INSIDE WORD | UPDATED: Oscar's Feature Doc Shortlist Nearly Complete

Doc insight... Word is out on many of the films that have made the shortlist in the feature documentary category for the Academy Awards. Reliable sources have confirmed for indieWIRE the inclusion of ten of the titles on the Academy list: Tricia Regan's "Autism: The Musical," Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro's "Body of War," Tony Kaye's "Lake of Fire," Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman's "Nanking," Charles Ferguson's "No End in Sight," Richard Robbins' "Operation Homecoming - Writing the Wartime Experience," Wejun Chen's "Please Vote For Me,"Michael Moore's "Sicko," Alex Gibney's "Taxi to the Dark Side," and Sean Fine & Andrea Nix Fine's "War/Dance." AMPAS, which has been notifying filmmakers who are on the list, is expected to announce the complete feature documentary shortlist on Monday. The past two years, 15 films have made the Academy's doc shortlist each year (2006 list | 2005 list). We invite readers to send anonymous news tips and buzz to indieWIRE at the email address: tips [@] indiewire [dot] com. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, inside word ]

iW NEWS | Writers and Studio/Network Executives to Restart Negotiations

In a joint statement issued late Friday, day 12 of the ongoing writers strike against Hollywood studios and TV networks, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced that they will return to the bargaining table and restart discussions immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Each side said in Friday's statement, "Leaders from the WGA and the AMPTP have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26. No other details or press statements will be issued." The WGA strike began on November 5th. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Focus Set with Van Sant's "Milk"

Focus Features has announced a deal for Gus Van Sant's "Milk," starring Sean Penn as the former San Francisco politician, Harvey Milk. Produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, the film will be co-financed by Michael London's Groundswell Productions and Focus Features, and distributed worldwide by Focus. The film, set to begin production in January, is being executive produced by Groundswell's Bruna Papandrea, William Horberg and Dustin Lance Black who wrote the original script. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

INSIDE WORD | Sony Classics Eyeing "King of England"; Film's Screenings Canceled at Denver Fest

We hear that... The Czech Republic's 2007 Academy Award submission for Best Foreign Language Film, director Jiri Menzel's "I Served the King of England" (Ogsluhoval Jsem Anglickeho Krale) is closing in on a deal with Sony Pictures Classics.The distributor did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday and Friday. Adapted from Bohumil Hrabali's novel by Jiri Menzel, the film is described as a "tragicomic slice of Czech [life that captures] the rise and fall of a social climber who finds himself on the losing side of WWII." The film had been slated to screen in the narrative competition this weekend at the 30th Denver International Film Festival but -- apparently in the wake of the pending deal with SPC -- three sold-out screenings in Colorado were canceled at the last minute, disappointed DIFF organizers told indieWIRE. We invite readers to send anonymous news tips and buzz to indieWIRE at the email address: tips [@] indiewire {dot] com. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Set to Remember Pilar Miro, FSLC Previews Spanish Series

Running for much of December at the Walter Reade Theater, the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Spanish Cinema Now series (December 7 - 27) will feature 15 new features and a tribute to Pilar Miro, as well as a look at the Spanish Civil War series, "The War on Film." In a statement, Film Society of Lincoln Center program director Richard Pena noted the "intimate tone" of many of the series films, adding in a statement, "After several years of Spanish films being know for their bold, even bawdy explosiveness, this year's crop tends to focus much more personal relationships." More info is available on the Film Society website. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Events, New York ]

INSIDE WORD | IFC Closing in on Ferrara's "Go Go Tales"

Deal in the works... IFC Films is negotiating a pact for Abel Ferrara's "Go Go Tales," a 2007 Cannes Film Festival entry that also screened this fall at the New York Film Festival. Back in Cannes, indieWIRE called the film "a kind of seedy rendition of Altman's 'Prairie Home Companion'." It follows a cabaret owner (Willem Dafoe) facing the closure of his downtown New York City strip club, with a cast that includes Bob Hoskins, Sylvia Miles and Asia Argento. Reached Friday, a source declined to comment on the deal. We invite readers to send anonymous news tips and buzz to indieWIRE at the email address: tips [@] indiewire {dot] com. 
[permalink]   [ filed under inside word ]

iW THIS WEEK | In The News: A Trio of Deals, and a Foreign Film Drought

A handful of acquisitions were announced this week, with Magnolia Pictures announcing a deal for U.S. rights to Richard Roxburgh's "Romulus, My Father" and sibling unit Truly Indie announced that it will handle the release of Terry Sanders doc, "Fighting For Life." Also, Jeff Nichols' "Shotgun Stories" has secured distribution via Upload Films and Liberation Entertainment. In his monthly world cinema column, Anthony Kaufman noted that while cinemas are overloaded with specialty releases this fall, "Foreign cinema lovers are facing a severe drought in U.S. movie theaters." And, at the weekly box office, the Coen Brothers "No Country For Old Men" made some $43,000 per screen from 28 screens in its opening weekend and has earned an estimated $1.8 million so far. It will add 120 screen this weekend. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under iW This Week ]

iW THIS WEEK | New in Theaters: "Margot at the Wedding," What Would Jesus Buy?" "Southland Tales," "Redacted"

Among this week's specialty releases coming to theaters, indieWIRE ran into a bit of controversy with a not so flattering Review of "Southland Tales" from Reverse Shot editor (and Magnolia Pictures exec Jeff Reichert. Read the review and check out the long list of comments at the end. The film's director Richard Kelly, meanwhile called the film "a strange cousin to 'Donnie Darko' in a way" in a Profile during an appearance as part of indieWIRE's series of filmmaker Q & A sessions at Apple Store Soho. Also profiled (and reivewed) this week was "Margot at the Wedding" director Noah Baumbach who said of his work, "...I just feel I write better and direct better than I did." "What Would Jesus Buy?" director Rob Vanalkemade said of his early desire to be a filmmaker, "clearly this business was not run solely by the qualified, and I shouldn't rule out giving it a try" in his interview this week. And, rounding out this week's reviews, "The Life of Reilly" seemed to win over Nick Pinkerton from Reverse Shot, while "Redacted" played a bit tough for Dennis Harvey. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under iW This Week ]

iW THIS WEEK | Awards Watch Re-Cap: Spielberg Gets a Globe; Spirits Go Green; "Todd" Sneaks a Peek

Looking at happenings on the Awards Watch front... Among this week's news, Steven Spielberg was announced as the recipient of the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award, while the Spirit Awards announced plans to go green. On the blog front, Tim Burton showed 17 minutes of the still unfinished "Sweeney Todd", allowing attendee Tom O'Neill to proclaim it the Oscar frontrunner. O'Neill's fellow Los Angeles Times' blogger Pete Hammond discussed the state of the indie and Oscar, while Sasha Stone of AwardsDaily considered the dipping chances of "There Will Be Blood." Newsweek's Oscar blog suggested "No Country For Old Men" and "Atonement" were best picture nod shoo-ins, while the latest Gurus o' Gold agreed, adding personal favorites from the 15 pundits (including our own Eugene Hernandez), which ranged from "Zodiac" for best picture to David Cross for best supporting actor in "I'm Not There." Here at indieWIRE, check out my latest choices for award frontrunners and underdogs at The Lost Boy, and look out for our upcoming coverage of the Gotham Awards, which will be screening nominees at MoMA November 16 - 19, and announcing their winners November 27. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, iW This Week ]

iW NEWS | Magnolia Acquires "Romulus"

Magnolia Pictures has acquired all U.S. rights to Arclight Films' Australian drama "Romulus, My Father." The directorial debut of actor Richard Roxburgh, "Romulus" stars Eric Bana and Franka Potente and was recently nominated in every single category at the Australian Film Awards, making it the most nominated film in their history. "This film has been acclaimed everywhere it has been seen, including at this year's Toronto festival," said Arclight head Gary Hamilton. "We think the film is absolutely right for Magnolia Pictures, and we're very proud and happy that they will release it in the U.S." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Truly Indie Takes "Fighting For Life"

Truly Indie will handle the U.S. theatrical release of Academy Award winning director Terry Sanders documentary, "Fighting For Life, which details doctors and nurses fighting on Iraq frontlines. "Sanders explores a side of the war that has been overlooked for too long with compassion and vigor," said Truly Indie Executive Director Kelly Sanders , "'Fighting For Life' is a moving testament to courage and the power of the human spirit." The film will see release in March 2008. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Reuters: Directors say war films make up for poor reporting

Two Hollywood directors who are part of a wave of films about the war in Iraq and the broader fallout from the September 11, 2001 attacks have said they were only doing what media failed to do -- telling the truth. Mike Collett-White reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

iW NEWS | image+nation Celebrates 20

Canada's oldest and largest LBGT film festival, image+nation, kicks off its twentieth anniversary tonight in Montreal. Among the highlights are screenings of Eytan Fox's "The Bubble," Duncan Roy's "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Martin Weisz's "Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story," "Alan Cumming's "Suffering Man's Charity", Laurie Lynd's "Breakfast With Scot," Teddy Award winner "Spider Lillies" and Leesong Hee-il's "No Regret," the first South Korean feature by an openly queer director. The festival will be supplemented by an international workshop focusing on "the past, present and future of LGBT culture and film," with speakers including John Greyson, Patricia White, B. Ruby Rich, Barbara Hammer, Wieland Speck and Frameline's Michael Lumpkin. The festival runs until Sunday, November 25. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ]

Reuters: Latin American film fans ask, Where are our movies?

Latin American cinema may be enjoying a Golden Age, but the movies must sometimes travel the world before they can get a showing on their home turf. Films must first reach international festivals like Cannes or Venice to have a chance of getting a distributor and running around the world, before maybe coming home to Latin America. Fernanda Ezabella reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

iW NEWS | Tyler Perry and Lionsgate Team For Two

Lionsgate has announced its acquisition of two of writer/actor/director Tyler Perry's upcoming projects, "The Family That Preys Together" and "Madea Goes To Jail". This is coming off the Perry franchise's third #1 box office success, October's "Why Did I Get Married". Both acquired films are scheduled to begin production in Spring of 2008. Perry's next release, "Meet The Browns," stars Angela Bassett and will be released on March 21, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

iW NEWS | Three Films Get Heartland Award

Upcoming releases "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," "August Rush" and "Enchanted" were announced as the new recipients of the award given out by Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, recogizing films that "exemplify excellence in filmmaking and Heartland’s purpose." The films join numerous 2007 films that already been bestowed the award, including "Ratatouille" and "A Mighty Heart." Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, a non-profit organization, seeks to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by expressing hope and emphasizing the best of the human spirit". [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

iW NEWS | Spielberg To Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at Globes

Steven Spielberg will be honored at the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field." The award, voted by the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was announced today at a morning press conference by Josh Brolin. Recent winners include Warren Beatty and Anthony Hopkins. The DeMille Award will be presented to Spielberg at the Globes ceremony, to be held Sunday, January 13, 2008 and telecast live on NBC. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Film Independent Partners With B-Side For Spirit Awards

In a strong effort to eliminate paper and energy waste, Film Independent has partnered with independent film discovery and distribution company B-Side to offer online streaming of nominated films of the 2008 Spirit Awards. Members who wish to vote much register online by December 1, 2007. Only registered Film Independent members and IFP chapter members will receive voter information and the official ballot, which they can choose to submit online or by mail. Registered voters will also have access to view nominated films streaming online provided by B-Side. "B-Side is the perfect fit for our company's efforts in greening the Spirit Awards as they have the capabilities and technology to help us execute our goal of moving towards a greener way of doing things," said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. The nominations for the Spirit Awards are announced Tuesday, November 27, at the Sofitel LA Hotel in Los Angeles, with the ceremony taking place in Santa Monica on February 23, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Meyer Gottlieb, Samuel Goldwyn Films

EDITORS NOTE: The following is a letter to the editor received by indieWIRE tonight after our publication of a "Southland Tales" review earlier today. The review was written by Jeff Reichert, a Senior Vice President overseeing publicity and marketing at Magnolia Pictures, and a co-founder and editor of the online film journal, Reverse Shot.

To the Editors: The review of Richard Kelly's "Southland Tales" ("Legend of the Fall: Richard Kelly's 'Southland Tales'") was written by the Senior Vice President of publicity and marketing for Magnolia Pictures ("INDUSTRY MOVES | Quinn and Reichert Upped at Magnolia," August 8, 2007). Magnolia itself is a distributor of theatrical films. Mr. Reichert cannot be viewed as an independent critic, especially since his responsibilities include the overall release strategy and positioning of films that are in direct competition with "Southland Tales" for publicity, advertising, screens and box office. We feel that it is inappropriate for indieWIRE to publish any review written by someone who has a direct conflict with the film he/she is reviewing. It is our hope that such conflicts of interests will no longer occur. - Meyer Gottlieb President, Samuel Goldwyn Films 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

BBC: Producers speak out over strike

Producers hit by the Hollywood writers' strike have taken out full-page adverts pleading their case as the industrial action enters its second week. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is seeking higher fees - or "residuals" - from work released on DVD or online. But the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said that writers were already well compensated. BBC reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

AFP: Baghdad to host international film festival

Baghdad will play host to an international film festival next month, the first major cinematic event in the war-ravaged capital in more than two years, an Iraqi film director said on Sunday. Films for the Baghdad International Film Festival will be submitted mainly from Egypt, Jordan and Iran. Mohammed Ameer reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

AFP: Erotic festival gets underway in Buenos Aires

An international festival of erotic film gets underway in Argentina this week, with a grand prize winner to be chosen from among various entries celebrating on-screen carnal pleasures. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

iW NEWS | Liberation and Upload Aim for "Shotgun Stories"

Jeff Nichols' directorial debut "Shotgun Stories" has been acquired by Upload Films and Liberation Entertainment, the companies announced recently. The film, produced by "George Washington" director David Gordon Green and collaborator Lisa Muskat, will be released theatrically in early 2008, followed by a DVD release next summer. The film tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family. After debuting earlier this year at the Berlin International Film Festival, the film went on to win prizes at the Seattle and Austin film festivals. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW BOT UPDATE | "No Country" Rules iW BOT

Joel and Ethan Coen's Oscar hopeful "No Country For Old Men" was securely atop the iW BOT this weekend, according to final numbers posted this afternoon at indieWIRE.com. The film, released by Miramax, earned a massive weekend gross of $1.2 million from 28 locations. This week's indieWIRE box office article was posted yesterday. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

INDUSTRY MOVES | Frankel Leaves IFC for Weinsteins

The Weinstein Company has named Rainbow Media's Matthew Frankel its new Chief Communications Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. He will join TWC at the end of the month following the departure of Sarah Levinson Rothman. Julie Cloutier remains Director of Corporate Communications. Prior to joining Rainbow, where he served as corporate communications VP (including oversight of PR at IFC), Frankel worked in communications on Capitol Hill for the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO). 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

SF360: International Latino Film Festival and SF International Animation Festival

Could there be a livelier night for an opening than the Day of the Dead? Not according to the International Latino Film Festival, which chose the largely Mexican holiday to launch its 11th International Latino Film Festival at the Castro Theater last Friday. As the party continues nonstop through next week on more than a dozen screens throughout the Bay Area, it's worth drawing attention to two other offerings from next-door neighbor Mexico, as well as one bridging the ganglands of Los Angeles and war-ravaged El Salvador, as the fest unfurls its 16-day exhibition of nearly 100 feature films, documentaries, and shorts from far-flung corners of Latin culture worldwide. Robert Avila reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Guardian Interview: Todd Haynes

Directed by Todd Haynes, one of whose early films told the tragic tale of Karen Carpenter using glove puppets, "I'm Not There" is the first cinematic attempt to tackle the epic landscape that is Dylan's life and work. It is a wildly experimental film whose extravagantly staged, but often determinedly confusing, approach is as far away from the tired terrain of the traditional biopic as it is possible to go. "I wasn't that interested in, you know, the truth," elaborates Haynes, sounding for a moment like his subject, "nor in taking the straight biopic approach. Instead, I wanted to track Dylan's creative imagination and where it took him and how his life mirrored that imagination, or propelled it, or followed it. It's essentially my take on those moments in Dylan's development where his music and the events of his life intersected." 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

NYT: Screenwriters Seek Bigger Slice of Half-Eaten Pie

As Hollywood digs in for a second week of a strike, the screenwriters might want to send a few angry picketers over to Will Smith's place. Or Steven Spielberg's. And maybe the studio executives should think about joining them on the line. As it turns out, the pot of money that the producers and writers are fighting over may have already been pocketed by the entertainment industry's biggest talent. Michael Cielpy reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | "Munyurangabo," "Afghan Muscles" and "Operation Filmmaker" Among Top AFI Fest Winners

Lee Isaac Chung's story of a Rwandan orphan who travels from Kigali to the countryside on a quest for justice, "Munyurangabo" won the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival's grand jury prize for best feature Sunday afternoon. "Afghan Muscles" by Andreas Dalsgaard and "Operation Filmmaker" by Nina Davenport shared the best documentary prize. Also taking nods at AFI Fest were "Spider," which won best short and "I Met the Walrus," which received best animated short. In audience prizes, Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" won best feature and Jeffrey Schwarz's "Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story" took best doc. "Kids + Money" received the audience prize for short and "Heckler" director Michael Addis won the festival's Audi "Truth in Art" competition. The three Jury Award winners each receive a $5000 prize of Eastman Kodak Motion Picture Film stock & Entertainment Partners Budgeting and Scheduling software package. The three Audience Award winners receive an AVID Technology Suite & Entertainment Partners Budgeting and Scheduling software package. "As with the all of the films we had at AFI FEST this year, the films in the competitive categories included really accomplished and inspired work from a diverse group of talented filmmakers," commented AFI Fest Artistic Director Rose Kuo in a statement. "I know the members of our jury had a particularly difficult time singling out one film." [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under AFI Fest, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "No Country" Explodes

According to estimates, the Coen Brothers' "No Country For Old Men" will ascend high atop the iW BOT this week, averaging a stellar $42,929 on 28 screens this weekend, for a total of over $1.2 million. This was over five times the average of any film reporting estimates to Rentrak today, and miles ahead of its closest iW BOT competition, ThinkFilm's two-three punch (separated in average by just $35) of "War/Dance," which opened to a mild $5,690 average on 3 screens, and "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," which continued to impress in its third weekend, scoring an average of $5,655 on 122 screens. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]