iW NEWS | Nantucket Fest Announces Screenwriting Award

The Nantucket Film Festival has announced that the winner of this year's Showtime Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting is F.M. Strype's "Anna Down East." The winning script was selected from three finalists by a jury consisting of Doug Liman, Chris Eigeman, and Liz Tucillo. "We're proud to have contributed in the cultivation of several scripts that have gone on to further success," said Festival Executive Director Jill Burkhart in a statement. As the competition winner, Strype will receive an invitation to The Screenwriters Colony 2008 writers retreat and workshop. For the month of October, the winner is invited to come to Nantucket for an all-expense-paid stay on Almanack Farm. Winning scripts from the past two years include optioned scripts "Peck" by Mark Arneson and "Cold Souls" by Sophie Bartes. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

iW NEWS | SPC Gets "The Class"

Sony Pictures Classics has announced a deal for Laurent Cantent's "The Class," winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, acquiring distribution rights for North America, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Cannes ]

NYT | Kaufman Astoria Studios Expanding In NYC

New York Times' Jane L. Levere reports that Kaufman Astoria Studios, one of New York City's three largest movie studios, is finally moving ahead with a major expansion, nine years after it was announced. The studio, located in Queens, will break ground this fall with a $20 million building on land located diagonally across 36th Street from its current building. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

VAR | Studios Accuse SAG Of Stalling

"We are frustrated and discouraged that on June 12, with 18 days left in the month, SAG's Hollywood leadership is already saying that it's unlikely a deal will be made by June 30," the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in an "unusually blunt and lengthy statement," Dave McNary reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Seattle Launches Production Summit

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

The Seattle International Film Festival, in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Film + Music, WashingtonFilmWorks and the Washington State Film Office, is launching the First Annual Northwest Production Summit during the 2008 Festival. It will be held this weekend (June 12-15), and is designed to help secure the position of SIFF and Washington State as an industry destination. The Summit event has three components: A special invite-only three-day symposium event with some of the nation's top independent film professionals; An IFP/Seattle mentorship program; Three specialized panel events - "Show Me the Money," "So You Want to Be a Producer," and "Pitch Slam." "The weekend activities showcase the best of our locations, talent and infrastructure," said Lindsey Johnson, interim Manager of the Washington State Film Office, in a statement. "Our objective with the Summit is to personalize the VIP experience so that our filmmaking guests have a deeper understanding of the vibrant creative community that defines Washington State." The Seattle International Film Festival is currently ongoing, and runs through June 15. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events, Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Magnolia Deals a "Humboldt" High

U.S. rights to to SXSW drama "Humboldt County" have been acquired by Magnolia Pictures the company announced Thursday. Magnolia plans a September theatrical rollout in several regional markets -- including Austin, Arcata and Eureka (the latter in Humboldt County, CA) -- preceded by airings via HDNet's Ultra VOD Program. The company's SVP Tom Quinn and head of business affairs, Jason Janego negotiated the deal with David Garber of Lantern Lane representing the filmmakers. Described as a classic "fish out of (bong) water story," the film, co-written and co-directed by Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs, is the story of Peter (Jeremy Strong), a tightly-wound medical student, whose one-night stand with free-spirited Bogart (Fairuza Balk) leaves him stranded among a community of Northern California pot-growers living a decidedly different way of life. "'Humboldt County' has the sweet whiff of a populist hit," commented Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles in a statement. "It's a comedic, out-of-the-box drama that we think will speak to a large, underserved segment of the audience." Magnolia Pictures and HDNet are both part of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | "Nice" Opening Bucharest

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

The 2008 Bucharest Film Festival will open on June 28, 2008 with Srdan Vuletic's "It's Hard To Be Nice." The film tells the story of a taxi driver determined to lead a good life in Sarajevo. Vuletic's previous work includes "I Burnt Legs" and "Summer in the Golden Valley." The Bucharest Film Festival runs June 28 to July 6. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

LAT | Mods & Rockers Film Festival in Hollywood opens June 26

The ninth Mods & Rockers Film Festival opens June 26 in Hollywood with the world premiere of "The Seventh Python," a look at the life and music of longtime Monty Python associate, former Bonzo Dog Band member and Rutles singer and songwriter. Randy Lewis reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

HR | HBO's Polanski film causes dispute

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

"Did judge insist that any court hearing be televised?," wonders Gregg Kilday in a Hollywood Reporter article about Marina Zenovich's new doc, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired." 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Movies ]

iW NEWS | First Run Takes "Midway"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

First Run Features has announced the acquisition of film critic Godfrey Cheshire's "Moving Midway, and will release the film in New York on September 12, 2008, followed by wider openings in the South and around the country in the fall. In the film, Cheshire takes a closer look at his own family, exploring their decision to physically relocate their North Carolina plantation home. In the words of a description, "Through movies and music, Cheshire examines the Southern plantation in American history and culture, and how the racial legacy from the past continues into the present." "We're very pleased to be distributing Godfrey's wonderful debut film," said Marc Mauceri, First Run's Vice President, in a statement. "We've been fans of his criticism for more than a decade, and to see him make the leap from film critic to film maker is very exciting." The film debuted at last year's Full Frame festival and then screened at the 2008 New Director/New Films Festival. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

iW NEWS | Sundance Institute Announces Fellows

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

The Sundance Institute announced the selection of eight Documentary Film Fellows representing four projects to participate in the Documentary Film Edit and Story Laboratory from June 21-28 in Utah. "Sundance is welcoming a group of non-fiction artists, who we believe will both contribute and learn from the Sundance Institute's values of creative freedom and innovation," said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Documentary Film Program. The Fellows are NC Heikin, Natalia Almada, Daniela Alatorre, Deann Borshay Liem, Vivien Hillgrove, Jennifer Maytorena Taylor and Kenji Yamamoto. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Cheadle To Receive Spirit of Independence Award

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

The Los Angeles Film Festival announced that Don Cheadle will receive this year's Spirit of Independence Award for "his outstanding work and contributions to the film industry." The Spirit of Independence Award will be presented to Cheadle at the Festival Awards Ceremony on June 29, 2008. "Don Cheadle has created extraordinary work in his career as an actor and producer," said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, which produces LAFF, in a statement. "This honorary award is a gesture of our appreciation for his diligence and determination to produce consistently brilliant work for the film world." Previous recipients of the award include George Clooney, Charlize Theron and Clint Eastwood. The Festival also announced that Antonio Banderas, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Rob Reiner will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs. The Honorary Chair is presented to those who exemplify "outstanding artistic achievement in film." The festival runs June 19-29, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Asian American Festival Sets Program

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

The 2008 Asian American International Film Festival has announced it will open on July 10, 2008, with the East Coast premiere of Wayne Wang's "Princess of Nebraska, and close July 19, 2008, with Jessica Yu's "Ping Pong Playa." Based in New York City, the festival will also showcase the U.S. premiere of Ed Radtke's "The Speed of Life as its Centerpiece Presentation, and include nine additional narrative feature films, including "Always Be Boyz," "The Drummer," "Half-Life" and "Slingshot," and nine documentaries, including "Beyond The Fear, Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution," "The Killing of a Chinese Cookie," and "Megumi." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | "Fix" Big Winner In Brooklyn

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

The 11th Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF) announced the 2008 Festival winners from 102 films shown in competition from May 30- June 8, 2008. Tao Ruspoli's "Fix" led the winners, taking both the Grand Chameleon Award and Best Narrative Feature. Other winners included Alison Murray's "Carny," which won Best Documentary, Kevin Tucker won Best New Director for "The Unidentified," Reto Caffi's "On The Line" won Best Narrative Short, and Brad Pattullo's "24 Frames" won for Best Animation. Audience Awards went to Judson Pearce Morgan and Kelly Overton's "The Collective" for narrative, David Modigliani's "Crawford" for documentary, and Liova Jedlicki's "Crosse" for narrative short. BIFF awarded the winners with prizes totaling over $60,000 in film services, products, and cash. A single prize of $5,000 cash, the "Diane Seligman Award", sponsored by Lowel Light, was given to Best Documentary. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

Guardian | Top 10 Edinburgh Picks

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Now, under the leadership of artistic director Hannah McGill, it is shifting dates to this month: June 18-29. This is to create a new sense of identity, a boost to its rebranding as the "Sundance" of the UK, a hipper, edgier, funkier event that won't get lost in the vast chaos of the Fringe. Peter Bradshaw reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Women Takes on "Sari Soldiers"

Documentary "The Sari Soldiers" has been acquired by Women Make Movies, the group unveiled. Directed by Julie Bridgham and filmed over three years in Nepal during the country's transition from absolute monarchy to democracy, the film is the story of six women and their conflicting efforts to shape the political future of their country. From interviews to uprisings in seemingly peaceful rural villages and rallies in bustling Kathmandu, the film captures women on multiple sides of the escalating civil war. "The Sari Soldiers" is the recipient of the 2008 Human Rights Watch Film Festival's Nestor Almendros Award and will make its North American debut as the fest's centerpiece. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

AP | Australian film organization creates Ledger scholarship

Heath Ledger was known for giving aspiring Australian actors a hand in Hollywood. Now, an Australian film organization has established a scholarship fund in the late actor's name to continue those efforts. AP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

iW NEWS | Academy Grants $500,000 To Organizations

The Academy Foundation's Institutional Grants Program has awarded a total of $500,000 to 58 film-related nonprofit organizations - including universities, museums and career development programs - throughout the United States and in Canada. Seven organizations were granted $15,000, the highest individual amount, and they included the California Institute of the Arts, Columbia University School of the Arts, Loyola Marymount University, New York University's Kanbar Institute of Film & TV, University of North Carolina, and both the University of Southern California's Master of Professional Writing Program and its School of Cinematic Arts. Since its establishment in 1968, the Foundation, which is the educational wing of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has distributed more than 573 institutional grants. "One of our primary goals is to increase access to professional opportunities in the motion picture industry," said Grants Committee Chair Andrew Marlowe in a statement. "These grants also will help generate greater public interest in film events and screenings throughout the U.S." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | Here! Films Gets "Cthulhu" and "Antarctica"

Dan Gildark's "Cthulhu" and Yair Hochner's "Antarctica" have been acquired by here! Films, the company announced today. Gildark's "Cthulhu" is an adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft novella that about on a young gay man who discovers secrets about his father's New Age cult, while Hochner's "Antartica" is the first Israeli gay-themed romantic comedy. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ]

iW BOT UPDATE | "Mongol" High Atop iW BOT

Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical

Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" from Picturehouse is atop the weekly iW BOT box office chart, which was published this afternoon. The film earned $135,326 on 5 screens over the weekend, for a $27,065 average. More in this week's box office column, which was published last night. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Box Office ]

iW NEWS | Zeitgeist Takes "Trouble the Water" for Summer Release

Zeitgeist has picked up Sundance doc prize winner "Trouble the Water" by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal for a late summer release, the company unveiled Tuesday. Nancy Gerstman, co-president of Zeitgeist Films negotiated the deal with Sarah Lash of Cinetic Media who represented the filmmakers. The doc centers on aspiring rap artist Kimberly Roberts and her husband Scott Roberts who captured their personal trauma with Hurricane Katrina the day before and the day of the deadly storm on a camcorder they purchased days earlier. The film captures the hope for survival under extreme conditions and touches on issues of race and class and the stratification of American society. "We are absolutely thrilled to have acquired this brilliant documentary which has a dramatic trajectory most narrative features would envy," commented Gertsman in a statement. "We are still mixing documentaries with features every year, but have found that the documentaries we've released this past year and a half...have performed spectacularly well for us." Zeitgeist will roll out the film theatrically August 22 in New York and Los Angeles. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | First Run For "Save Me"

First Run Features announced that it has acquired Robert Cary's "Save Me," which premiered at Sundance in 2007 and was the Opening Night Film at OutFest Los Angeles later that year. "Save Me," about a young gay man and the Christian retreat he is brought into, will have a US theatrical premiere at New York's Clearview Chelsea Cinemas on September 5th with major cities to follow soon thereafter. First Run inked the deal with Garbus Kroupa Entertainment, LLC, Mythgarden and Tetrahedron Productions. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ]

HR | Roadside has rights to 'Party'

"Roadside Attractions has acquired all U.S. rights to Jason Freeland's feature "Garden Party," reports The Hollywood Reporter. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

AP | Hundreds attend documentary screening in Bush town

About 300 people turned out Sunday night for "Crawford," which started playing at dusk on a 50-foot-tall inflatable outdoor screen at the football field; the town has no movie theater. Angela K. Brown reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

Reuters: Screenwriters strike cost Calif. $2.1 bln: report

The three-month writers' strike that ended in February cost the entertainment industry alone $500 million. But because Hollywood overlaps with other state industries, the report found the strike had a wider impact overall. Alex Dobuzinskis reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | "Brokeback" Opera to Take the Stage

U.S. composer Charles Wuorinen will create an opera based on Annie Proulx's short story, "Brokeback Mountain," the New York City Opera general manager-designate Gerard Mortier announced Monday. The opera will debut in the City Opera's 2013 spring season. "Ever since encountering Annie Proulx's extraordinary story I have wanted to make an opera on it, and it gives me great joy that Gerard Mortier and New York City Opera have given me the opportunity to do so," commented Wuorinen about the project. "Brokeback Mountain" is the story of ranch hand Ennis del Mar and rodeo cowboy Jack Twist, two young men who meet and fall in love on the fictional Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming in 1963. The 2005 film, of the same name directed by Ang Lee, documents their complex relationship over the next twenty years. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

iW NEWS | "Wellness," "Secrecy" Top Newport Festival

Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

The Newport International Film Festival announced the winners of its 2008 festival Sunday. "The NIFF Jury had a tough job this year selecting the best film in each category," said NIFF Executive Director Louisa Percudani. "This has been an extraordinary week for filmmakers and fans alike, and we are thrilled to be able to honor the filmmakers for their outstanding contributions to our festival and to the film industry." Winners included Jeff Mahaffy's "Wellness" for Best Narrative Feature, Rob Moss and Peter Galison's "Secrecy" for Best Documentary, and Jiang Xuan's "August 15th" for Best Short. Audience awards were given to Craig Saavedra's "Sherman's Way" for narrative and Peyton Williams' "Speed and Angel" for documentary. A special student jury award was given to DJ Paul's "B.O.H.I.C.A." and the inaugural Brendan P. Kelly Award was awarded to Emily Hubley's "The Toe Tactic." [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Academy Hands Out Student Oscars

Twelve students from nine colleges and universities were honored Saturday night as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 35th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. The 2008 gold medal winners are "On the Line" (Auf der Strecke), directed by Reto Caffi, for Honorary Foreign Film, "Viola: The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant," directed by Shih-Ting Hung, in the Alternative category, "Zoologic," directed by Nicole Mitchell, in the Animation category, "As We Forgive," directed by Laura Waters Hinson, in the Documentary category, and "A Day's Work," directed by Rajeev Dassani, in the Narrative category. The U.S. students first competed in one of three regional competitions. Each of those regions was permitted to send as many as three finalist films in each of the four award categories. Academy members then screened the films and voted to select the winners. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Mongol" Dominates Specialty Releases

Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" debuted way atop the specialty-focused iW BOT this weekend, according to those films that submitted numbers to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon. On 5 screens, the Picturehouse release grossed a very impressive $133,136, for a $26,627 average, the highest of any film, wide or limited, reporting. The second highest debut was Anand Tucker's "When Did You Last See Your Father?," which grossed $41,082 on 8 screens for Sony Pictures Classics, an average of $5,135. Faring considerably worse was First Look's release, "Miss Conception." The Eric Styles directed film averaged just $1,503. Tom Kalin's "Savage Grace" led all holdovers, averaging $3,405 as the film expanded from 2 to 7 screens. indieWIRE will publish its weekly box office column Monday night and final weekend numbers for specialty and limited release films on Tuesday. Get the latest in the indieWIRE Box Office section. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]