iW Video: A Telluride Chat with Tom Luddy

In our first indieWIRE: Video dispatch from a festival...Telluride Film Festival co-founder and co-head Tom Luddy spoke with indieWIRE on Friday, hours before the event began, to talk about the connection between the new and classic films screening at the event. Check out the entire video clip here (via YouTube). And for more from Telluride, indieWIRE editor Eugene Hernandez is updating his blog regularly with fest reports, get the latest all weekend. 
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AFP: Stone sinks in Venice, Spike Lee's Katrina victims applauded

Oliver Stone's treatment of 9/11 in "World Trade Center" drew a mixed reception ahead of its European premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Friday while Spike Lee's look at post-Katrina New Orleans, "ground zero" of America's biggest natural disaster, was applauded. Booing countered by applause rang out at the end of Stone's account of a true story of the heroic survival of two policemen who were trapped in the rubble of the Twin Towers for 24 hours. Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" won warm applause when the four-hour documentary about Hurricane Katrina spooled to a conclusion. Shown on the anniversary of the hurricane in a city which has long faced the same flood risk as New Orleans, the movie provides a detailed chronology of events through the eyes of survivors and documents the anger of America's black underclass, the real victims of Katrina, at government inaction. Denis Barnett reports. 
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Reuters: Dutch director returns to roots with dark Nazi film

Paul Verhoeven, best known for Hollywood hits "Basic instinct" and "Total Recall," has returned to his native Netherlands with a film challenging the view that the anti-Nazi resistance there was a movement only for heroes. "Black Book" was inspired by real events and characters, and seeks to undermine movie stereotypes of evil Fascist forces, heroic resistance fighters and powerless Jewish victims. "It is difficult to imagine there is an enormous amount of hope available to humankind," he told a news conference after the film's first screening on Friday. "Black Book" is one of 21 films in competition at the Venice Film Festival. 
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H'Wood Reporter: Venice Film Festival beefs up security

Security measures at the Venice Film Festival are tighter than ever, though some officials said the greatest threat this year may come from protesters rather than any kind of terrorist plot. Bolstered by greater numbers than in past years, security experts scan the beaches with metal detectors and examine screening locations for explosives before performances begin. A ring of steel surrounds the main venues, and metal detectors and strict bag checks upon entry are par for the course. Eric J. Lyman reports. 
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iW Video: The Full "Shortbus" Trailer

Set for a theatrical release in early October from ThinkFilm, John Cameron Mitchell's "Shortbus" will have its North American premiere next week at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film's full trailer recently debuted online, check out the entire video clip here (via YouTube). 
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Strand Releasing Brings "Poison Friends" to U.S.

Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to Emmanuel Bourdieu's "Poison Friends" from Les Films du Losange. The film has been selected as an official selection for the 44th edition of the New York Film Festival. "Poison Friends" follows a cadre of college intellectuals who fall prey to one of their group's seductively charming pathological liars. The feature won a prize at this year's International Critic's Week where it had its world premiere as the opening film. Strand's Jon Gerrans negotiated the deal with Les Films du Lonsange's Daniela Elstner. "We're thrilled to be working with Les Films du Losange and that the film has been selected for the New York Film Festival," commented Strand co-president, Marcus Hu in a statement. No theatrical release date was announced. [Brian Brooks]  
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LA Times: Telluride: A Film Fest That's Actually About Films

As soon as executives at Sony Pictures Classics saw a rough cut of "Capote," they decided to launch their film at a top film festival. But Sony wasn't focused on Cannes, didn't shoot for Sundance and hadn't singled out Toronto, Venice or Berlin. The company wanted the film to premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, a small Labor Day gathering that isn't exactly at the top of the industry food chain. "Because it's a holiday weekend, and because it's virtually impossible to get to -- it's easier to get to Cannes than it is to Telluride -- the people who go to Telluride are truly die-hard movie fans," says Michael Barker, co-president of Sony's specialized film unit. "Everyone is there to see movies. There is no other agenda, there are no deals. It's a place to discover movies." John Horn reports. 
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The Guardian: Femme fatale Johansson thrills festival

Brian De Palma's noir movie "The Black Dahlia" premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim yesterday as its 21-year-old star, Scarlett Johansson, paraded down the red carpet. The actor plays a femme fatale in the murder mystery set in 1940s Hollywood and film reviewers emerged from a preview screening acclaiming her on-screen sex appeal."I think generally, when there are periods of depression in a country, people distract themselves oftentimes with scandal," she said. "We've seen it in the past and it's sort of happening right now. There's mass genocide going on and people are focused on bringing somebody over from Thailand for tests that may or may not prove something." Audrey Gillan reports. 
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AFP: John Lennon documentary a hit at Venice festival

A new documentary about John Lennon has proved the hit of the Venice Film Festival so far, the singer-songwriter's rage against American involvement in Vietnam resonating with relevance to today's Iraq conflict. Lennon's genius as an artist/activist shines through in "The US Vs John Lennon," by documentary makers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, which was warmly applauded at its first screening in Venice. Denis Barnett reports. 
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Goldwyn/Roadside Go for "Grace"

Samuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions will jointly distribute Michael Apted's "Amazing Grace" in the United States, the film (which will close the Toronto International Film Festival next month) stars Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Rufus Sewell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Youssou N'Dour, Ciaran Hinds, Michael Gambon, and Albert Finney. Lakeshore Entertainment is on board to handle international distribution and will begin selling the film at the festival. The film is the story of William Wilberforce, a young member of parliament who in the words of an annoucement, "championed the abolition of slavery in the British Empire." [Eugene Hernandez] 
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Gondry Talks About "Sleep"

At the Apple Store - Soho last night, filmmaker Michel Gondry talked about his upcoming film, "The Science of Sleep" and considered the comparisons between himself and the lead character in his film, played by Gael Garcia Bernal. Check out an indieWIRE video clip and links to more coverage... 
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NY Times: No Kid, but Robert Evans Still Stays in the Picture

The new broom swept unusually clean at Paramount Pictures over the last year or so. Gone are high executives like Sherry Lansing and Jonathan Dolgen, studio fixtures like the superstar Tom Cruise and the producer Scott Rudin, and legions of underlings, all cleared out as a new chief, the former talent manager and producer Brad Grey, took charge. But one thing remains somehow unchanged on the company's Hollywood lot. Across a bright green lawn from the executive office building, under a familiar brown awning that would be at home on Park Avenue, the production company named for its owner, Robert Evans, still holds sway. Ross Johnson reports. 
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Venice, Rome duelling over film fests

The city of Rome's decision to launch a festival of its own just two months after the venerable Venice Film Festival, which opens its 63rd showing on Wednesday, has erupted into a full-blown spat that mirrors centuries-old rivalries between the Eternal City and the Most Splendid Republic. A gentlemanly truce broke this week when the director of the Venice Film Festival gave an interview saying the nascent Rome festival was performing a service to films overlooked by Venice and Cannes by giving them a venue. Colleen Barry reports. 
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Berliner, Kossakovsky and Chinese Films Set for IDFA '06

American doc director Alan Berliner will present his top 10 favorite films at the 2006 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), he will discuss his choices during a special lecture at the festival (Nov. 23 - Dec 3). Also on tap for this year is a similar lecture from Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky, who will talk about his work and process. Finally, organizers also announced that they will present a special program called China Transit, featuring 15 films from about about present day China. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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SF360: Current TV and the audience as auteur

"I'm Dead Broke," "I Have Embarrassing Parents," "I've Got Baby Mama Drama": If you recognize any of these titles from MTV's hit show "True Life," you are probably between the ages of 18 and 34. You have warm fuzzy memories of the day Jessica from English class ran out the door in tears and painted "We all love/miss you Kurt" on the lockers. You remember the East Coast/West Coast rap feud and witnessed the first episode of "The Real World." And by now, you may be over the network that raised you. Know that Al Gore has you in the crosshairs. Gore's fledgling San Francisco-based cable and satellite TV channel, Current TV, is creating cutting-edge content democratically, with a third of the channel's programming schedule created by viewers and, according to producers, that share is growing. Justin Juul reports in SF360. 
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Reuters: Dark American tales light up Venice film festival

Dark tales of real-life crime dominate Hollywood's star-studded assault on the Venice Film Festival this year, with U.S. directors drawing inspiration from murder mysteries of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. The 11 day competition, held along the exclusive Lido beachfront across the water from Venice, kicks off on Wednesday with widely anticipated "The Black Dahlia," about two policemen assigned to investigate the brutal murder of an unknown actress. Mike Collett-White reports. 
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"Gracie" Begins in NJ

Principal photography on "Gracie," directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") starring Oscar nominee Elizabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney and Carly Schroeder began August 28 at locations in New Jersey. Set in 1978 and inspired by real life events in the Shue family, the film is the story of a sixteen year-old girl who, after a family tragedy changed her life, fought for and won the right for girls everywhere to play competitive team soccer. [Brian Brooks] 
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Woodstock to Open with McGrath's "Infamous"

The 2006 Woodstock Film Festival, running from October 11 - 15, will open with the East Coast premiere of Doug McGrath's "Infamous," the Killer Films/John Wells Production based on George Plimpton's Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career. The film stars Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock, Daniel Craig, Peter Bogdanovich, Jeff Daniels , Hope Davis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini, Juliet Stevenson, John Benjamin Hickey, Lee Pace, and Sigourney Weaver and will screen at the fest the day before it U.S. theatrical release. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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AFI Fest To Celebrate 20 Years

AFI Fest, the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival, will celebrate 20 years and add a day for this year's edition as they mark their anniversary and commemorate fifteen year of FILMEX, the LA festival that was the predecessor to AFI Fest. The event will kick-off on Wednesday, November 1st and run through November 12th, based again at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. Among the plans already unveiled for AFI Fest include a performance of the one-man show "Sacred Monsters" by Peter Bogdanovich and a 24-hour movie marathon fundraiser. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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indieWIRE Presents: "The Science of Sleep" Filmmaker Michel Gondry

indieWIRE continues its monthly series with Apple Store - SoHo that presents indie film professionals discussing various aspects of the filmmaking process. On Tuesday, August 29th, (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m) Filmmaker Michel Gondry will discuss his narrative, documentary, and music video work, including his upcoming film, "The Science of Sleep," a playful romantic fantasy set inside the topsy-turvy brain of Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal), an eccentric young man whose dreams constantly invade his waking life. Warner Independent Pictures is releasing "The Science of Sleep" in theaters September 2006. The event will be moderated by indieWIRE Editor in Chief Eugene Hernandez. 
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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. "The Illusionist" (Yari Film Group Releasing) $1,835,240 wknd ($12,745 per scrn) 2. "The Suicide Killers (City Lights Pictures Releasing) $10,601 wknd ($10,601 per scrn) 3. "Half Nelson" (ThinkFilm) $210,762 wknd ($10,036 per scrn) 4. "Viva Pedro! (Sony Pictures Classics) $17,202 wknd ($5,734 per scrn) 5. "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (Yash Raj Films) $260,099 wknd ($5,202 per scrn) 6. "Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight) $ $7,371,263 wknd ($ $5,155 per scrn) 7. "Princesas" (IFC First Take) $5,147 wknd ($5,147 per scrn) 8. "Changing Times" (Koch Lober Films) $27,632 wknd ($4,605 per scrn) 9. "Conversations With Other Women (Fabrication Films) $36,603 wknd ($4,067 per scrn) 10. "The Quiet" (Sony Pictures Classics) $27,546 wknd ($3,395 per scrn) 
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31st Cleveland International Film Festival call for entries

Entries are being accepted for the 31st Cleveland International Film Festival (March 15 - 25), one of the longest running in the U.S. The early deadline for submissions is August 31 and regular deadline, September 30 (with late and extended deadlines set at October 31 and November 30). For more information, visit the festival's website. 
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LGBT Titles Slated for Preservation by Outfest and UCLA Film & Television Archive

Director Bill Sherwood's 1986 film, "Parting Glances," and The Mariposa Film Group's "Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives" (1978) will be the first two gay films restored under a program by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and Outfest, dubbed the Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. The project has already established the world's largest publicly accessible collection of LGBT films since its establishment in 2005, according to a release by the groups. LGBT independent films - including significant titles from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s - are in particular peril because of a perceived lack of commercial value by the industry and/or the filmmakers' inability to maintain their work themselves. [Brian Brooks] 
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Warhol Doc to Screen in Select Theaters Ahead of Television Broadcast

Emerging Pictures, the New York-based digital cinema network, is partnering with Thirteen/WNET New York and other local PBS public television stations across the country to bring to the big screen "American Masters Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film," the first production to explore the full range of the pop artist's career. The two-part, four-hour documentary is directed by Ric Burns. The film is narrated by artist and musician Laurie Anderson and features artist Jeff Koons as the voice of Andy Warhol. The doc premieres on the "American Masters" series Wednesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 21 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS. The film will be screening in approximately 20 cities in theaters prior to its PBS broadcast. Go to their website for more information. [Brian Brooks]  
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AFP: "Democracy is under attack": Gore

Former US Vice-President Al Gore warned an audience at the Edinburgh International Television Festival that "democracy is under attack." Gore, who was also in Edinburgh partly to promote his film and book about climate change, both titled "An Inconvenient Truth," continued: "There's a feeling in the US on the part of many that the way democracy operates today is very different from the system we learned about in school." AFP reports. 
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NY Times: A Big Star May Not a Profitable Movie Make

Is Sumner M. Redstone crazy like a fox? Movie industry executives may be forgiven for thinking that the Viacom chairman was mad to let Tom Cruise go after a 14-year relationship simply because Mr. Cruise seemed a little off balance. After all, the movies made by Viacom's Paramount Pictures studio and the actor's production company earned more than $2.5 billion at the box office. Yet, if you ask economists and other academics that study the movie industry, Mr. Redstone's decision was, in financial terms, spot on. The best reason to get rid of Mr. Cruise or, for that matter, Mel Gibson, or Lindsay Lohan, is not their occasional aberrant behavior. They, like most marquee names in Hollywood, are simply not worth the expense. Eduardo Porter and Geraldine Fabrikant report. 
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LAT: Fade In at Chapman University

In the LA Times, a look at Monday's opening of film classes at Chapman University's Marion Knott Studios, which they call one of the most advanced film school facilities in the country, boasting a new $41 million, 76,000 square foot building:

The facility features two soundstages, a 500-seat stadium-style movie theater with a digital projector, a three-camera high-definition television stage and a motion-capture stage. Two floors of pre- and post-production facilities include a production design lab, a foley stage for creating sound effects, and a hefty digital cinema server.

 
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