TC Record-Eagle: Iranian film tribute goes beyond the headlines

Traverse City Film Festival attendees are getting a closer look at how Iranian people portray themselves, as headlines and talking heads dwell on tensions between leaders of that country and the United States. Director Mani Haghighi whose film "Men at Work" - about three men obsessed with trying to move a boulder for no apparent reason - is one of three offerings in the festival's "Salute to Iranian Cinema," said it's important to show the world how similar people are in different cultures. Tom Carr reports for the Traverse City Record-Eagle. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

SF360: Francois Ozon, mortal

With "Time to Leave," his ninth feature, Francois Ozon demonstrates yet again just how central a figure he has become to modern European cinema and reminds us, yet again, that he's one of gay world cinema's most accomplished writer/directors. His distinctive style smoothly crosses melodrama with naughtiness, plays with genre, and stamps every work with a deeply personal mise-en-scene and look --mincluding, with "Time to Leave," his first use of CinemaScope. B. Ruby Rich reports in SF360. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

The Guardian: The King of Bollywood

In India, Shah Rukh Khan is so famous he can't leave home without half a dozen minders. Shah Rukh Khan (also known as "King Khan") has been in more than 50 Hindi films and has won 13 Filmfare awards, regarded as the "Bollywood Oscars." He is the biggest star in Hindi cinema and this means billions of fans (Bollywood has a global audience of 3.6 billion; Hollywood has 2.5 billion). Emine Saner meets the world's "biggest film star." 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Will "Jesus Camp" Play in Traverse City?

Organizers at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival will show "Jesus Camp" this weekend, against the wishes of the filmmakers and distributor Magnolia Pictures, according to the Washington Post. The fest had a committment for the film prior to Magnolia acquiring the movie, but as indieWIRE reported last week, Eamonn Bowles decided to pull the doc from its screenings at the fest so as not to taint the perception of the film in the run up to the release.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Festivals ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Wardell Named to Head IMAGE in Atlanta

Gabriel Wardell has been appointed the executive director of IMAGE Film & Video Center in Atlanta, the organization has announced. He will join the organization on September 1st, replacing acting executive director, Jon Aaron, who oversaw the job search and will assist with the transition. IMAGE is responsible for two major film festivals in the city, the Atlanta Film Festival and OUT ON FILM, among other services and education initiatives for filmmakers. Wardell's previous experience includes work for numerous festivals, including programming of the AFI Silver Theater, producing SilverDocs, and working with Slamdance. He also served as a programmign coordinator at IMAGE nearly ten years ago. Citing the recent demise of AIVF, Wardell said in a statement, "Non-profits need to evolve, develop dynamic initiatives and provide vision if they intend to remain relevant in the 21st Century." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

NY Times: Agony of New Orleans, Through Spike Lee's Eyes

From the beginning Spike Lee knew that Hurricane Katrina was a story he had to tell. Watching the first television images of floating bodies and of desperate people, mostly black, stranded on rooftops, he quickly realized he was witnessing a major historical moment. As those moments kept coming, he spent almost a year capturing the hurricane's sorrowful consequences for a four-hour documentary, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" to be shown on HBO this month. Felicia R. Lee reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

"Mojave Phone Booth" and "Manual of Love" Take Top Stony Brook Film Festival Prizes

The 11th Stony Brook Film Festival ended July 29 with director John Putch's "Mojave Phone Book" winning the jury prize for best feature, while the audience award for best feature went to Giovanni Veronesi's "Manual of Love." In the shorts category, Valerie Weiss' "Transgressions" took the jury prize, while writer/director Douglas Horn's "Full Disclosure" received the audience award. The ten-day festival took place in Stony Brook, NY July 20 - 29. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Miami International Film Festival call for entries

The Miami International Film Festival is accepting entries for its fest taking place March 2 - 11. Submissions for juried competition categories are open to first and second-time directors and include Dramatic Features, World Cinema, Dramatic Features - Ibero-American Cinema, and Documentary Features - World & Ibero-American Cinema. Non-competition categories are also open to submissions and include short films and "Touching Florida." Films must have been completed after September 1, 2005, and must not have been publicly broadcast or exhibited commercially in the U.S. prior to the festival. The early submission deadline is September 4 and the final submission deadline is October 6. For more information and a submission form, visit their website. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Jonathan Wells Exits RES

Jonathan Wells, founder and festival director of RESFEST and a co-founder and the original editor of RES Magazine has announced that he is leaving RES Media Group after ten years. In an email message to the industry, Wells indicated that he will be pursuing new endeavors and he hopes to advise RES on special productions. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Varda to Receive a Flanders Tribute

French director Agnes Varda will be tributed at the 33rd annual Flanders International Film Festival taking place October 11 - 21. The festival, taking place in Ghent, Belgium, will feature 150 films. Ten of Varda's films will also screen as part of the tribute. FIFF will also fete composer Peer Raben with a lifetime achivement award. For more infomation about the festival, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

SXSW Call for Entries

The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW) is accepting entries for its 2007 festival taking place in Austin, TX March 9 - 17. SXSW accepts submissions of all kinds, both feature-length and short. Categories include: Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Music Video, and Experimental. The early submission deadline is November 17, 2006 and the final submission deadline is December 8, 2006. Information and applications are available on the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Seven Selected for Sundance Institute's 2006 Annenberg Film Fellowship Program

The Sundance Institute has announced the selection of seven filmmakers to take part in this year's Annenberg Film Fellows program. Paticipants include: Kit Hui's "A Breath Away"; co-writer/director Cruz Angelos and co-writer Maria Topete's "Don't Let Me Drown"; Jake Mahaffy's "Free In Deed"; director Andrew Dosunmu and writer Darci Picoult's "Mother of George"; Kirsten Johnson's "My Habibi"; So Young Kim's "Treeless Mountain" and Milford Thomas' "Uncloudy Day." Through the Annenberg Film Fellowship program, participants receive an initial grant of $10,000 and extended creative and financial support over a two-year period to facilitate the continued development of their projects. The program was created in April 2004 with a $5 million grant from the Annenberg Foundation at the recommendation of trustee Charles Annenberg Weingarten. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

H'Wood Reporter: Lionsgate on scent of "Blood Trails"

Indie distributor Lionsgate has picked up U.S. and U.K. rights to "Blood Trails," an English-language horror film about a bike messenger whose life becomes a living hell after a one-night stand with a mysterious stranger. The German-produced feature won the audience award at Edinburgh's Dead by Dawn horror festival. Scott Roxborough reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

H'Wood Reporter: "War Is Over" billboards promote Lennon film

In an effort to tap into anti-war sentiment, billboards will appear in New York and Los Angeles this month declaring "War Is Over! If You Want It." The statement is not so much political as commercial: independent film distributor Lionsgate is using them to promote its documentary "The U.S. vs. John Lennon," set to open September 15 in both cities. The billboards are a reproduction of those created and posted by Lennon and wife Yoko Ono in 11 cities in 1969 as a protest against the Vietnam War. Nicole Sperling reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

Filmmaker Magazine: 25 New Faces

On Filmmaker Magazine's anticipated annual 25 New Faces of Independent Film list this year are (with links to their site for content and contact info): [1 - 5] 1) Olivia Thirlby, 2) Linas Phillips, 3) Ham Tran, 4) So Yong Kim, 5) Scott Z. Burns, [6 - 10] 6) Antonio Campos, 7) Gary Huggins, 8) Carter Smith, 9) Astra Taylor, 10) Michele Civetta, [11 - 15] 11) Esther Robinson, 12) Alex Karpovsky, 13) Aurora Guerrero, 14) Eunhee Cho, 15) Neistat Brothers, [16 - 20] 16) Nee Brothers, 17) Pastor Brothers, 18) Michael Tully, 19) Paul Soter, 20) Lars Knudsen & Jay Van Hoy, [21 - 25] 21) John Maringouin, 22) Sameh Zoabi, 23) Kevin Jerome Everson, 24) Todd Rohal, 25) PJ Raval More from Filmmaker's summer issue is available now on their website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

Fortissimo Selling "Hula Girls"

Fortissimo Films has acquired worldwide sales rights, excluding Japan and Korea, to Lee Sang-Il's feel-good film, "Hula Girls." Set in 1965, the film is based on actual events surrounding a move to build a Hawaiian tourist village in a Japanese coal mining town. In the film, a dance instructor teaches local young women to dance the Hula and along the way they "become a phenomenal success as heroes of their hometown, as well as an inspiration throughout Japan," according to an announcement. Produced by Cine Qua Non, the film will be released in Japan in September and includes music from the acclaimed Hawaiian ukulele musician Jake Shimabukuro. "This is one of those feel-good, heart-warming films that comes along so infrequently yet easily transcends cultural and language boundaries," said Fortissimo's Michael Werner in a statement. "With that Hawaiian music and the hula - it's irresistible." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

NY Times: Claude Chabrol Is a Master of the Thriller (Hold the Thrills)

For nearly 50 years Claude Chabrol has been getting away with murder. In several senses. "The Bridesmaid," which opens in the United States on Friday, is his 54th feature film. "The Bridesmaid" (La Demoiselle de L'Honneur) is also a perfect illustration of another sense in which Claude Chabrol, at 76, continues to get away with murder: it is, like so many of his pictures, a thriller that - calmly, deliberately and with exquisite perversity - refuses to thrill. He prefers on the whole to unsettle, to disorient, to unnerve and to create the sort of apprehension that cannot finally be resolved. Terrence Rafferty reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Von Trier's "Boss" Set for Montreal Fest

Lars von Trier's "The Boss of it All" will have its international premiere at the 2006 Festival du Nouveau Cinema, running from October 18 - 28 in Montreal, according to organizers. Called "a comic turn" by the Danish director, the film is described as "the tale of the owner of a technology company who decides to sell the firm. The hitch is that when he founded the company, he invented a fictitious president to hide behind when it was time to announce difficult decisions. Now that it's time to sell, potential buyers want to negotiate with the non-existent 'president'...so the owner hires a struggling actor to play the part." The cast, mostly Danish actors, includes Jens Albinus, Casper Christensen, Peter Gantzler and Jean-Marc Barr. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Toronto Fest Launches Vanguard Section; 11 Films Set So Far

The Toronto International Film Festival will unveil a new Vanguard section at this year's festival, offering a program of films that "are stylistically bold, structurally playful and appeal to adventurous, risk-taking audiences." Announcing the new section today, organizers also unveiled a eleven of the films set to screen in the program. On tap so far are the world premieres of Geoffrey Wright's "Macbeth" (Australia), Pascal Arnold and Marc Barr's "Chacun Sa Nuit" (France), Antti-Jussi Annila's "Jade Warrior" (Finland/China/Estonia), and John Barker's "Bunny Chow" (South Africa). In a statement, festival co-director Noah Cowan said:

"The Festival has felt the need for some time to establish a programme for 'early adopters'," explained festival co-director Noah Cowan, in a statement, "people who delight in movies that push the envelopes of technology, culture, sexuality and cinema itself. These films are edgy, irreverent, definitely sexy, and have a palpable, youthful zing."

The previously announced "Shortbus" (U.S.) by John Cameron Mitchell, will have its North American premiere at the festival, as will Christian Volckman's "Renaissance" (France/UK/Luxembourg), Johnnie To's "Election 1 + 2" (Hong Kong), Gerardo Naranjo's "Drama/Mex" (Mexico), Murali K.Thalluri's "2:37" (Australia), Paul Goldman's "Suburban Mayem" (Australia), and the Canadian premiere of Bobcat Goldthwait's "Sleeping Dogs Lie" (U.S.). Get the latest Toronto fest news and information in indieWIRE's special section. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]

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. "Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight) $370,782 wknd ($52,969 per scrn) 2. "Another Gay Movie (TLA Releasing) $33,316 wknd ($16,658 per scrn) 3. "13 (Tzameti)" (Palm Pictures) $10,805 wknd ($10,805 per scrn) 4. "Wondrous Oblivion" (Palm Pictures) $10,740 wknd ($10,740 per scrn) 5. "Changing Times" (Koch Lorber Films) $25,512 wknd ($8,504 per scrn) 6. "Edmond" (First Independent) $7,493 wknd ($7,493 per scrn) 7. "Beowulf & Grendel" (Truly Indie) $6,354 wknd ($6,354 per scrn) 8. "American: Freedom To Facism" (Cinema Libre) $61,198 wknd ($6,120 per scrn) 9. "Scoop" (Focus Features) $3,046,924 wknd ($5,663 per scrn) 10. "I Like Killing Flies" (ThinkFilm) $5,487 wknd ($5,487 per scrn) 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Mark Cuban and Movie Marketing

Last week on his blog, Mark Cuban (owner of Landmark Theaters, HDNet, Magnolia Pictures, etc.) issued a call for new ideas about movie marketing, explaining:

Only HDNet takes more time out my day than trying to solve this problem. Its the holy grail of the movie business. How do you get people out of the house to see your movie without spending a fortune. How can you convince 5 million people to give up their weekend and go to a theater to see a specific movie without spending 60mm dollars.

His request for ideas generated 1,000 comments (all available online). And a follow-up post on his blog, a few days ago, has generated another 130+ comments. Cuban has promised that he will award a job to anyone who can come up with fresh ideas. He writes, "This is an open challenge. You come up with a solution, you get a job. Seriously." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

SF360: Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer, from the Salton Sea to San Francisco

The area surrounding the doomed Salton Sea is home to a singular collection of kooky characters, even by California standards. Fifty miles from Palm Springs, the "sea" is a manmade lake that was once a major Southland vacation spot and real estate developers' dreamscape. Now it's Nowheresville, populated by iconoclasts, free thinkers, and sunbaked lunatics. Yet they were kindred spirits, in some unexpected way, with San Francisco documentary filmmakers Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer. The duo's acclaimed debut, "Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea," brims with affection for these freaks and their freaky, freaky habitat. Michael Fox reports for SF360. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

Reuters: Michael Moore gets lots of Republican hugs

Michael Moore -- gadfly filmmaker, liberal activist and political lightning rod -- says he finds himself being hugged by a lot of Republicans these days. On the streets of Traverse City, where Moore is working on last-minute preparations for a bigger-and-better sequel to the film festival he launched last year in his home state, the Oscar-winning director says he is approached all the time by conservatives ready to make peace. "If you were to hang out with me here it won't be five or 10 minutes before you see a Republican hug me. That is almost as entertaining as some of the films," Moore said in an interview. Kevin Krolicki reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

"War Tapes" and "37 Uses for a Dead Sheep" Take First BritDoc Fest Prizes

"The War Tapes" by Deborah Scranton and Ben Hopkins' "37 Uses for a Dead Sheep" won the inaugural won the international competition and best British documentary prizes respectively over the weekend at the first annual BritDoc documentary festival in Oxford, England. "37 Uses" follows the travails of the Pamir Kirghiz people along their long journey from Russia, to China, Afghanistan in their quest to preserve their culture from Communism. They finallly settle in Turkey where they face a new foe, globalization. "War Tapes" is the first war film to be shot by soldiers on the frontline, showing life for a group of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Xiaolu Guo's "How is Your Fish Today?" received a special mention at the fest. BritDoc took place July 26 - 28. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Fortissimo Inks UK Deals for "The Bridge"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

In the UK...ICA Films has nabbed theatrical and DVD rights to Eric Steel's "The Bridge," while Channel 4 has acquired TV broadcast rights. Fortissimo Films brokered the deals for the U.S. film and said today that Steel's doc, about suicides at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, will screen at this years London Film Festival. Steel started his career as a creative executive at Walt Disney Pictures and was an SVP at Scott Rudin Productions. He executive produced "Angela's Ashes" and co-produced "Bringing Out The Dead" and "Shaft". [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

LAT: Crossing This Line May Cost Gibson

In the LA Times today, Robert W. Welkos and John Horn consider the impact of Mel Gibson's drunk driving arrest in Malibu this weekend, given the subsequent reports about his "anti-Semitic tirade" on the scene. Gibson, who has since apologized, admitted he is an alcoholic, and called his own remarks "despicable," is finising his next film, "Apocalypto" for Disney and also developing a miniseries about the Holocaust for the studio's ABC-TV network. Welkos and Horn wonder if Hollywood will forgive Gibson and whether those projects will be affected. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

"Sunshine" Golden in Debut

Fox Searchlight's release of "Little Miss Sunshine" earned an estimated $357,000 this weekend on 7 screens, for an estimated debut per screen average of $51,000 (according to BoxOfficeMojo.com). In its first five days in release, the film has made nearly $450,000, according to the estimate. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Laura De Casto To Run Tartan USA

Laura De Casto has been tapped to run Tartan USA, in addition to her UK responsibilities as Tartan Films' Managing Director. She has been with the company for eight years and will handle the LA duties primarily from the company's London office, traveling to LA as needed. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

LAT: Francois Ozon, Always a Leading Ladies' Man

In the Los Angeles Times, Mark Olsen profiles director Francois Ozon and explores his many movies showcasing top female actors, from Jeanne Moreau in his new film "Time to Leave," to Charlotte Rampling in "Under The Sand," as well as Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Isabelle Huppert, Rampling, Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier in "8 Women."

I do films to be behind the camera, not in front of the camera. I'm sure I say very intimate things about myself in all my films, but it's better to say it not too directly, to be hidden behind a woman."

 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

"Inconvenient Truth" at $20 Million

With estimated grosses of $772,909 this weekend, Paramount Classics' "An Inconvenient Truth" will pass the $20 million mark today, according to the company. The film is in 346 locations this weekend, with an estimated average of $2,234 and an estimated cume of $20,180,021. In a statement today, the company said:

This is a rarity for this genre demonstrating the strong word of month and longevity of the film. After opening to tremendous numbers, the film's staying power has allowed it to continue throughout the crowed Summer and rank among the top documentaries of all time.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]