Guardian: California fuels fight over Monroe photos

The son of a favoured photographer of Marilyn Monroe is awaiting a court ruling that will determine whether he can sell his father's pictures of the star. Josh Greene, whose father Milton took more than 4,900 shots of Monroe, including the celebrated portrait in a ballerina outfit, spoke out last night against a decision by California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Guardian reports. 
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AFP: Milos Forman to preside over Marrakesh film festival

Czech movie director Milos Forman will preside over the seventh international Marrakesh Film Festival to be held in December, the organisers announced Friday. The festival will spotlight Egypt, which marks a century of film-making this year. The official selection of festival movies will be announced in the middle of November. AFP reports. 
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iW NEWS | "The Band's Visit" Oscar Hopes Uncertain due to English Content

The Jerusalem Post is quoting an Israeli television report that Israel's submission for best foreign-language Oscar consideration, "The Band's Visit" -- which recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival -- has been disqualified from the race for "containing too much English-language dialogue." indieWIRE has attempted to gain independent confirmation from the film's U.S. distributor Sony Pictures Classics as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A Sony Classics insider told indieWIRE tonight that the distributor is awaiting a discussion with the Academy on the pending matter. The issue was also addressed in indieWIRE's World Cinema column yesterday, written by Anthony Kaufman: Halfway across the world in Israel, there have been reports that "The Band's Visit" has too much English too qualify as a foreign-language film. But Sony Classics' Michael Barker is not bothered by the rumors. "Over the many years, there is always sour grapes," he says, especially among countries that have several strong contenders. Barker doesn't dispute there is English in "The Band's Visit." "But the story dictates that," he says. "It is keeping in a long tradition of foreign language films that have some English in them. Look at 'No Man's Land'; look at 'Four Days in September.'" [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | Academy Shortlists 8 Doc Shorts

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the narrowed field from 23 eligible contenders to 8 in the Documentary Short Subject category. They are "Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy," "Freeheld," "If It Happens," "La Corona," "Ochberg's Orphans," "Portraits of a Lady," "Salim Baba" and "Sari's Mother." Three to five of these films will receive an Academy Award nomination come January. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | IDA Award Nominations Announced

The IDA has announced their 2007 nominees for the International Documentary Association Awards in seven categories spanning film and television. The nominees in the feature film category are Dan Klores' "Crazy Love," Richard E. Robbins' "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience," Michael Moore's "Sicko," Alex Gibney's "Taxi To the Dark Side" and Mary Olive Smith's "A Walk To Beautiful." In the short film category, the nominees are Zam Salim's "Black and White," Alice Elliott's "Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy," Mariam Jobrani's "The Fighting Cholitas," Cynthia Wade's "Freeheld" and Yoni Brook's "A Son's Sacrifice." "Operation Homecoming" and "A Walk To Beautiful" were also nominated for the 2007 Pare Lorentz Award, which honors films or television specials that follow the themes of acclaimed documentarian Pare Larentz. Spike Lee's "When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" was also nominated in that category. Other notable nominees include the HBO miniseries "Addiction" and Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days" in the television categories, and Amir Bar-Lev's "My Kid Could Paint That," which was nominated for the IDA ABC News Videosource Award. For a complete list of nominations, visit the IDA's website. [Peter Knegt]  
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NYT: Not Just Some Movies: This Is a Glut of Cinema

Did somebody blow a whistle and decide that mid-October should be some kind of ad hoc, free-floating film fest? Not really. Current movie-business dynamics are at work, along with some long-held superstitions. Abundant private equity is bankrolling new players in the highbrow movie business, while the seductive charms of the film world have lured businessmen who struck it rich in other businesses (like Sidney Kimmel of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, and Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner of Magnolia Pictures and assorted other moviemaking entities). David Carr reports. 
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NYT: Music Films On The Rise

With summer surprise "Once" still selling soundtracks, Ian Curtis docudrama "Control" in theaters and Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan project "I'm Not There" close behind, 2007 seems to be a cinematic year with unusually high focus on music past and present. David Carr reports on those and upcoming projects, including Martin Scorcese's Rolling Stones documentary, another Dylan doc and Peter Bogdanovich's "Runnin' Down a Dream," which focuses on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 
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iW NEWS | European Film Awards To Honor Godard and Ballhaus

Jean-Luc Godard and Michael Ballhaus will receive honorary awards a the 20th European Film Awards on December 1, 2007 in Berlin. Godard, a filmmaker and critic for over fifty years, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his "impressive contribution to the world of film." Ballhaus, a German-born cinematographer who has worked with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Martin Scorcese, Mike Nichols, Wolfgang Peterson and many others, will take home the European Achievement in World Cinema Award. Both men are expected to attend the ceremony. {Peter Knegt} 
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LAT: Latino Fest Facing Issues

The recent success of Latino films in Hollywood has made it harder for the city-sponsored and corporate-funded L.A. Latino International Film Festival to keep its slate filled with Latino productions from both the U.S. and Mexico, Agustin Gurza reports. Marlene Dermer, founder and executive director of the festival, told Gurza: "It has gotten more difficult because whereas before nobody paid any attention, now filmmakers realize there's money to be made."  
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Guardian: Hollywood Fears Early Strike

Studios are bracing themselves as word is circulating that the talks between producers and the Writer's Guild of America have soured and that the strike could occur as early as next month. Intially suspected to strike next summer, the guild recently sought an authorisation to strike, which has led studios to believe that a strike on November 1, the day after the current agreement expires, is a real possibility, The Guardian reports. 
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iW NEWS | IDA Celebrates 25 With Pare Lorentz

The International Documentary Association, in celebration of its 25th anniversay, will present the Pare Lorentz Film Festival from October 18-21, 2007 in Los Angeles at the Landmark Theater. For the first time in Los Angeles, all four of Pare Loretnz's films will screen together: 1936's "The Plow That Broke the Plains," 1938's "The River," 1941's "The Fight For Life" and 1946's "Nuremberg." In addition to Lorentz's films, the festival will also screen all past recipients of the IDA's Pare Lorentz Award, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Those winners, in chornological order, are: "Mandela," "Nach Saison," "Where the Sky Meets the Land," "SUGIHARA-Conspiracy of Kindess," "Island Out of Time," "In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01," "Berga: Soldiers of Another War," "Oil on Ice," "America's Last Landscape: The Tall Grass Prairie" and "An Inconvenient Truth." According to the IDA, the films were considered on the basis of "demonstrating one or more of Lorentz's central concerns - the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems." [Peter Knegt]  
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AFP: Egypt festival launches barrage against Israeli film

An Egyptian film festival has rejected an Israeli production and threatened to boycott any Arab moviefest that breaks a taboo on admitting films from the Jewish state. Organisers of the Cairo International Film Festival, which opens next month, have loudly opposed an application by Eran Kolirin's "The Band's Visit," a fictional tale of an Egyptian police band that gets stranded in Israel. Alain Navarro reports. 
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AWARDS WATCH | AMPAS Streamlines Oscar Doc Rules

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed the rules for qualification in the feature and short documentary categories at the 81st Academy Awards, eliminating the multi-city theatrical rollout requirement. "By eliminating the multi-city rollout requirements we have significantly simplified the Academy rules while still retaining the core intent to ensure that we honor nonfiction work created for theatrical distribution," said doc branch chair Michael Apted, in a statement. "We believe the new rules will successfully eliminate from consideration documentaries made principally for television, the Internet or anywhere else." The complete press release is available on indieWIRE Insider.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Documentary, Honors ]

AFP: "Pangea Day" -- world film project for peace launched

Plans to produce a global movie to promote world peace at a one-off event next year titled "Pangea Day" are coming together, according to the organisers. "Movies alone can't change the world but the people who watch them can," Egyptian-American documentary film-maker Jehane Noujaim, who dreamt up the idea, said at the MIPCOM audiovisual trade fair taking place in this southern French city. Audrey Stuart reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

iW NEWS | "Half Moon" and "Taxi to the Dark Side" Among top Ojai Fest winners

Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi's "Half Moon" received the best narrative feature prize, while Alex Gibney's "Taxi to the Dark Side" won the jury doc prize at the 8th Ojai Film Festival, which took place October 4 - 7. Also taking home nods from the California festival were Erik Sandoval's "Sharq" (best short) and Jackie Liao's "Dandelion" and Michael Sporn's "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" shared the animated shorts prize. Harris Goldberg's "Numb" won the audience award in the narrative category, while Logan Smalley's "Darius Goes West" took the prize in the doc category. Malcolm McDowell served as the Master of Ceremonies for the awards brunch, with highlights including screenwriter Alex Kurtzman presenting an Enrichment Through Education Award to James Hosney, a special tribute to late cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, and the Lifetime Achievement Award to Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. [Brian Brooks] 
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LAT Inteview: Ryan Gosling could be the Sundance Kid

Ryan Gosling could be the Sundance Kid, emerging out of that indie film festival with such gritty dramas as "The Believer," "The United States of Leland" and "Half Nelson," which earned him an Academy Award nomination. David Germain reports. 
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BBC: Deneuve to be lauded at festival

French actress Catherine Deneuve will be honoured for her career at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival next month. The 63-year-old star will be the subject of a tribute along with US actress Laura Linney. BBC reports. 
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iW NEWS | IFC Gets 2 From NYFF: "Girl" & "Actresses"

IFC Entertainment has announced its acquisition two French films screening at the New York Film Festival, Claude Chabrol's "A Girl Cut in Two" and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's "Actresses." Already a box office hit in France, Chabrol's thriller opened there this summer and also screened at the Toronto and Venice festivals. Bruni Tedeschi's comedy "Actresses" was an award-winner at the Cannes Film Festival. Both films will be released theatrically and via cable V.O.D. next year. ]Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, World Cinema ]

iW NEWS | "Runner," "Clayton" Open Big; "Darjeeling" Expands Nicely

Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner: The Final Cut," comes out of its well-received showing at the New York Film Festival to draw great numbers this weekend, averaging $47,500 on 2 screens according to Rentrak. The re-cut's per-screen-average just beat out the opening of Tony Gilroy's George Clooney starrer "Michael Clayton, which drew a potent $704,000 on just 15 screens, averaging $46,933. Other openers included IFC First Take's "Finishing The Game," which managed $13,867 on 1 screen, First Run's "For The Bible Tells Me So," which took in $7,505 on 1 screen, Jake Paltrow's directorial debut, "The Good Night," averaging $6,354 on 2 screens, documentary "Kurt Cobain: About a Son," averaging $5,628 on 2 screens and the much-buzzed "My Kid Could Paint That." which took in a mild $4,041 on each of its 7 screens. Among holdovers, Wes Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited" expanded very nicely, taking $552,867 from 19 screens for an average of $29,099, Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" took in $21,696 from each of its 17 screens and Sean Penn's "Into The Wild" averaged a potent $10,333 on 135 screens in its third weekend. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]