HR | Sony gets some 'Sugar'

Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's "Sugar," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal marks the fourth feature acquisition out of this year's Sundance Film Festival for SPC, after nabbing Jonathan Levine's "The Wackness," Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River" and The Duplass Brothers' "Baghead." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Park City ]

The Week in Fests | Malaga, Udine, and Vail

The latest from the festival scene this week. A link exchange by Variety.com and indieWIRE.

MALAGA ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE
Selection welcomed by audience, critics

UDINE CELEBRATES ASIAN MAINSTREAM
Fest introduced Chow, To, Feng to West

VAIL FEST POWERS ON DESPITE LOSING SCREENS
A dispatch from Colorado

More at Variety's Festival Central 
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iW NEWS | Institute for Critics and Journalists Continues in New York City

Thirteen writers from around the U.S. are participating in the second annual Museum of the Moving Image Institute in Film Criticism and Feature Writing which began last night and is running through Monday in Queens, NY. A New York Times Company Foundation Institute, the program includes panels and workshops for a group of print and online journalists exploring, in the words of the Museum of the Moving Image, "the art, business, and history of film, and a global view of the complex and rapidly evolving nature of the film and entertainment industry." Participating journalists include: Aaron Aradillas from Movie Geeks United, Stephen Becker from The Dallas Morning News, Doug Cummings from MastersofCinema, Cynthia Fuchs from George Mason University and PopMatters, Jette Kernion from Cinematical and the Slackerwood blog, David Kipen from The Bob Edwards Show, regular indieWIRE contributor Eric Kohn from The New York Press, Dan Kois from New York Magazine's Vulture blog, critic and filmmaker Kevin Lee, Karina Longworth from SpoutBlog, writer for numerous publications Artemisia Ng, Peter Noble-Kuchera from the Bloomington Herald-Times, and Karen vanMeenen from Afterimage. For more information, visit the MMI website. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events, New York ]

iW NEWS | Jackson Hole Unveils Slate for Fifth Annual Fest

One hundred films from 30 countries will screen at the upcoming Jackson Hole Film Festival taking place June 5 - 9. Eighty-one titles will compete for the festival's "Cowboy Awards" in seven categories including Features, Docs, Global Insight, World Program, Spotlight Latin America, Sports Action and Student Voices. Among the films slated to run in the fifth annual event taking place in Wyoming are Cristian Nemescu's "California Dreamin' (Endless)," Marianna Palka's "Good Dick," and Mary Stuart Masterson's "The Cake Eaters." Documentaries include Eric Shiveley's "Everyone But You," Josh Tickell's "Fields of Fuel," Wijun Chen's "Please Vote for Me," and Matt Cook's "Swim." In the coming weeks, the opening and closing films and additional special screenings will be announced. The Jackson Hole Film Festival is presented by the Jackson Hole Film Institute. For a full list of announced selections and descriptions, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

INSIDE WORD | What's In a Name: "Towelhead" v. "Baghead"

For a brief period of time this week it looked as if The Duplass Brothers' Sundance fest hit "Baghead" might lose its title due to a brewing scuffle between "Baghead" buyer Sony Pictures Classics and Warner Independent Pictures, distributor of Alan Ball's upcoming "Towelhead." The Duplass' film screened last week as "Baghead" at the Philadelphia Film Festival, noted blogger (and PFF progammer) Michael Lerman, and it is now listed simply as "The Duplass Brothers Movie" by this month's Tribeca Film Festival. Warner Independent balked when Sony Classics locked in "Baghead" for a mid-summer release ahead of their own "Towelhead" and the company was apparently digging in its heels, pursuing arbitration to settle the matter. An SPC insider indicated today that they will release the film as "Baghead" and the company is planning to give it an exclusive Austin, TX opening on June 13th, ahead of the release in New York, L.A. and other cities later in the summer. Meanwhile Warner Independent, a specialty division facing an expected Warner Bros. studio consolidation, is sweeping the incident under the rug given SPC's release plan. "Towelhead" opens on August 8th. A WIP insider indicated today that the company is no longer disputing the release date of "Baghead" or the title for that matter. Notably, "Towelhead" was known as "Nothing is Private" when it debuted at last year's Toronto fest, with filmmaker Ball explaining that the "Towelhead" name unnecessarily made the movie "more specifically about race and ethnicity." After Warner bought the movie, the title was changed and it next screened at Sundance as "Towelhead." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

IFP Abandons "Market" Moniker, Moves NYC Event Uptown

The nearly thirty year old IFP Market, once also known as the Independent Feature Film Market (IFFM), has been entirely re-named Independent Film Week by the IFP and its core works-in-progress screening component will now simply be called a "Project Forum." The New York non-profit is also leaving the event's longtime downtown home and moving it to the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) in Chelsea. Set for September 14th - 19th, Independent Film Week will include the Project Forum and the Independent Filmmakers Conference, as well as special screenings and the annual awards ceremony. "In the film industry, the word 'Market' suggests business transactions, but IFP's commitment to filmmakers and their projects extends long beyond the six days of Independent Film Week," said IFP exec director Michelle Byrd, in a statement. "Our goal is to provide a launching pad for career-spanning relationships, and we wanted our new name to encompass that broader mission." The organization is accepting project submissions through May 2nd via their website. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events, New York ]

iW NEWS | THINK Takes "The Escapist" for North America

North American rights to Rupert Wyatt's directorial debut "The Escapist" have been picked up by THINKFilm, the company announced Thursday. The thriller had its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival and will open theatrically in the Fall of '08 according to THINK's theatrical division head Mark Urman. Urman and the company's VP of acqusitions, Ben Stambler, negotiated the deal with Tristan Whalley and Nicki Parfitt of Goalpost Film, and Cassian Elwes of William Morris Independent on behalf of the filmmakers. In the film, Brian Cox stars as a man who is serving a life sentence in prison. When a letter informs him that his daughter is critically ill, he decides he must see her before it is too late and concocts an escape plan. He assembles a motley crew of unlikely companions each of whom possesses a special and necessary skill that will help with his far-fetched scheme... "'The Escapist' is a dazzling directorial debut and an exceptional visual and visceral experience," commented Urman in a statement. "I am thrilled to be working with such an exciting creative team, on both sides of the camera, and if audiences are half as impressed by their work as we are, we'll have a big hit on our hands." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Phang's "Half Life" Takes Best Feature at Gen Art Fest

Jennifer Phang's drama "Half Life" won the "Acura Grand Jury for Best Feature" prize at the Gen Art Film Festival in New York, capping the week long event. Best short went to Christina Voros' "The Ladies," while the festival's "Stargazer Award," honoring "breakout talent for excellence" went to Luis Chavez for his role in the short "A Day's Work." Taking home audience nods for best feature and short respectively were Doug Pray's doc "Surfwise" and Rajeev Dassani's "A Day's Work." The 13th Gen Art Film Festival closed with the U.S. premiere of "The Take" starring John Leguizamo and Rosie Perez. "By all measures this has been our most successful festival to date," said Jeffrey Abramson, Gen Art VP of film. "Not only did we see an increase in full festival pass holders, but the majority of the 14 filmmakers (and their teams) were on hand the entire week to support each other's films, which created an incredible feeling of encouragement, camaraderie and excitement which was absolutely contagious." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

LAT: Al Gore is back with global warming slide show 2.0

The folks at TED have posted a new video of Al Gore debuting his latest climate-change slide show, updated from the one he toured with in 2006's "An Inconvenient Truth." 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

AFP: Cult director Tarantino to deliver Cannes Masterclass

Cult award-winning film director Quentin Tarantino is to give this year's Cinema Masterclass at Cannes, the world's premier film festival. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Cannes, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Seattle Fest Brings "Battle" to Seattle

Director Stuart Townsend's "Battle in Seattle" will open the 34th Seattle International Film Festival on Thursday, May 22, organizers announced Wednesday. The gala will take place at the city's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall with a red carpet for expected guests Charlize Theron and Martin Henderson who star in the film as well as Townsend. The film is the story of a handful of characters who find themselves thrust into the chaos of the infamous anti-globalization protests against the WTO that shook Seattle in the fall of 1999. Interweaving multiple storylines, the drama revisits fact, fiction, and many myths surrounding those tumultuous few days. "We're delighted to present an opening night film that will resonate with so many Seattleites," says SIFF artistic director Carl Spence in a statement. "In his feature debut as a director, actor Stuart Townsend has crafted a remarkable and entertaining movie. It's also a terrific fit for SIFF since it has such relevance to our collective history and sense of place." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Maybury's "The Edge of Love" to Open 2008 Edinburgh Film Fest in June

John Maybury's Dylan Thomas biopic "The Edge of Love" will open the 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival taking place during its new early Summer dates, June 18 - 29 in the Scottish capital, the event's artistic director Hannah McGill announced Wednesday. In the film, two feisty, free-spirited women are connected by the charismatic poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), who loves them both. The passion and pathos of the legendary poet is told through the lives of these two women. Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley) and Dylan were childhood sweethearts; fast forward ten years, and the two reconnect in wartime London, where she is working as a singer and he is churning out government propaganda scripts in aid of the war effort. The two feel the thunderbolt of their emotions once more, but Thomas is now married to the adventurous Caitlin (Sienna Miller). Despite their rivalry, the women form a surprising friendship. Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Matthew Rhys and director John Maybury are expected to attend the premiere in Edinburgh on Wednesday June 18. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

SFC: S.F. Film Festival ready for 2nd half-century

The 51st San Francisco International Film Festival will feature a broad mix of local, domestic and international films, with a particularly strong slate of documentaries and a few big-name honorees including director Mike Leigh, screenwriter Robert Towne, actress Maria Bello and documentarian Errol Morris. The festival begins April 24 with a screening of Catherine Breillat's "The Last Mistress." Peter Hartlaub reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Tribeca Film Institute Announces New Sloan Initiative and Other Programs

With the Tribeca Film Festival looming, the Tribeca Film Institute unveiled its programs and grants to be awarded during the event taking place April 23 - May 4. Collaborating with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the inaugural TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund, the grant will provide $140,000 to U.S. based filmmakers who incorporate science and technology into their films. This program seeks to "cultivate narrative films in any stage of their development that creatively explore how science and technology impact everyday life or depict the lives of scientists, engineers and mathematicians in fresh ways." TFI is also planning to announce plans for a filmmaker exchange program with the Rwandan Cinema Center (RCC) in which both groups will support the development of the film industry in Rwanda. TFI will send six U.S. filmmakers to Rwanda this fall to study with six students from RCC in a series of workshops. Subsequently, the six Rwandan filmmakers will travel to the U.S. during Tribeca Film Festival 2009. And finally, TFI's Tribeca Film Fellows program will continue into a fourth year in which 20 young filmmakers are given an "all-access" look at TFF with programs that include mentorship, workshops, panels and other special events. New this year is the first annual Tribeca Youth Achievement Awards that will honor two fellows who show "extraordinary promise." The prize includes grants and filmmmaking equipment. [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, New York ]

VAR | Studios pressure SAG with letter

Ahead of SAG talks with the AMPTP that begin next week, Variety reports, "the majors have told the performers union to forget about asking for sweeter terms than those secured by the WGA and DGA." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

LAT | Goldstein: Critics, know thy audience

In the latest mainstream media article about the changing face of film criticism, LA TImes writer Patrick Goldstein declares "an age with a very different approach to the role of criticism" and considers the shift to "the wisdom of a community." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

SF360: Seven from the Sonoma Valley Film Festival

The Sonoma Valley Film Festival, which runs April 9-13, has gone to great lengths to enfold the event in its surroundings. Complimentary food tastings prepared with fresh, regional ingredients will be offered before every single screening. Eve O'Neill reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

AFP: Singapore censors say four films banned from film festival

Four film documentaries, including one by a gay Muslim and another about terrorism, have been banned from being shown at Singapore's film festival, the censor board said Saturday. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

Reuters: Oscar-winning Bosnia director enters politics

Bosnia's Oscar-winning film director Danis Tanovic launched a new political party on Saturday in a bid to rise above the ethnic divisions that beset the nation. Maja Zuvela reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

iW NEWS | "Mermaid" and "Iron Ladies" Win Top Dallas Fest Prizes

In Texas, Anna Melikyan's "Mermaid" won the Target Ten Filmmaker Award for best narrative feature at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival, while Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson’s "Iron Ladies of Liberia" won the Target Ten Filmmaker Award for best documentary. The jury prize for best short went to John Magary's "The Second Line" and the top award for animated short went to Trevor Jimenez' "Key Lime Pie." Audience awards went to Richie Mehta's "Amal" (narrative), Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' "The Black List," and Rajeev Dassani's "A Day's Work" (short). [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

NYT | A Comprehensive PBS Documentary on the Iraq War Becomes a Big Hit Online

The New York Times reports "more than 1.5 million views of all or part of" the recent Frontline documentary, "Bush's War, streamed for free in 26 parts on the PBS website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, New Media & Technology ]

iW NEWS | Lumina Renamed Salt

Managing director Samantha Horley and directors Robert Bevan and Cyril Megret have announced the renaming of their British company, Lumina Films, as The Salt Company, or more simply, Salt. "The re-positioning will help us to build on our international credentials as a UK based sales operation whilst bringing into focus the packaging and financing services that we are able to offer: the extra flavour we can add," said Horley, in a statement. Upcoming international projects include Rebecca Miller's "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee," Dominic Murphy's "White Lightning: The Jesco White Murders," and the documentary, "Big River Man" by John Maringouin. Recent market films include Olly Blackburn's "Donkey Punch," and Suroosh Alvi and Eddy Moretti's "Heavy Metal in Baghdad." "We want Salt to be one of the essential ingredients for filmmakers in getting their films made," added Megret, in a statement. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | "Trouble the Water" and "Man on Wire" Win Big at Full Frame Doc Fest

At the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival this weekend, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's "Trouble the Water" won the Anne Dellinger Grand Jury Award, the top prize at the annual Durham, N.C. event, with a special jury prize going to James Marsh's "Man on Wire," which also won the event's audience award. "Trouble the Water" also won the Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights and shared the Full Frame/Working Films Award with Weijun Chen's "Please Vote for Me." Jeremiah Zagar's "In a Dream" won the Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award, Steve James and Peter Gilbert's "At the Death House Door" won the Full Frame Inspiration Award and Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath's "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" won the Full Frame Spectrum Award. Other winners included Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers' "Lioness" (Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award), Iris Olsson's "Summerchild" (Full Frame President’s Award), Lisa Merton and Alan Dater's "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai" (Full Frame Women In Leadership Award), and Eva Weber's "City of Cranes" (Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Balloon" Flies To Top Of iW BOT

According to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak, Hou Hsiao-hsien's "The Flight of the Red Balloon held the top per-screen-average of those films reporting. The IFC release took in $37,235 from two screens for a potent $18,618 average. Behind it was the first weekend of Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights," which also managed quite well, taking in $73,742 from 6 screens and giving the Weinstein Company release a $12,290 average. A slew of other openers included Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones doc, "Shine a Light," which grossed $1,511,000 from 276 screens for a decent $5,475 per-screen, and First Look's Aaron Eckhart comedy "Meet Bill," which did not fare as well, averaging a poor $1,092 from 36 screens. Among holdovers, Daniele Luchetti's "My Brother Is An Only Child" expanded from 1 to 5 screens and maintained a decent average of $4,474, taking its total to $36,682, while Patricia Riggen's "Under The Same Moon" continued its success story, taking in another $1,708,839 from 437 screens and pushing its cume to $8,937,640. 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 ]

HR | UTA partners move to Endeavor

Reporting on "one of the biggest agent migrations in years," The Hollywood Reporter notes, " UTA partners Nick Stevens, Lisa Hallerman and Sharon Sheinwold are going to Endeavor." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]