guidance of leading film composers and film music professionals. At the Labs, the Composers Lab participants also collaborate with filmmakers from the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program as well as the Sundance Documentary Program to explore the process of writing music for film and to create accompanying scores for scenes shot by the Directing Fellows during the Institute's Directors Lab. First offered from 1986-1989, the Composers Lab was re-introduced in the summer of 1998 to provide a "collaborative and supportive environment in which composers can experiment and expand their musical language." [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Hollywood Studio Changes Lead to Layoffs and Concern in Tinseltown

In the Los Angeles Times today, Claudia Eller and Richard Verrier report on a wave of growing concern in Hollywood in the wake of changes at a number of studios, Disney being the latest. Citing restructuring, consolidation, and layoffs at MGM, Dreamworks, and Revolution Studios, they indicated:

Disney's firings, which started at the top with the studio's production chief, are the latest in an industrywide contraction that has cost more than 2,000 jobs worldwide. In Los Angeles, particularly, the economic effect is being widely felt. Here, in an industry built on bravado, people are suddenly talking openly about being afraid.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

"Goodbye" Leads List of Indian Films Set For Toronto '06

Karan Johar's "Never Say Goodbye" is among the new films from India that will debut at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival. The gala presentation at this year's fest is described as, "a passionate, sweeping love story that captures India's biggest stars and foremost talent with charm and sophistication. With New York as its backdrop, the film tackles the bonds of marriage with delightful touches of humor and grand le aps into romance." The film, from Dharma Productions, is distributed in North America by Yash Raj Films. Fest organizers also unveiled a group of other Indian titles set to screen at the fest, including Kabir Bhan's "Kabul Express," Chitra Palekar's "A Grave-Keeper's Tale," Rajnesh Domalpalli's "Vanaja," and Haobam Paban Kumar's "A Cry in The Dark." The fest will run from September 7 - 16 in Toronto. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]

Chatting with Daniels

"People don't understand my movies or they love my movies," explains producer-turned-director Lee Daniels in a New York Times profile today. "There's no gray area here. And that's O.K., because if everybody did get it, I would think I was doing something wrong." Daniels as a track record of luring top talent to work on his film, in particular the upcoming "Shadowboxer", which he directed (the film opens Friday in theaters):

A-list actors are attracted to his small films (budgets are usually under $5 million) because, he said, they know the experience of making them will be an "adventure." "It's a little Euro, a little homo and a little ghetto, and they love being in that world," the openly gay Mr. Daniels said, adding: "They work for nothing and some potato chips. And I demand that everybody check all egos at the door, and they dare not defy me because they know I'm a little off myself."

 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

AFP: Family fights Hollywood over "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" prequel rights

The son of the Chinese author of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is waging a legal battle in a Canadian court with Hollywood studios over the film rights to his father's books. The film version of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by director Ang Lee won four Oscars and now Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. and The Weinstein Company say they hold the film rights to other books in the same series penned by Wang Du Lu. Michel Comte reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Reuters: Hollywood studios unveil movie ratings by email

Hollywood's major studios Tuesday unveiled plans to email parents movie rating information to help people who want to know more about new films' language or other content before letting kids see them. Parents can sign up for the new service at the MPAA's website, MPAA.org, or at filmratings.com. Emails will be sent out weekly, generally on Tuesdays, the MPAA said. The MPAA represents Hollywood's major studios in government and public policy matters. Reuters reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Movie Critics Under Fire?

Earlier this week, in the venerable New York Times (the paper that NYC film marketers pray to weekly), lead critic A.O. Scott wondered (in the wake of the major success of the badly reviewed "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" and "The Da Vinci Code"), "What, exactly, critics are for...are we out of touch with the audience?" Today (in the wake of the aforementioned Joel Siegel storming out of a press screening), critics faced the same existential question as Scott Foundas took Kevin Smith to task for initially being asked to leave a recent screening of "Clerks 2" and then David Poland weighed in with his own blunt thoughts on the matter.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Reid Rosefelt: Critic Crossed a Line by Walking Out of "Clerks 2"

Good Morning America film critic Joel Siegel infamously stormed out of a recent press screening of "Clerks 2," cursing about the film as he exited. Reacting to the story, detailed in today's edition of Page Six, former publicist Reid Rosefelt blogs about the situation, writing that the critic "crossed a line." He continues:

Not only don't I think critics should raise a fuss at a screening, I think they have to watch the whole thing. Films often get better as they go along. One should never make a judgment until you see it all. At that point, critics can choose not to review the film (Siegel doesn't review everything) or pan the film as harshly as they want. Watching bad movies is very taxing, but that's the film critic's job. If they don't like it, they should take up something less stressful, like working 24/7 as a hospital surgeon.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Robinson Promoted at TWC

At The Weinstein Company, Eric Robinson has been promoted to VP of Production and Development. Based in New York, he will report to Michael Cole and focus primarily on animated material. Robinson joined Miramax in 2000 as an executive assistant to Harvey Weinstein, he previously served as a director of pproduction at both Miramax and then TWC. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

2007 Sundance Film Festival Entry Deadlines

The 2007 Sundance Film Festival, running January 18 - 28 in Utah, has announced a call for submissions for dramatic and documentary feature-length films, and for short films. Deadlines to submit U.S. and international films for next year's event are: August 18 (for early submissions for all films); September 1 (short films); September 11 (feature films). The Independent Film Competition is open to independently produced dramatic and documentary feature-length films; U.S. films in competition must be world premieres, have at least 50 percent U.S. financing, and have been completed in either 2005 or 2006. Dramatic features must be no less than 70 minutes, and documentary features must be no less than 50 minutes, among other criteria. American short films under 35 minutes in length compete for the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking. International short films under 30 minutes in length are eligible for the Jury Prize in International Filmmaking. Submissions can be completed directly online and for more information, please visit the Sundance Film Festival website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Park City ]

Kenan Ready for His Close-Up

In the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Goldstein offers a profile of the 29 year old debut feature filmmaker Gil Kenan, whose "Monster House" is coming this week to theaters. The animated studio movie, described as a "comic horror film," was shepherded by exec producers Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg and marks Kenan's follow-up to his 2002 UCLA thesis film, "The Lark," which was a Slamdance hit. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People, Shorts ]

Atchison Set for 3 at TWC

"Akeelah and the Bee" director Doug Atchison has inked a three-picture, first-look pact with The Weinstein Company. Two of them are: the romantic comedy "Outspoken" and the historical WWI romance "The Last Caravan." Lou Pitt will produce both, according to Michael Cole, TWC production co-president. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Lions Gate's Library For $960 Million?

Calling Lions Gate Entertainment "the Southwest Airlines of the movie industry," Fortune magazine explores the potential sale of the successful company, as The New York Times' DealBook notes. The Times' biz blog speculates that a sale of the Lions Gate library could be worth $960 million (according to analysts), and DealBook adds:

With certified hits like "Crash" and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" wringing millions from modest budgets, Lions Gate is at a crossroads. Should it join the Hollywood game and expand into the sort of major film studio it has long outmaneuvered, or should it try to sell itself?

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Kerr Joining Flaherty

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

Mary Kerr has been named executive director of The Flaherty/International Film Seminars, Inc., the organization announced Monday. Previously with DocuClub (and before that SilverDocs, among others), Kerr will join IFS on August 7th. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Industry Moves ]

Features Films (Finally) Coming to iPod?

Mac rumor site ThinkSecret says that Apple is finally ready to unveil its plan to bring feature films to iTunes and the iPod. The site said tonight that Apple head Steve jobs would announce the news in a few weeks during his annual keynote speech during a Mac trade show -- the downloads will be short term rentals only, according to ThinkSecret:

While the announcement will undoubtedly be billed as a further extension of iTunes' dominance in digital media downloads, it represents a coup for the movie industry, which will have succeeded in standing its ground against Apple's pressures to offer consumers the option of owning movie downloads.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

"Volver" Trailer

The trailer for a Cannes favorite, Pedro Almodovar's "Volver," is available now on Apple's Quicktime movie site. Sony Pictures Classics will release the movie domestically on November 3rd. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Trailers ]

The Top Ten So Far...

Each week, 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. Weekend box office data provided by Rentrak as of Monday, 6:00 p.m. EST. 1. "Changing Times" (Koch Lorber) $31,702 wknd ($31,702 per scrn) 2. "Heading South" (Shadow Distribution) $33,595 wknd ($16,798 per scrn) 3. "Gabrielle" (IFC First Take) $30,676 wknd ($15,338 per scrn) 4. "Edmond" (First Independent) $19,253 wknd ($9,627 per scrn) 5. "Time To Leave" (Strand Releasing) $15,377 wknd ($7,689 per scrn) 6."A Scanner Darkly" (Warner Independent) $1,266,427 wknd ($5,863 per scrn) 7. "Beowulf & Grendel" (Truly Indie) $9,956 wknd ($4,978 per scrn) 8. "Strangers With Candy" (ThinkFilm) $355,468 wknd ($4,500 per scrn) 9. "La Moustache" (Cinema Guild) $13,396 wknd ($4,465 per scrn) 10. "Army of Shadows" (Rialto) $20,265 wknd ($4,053 per scrn) 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Newcomer Set for Ang Lee's Latest

Ang Lee's new film, "Lust, Caution," will star newcomer Tang Wei, according to Focus Features. The actress, from China, will star with Tony Leung in the movie, described as an "espionage thriller set in WWII-era Shanghai." Bill Kong, who previously produced Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," will produce the new film with the director. James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features, will executive produce the film which written by Wang Hui-Ling and adapted from a short story by the late Chinese author Eileen Chang. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

Reuters: Directors tell Gen X'ers to grow up

More than a decade after "Clerks" and "The Brothers McMullen," Reuters' Bob Tourtellotte looks at new movies from the film's directors Kevin Smith and Ed Burns, two filmmakers who got their big breaks at Sundance in the mid-90s. Comparing and contrasting "Clerks 2" and "The Groomsmen," Tourtellotte notes:

While far different in story and style, the films share key themes. New Jersey-native Smith, 35, and New Yorker Burns, 38, look at guys in their mid-30s who refuse to face adulthood. Moreover, the movies join a growing list of works in pop culture, such as Christopher Noxon's book "Rejuvenile," that reflect a generation which, as it matured, took its childhood with it.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Huntsberry Joins Paramount, Moore Expands Role

Frederick Huntsberry has been named COO of Paramount Pictures Corporation, while Rob Moore (head of worldwide marketing, distribution and business affairs) has been given additional duties overseeing home entertainment and digital media. Huntsberry joined the company from G.E. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Looking for Conservative Docs

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

Given the wide-range of left-leaning documentaries, why isn't there a complementary number of conservative ones seen at film festivals or ultimately in theaters? Thats the question asked in a New York Times piece today by John Anderson who explores the liberal bias in U.S. documentaries and wonders where the right-wing films are. Noting that festivals like Sundance, Seattle, IDFA, or the NYFF simply don't receive such films, he quotes Wash Westmoreland (director of the upcoming narrative feature "Quinceanera" and the recent doc "Gay Republicans"), The thing that drives you to make a documentary is seeing it as a way to social change. Societies with little conflict tend not to make interesting art." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz, Documentary ]

U.S. Eyes Growing Russian Film Industry

Anticipating what could be double-digit growth in the next five years, a number of U.S. companies and producers have their eyes on the Russian film industry. According to a New York Times piece by Laura M. Holson and Steven Lee Myers:

Russia's movie industry, following a torpid decade that mirrored the country's social, political and economic turbulence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, is in the midst of a creative renaissance and box-office boom. And Hollywood -- whose producers, distributors and exhibitors rarely pass up a chance to exploit an opportunity -- is spending millions on theaters, distributors and movies themselves.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz, World Cinema ]