"Still Life" Wins Best Picture in Venice; Resnais Named Best Director

At the Venice Film Festival, which concluded tonight in Italy, Jia Zhang-Ke's "Still Life" (Sanxia Haoren) won the Golden Lion for best picture, while Alan Resnais' "Private Fears in Public Places" won the Silver Lion for best director. A complete winners story is available now here at indideWIRE.com. 
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Annual "Schmooze" Held at TIFF

A block of busy Queen Street became a giant red carpet last night as Canadian broadcasting giant CHUM held their televised Schmooze party at the Toronto International Film Festival. The annual event, a steadfast tradition at TIFF, withheld rain to prove itself worthy of its reputation as one of the most considerable events of the festival. Shortbus star Sook-Yin Lee, who began her career inside the CHUM building as a VJ for MuchMusic, was among the attendees, which also included Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy and Douglas Coupland. [Peter Knegt]  
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Man Gets Off The "Shortbus"

A media screening of John Cameron Mitchell's controversial "Shortbus" at the Toronto International Film Festival found itself losing a patron yesterday. Just a few minutes into the film, a man stormed out, declaring that the explicit homosexual threesome featuring a rendition of God Bless America was "going too far", The Record reports. At a press conference later that day, Mitchell noted: "What pissed me off about it is that it was identified as porn without people having seen it." [Peter Knegt] 
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Toronto Awards Luc Dery Inaugural Producer Award

Industry Initiatives at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) named Luc Dery as the recipient of the inaugural CFTPA Producer Award. Dery's independent production company micro_scope produced "Congorama" by Philippe Falardeau, which is a Special Presentation at the 2006 Toronto fest. Dery receives a cash prize of $10,000 CAD from the CFTPA, and also includes $1,000 of film stock from Fujifilm Motion Picture. The announcement was made at a special industry event. Dery was chosen out of the 50 eligible producers as "someone who manifested all of the qualities, talents and characteristics which the jury had defined as critical to foster artistic, critical and box office success for Canadian films," commented jury chair David Hamilton. [Brian Brooks]  
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IFC Announces "Requiem" Deal

IFC Entertainment has announced a deal for North American rights to Hans-Christian Schmid's "Requiem" and will release the film through IFC First Take on October 20th, 2006. The film is having its North American premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and is the true story of a woman from an extremely religious German family, battling epilepsy, who falls in love and apparently becomes possessed, in the words of an announcement, experiencing "a frightening rush of grotesque faces and voices." The film, starring Sandra Hueller, has already won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress, the Silver Bear and Fipresci prizes at the Berlinale, and several nominations and wins at the German Film Awards. To make the deal, Jonathan Sehring, Liz Nastro and Ryan Werner represented IFC with Thorsten Schaumann from Bavaria Film International. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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Strand Takes US Rights to "Lights in the Dusk"

Strand Releasing has acquired all US rights to Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's "Lights in the Dusk," which is having its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The deal was negotiated between Strand's co-president, Jon Gerrans and Michael Weber of Match Factory. The film is the last in his trilogy about isolation, which includes "Drifting Clouds," and "The Man Without A Past." [Brian Brooks] 
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Koch Lorber Acquires Charbol's Latest

Following its positive North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, French director Claude Chabrol's "A Comedy of Power" has been picked up by Koch Lorber Films for domestic theatrical and home entertainment release. It will open in limited release in January 2007. A political thriller and a moral comedy, "Power" is the seventh time Chabrol has worked with actress Isabelle Huppert. Huppert plays a French magistrate nicknamed "the piranha" who is on the train of a corrupt CEO played by Francois Berleand. [Peter Knegt] 
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"Grace," "Queen" Coming To Heartland

The closing film of this year's Toronto International Film Festival, Michael Apted's "Amazing Grace," will open next month's Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. "Grace" examines the life of William Wilberforce, a British Parliamentarian who led abolitionists in ending the slave trade of late 18th century England. It co-stars Iaon Gruffudd, Rufus Sewell, and Albert Finney. Heartland will close the festival with Venice favourite "The Queen," directed by Stephen Frears. "The Queen" shows a look at the the British royal family following the death of Princess Diana. Helen Mirren stars as Queen Elizabeth II, James Cromwell as Prince Phillip, and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair. Heartland runs October 19-27, 2006. [Peter Knegt] 
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"Catch a Fire", "Ground Truth" Come To Amnesty Film Festival

Philip Noyce's "Catch a Fire," starring Derek Luke and Tim Robbins, will open next week's Amnesty International Film Festivalin Washington, D.C. Based on the true story of Patrick Chamusso, the film spans 25 years in the life of an oil refinery employee who is brutalized by terror squads. Additionally, Patricia Foulkrod's "The Ground Truth," a documentary feature about American soldiers in Iraq, will screen, with Iraq veterans in attendance for a Q & A. The festival runs September 14-16, 2006. [Peter Knegt]  
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"Borat" Premiere Proves Eventful

Live animals, technical difficulties and Michael Moore were among the highlights at the premiere of the controversial "Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" last night. After a memorable arrival from the film's star Sasha Baron Cohen on a horse drawn cart driven by two women dressed as Kazakhstan prostitutes, Kris Abel reports that things did not run so smoothly. Twenty-minutes into the sold-out screening, the film projector broke, leading Cohen, director Larry Charles, and audience member Moore to take the stage. After over an hour of stalling, the projector was deemed unable to be fixed, and the screening was rescheduled for tonight. [Peter Knegt] 
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Film Movement Picks Up Three

North American film distribution company Film Movement has announced their acquisition of three films: "MadeinUSA," by Claudia Llosa (Spain/Peru), "Men at Work," by Mani Haghighi (Iran) and "The Great Match," by Geraldo Olivares (Spain/Germany). The films will be released through Film Movement's distribution model that simultaneously releases films through theatres, television and DVD in an attempt to bring award-winning films to a larger audience. "We are proud to be able to present these three impressive films to fans all across the country in theatres, libraries, living rooms and on TV," said Stuart Litman, President of Film Movement. "MadeinUSA" was a winner at the Rotterdam, Havana and Mar de la Plata Film Festivals. "Men at Work" was the Best Screenplay Winner at the Fajr International Film Festival and an Official Selection at the Berlin, Tribeca and Singapore Film Festivals. "The Great Match" was an Official Selection at the Berlin, Seattle, Sydney International Film Festivals. [Peter Knegt] 
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Reuters: "The Queen," "Bobby" lead race for Venice awards

Stephen Frears' "The Queen" is the critics' favourite to take the best picture award at the Venice Film Festival this year, with Emilio Estevez's star-packed "Bobby" leading a strong chasing pack. Queen Elizabeth is played by Helen Mirren, also seen as a frontrunner for the best actress category when the world's oldest film festival hands out the prizes late on Saturday and winds up an 11-day movie marathon. Reuters reports. 
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IFFR Adds van Wijk, Expands Industry Services

At the International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 24 - February 4, 2007), Marnix van Wijk willl join the event as Head of International PR. Additionally, organizers have announced the launch of new sales and industry services, including the creation of a new sales club, additional supporting activities throughout the year, a revised accreditation system, and a more frequently published industry newsletter. van Wijk is joining the festival from Fortissimo where he served as VP of Marketing & Festivals. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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DeGeneres to Host 79th Academy Awards

Comedienne Ellen DeGeneres has been named host of the 79th Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held Sunday, February 25, 2007 producer Laura Ziskin announced Thursday. It will be DeGeneres' first time as Oscar host, as well as her first appearance on an Academy Awards telecast. "Ellen DeGeneres was born to host the Academy Awards," said Ziskin in a statement. "There is no more challenging hosting job in show business. It requires someone who can keep the show alive and fresh and moving, as well as someone who is a flat-out great entertainer. Ellen completely fits the bill. I can already tell she is going to set the bar very high for herself and therefore for all of us involved in putting on the show. Now all we need is a lot of great movies." DeGeneres is the host of the syndicated talk show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which this year won its third Emmy for 'outstanding talk show.' [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, People ]

IFC Gets Toronto Doc, "...So Goes The Nation"

IFC Entertainment has announced a deal for James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's doc "...So Goes The Nation," which will have its world premiere this week at the Toronto International Film Festival. More details will be published in indieWIRE's daily dispatch from the Toronto festival. 
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The Guardian Interview: Darren Aronofsky and Rachel Weisz

Late afternoon in an upstairs ballroom in the Excelsior Hotel in Venice, and Darren Aronofsky is talking about his new film, "The Fountain." Two days on from its world premiere, the film has already divided audiences: at the press screening, it was booed; at its public screening the following evening, the film was given a 10-minute-long standing ovation. "'Requiem' got slaughtered by the press," Aronofsky cheerily recalls. "We had a 30-minute standing ovation in Cannes and the next day Variety said I should go into therapy instead of making movies. The New York Times trashed 'Pi.' I am totally used to it." It's not hard to see why "The Fountain" has proved so contentious. Geoffrey Macnab speaks to Aronofsky and Weisz in Venice. 
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Beta Expands Toronto Sales Slate

Beta Cinema has added Bully Herbig's "Hui Buh" to its roster of German titles at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. The story of "lovable, bumbling castle ghost," the film is doing well in its German release, and was a hit printed and audio book. Beta is also selling Chris Kraus' "Four Minutes", Hans Steinbichler's "Winter Journey" and "The Lives of Others" by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, a winner at the recent Locarno Film Festival that was acquired for U.S. distribution by Sony Pictures Classics in the States and was showcased over the weekend at the Telluride Film Festival. It has already been sold in 40 countries, including recent pacts in the U.K. (Lionsgate) and Turkey (Chantier Films). [Eugene Hernandez]  
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NYT: Coming to the Hamptons: The World, on the Big Screen

In the New York Times earlier this week a look at the upcoming Hamptons International Film Festival, and a few thoughts from artistic director Raj Roy about the fest's opening film, Philip Haas' "The Situation":

Mr. Roy said he had chosen the film, which was directed by Philip Haas, to throw down the gauntlet and make a statement about the direction of American independent filmmaking. "This film's view of its subject is very complicated -- as is the world," he said in a telephone interview. "We want to encourage American filmmakers to tell stories that have a more encompassing, more cosmopolitan take on the world. It's time for them to move beyond the initial phase, beyond the personal storytelling. It will make for better movies."

 
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ThinkFilm Clicks with "10 Items"

With the world premiere of Brad Silberling's "10 Items or Less" approaching at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, ThinkFilm has announced a deal to release the movie in North America. The film, written and director by Silberling, stars Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega in a comedy about a big time movie star (Freeman) who is exploring a potential as a supermarket manager when he meets a woman (Vega) who helps him discover what drew him to acting in the first place. Just weeks after the theatrical release, the movie will have its broadband premiere on ClickStar, a new online movie download service backed, in part, by Freeman. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ]

BBC: Director vows to defy filming ban

A director has said he will defy a ban on him making films imposed by the government in his native China. The ruling was prompted by Lou Ye's decision to screen a movie at the Cannes Film Festival before it was cleared by Chinese censors. He told Associated Press the five-year ban was "ridiculous," adding "I will definitely continue to make films." The movie, "Summer Palace," is a love story set against the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. BBC reports. 
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Reuters: Venice Honors David Lynch

Understanding director David Lynch's films is never easy. But with his new picture "Inland Empire" the master of mystery and the macabre is more impenetrable than ever, prompting a journalist to jokingly ask after his mental health. In his latest collaboration with actress Laura Dern, Lynch, who receives a Golden Lion lifetime achievement award from the Venice Film Festival later on Wednesday, blurs the boundaries between one story and the next, and between dream and reality. Nearly three hours long, the most obvious plotline centers around the making of a movie and how the lead actress fears the wrath of her husband when she has an affair with her co-star. Reuters reports. 
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3D Film Expo II in LA

World 3D Film Expo II will take place Friday September 8 through Sunday, September 17 at the Egyptian Theatre. Many of these films, according to the event, haven't been seen in 3D in 50 years, and some of them have never been seen in 3D. The festival features a number of 3D classics, like "House of Wax" and "Creature From The Black Lagoon," in addition to many A-list films that many people don't realize were originally shot in 3D, including "Dial M For Murder" and "Kiss Me Kate." There are also a number of world premieres. "Night of the Living Dead 3D" is one of the high-profile titles. "Those Redheads From Seattle" and "Taza, Son of Cochise" will be part of the opening night gala. [For more information, visit their website.  
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Block Sets Truly Indie Release for "51 Birch Street"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

Doug Block's "51 Birch Street," which debuted at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, will be released by Truly Indie on October 18th. The documentary, produced by Block and Lori Cheatle, is the story of Block's own parents -- after the death of Block's mother, he learns that his father is moving to Florida to be with his secretary from 40 years ago and over the course of the film reveals the secrets of his own family. "'51 Birch Street' is that rare film that perfectly and gracefully captures the drama of life-changing events as family secrets are uncovered," said Truly Indie's Kelly Sanders in a statement. "Done in such a profound and moving way, this film is immensely entertaining and we are extremely excited to be working with the skillful filmmaker Doug Block, to bring this picture to audiences throughout the country." The film is a Copacetic Pictures production in association with HBO Documentary Films and Priddy Brothers Entertainment. It is a ZDF co-production in cooperation with Arte and the deal was negotiated by Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment. [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 four day 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 Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. EST. 1. "This Film Is Not Yet Rated (IFC Films) $37,785 wknd ($18,893 per scrn) 2. "Mutual Appreciation" (Goodbye Cruel Releasing) $16,028 wknd ($16,028 per scrn) 3. "The Illusionist" (Yari Film Group Releasing) $8,119,745 wknd ($8,362 per scrn) 4. "Half Nelson" (ThinkFilm) $297,663 wknd ($8,268 per scrn) 5. "Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles" (SOny Pictures Classics) $36,295 wknd ($7,259 per scrn) 6. "Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight) $ $9,626,655 wknd ($ $6,009 per scrn) 7. "Viva Pedro! (Sony Pictures Classics) $59,796 wknd ($5,980 per scrn) 8. "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (Yash Raj Films) $160,854 wknd ($5,362 per scrn) 9. "Conversations With Other Women (Fabrication Films) $37,485 wknd ($5,355 per scrn) 10. "Changing Times" (Koch Lorber Films) $30,114 wknd ($5,019 per scrn) 
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The Guardian: The Odd Couple

Two British icons dominated the opening of the Venice Film Festival: a dignified, elderly lady from London, and a feisty pop icon from Liverpool. Stephen Frears' superb film "The Queen" featured a cracking turn from Helen Mirren, playing our emotionally dysfunctional head of state in 1997, fighting to regain the public's love after the Diana crash. David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's documentary "The US vs John Lennon" looks into John Lennon's post-Beatles career, when he became a counter-culture activist, a time of bed-ins and happenings and wackily inspired press conferences. Peter Bradshaw reports. 
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AFP: Italy lauds local contender for Golden Lion

Italy has entered the race for the Golden Lion with a vengeance with Gianni Amelio's tender "La Stella che non c'e" (The Missing Star), the first of three Italian movies screening in the official competition at the Venice Film Festival. Amelio is the last Italian to win the coveted prize for best film at the world's oldest festival, in 1998, and put himself in line for a reprise with this road movie about a factory mechanic's encounter with industrial China. AFP reports. 
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AFP: Japanese and Brazilian films win top prize at Montreal film festival

Japanese film maker Eiji Okuda's "Nagai Sanpo" and Brazilian Carlos Diegues' "O Maior Amor do Mundo" shared the top prize at the 30th Montreal Film Festival. "Nagai Sanpo" (The Long Walk) chronicles an old man's journey with a young girl desperate for love. It won the Grand Prize of the Americas as well as the best international critics award and for best artistic film. Diegues' "O Maior Amor do Mundo" (The Greatest Love in the World), about a scientist's return to his impoverished childhood home after being afflicted by a deadly disease, also won the Grand Prize. Twenty-two films from around the world competed for the festival's grand prize. The 12-day festival featured films from 79 countries. AFP reports. 
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Reuters: Estevez's "Bobby" a political wakeup call

For director Emilio Estevez, his new movie about the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 is a call to young people to shake off their cynicism and engage in the political process. His first feature film in 10 years, which impressed critics in Venice where it is one of 21 entries in the main competition, "Bobby" focuses on the lives of people working at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night Kennedy was shot there. Real news footage of Kennedy at rallies, mass protests against the war in Vietnam and grim images from the conflict are woven into the narrative, and audiences today are bound to draw parallels with the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reuters reports. 
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MGM Names Amy Gruberg SVP of Media Operations

Amy Gruberg has joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) in the post of senior vice president, media operations, it was announced today by MGM president of marketing Perry Stahman. In her new role, Gruberg will be responsible for shaping the media vision for MGM. She will influence all aspects of the studio's media operations, including overseeing the media strategy and placement for each of the studio's films, working on MGM Home Entertainment releases, and building brand extensions for MGM's television partners as films enter their network and cable windows. Additionally, Gruberg will manage the company's roster of national and regional advertising agencies. She will be based at the studio's headquarters in Los Angeles. She worked at DreamWorks for ten years, and previously held senior media positions at the Walt Disney Company and 20th Century Fox. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

iW Video: A Telluride Q & A with Doug McGrath

in the latest indieWIRE: VIdeo from Telluride..."Infamous" director Doug McGrath answers a question at a post-screening Q & A session explaining his experience making his Truman Capote film in the wake of the release, and subsequent success of, last year's "Capote". Check out the entire video clip here (via YouTube). And check out the latest Telluride dispatches from indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez, on his blog. 
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Meyer Named to Replace Pence, Alongside Luddy, at Telluride Fest

Telluride Film Festival co-director Bill Pence, and his wife Stella Pence (managing director of the festival) are leaving their posts atop the festival they co-founded 33 years ago with Tom Luddy and James Card. The festival board announced today in Telluride that festival consultant and member of the board of governors Gary Meyer will join Luddy as co-director of the event, effective with the closing of this year's event on Monday. The timing of the announcement surprised attendees in Telluride this weekend, but Bill and Stella Pence indicated that they will remain advisors to the festival going forward. Meyer is perhaps best known as a co-founder of Landmark Theaters. He also runs San Francisco's Balboa theater and has vast film festival experience. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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iW Video: A Telluride Chat with Steven Shainberg

The latest from Telluride..."Fur" director Steven Shainberg spoke with indieWIRE and explained why he decided to make the movie as an "imaginary portrait" of the legendary photographer, Diane Arbus. The film stars Nicole Kidman and is screening for the first time anywhere...this weekend. Check out the entire video clip here (via YouTube). 
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For Toronto Fest, 49 Buzz FIlms from 24 People

In the Toronto Star, critic Peter Howell surveys two dozen "film lovers, critics, programmers and various industry pooh-bahs" to garner a list of some 49 films that are the most-anticipated movies at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Atop the list is Christopher Guest's "For Your Consideration", with four mentions. 
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