iW NEWS | Four Projects for 4th Sundance Doc Film Editing Lab

Four projects have been selected to participate in the fourth annual Documentary Film Editing and Story Laboratory, taking place June 22 - 29 in Sundance, UT. This year's projects explore a wide range of subjects including the role of music in Tibet's assertion of cultural heritage, women in the Nepalese army, a moderate Muslim in Jordan forced to confront Jihad, and the emotional journey of several Ninth Ward, New Orleans residents through Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Projects taking part are: Ngawang Choephel (director) and Tim Bartlett (editor) for "Tibet in Song"; Julie Bridgham (director) and Mona Davis (editor) for "The Sari Soldiers"; Mahmoud Al Massad (director) for "Recycle"; and Tia Lessin and Carl Deal (directors) and Woody Richman (editor) for "Trouble the Water." "We are welcoming a dynamic circle of visionary directors, producers and editors, each with an important original story to tell," said Cara Mertes, director, Sundance Institute Documentary Film program in a statement. "Each film on its own is an inspirational testament to artistic courage and the enduring spirit of humanity. Together, they are a powerful contribution to documentary as a new, transnational cultural language." [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | "Finishing the Game" and "Never Forever" to Bookend 30th NY Asian American Film Fest

Twenty-five features including one International, U.S. and four East Coast premieres are on tap for the 30th New York Asian American International Film Festival, set for July 19 - 28 at New York's Asia Society. The fest, which will also screen 17 New York debuts, will open with the NY premiere of "Better Luck Tomorrow" director Justin Lin's "Finishing the Game." The event describes the film as "a comedic faux documentary about the search by opportunistic Hollywood film producers to replace martial arts star Bruce Lee, following his death on the set of 'Game of Death.'" AAIFF will close with director Gina Kim's Sundance Film Festival hit "Never Forever," about an American woman married to a successful but sterile Korean American lawyer who begins an affair with an undocumented Korean immigrant in order to have a child. Also planned for this year's fest is a retrospective of Hong Kong New Wave director Patrick Tam. For a complete schedule of films, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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Variety: First Look: "No Country for Old Men" Trailer

Never mind that the Cannes jury ignored it; my fave rave in Cannes was Joel and Ethan Coens' faithful film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men," which stars the terrifying Javier Bardem as the baddest ass you'll ever see. Anne Thompson reports. 
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Reuters: India film focuses on prostitution as family trade

A new film will examine a centuries-old tradition among some underprivileged Indian communities where girls in the family become prostitutes, with their brothers and fathers acting as pimps. Krittivas Mukherjee reports. 
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LAT: Summer turns serious

The season has traditionally been unreceptive to heavy fare, but the makers of the post-9/11 drama "A Mighty Heart" are betting they'll find an audience. Adult moviegoers may be craving a serious drama after overdosing on a steady diet of mindless sequels that has driven this year's box-office sales. Claudia Eller reports. 
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The Guardian: Just don't mention Dracula

I was determined in my coverage of the Transylvania International Film Festival to avoid the one notorious name associated with that part of Romania. My intention in travelling to the lively city of Cluj was to discover the secret behind the great success of Romanian cinema in the last two years which began with the widely acclaimed "The Death of Mr Lazarescu" and culminated with two prize-winners at this year's Cannes. Ronald Bergan reports. 
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NYT: Oscar Rules Regarding Producing Are Relaxed

Bruised by disputes over which of a film's producers are entitled to a best-picture award, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, said it would now, "in a rare and extraordinary circumstance," consider crediting more than three producers as nominees. An eight-year-old policy had limited the number of qualifying producers to three. Michael Cielpy reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

AFP: EU extends state aid rules for film industry to tackle US invasion

The European Commission on Wednesday extended rules allowing member states to support filmmakers with public money in the face of an onslaught of popular American movies. With current arrangements due to expire at the end of the month, the European Union's executive arm decided to extend the rules until the end of 2009. AFP reports. 
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iW NEWS | Killer Films Signs First-look Television Deal with Lionsgate

American indie film production company Killer Films has signed a first-look television deal with Lionsgate to develop and produce programming for both broadcast and cable, Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate's president of television programming and production, and Killer Films head Christine Vachon announced Wednesday. Killer is known for producing such films as "Far From Heaven," "Boys Don't Cry," and "One Hour Photo," as well as "Mrs. Harris," the HBO television film nominated for 12 Emmy Awards. Killer also produced "This American Life," based on Ira Glass's popular NPR show, which debuted this spring on Showtime. "Lionsgate has had tremendous success growing a brand in the last few years and has been at the forefront of new talent in television," said Vachon in a statement. "We've always admired their daring work and we look forward to producing great television with them." [Brian Brooks]  
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iW NEWS | Stony Brook Film Festival to Open with "A Family Secret"

The U.S. premiere of Ghyslaine Cote's satiric French Canadian comedy, "A Family Secret" (Le Secred de ma mere) will open the 12th Stony Brook Film Festival, taking place in Long Island, NY July 19 - 28. Also making its U.S. debut is Douglas Horn's "Entry Level," which premiered at the recent International Emerging Talent Film Festival in Monaco. In other highlights, Christopher Plummer will be on hand for a July 23 screening of Michael Schroeder's "Man in the Chair," in which he stars, as well as screenings of German films "Offset," and "The Cloud." Films from Israel include "Three Mothers" by Dina Zvi-Riklis and the New York premiere of "Sweet Mud" by Dror Shau, which took a world cinema jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The New York premiere of Picturehouse comedy "Rocket Science" by Jeffrey Blitz will close the festival. For more information, including a full line up and schedule, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | "Joshua" a Centerpiece at Upcoming LAFF

George Ratliff's Fox Searchlight feature "Joshua" will screen as the Centerpiece at the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival on June 26. The event, taking place June 21 - July 1, describes the film as a "smart, bone-chilling psychological thriller about an upscale American family faced with an inner source of horror." The film stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean and Jacob Kogan. Kasi Lemmons' "Talk to Me" will open the festival later this month. [Brian Brooks] 
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INDUSTRY MOVES | Focus Ups PR Trio

Three veteran publicity staffers at Focus Features have been promoted. East Coast-based V.J. Carbone (most recently director of national publicity) and West Coast-based Harlan Gulko (most recently director of national publicity) and Kyle Thorpe (most recently director of field publicity) have all been promoted to VP, Publicity at the company. Also, Omar Gonzales has joined the East Coast PR department as a senior publicist. Carbone, Gulko, and Thorpe all report to Adriene Bowles, Focus' president of worldwide publicity and EVP of marketing. Donna Dickman heads up the East Coast office as SVP of publicity at Focus. 
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The Guardian: A state of ill health

"Sicko," Michael Moore's latest film, lambasts the failures of America's overwhelmingly private healthcare service. As the cases highlighted here by Ed Pilkington further show, if you're poor or lack insurance, you'll find yourself at the mercy of the world's most expensive medical system. 
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NYT: A Filmmaker Who Found Africa's Voice

Ousmane Sembene, by consensus the father of African cinema, was nearly 40 when he started making films. (He was 84 when he died over the weekend at his home in Dakar). By 1960, the year that Senegal, his native country, won its independence from France, he was already a novelist of some reputation in Francophone African circles. A.O. Scott reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People, World Cinema ]

iW NEWS | "A Four Letter Word" to Open 13th Philadelphia Gay Fest; Close with "Kiss the Bride"

Comedies "A Four Letter Word" by Casper Andreas and C. Jay Cox's "Kiss The Bride" will bookend the upcoming 13th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Philadelphia Film Society, which organizes the event, has announced. Also joining this year's line up are 200 films from 28 countries in addition to guests Farley Granger, RuPaul, Charlie David, Craig Lucas, Tori Spelling and Lady Bunny. For more information, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ]

iW NEWS | Karlovy Vary Reveals 42nd Fest Line up

Fourteen titles will screen in the official competition of the 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, taking place in the Czech Republic June 29 - July 7. Among the international premieres making their way to Karlovy Vary is Norwegian director Bard Breien's "The Art of Negative Thinking," Hungarian/Romanian production "Dolina" by Zoltan Kamondi, "Empties" by Jan Sverak (Czech Republic, U.K. and Denmark) and "The Good Night" by Jake Paltrow (U.K., U.S.). Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur will go to the festival with "Jar City," while South Korean director Min Boung-hun's "Pruning the Grapevine" is also slated. Docs in competition include the world premiere of Pablo Garcia's "Butterfly," the international debut of "I Go Where I Want" by Olga Spatova. Local filmmaker Lucie Kralova will have her world premiere iwth "Lost Holiday" and director Joanna Vasquez Arong will world debut her "New-Lounge." For more information and a full line up, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | "Arranged" and "Children of War" Take Home Brooklyn Film Fest Prizes

Stefan Schaefer and Diane Crispo's "Arranged" won the best feature and "Grand Chameleon Award" at the 10th Brooklyn International Film Festival, which took place June 1 - 10. The film centers on two teachers, one Orthodox Jew and the other Muslim, who become friends and find that they have a lot in common, including the fact they're both going through arranged marriages. Alexandre Fuchs' "Children of the War" (Hijos de la Guerra) took BIFF's Diane Seligman best documentary prize. The film revolves around Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), an international Hispanic street gang founded by Salvadoran civil war refugees which the U.S government singles out as the fastest-growing and most violent gang in the country. Also taking home prizes were Lara Fitzgerald's "Small Avalanches" (best narrative short), "Raymond" by Bif (experimental) and "Dog Days" by Geoffroy de Crecy (animation). For more information, visit their website [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | Abaunza and Schwarz Join Participant

Bonnie Abaunza and Liana Schwarz have joined Participant Productions as Vice Presidents of Social Action Campaign Development and Operations, it was announced today by the company's CEO, Jim Berk. Abaunza and Schwarz will be responsible for the "conception, development and execution of individual social action campaigns for each Participant film. They will source NGOs and non-profit partners for specific campaigns, and work closely with Participant's Marketing and Digital divisions to ensure maximum impact for each initiative." The Participant slate will be divided equally between them, and each campaign will have its own project producer who will report directly to them. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

iW NEWS | IFP Rough Cut Lab Welcomes 10 Projects

The IFP's 3rd annual Narrative Rough Cut Lab connecting filmmakers with mentors in New York City kicks off today, running through June 15th. The ten films set for the lab include Jeffrey Jay Orgill's "Boppin' At The Glue Factory," Sergio Palacios & Damian Rodriquez's "El Coyote," Junko Kajino & Ed M. Koziarski's "The First Breath of Tengan Rei," Alex Karpovsky's "General Impression of Size & Shape," Marco Ricci & Michael Canzoniero's "The Marconi Bros.," Chris Bower's "Moon Europa," Tom Quinn's "The New Year Parade," Georgina Lightning's "Older Than America," Kevin Ely & Beau Leland's "Rainbow Around the Sun," and Jason Cuadrado's "Tales From The Dead." Workshops at this year's Lab will include explorations of alternative distribution, music composition, deliverables, ratings, internet promotion and social networks, festival strategies, PR, sales and more. The IFP's Documentary Rough Cut Lab is set for November and next year will move to the Spring/Summer. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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First Run Thumps "For the Bible Tells Me So" for North America

First Run Features has acquired North American rights to Daniel Karslake's Sundance '07 doc "For the Bible Tells Me So," the company's Vice President Marc Mauceri announced Tuesday. The film will roll out theatrically beginning in October. Cinetic Media represented the filmmakers in the sale. The doc reconciles homosexuality with the traditional reading of scripture through the personal stories of such figures as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson and the Gephardt family. "We are so proud to be bringing 'For the Bible Tells Me So' to North American audiences," said Mauceri in a statement. "Not only is it an important film which offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity, but it is also a terrifically entertaining film, one that audiences have responded to with great enthusiasm." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Keen Heads Publicity at Overture

Overture Films has officially announced the appointment of Adam Keen to head its worldwide publicity operations. Based at the company's Beverly Hills headquarters, Keen is the SVP of Worldwide Publicity at the new company. He reports to Peter Adee, the company's president of worldwide marketing, distribution and new media. Keen most recently served as VP at I/D Public Relations and previously worked at MGM and United Artists, as well as Dreamworks. 
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iW BOX OFFICE | 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. "La Vie En Rose" (Picturehouse Films) $179,848 wknd ($22,481 per scrn) 2. "Brand Upon The Brain!" (Vitagraph) $36,669 wknd ($12,223 per scrn) 3. "12:08 East of Bucharest" (Tartan Films) $11,586 wknd ($11,586 per scrn) 4. "Belle Toujours" (New Yorker) $5,363 wknd ($5,363 per scrn) 5. "Once" ((Fox Searchlight) $494,340 wknd ($5,204 per scrn) 6. "Chalk" (Arts Alliance America) $22,128 wknd ($3,688 per scrn) 7. "The Golden Door" (Miramax) $31,678 wknd ($3,520 per scrn) 8. "Paprika" (Sony Pictures Classics) $73,895 wknd ($3,359 per scrn) 9. "Paris Je T'Aime" (First Look) $441,235 wknd ($3,244 per scrn) 10. "Amu" (Emerging Pictures) $3,158 wknd ($3,158 per scrn) 
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iW NEWS | Roadside Makes Worldwide Deal for "Starting Out In The Evening"

Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND.

Andrew Wagner's "Starting Out In The Evening" from this year's Sundance Film Festival has been acquired by Roadside Attractions for worldwide distribution. Starring Tony Award winner for "Frost/Nixon" Frank Langella, the film was hailed by critics at Sundance (including a review from indieWIRE's Anthoy Kaufman). The final film produced under the InDigEnt banner, "Starting Out In The Evening" is the story of a complex relationship that develops between an aging Manhattan writer and a young female fan. Roadside is planning a Fall release for the film, with an eye on awards season attention for Langella. "This is Frank's year in the theater and people will soon discover that the same is true for film," said Roadside co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, in a statement today. "Andrew Wagner has crafted an extraordinary and moving film about one man's literary life in Manhattan. The role of Leonard Schiller might be a career-best film performance for Frank -- one that audiences everywhere will love." Langella co-stars with Lauren Ambrose, Lili Taylor and Adrian Lester. The script was adapted by Andrew Wagner and Fred Parness from the novel by Brian Morton. Cohen and d'Arbeloff negotiated the deal with Cinetic Media and announced on Monday that Robbie Little of The Little Film Company will handle international sales for the film. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Park City ]

iW NEWS | "Eagle Vs. Shark" Wins Newport Fest Honors

In Newport, Rhode Island this weekend, the Newport International Film Festival unspooled its 10th annual edition. Taika Waititi's "Eagle vs. Shark" won the top prize and its co-star Loren Horseley won the award for best actress at the festival, while the award for best actor went to Kene Holliday for "Great World of Sound." Shane Meadows' was singled out as best director for "This Is England." Alex Gibney's "Taxi To The Darkside" won the top prize in the documentary competition with a jury prize going to Seth Gordon's "King of Kong." Audience awards went to Fredi M. Murer's "Vitus" for best feature, Tricia Regan's "Autism: The Musical" for best documentary and Till Neumann's "The Strange Case of Marie France" for best short. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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NYT | Ousmane Sembene, 84, Dies; Led Cinema's Advance in Africa

Eighty-four year old Senegalese filmmaker and writer Ousmane Sembene died at home in Dakar, Senegal, according to his family. In a New York Times obituary, A.O. Scott writes, "Widely seen as the father of African cinema, Mr. Sembene took up filmmaking in the 1960s, in part because he believed that film could reach a wider and more diverse African audience than literature. 'Black Girl' (1965), his debut feature, is commonly referred to as the first African film. Combining realistic narrative techniques with elements of traditional African storytelling, it tells of a young woman named Diouana who commits suicide after traveling to Europe with her French employers."  
[permalink]   [ filed under People, World Cinema ]

AFP: Los Angeles to host Jules Verne film festival

Paris's longstanding Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival will shift to Los Angeles this December, with sponsors hoping to make the US celebration of the early French science fiction writer an annual event, they said Friday. Set for December 10-15, the festival, themed "from the abyss to the stars," is an extension of the festival of films based on or in the spirit of Verne's novels. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]