AP: "Chocolate Rain" claims a YouTube award

Tay Zonday morphed from an unknown musician to an Internet superstar who got booked on national TV shows after his song "Chocolate Rain"-- an amateur clip of his baritone crooning -- went viral last year. Now he's among the 12 winners of the second annual YouTube Video Awards, recognizing the top user-created videos of 2007. Erin Carlson reports. 
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SF360: San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Winners

Boys will be boys, or b-boys, if you look at the winners of the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, announced last night, the final SF night for the annual SFIAAFF. Susan Gerhard reports. 
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AP: Film fest seeks new jury chairman

Organizers of the 11th Shanghai International Film Festival are looking for a new jury chairman following the death of Anthony Minghella. AP reports. 
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HR | The Cannes plan comes together

Tipping new films from Steven Soderberg, Woody Allen and Michael Winterbottom for the 61st Festival de Cannes 2008, Hollywood Reporter surveys some of the films likely to screen at the 2008 festival (May 14 - 25). 
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iW NEWS | IFFBoston Sets 6th Fest Slate

The Independent Film Festival of Boston will kick-off its sixth edition (April 23-April 29, 2008) with Brad Anderson's "Transsiberian." An expansion to 96 films marks the 2008 event, which will close with Werner Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World." Two films are set for their world premiere, including Taylor Greeson's autobiographical documentary, "Meadowlark" and "Twelve," a collaborative project by a dozen Boston filmmakers, including Scott Masterson, Seanbaker Carter, Andy McCarthy, Garth Donovan, Luke Poling, Noah Lydiard, Megan Summers, Brynmore Williams, Joan Meister, Marc Colucci, Jared Goodman, and Vladmir Minuty. For more information, please visit the festival website.  
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SFC: It's a wrap - "Milk" filming ends in S.F.

"Harvey will be coming out soon," an extra assured the crowd in front of City Hall on a recent Sunday. They had gathered to be in a scene in "Milk"- the movie about the life and death of Harvey Milk (directed by Gus Van Sant)- in which the San Francisco supervisor delivers an impassioned speech. It was really Sean Penn, of course, who plays the martyred supervisor, who would be appearing. Ruth Stein reports. 
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VAR | Cutler Eyeing Comic Doc

Accomplished doc-maker RJ Cutler and TV producer Sarah Timberman are pursuing a new doc based on Richard Zoglin's "Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-Up in the 1970s Changed America," a new book they've optioned (according to Variety).  
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Movies ]

For Sale Sign at Sundance Channel?

Media reports over the past day indicate that Sundance Channel is for sale. Citing Pali Research analyst Rich Greenfield, a number of outlets are buzzing about the independent film network being on the market. According to a Bloomberg report, "Owners General Electric Co., CBS Corp. and Redford are seeking $400 million to $500 million for the channel, which has 26 million subscribers." But, according to a Hollywood Reporter story, "Reps for the network said they would not comment on the report. CBS and NBC Uni also declined comment."  
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HR: Disappearing film reviews and the potential impact on indie box office

Alex Gibney's "Taxi to The Dark Side" won the best documentary Oscar last month. But when it opened in New York on Jan. 18, it didn't get even a one-paragraph review in the New York Post or New York Daily News. It wasn't alone. An increasing number of films aren't getting reviewed in key U.S. outlets, damaging their slim chances at the box office. Gregg Goldstein reports. 
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iW NEWS | English-language "Persepolis" Set for 100 Screen Launch in April

Sony Pictures Classics has announced the launch of an English-language version of Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's "Persepolis" on 100 screens on April 11th. The English-language edition features the voices of Chiara Mastroianni as Marjane, Sean Penn as Marjane's Father Ebi, Catherine Deneuve as Marjane's Mother Tadji, Gena Rowlands as Marjane's Grandmother, Iggy Pop as Uncle Anouche, and Amethyste Frezignac as Young Marjane. The original French-language version of the film opened on Christmas Day 2007 and has earned just over $4 million, so far. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

iW NEWS | Yauch's Oscilloscope Sets "Gunnin'" For June

Adam Yauch's new Oscilloscope Pictures has set the release date for its first film, Yauch's "Gunnin' For That #1 Spot." The doc, set to debut next month at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, is the story of eight high school basketball players vying for fame at a Harlem invitational. The film will debut in the Top 10 markets and have a national roll-out through July. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Movies ]

iW NEWS | Churchill Downs and Truly Indie Team for Derby Release

The U.S. theatrical release of Brad and John Hennegan's Kentucky Derby documentary, "The First Saturday in May" will be handled jointly by Churchill Downs Incorp. and Truly Indie. The film will open in major markets including New York and Los Angeles on April 18 with a planned expansion on April 25. "May" chronicles the journey of a diverse cast of six hard-working trainers as they jockey for a position along the 2006 Kentucky Derby trail. The deal was negotiated by Michael Overn with Truly Indie executive director Kelly Sanders and head of business and legal affairs Jason Janego. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

LAT: Warner Bros. moves to shrink New Line

Moving to reorganize New Line Cinema into a smaller, stand-alone production company, Warner Bros. has named Toby Emmerich president and chief operating officer of the entity. Emmerich, who had been New Line's production president since 2001, is now the company's top executive after the recent resignations of founder Bob Shaye and co-chairman Michael Lynne. Claudia Eller report. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

AFP: Tributes pour in for Oscar-winning filmmaker Minghella

Tributes poured in Wednesday for Anthony Minghella, the British filmmaker best known for the Oscar-winning 1996 film "The English Patient," who died at the age of 54. The writer and director, whose other box office hits include "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain," was best known for beautifully shot, lyrical adaptations of literary novels starring big names such as Jude Law. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

iW NEWS | Hot Docs Announces Lineup

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, North America's largest documentary festival, market and conference, announced its complete 2008 programme today at a press conference in Toronto, Canada. A total of 173 films have been selected from more than 1800 submissions. Hot Docs will open with Sacha Gervasi's "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," while the separate Canadian opening film will be the world premiere of Sturla Gunnarsson's "Air India 182," chronicling the facts surrounding Canada's deadliest terrorist attack the controversial trial surrounding it. Other notable programming includes the "Spotlight on Iran" and "Made in Mexico" programmes, each presenting six titles. Hot Docs also will present a full slate of industry programmes and services for 1700+ industry delegates from Canada and abroad. The festival has announced plans to make its market, The Doc Shop, an onsite digital service during the festival, and to offer it online afterwards, making it the largest service of its type in North America. "For 15 years now this Festival has helped to celebrate the finest in Canadian and international documentary filmmaking," said Executive Director Chris McDonald in a statement. "Our growth is testament to the quality of the creative voices working in this genre, and to Toronto's wonderfully engaged and supportive audiences. We are looking forward to the next 15 years." The festival runs from April 17-27, 2008 in Toronto. For full programming, please visit their website. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW BOT CHART | "Snow Angels" Tops Chart

David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels" from Warner Independent Pictures is atop the weekly iW BOT box office chart, which was published this afternoon. The film has earned nearly $44,898 after taking in $25,428 from 3 theaters over the weekend (for an average of $8,476).  
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David Schwimmer at Apple Store SoHo

Actor and director David Schwimmer (from TV's "Friends") will appear at the Apple Store SoHo on Tuesday, March 18th to discuss and screens clips from his directorial debut, "Run Fat Boy Run." In the film, Simon Pegg plays Dennis, a man who enters a marathon to prove he's not a quitter but soon finds out just how much sweat, strain, and tears it takes to run for 26 miles. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

iW NEWS | "Throw Down Your Heart" and "Cook County" Win Audience Nods at SXSW

The SXSW Film Conference & Festival announced its final audience award winners, with Sascha Paladino's doc "Throw Down Your Heart" taking the prize in the festival's music themed 24 Beats per Second section and David Pomes' small-town drug drama "Cook County" winning in the Lone Star States section. Jake Mahaffy's "Wellness" and Daniel Junge's "They Killed Sister Dorothy" won the jury awards in the narrative and doc competitions respectively at a ceremony earlier last week in Austin, TX. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, SXSW ]

iW NEWS | Sundance Institute at BAM To Open With "Teen"

The Sundance Institute and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) announced that Nanette Burstein's doc "American Teen" will be the Opening Night Film for the 3rd annual Sundance Institute at BAM. Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's Documentary Directing Award, "Teen" chronicles the lives of five seniors at an Indiana high school. "We are excited to return to BAM this year with one of the most-talked-about films of our 2008 Festival," said John Cooper, Director of Programming of Sundance Film Festival and Creative Director, Sundance Institute in a statement. The 2008 Sundance Institute at BAM runs May 29 through June 8, 2008 in Brooklyn. The event takes place in various venues at BAM and features film screenings, theatre, musical performances, panel discussions, filmmaker Q&A sessions, screenplay readings, art installations and other events. The entire 2008 Sundance Institute at BAM program announcement will be made in early April. [Peter Knegt]  
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Reuters: Japan cinema operator cancels "Yasukuni" screening

A Japanese movie theatre operator has decided not to show a documentary on Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine, where convicted war criminals are among the 2.5 million venerated souls, in the latest row surrounding the film. Reuters reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

BBC: Anthony Minghella Dies At 54

The BBC is reporting that Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella has died at the age of 54. Beginning his career as a writer of radio plays, Minghella went on to become the chairman of the British Film Institute and director of such films as "The English Patient" and "Cold Mountain." No cause of death has been revealed.  
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

AFP: Asian-American film fest goes beyond ethnic identity

Asian-American cinema is coming of age as a new generation of directors as well as established filmmakers agonize less over identity, and instead cross borders to explore more universal themes. These fluid frontiers and global dynamics are being showcased at San Francisco's 26th annual International Asian American Film Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, which opened Thursday. Emily Wilson reports. 
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Reuters: Korean film scoops top prizes in Asian Film Awards

South Korean film "Secret Sunshine" won a clutch of awards including best film at Monday's second pan-Asian film awards in Hong Kong, which seeks to recognize the region's diverse film talent. Reuters reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Angels" Leads; "Games" Disappoints

According to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak, David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels" looks to lead the iW BOT, averaging $8,667 from 3 screens. The Warner Independent Pictures film suffered only a slight drop in its second weekend, taking its cume to $45,470. Another WIP release, Michael Haneke's English-language remake of his own "Funny Games," opened poorly. Grossing $522,000 on 289 screens, the film averaged only $1,806. Despite this, it fared better than two other openers. Overture Films release "Sleepwalking" opened to a weak $50,000 on 30 screens, averaging just $1,667, while Third Rail Releasing's "Flash Point" averaged a mere $319 on its 10 screens. Among holdovers, last week's iW BOT topper, Gus Van Sant's "Paranoid Park," dropped in average as it expanded. On 22 screens, the IFC release took in $81,114 for a decent $3,687 per theatre, but only about a fourth of its opening average. indieWIRE publishes its weekly box office column on Mondays and final weekend numbers for specialty and limited release films on Tuesdays. Get the latest in the indieWIRE Box Office section. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]