iW Video: David Lynch & Laura Dern at the New York Film Fest

In the latest indieWIRE Video clip, from Friday's New York Film Festival press conference, David Lynch and Laura Dern (joined by Justin Theroux) talk about their new film, "Inland Empire" (via YouTube). Topics include working in digital video, how the project began and an apparent dispute with those who claim that the film was influenced by the work of Bunuel. 
[permalink]   [ filed under indieWIRE: VIdeo ]

MUST SEE (online) TV: NYFF44 Via Jamie Stuart

One of the best ways to experience aspects of the New York Film Festival in recent years has been online, via Jamie Stuart's terrific video coverage of the festival:
Episode 1 (Field, Winslet, Wilson, Emmerich, Perotta)
Episode 2 (Mirren, Cromwell, Frears, Sangsoo, Del Poggio
Episode 3 (Beatty, Almodovar, Cruz, Apted)
His other work, along with NYFF clips from previous years is available on his website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Seven French Directors on Tap for 4th "On Set with French Cinema"

"On Set with French Cinema" returns for its fourth edition October through January, 2007 featuring seven prominent French directors in partnership with ten university film departments in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Sponsored by Unifrance and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the program brings together France's "leading directors" with aspiring American filmmakers. Through a series of lectures and screenings of films that have had little exposure to American audiences, directors are able to share their experiences with graduate-level film students in an "intimate setting." Each participating director will visit three to four universities and will present several feature films both in workshops and on the occasion of special screenings organized around their visits. Public screenings in the presence of the directors will take place in New York (IFC Center, Lincoln Center, French Institute Alliance Francaise) and Boston (Harvard Film Archive) as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Gaspar Noe will open the program October 10 with his feature, "I Stand Alone," followed by Jacques Audiard in November 7 (and will receive a retrospective at Alliance Francaise), Anne Fontaine ("Nathalie"), and Nicolas Philibert ("To Be and To Have"). For more information and details of the program, please visit their website. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

The Guardian Interview: Martin Scorsese

For a director who commands such respect, it is surprising what a rough ride Martin Scorsese has had in recent years. But even with "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" to his credit, the going has not been easy. Nor have his peers offered him formal recognition. Despite the superhuman efforts he has poured into his most intimately conceived films -" Gangs of New York" took him 23 years to wrestle on to the screen - he has not won the Oscar for best director. The common thread in these disparate troubles is the dilemma of the movie director: how to combine commercial success with artistic integrity. Several of his 1970s films were both hugely popular and lauded for their art. More recently, he's ticked one or other box, seldom both. Ed Pilkington reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

NY Times: At the New York Film Festival, a Global Glimpse of the State of the Cinema

In its second week the New York Film Festival settles down to serious cinematic business. For the most part, the 13 selections in this part of the program are worthy of the festival's past offerings and justify the program director Richard Pena's claim that the event represents a kind of "state of the cinema." Among the must-sees from now until Thursday is David Lynch's sadistic, fitfully brilliant "Inland Empire," a plunge down the rabbit hole of the director's imagination and a spellbinding companion piece to his masterpiece, "Mulholland Drive." Manohla Dargis reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

H'Wood Reporter: Major chains refuse to play Bush death film

Newmarket Films set itself an unusual challenge when it decided to release the controversial faux investigative documentary "Death of a President" just six weeks after acquiring the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. But it might face an even more formidable obstacle because several major theater chains are refusing to play the film, which mixes real news footage with dramatized segments depicting the fictional 2007 death of President Bush. Nicole Sperling and Anne Thompson report. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

-- indieWIRE Holiday on Monday, October 9th --

This Monday, October 9th is the Columbus Day holiday in the United States (or Indigenous Peoples Day as it is known in Berkeley, CA). The indieWIRE team in NYC will be enjoying a holiday and we will not publish a daily email edition on Monday, but the indieWIRE.com website will be updated occasionally over the long weekend. The indieWIRE: Daily email publication will return on Tuesday, October 10th. To sign up for the free daily email service, we invite you to join the site as a new member. 
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INDUSTRY MOVES: Bregman Leaves This Is That

Anthony Bregman has left New York production company This Is That, which he launched with Ted Hope and Anne Carey, according to a Variety story. He is forming the new company Likely Story, with Stefanie Azpiazu leaving This Is That to join him, according to the Hollywood trade paper. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Adam Beach to be Honored in Palm Springs

Actor Adam Beach ("Flags of our Fathers," "Smoke Signals," "Windtalkers") will be honored with the Rising Star Award at the 18th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) on January 6, 2007 in the California desert city. Past recipients of the Rising Star Award include Terrence Howard, Scarlett Johansson and Bryce Dallas Howard. The 2007 event will run from January 5-16, 2007. For more information, please visit the festival website.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

AMPAS Names 10 Nicholl Finalists

The ten scripts selected as finalists for the 21st annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are: "Abilene," Michael Raymond, Auckland, New Zealand, and Seattle, Washington; "Armored," James V. Simpson, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada; "Beatrice Creek," Eric J. Litra, Monroe, Michigan; "The Free Republic of Bobistan," Arthur M. Jolly, Marina del Rey, California; "Mr. Burnout," Eric T. Gravning, Santa Monica, California; "Palau Rain," Stephanie Lord, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; "Peepers," Clark E. Morrow, Olathe, Kansas; "10 Day Contract," Josh D. Schorr, South Pasadena, California; "38 Mercury," Alfred E. Carpenter, Alexandria, Virginia, and Mark A. Matusof, Woodbridge, Virginia; "Tides of Summer," Scott K. Simonsen, Hermosa Beach, California. As many as five writers will receive a $30,000 fellowship. A total of 4,899 scipts were submitted this year and finalists will be judged by an AMPAS committe. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

Film Movement Takes "A Simple Curve"

North American film distributor Film Movement has acquired Canadian director Aubrey Nealon's "A Simple Curve," the group recently announced. A winner for best writer/director at the Nantucket Film Festival, the film is the story of Caleb, the son of hippie parents including his carpenter father who lacks any business acumen. When a friend of his father's arrives in the valley to develop a high-end fishing lodge, Caleb sees fortune looming, provided he can keep his father distracted long enough. But a small deception leads to colossal betrayal, and soon Caleb must face the fact that he's "reached that treasured day when a boy becomes man enough to stand up to his father." Adley Gartenstein, director of business affairs for Film Movement negotiated the deal with George Baptist of Idaho Peak Productions Ltd. No theatrical release date was announced. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

AFM Details Plans and New Online Initiative for 27th Market

The 27th American Film Market (AFM), set to run 1 - 8 November in Santa Monica, CA will include 589 films, a 10% increase over last year's 534 films, according to organizers. The roster also features 384 market premieres, also the highest number to date, in addition to 54 films that are Official Selections at AFI Fest (which overlaps with AFM) are also represented at the market. In other news, AFM has launched a new online initiative. The new website, www.afmfilms.org, hosts the "AFM Catalogue of Films," described by the organization as "a year-round industry resource, including projects in the early stages of development to finished films. The site is a directory of thousands of projects and films that users can search by genre, language, production and financing status, as well as obtain information on co-production opportunities." "Over the past three years the number of films screening at the AFM has increased 50% and the market will continue to grow to meet the needs of the expanding global independent film industry," commented Jonathan Wolf, EVP, Independent Film & Television Alliance and Managing Director, American Film Market in a statement. "Producers and distributors will now have instant access to an invaluable new tool with information on thousands of projects and films." For a full list of films, visit their website. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

LAT: Creatively brilliant, but tensions simmer

In the LA Times' Scriptland column, Jay Fernandez delves into an apparent rift between director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and his collaborator, writer Guillermo Arriaga. The latest film from the duo, "Babel," is due for release last this month, but the LA Times reports that the two are at odds over their previous films, "Amores Perros" and 21 Grams," so much so that the paper reports that the writer was banned from attending Cannes this year with the film:

But long-simmering tensions about who is claiming responsibility for the success of the pair's films have recently bubbled over. Though no one is speaking publicly, several of the people invested in the two artists and their project are privately aghast that Inarritu, apparently miffed that Arriaga claimed much of the credit for the critical success of "21 Grams," banned the writer from attending Cannes, where "Babel" had its world premiere. Inarritu, in full "auteur" glory, went on to claim the best director prize. Multiple calls to Arriaga's UTA agent went unreturned, Inarritu's manager would merely confirm the ban and acknowledge the feud, and a message left for Inarritu sits idle.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

"4 Elements" to Open IDFA '06

Dutch filmmaker Jiska Rickels' first feature-length film "4 Elements" will kick off the 2006 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) on Thursday, November 23rd this year. The poetic four-part film is described as a, "documentary about man's struggle with the primordial elements." In the film she looks at professions in which the elements -- earth, air, fire and water -- play a crucial role. In the words of a festival description, "In Fire, Russian firemen fight forest fires in Siberia, while in Water, fishermen in Alaska hoist up king crabs from the Bering Sea. Earth, a shortened version of 'Untertage' [Rickels' student film], follows two German mineworkers as they go about their business. In Air, which concludes the tetralogy, cosmonauts and astronauts prepare their launch of the International Space Station." While the complete festival program is still to be announced, doc director Alan Berliner will present ten favorites at this year's event, and the festival will also screen a number of his films. IDFA will also highlight work from China. The 19th annual festival will continue through December 3rd in the Dutch city. The IDFA Forum, the largest international documentary co-financing market, will run from November 27 - 29 during the festival. For more information, visit the IDFA website. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Festivals ]

Fortissimo Lands Guest's "For Your Consideration"

Fortissimo Films has announced its acquisition of worldwide sales rights, outside North America, for Christopher Guest's "For Your Consideration." The company made the deal with Shangri-La Entertainment (which produced the film with Castle Rock Entertainment) following the film's debut at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. Next up for the movie, which takes a comedic look at the movie business, awards season and independent filmmaking, is a screening at the 2006 London Film Festival and screenings at next month's American Film Market. Warner Independent Pictures will open the film in the U.S. on November 17th. "Wouter [Barendrecht] and I are delighted to be in the Christopher Guest business," said Fortissimo's Michael J. Werner in a statement, "We saw how amazingly well the audiences in Toronto responded to the film and immediately sought the international sales rights from Shangri-La Entertainment. The glowing reviews the film received the following morning confirmed our judgement that 'For Your Consideration' is yet another tour de force from Chris." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Paramount Vantage Gets "Details"

Paramount Vantage has announced a pre-emptive purchase of Dan Kay's horror script, "Details." Based on a short story by China Mieville and centering around the psychological phenomenon pareidolia, the script is described as telling, "the terrifying story of a daughter who disappears after having uncovered a demonic force only she can see and the father who stops at nothing to bring her back." Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions will produce the film, with Steven Schneider and Ian Levy serving as executive producers. According to the announcement, Vantage's EVP of Production and Acquisitions Amy Israel; VP of Production Chad Hamilton and Creative Executive Rachel Eggebeen will oversee the movie for Paramount Vantage. In a statement, Israel said, "'Details' is exactly the kind of smart, high concept, horror film we've been looking for." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Film Independent Sets Forum Plans

Film Independent's second annual Filmmaker Forum is set for October 26 - 28 at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, offering insights into making independent films, navigating the film fest circuit and tackling distribution. Among the panelists booked to participate are Micah Green from CAA, Rena Ronson from William Morris, Nancy Utley from Fox Searchlight, and a number of filmmakers, including Wash Westmoreland ("Quinceanera"), Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden ("Half Nelson"), Neill dela Llana and Ian Gamazon ("Cavite"), and Kirby Dick ("This Film is Not Yet Rated"). The event will kick off with a preview screening of Phillip Noyce's "Catch a Fire." For more information, check out The Film Independent website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

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 three 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 Monday, 6:00 p.m. EST. 1. "The Queen" (Miramax) $122,014 wknd ($40,671 per scrn) 2. "The Last King of Scotland" (Fox Searchlight) $142,899 wknd ($35,725 per scrn) 3. "The Latin Legends of Comedy" (Ray Ellin Productions) $16,718 wknd ($16,718 per scrn) 4. "Old Joy" (Kino Releasing) $13,029 wknd ($13,029 per scrn) 5. "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints" (First Look) $94,784 wknd ($11,848 per scrn) 6. "American Hardcore" (Sony Pictures Classics) $25,805 wknd ($8,602 per scrn) 7. "Jesus Camp" (Magnolia Pictures) $97,674 wknd ($5,141 per scrn) 8. "The Science of Sleep" (Warner Independent Pictures) $1,114,651 wknd ($5,044 per scrn) 9. "Broken Sky" (Strand Releasing) $4,956 wknd ($4,956 per scrn) 10. "Keeping Mum" (ThinkFilm) $222,336 wknd ($4,537 per scrn) 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

Arianna Bocco Named IFC Entertainment's New VP of Acquisitions and Production

IFC Entertainment has named former Miramax acquisition exec Arianna Bocco as the company's vice president of acquisitions and production, IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring announced Monday. Bocco will report directly to Sehring. In her newly appointed role, Bocco is charged with "identifying and pursuing finished feature films that support the company's overall motion picture acquisition strategy of aggressively growing its theatrical release slate with larger, commercial films," in addition to "new projects that contribute to a diverse new production slate." Bocco will also spearhead the acquisition of twenty-four films a year for the IFC First Take banner, IFC Entertainment's day-and-date division. "Jonathan has a tremendous vision for the company and I look forward to my role in helping realize this vision," commented Bocco, who most recently served as head of the independent feature packaging division of the Gersh Agency in New York City in a statement. "It's an exciting growth period for IFC and I'm happy to join at this stage, knowing that great achievements lie ahead." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

AFP: Romanian film wins Golden Swan at Copenhagen film fest

Romania's Corneliu Porumboiu has won the Golden Swan for best film at Copenhagen's fourth international film festival, for his film "12:08 East of Bucharest," the jury announced. The film, whose Romanian title is "A fost sau n-a fost?" is about a comic talkshow on local Romanian television looking back at how ousted dictator Nicolae Ceausescu fled Bucharest by helicopter on December 22, 1989 at precisely 12:08. The festival, which focuses on European cinema, closes on Sunday after 10 days in which 145 films have been screened, including leading Danish director Lars von Trier's latest, "The Boss of It All," which local critics panned. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

AFP: French and Iranian films share top prize at San Sebastian

"Half Moon" by Iran's Bahman Ghobadi and "Mon fils a moi" (My Son) by Frenchman Martial Fougeron shared the Golden Shell prize for best film at the 2006 San Sebastian Film Festival. Yet when the legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau, who chaired the jury, announced the prizes for Fougeron's film, there were boos from the audience of film professionals. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

AFP: Iran chooses womens' rights film for Oscar bid

Iran has selected a movie defending women's rights to represent the Islamic republic at the Academy Awards next year in the best foreign film category. "Cafe Transit" by Kambosia Partovi tells the story of a recently widowed woman who decides to run her husband's truck-stop restaurant near a border village while fending off solicitations of her brother-in-law, who according to tradition has to marry her as a second wife. A veteran film maker and writer, Partovi is best known for the screenplay of Jafar Panahi's "Circle" the 2000 Venice Golden Lion winner, as well as "I, Taraneh, 15 years old -- both depicting women's problems in Iran. Agence France Presse reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

AP: Italy enters film for Oscar contention

A movie depicting the voyage of a Sicilian family from their homeland to America at the beginning of the last century was selected Monday as Italy's candidate for best foreign language film at the U.S. Academy Awards. The Anica association of film producers selected "Nuovomondo," also known by its English-language title "Golden Door," by Emanuele Crialese after a morning meeting at their Rome offices. "Nuovomondo" was shown in competition at last month's Venice Film Festival, where it won praise by Italian critics. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg alongside a cast of mostly unknown Italian actors and is largely scripted in strict Sicilian dialect. AP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]