Byer's "AMERICANese" Acquired for IFC First Take Release

IFC Entertainment has announced a deal for North American rights to Eric Byler's "AMERICANese," which won the audience award and an ensemble acting prize during its world premiere at SXSW this year. It is having its East Coast premiere this weekend at the Hamptons International Film Festival on Long Island, NY. Based on Shawn Wong's novel American Knees, the film was produced by Lisa Onodera and stars Chris Tashima, Kelly Hu, Allison Sie, Ben Shenkman, Sab Shimono and Michael Paul Chan. The film, to be released via the IFC First Take label in theaters and day-and-date via cable VOD, is Byler's follow-up to his 2002 feature "Charlotte Sometimes," which screened at the Hamptons fest that year. IFCE's president Jonathan Sehring and new VP of acquisitions and productions Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with John J. Sie of AJS Ventures and John Sloss of Cinetic Media on behalf of the film. [Eugene Hernadez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Two-day Low Budget Film School Adds Guests for This Weekend's Event

Mark Stolaroff's new No Budget Film School, which is preparing for its upcoming weekend event in Los Angeles has added guest speakers Joe Carnahan ("Narc," "Blood Guts Bullets and Octane"), David Gordon Green ("All The Real Girls," "George Washington"), and Jody Hill ("The Foot Fist Way") to a roster of participants that includes Paradigm Consulting's Peter Broderick, Antic Productions' Ron Judkins ("True Love"), 2929 Productions' MIke Upton, and others. Set for the Chaplin Theater on the Raleigh Studios Lot, the "Two-Day No-Budget Filmmaking Immersion" program will take place Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22. For more information, visit the No Budget Film School website. 
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NY Times: An American in North Korea, Pledging Allegiance to the Great Leader

Even at 64 years old and in failing health, James Dresnok projects an imposing figure. Six-foot-five with a huge frame and giant jowls, he speaks into the camera with a firm, distinct Southern accent. Metal teeth glint as he talks. "I will give you the truth; I've never told anyone before," says Mr. Dresnok, a former soldier, a defector and, for the last 44 years, a resident of Pyongyang, North Korea. Mr. Dresnok is at the center of Daniel Gordon's documentary "Crossing the Line," along with the stories of three other American defectors who crossed the 2.5-mile, landmine-strewn demilitarized zone to live in North Korea. Mark Russell reports. 
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The Guardian Interview: Gael Garcia Bernal

Actor and director Gael Garcia Bernal talks about his journey from stage school to working with some of the biggest names in Latin American cinema, why it is impossible to take the politics out of Mexican filmmaking and the 'cage of melancholy' that surrounds his country's cinematic tradition. "I understood the nature of cinema. When it's good, cinema can be one of the most important things in a person's life. A film can be a catalyst for change. You witness this and it is an incredibly spiritual experience that I'd never lived before; well, maybe only in a football match." Geoff Andrew speaks with Bernal at an audience Q&A. 
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Korea Times: Fresh 'New Current' Films From SE Asia

Tonight (Friday) the curtain will fall over the 11th Pusan International Film Festival. Right before the screening of the closing film, the Chinese hit comedy "Crazy Stone," by Ning Hao, the awards ceremony will disclose the recipient of the 11th New Currents Award. The jury in charge of determining the winner is this time chaired by Academy Award-winner director Istvan Szabo from Hungary, and also features Hong Kong producer Daniel Yu, two times Cannes' Grand Prix winner Bruno Dumont from France, Iranian master filmmaker Abolfazl Jalili and [Korean] actress Moon So-ri. Paolo Bertolin reports. 
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AFP: Shane Meadow's "This Is England" joins fray at RomeFilmFest

British filmmaker Shane Meadows' powerful "This Is England," focussing on Thatcher-era skinheads through the eyes of an impressionable boy, joined the competition at the RomeFilmFest. The mercurial Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), who lost his father in the Falklands War, is mercilessly teased at school and finds solace in the tough but tender camaraderie of a skinhead gang who let him join despite his tender age of about 12. Gina Doggett reports. 
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Reuters: MTV newsman Yago sells Iraq War script

Veteran MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago has sold a movie script inspired partly by his work covering the Iraq War. "Underdog," which was picked up by Focus Features, follows a soldier who returns home in disgrace and must reconcile with the mother of a buddy who died in Iraq. Meanwhile, another young solider -- the guy's best friend -- returns as a hero, though the truth might be more murky. Borys Kit reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

REELER: Leacock's Greatest Hits Return to NYC

S.T. VanAirsdale reports on the Stranger Than Fiction series tribute to Ricky Leacock at the IFC Center Tuesday night (in conjunction with the Full Frame Documentary Festival). Introducing the event, Full Frame's Nancy Buirski praised:

"I think that you do understand the impact that direct cinema -- a new way of filming the world-- had on all of us," she said. "It affected the way we saw the world, and Ricky and his colleagues were in the forefront and really created this way of filming the world. But I would submit that Ricky took that further. He also not only believed that one doesn't infringe on what one is seeing, one observes, one just shoots what one sees. But I think he also understood that one appreciates the nuance and the details of what one sees....

 
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REUTERS: Small is big in Paris, Europe's cinema capital

Brian Rohan looks at the state of moviegoing in Paris, in a new Reuters article:

While niche theatres have given way to multiplexes in most of the world, in France they have held their own and defied the relentless march of modernity. In Paris, cinemas open as early as 9 a.m. and churn through reels of celluloid from art house independents to the latest Hollywood budget-buster.Paris's movie mania has spawned a myriad of theatres, many with their own special attraction....

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

Korea Times: A Korean Film Retrospective in Pusan

In just eleven years, the Pusan International Film Festival has established itself as the leading film event of Asia. As many argue, the festival's unstoppable growth to prominence has been much aided by the surge experienced by Korean cinema during the last decade. PIFF has become the primary showcase for domestic cinema, inevitably sharing its fortunes with the international scene. This year, the Korean Film Retrospective is devoted to recently found works from the 1930s and '40s. During Japanese colonial rule, 171 films were reportedly completed; however, only four were reputed to have survived. Paolo Bertonlin reports. 
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Rotterdam Fest Names Projects Receiving Funds for Expanded Initiative

The International Film Festival Rotterdam's Hubert Bals Fund has expanded its support range with a new 20,000 euro grant for low budget digital video productions from developing countries. During the fund's fall 2006 selection round, four projects received production support in this new category: "At the End of the Daybreak" by Ho Yuhang (Malaysia), "In What City Does It Live?" by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia), "Mondomanila" by Khavn De La Cruz (Philippines) and "Weed" by Wang Liren (China). More projects from this round of selections will be announced later this week. The Hubert Bals Fund has until recently made grants in three categories, including script development, post production and distribution within the country of origin. Over the past twenty years, the Hubert Bals Fund has supported nearly 600 film projects with a yearly fund of 1.2 million euros. The next application deadline for Hubert Bals Fund support is March 1, 2007. The 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam will take place January 24 - February 4, 2007. For more information, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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Film Independent Announces 2006 Producers Lab Participants

Film Independent recently named its 2006 participants in its annual Producer's Lab, which runs for seven weeks that began October 16. The participants are: Greg Corbin and Bryan Lewis ("Senor Vasquez and the Holy Donut"); Sarah DiLeo ("Bless Me, Ultima"); Scott Foster ("Crystal Messiah"); Jasmine Jaisinghani ("SuperMacho"); Charlotte Pai and Ben Wagner ("Baja"); Sean Shodahl and Maryam Keshavarz ("Circumstance"); and Susan West ("The Oyster Dance"). Sponsored by Technicolor, the Lab is designed, according to Film Independent, "to help producers working in independent film improve their craft and to help them develop strategies for getting their films made." This year's Lab is being taught by producer Gina Kwon, whose credits include "Me and You and Everyone We Know" and "The Motel." Guest speakers include entertainment attorney Craig Emanuel, producer Ram Bergman ("Brick"), producer Effie T. Brown ("In the Cut"), Joe Pichirallo (Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment), producer Jocelyn Hayes (Killer Films), and business plan expert Louise Levison. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

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) $1,022,475 wknd ($22,228 per scrn) 2. "Little Children" (New Line Cinema) $84,551 wknd ($16,910 per scrn) 3. "Shortbus" (ThinkFilm) $196,988 wknd ($7,880 per scrn) 4. "Tideland" (ThinkFilm) $7,276 wknd ($7,276 per scrn) 5. "The Last King of Scotland" (Fox Searchlight) $611,129 wknd ($5,876 per scrn) 6. "Le Petit Lieutenant" (Cinema Guild) $8,802 wknd ($4,401 per scrn) 7. "Changing Times" (Koch Lorber Films) $10,560 wknd ($3,520 per scrn) 8. "Pandora's Box" (Kino International) $3,423 wknd ($3,423 per scrn) 9. "Wrestling with Angels: Tony Kushner" (Balcony Releasing) $2,977 wknd ($2,977 per scrn) 10. "Moonlight" (Indican Pictures) $2,964 wknd ($2,964 per scrn) 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

IFC and Weinsteins Get "Penelope"

Mark Palansky's "Penelope," a Toronto International Film Festival debut last month, has been jointly acquired by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company, in a deal for North American rights. IFC will lead theatrical distribution with TWC handling home video and TV, according to the annonucement. Starring Christina Ricci (with Reese Witherspoon, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara and Peter Dinklage) and written by Leslie Caveny, the film is described as "A modern-day fairy tale about love and self-acceptance." It was developed and produced by Type A Films, produced and financed by Stone Village Pictures and financed by Grosvenor Park. Producers include Witherspoon, Jennifer Simpson and Scott Steindorff. IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring and Michelle Krumm, EVP of acquisitions and co-productions TWC negotiated with Andrew Molasky and Scott Steindorff on behalf of Stone Village Entertainment. ICM handled North American sales, representing the producers, while Hyde Park is handling international distirbution. The film is further described as the story of a young woman, "born into a wealthy society family and afflicted by a secret curse that can only be broken when she is loved by one of her own kind." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Zeitgeist Gets U.S. Rights to "Into Great Silence"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

All U.S. rights to Philip Groening's "Into Great Silence" have been acquired by Zeitgeist Films. The company brokered the deal with Bavaria Film International. The film, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and won the documentary World Cinema special jury prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, is a portrait of the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. The company is planning a late February/early March 2007 release. Zeitgeist co-president Nancy Gerstman negotiated the deal with Thorsten Schaumann of Bavaria Film International. The company also worked with Bavaria Film on "Nowhere In Africa," winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2003 and then "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days," nominated for an Academy Award in 2005. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

Daviau to Receive ASC Award

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to Allen Daviau at the 21st annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on February 18, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Among his credits are "E.T. The Extra-Terresrial," "The Color Purple," "Avalon," "Empire of the Sun," and "Bugsy." In a statement, Russ Alsobrook, who chairs the organization's Awards Committee, said, "Allen Daviau is still in the prime of his career, but he has already created an innovative body of work that will stand the test of time. He is an awe-inspiring cinematographer who has earned the admiration of filmmakers around the world." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

Keaton Set for Film Society Honor

Diane Keaton will he honored on April 9, 2007 with the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 34th annual Gala Tribute. "The Film Society of Lincoln Center is thrilled to pay tribute to a total original - actor, producer, director, photographer and style icon, Diane Keaton," said Director of Gala Tribute, Wendy Keys, in a statement. "Keaton's career defining roles in films, directed by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Warren Beatty and Nancy Myers, among others, have made her one of the most popular and beloved screen stars in America. Delightful, surprising, radiant and above all, deeply independent, she has brought a variety of rich and memorable characters to the screen." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

AFP: Rome film fest kicks off with world premiere of "Fur" starring Kidman

Rome's inaugural film festival kicked off with the avidly anticipated world premiere of "Fur" starring Australian actress Nicole Kidman. Subtitled "An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus," the film asks the viewer to suspend disbelief from the start, plunging into the imagined inner world of the brilliant but tortured soul who was to become an acclaimed photographer of society's fringes. Gina Doggett reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Reuters: Tale of U.S. book scam wins over Rome film festival

One of the biggest literary scams hit the screen on Sunday with "The Hoax," the story of how a frustrated author conned America's publishing world into believing he had written the memoirs of Howard Hughes. Richard Gere plays Clifford Irving, the writer who sold the bogus "autobiography" of the reclusive billionaire to publishers McGraw-Hill in 1971 for more than $1 million. Gere won warm applause for his performance at the Rome Film Festival, where the premiere of the film directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom was screening on Sunday. Silvia Aloisi reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Korea Times Interview: Hong Kong Actor Andy Lau in Pusan

Actor Andy Lau has recently finished his new blockbuster film "A Battle of Wits," a joint project between three countries -- Japan, South Korea and China. He worked with Korean actors including Ahn Sung-ki and Hong Kong director Jacob Cheung, along with Japanese filmmakers. "When I first started as an actor, so many people helped me a lot and I was able to reach my current position. Now I think it’s time for me to give talented people a chance." Lau is an "honorary guest" at the Pusan International Film Festival, currently underway. Kim Tae-jong reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

"Darryl Hunt" Wins in Bend, OR

BendFilm, a celebration of independent cinema in Bend, Oregon, awarded both its audience award and best of show prize to "The Trials of Darryl Hunt" at its festival this weekend. The best director prize went to Julie Anne Meerschwam for Audrey & Einstein, while the lead actor (male) award went to Russell Hornsby for his performance in "Forgiven and the lead actor (female) prize went to Phoebe Jojo Kut for her role in Eve & the Fire Horse. For more information, visit the festival website. 
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"Requiem" Wins in Sitges

At the recently concluded Sitges Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya, Hans-Christian Schmid's "Requiem" was named the best film, by a jury that included Monte Hellman, Leticia Dolera, Carlos Losilla, Pilar Pedraza, and Tom Schiller. Martin Weisz was named best director for "Grimm Love, while Thomas Krestchmann and Thomas Huber from the film shared the best actor award. Sandra Huller won the best actress prize for her role in "Requiem" and Sam Hamm won the award for best script for "Homecoming" (Masters of Horror). For more information and a complete list of winners, visit the festival website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]