VAR | Tartan Shuts Down

UK-based distributor Tartan Films has closed for business, Variety reports. Sources told Variety that "Tartan employees found the London office doors closed Thursday June 26 and were then informed later in the day by Tartan topper Hamish McAlpine the company was closed for business."  
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INSIDE WORD | Kino Getting "Momma's Man" From ThinkFilm

Azazel Jacobs's "Momma's Man," a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is instead being released by Kino International after the filmmakers' deal with ThinkFilm evaporated in the wake of financial problems at Think. According to insiders, without a signed contract, the filmmakers returned to Kino, a company that pursued the movie back in Park City. Kino is intending to stick with the film's original August 22nd release date at the Angelika Film Center and other NYC theaters. A formal announcement is expected tomorrow (Friday). Meanwhile, a ThinkFilm email message to journalists today referred inquiries about the film to Kino. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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iW NEWS | First Independent Takes "Beautiful"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

First Independent Pictures has announced the acquisition of selected US theatrical rights to Darryl Roberts' "America the Beautiful." The film, which recently completed a run in Chicago, is a documentary that looks at America's unhealthy obsession with physical perfection. "Beautiful" made its debut in 2007 at the AFI Dallas Film Festival before going on the win Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival. The film will open in New York on August 6th and expand throughout the month. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | Desplechin, Egoyan, and 25 Others Set For Toronto

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced 27 international selections that will screen at the 33rd edition of the festival this September. Among them are the North American premieres of Kim Jee-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," which will screen as a Gala Presentation, Atom Egoyan's "Adoration," Arnaud Desplechin's "Un conte de Noel," Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," Jia Zhang-ke's "24 City," Terence Davies' "Of Time and the City," Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne's "Le Silence de Lorna," Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Three Monkeys," Ari Folman's "Waltz with Bashir," Steve McQueen's "Hunger" and Bent Hamer's "O'Horten." The festival runs September 4-13, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
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HR | IFC Handling Weinstein's "Elite Squad"

Jose Padilha's "Elite Squad" will be released in theaters and on VOD through IFC Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Weinstein Company title, winner of the Golden Bear at this year's Berlinale, was produced by the TWC and Costantini Films' Latin Film Fund.  
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iW NEWS | London Fest To Open With "Frost/Nixon"

The Times BFI London Film Festival announced that their 2008 edition will open on October 15 with the world premiere of Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon." The film, adapted by Peter Morgan from his own award winning stage play, stars Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as journalist David Frost and former President Richard Nixon. The film also stars Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen. "I've been so fortunate with 'Frost/Nixon,' working with two world-class directors in theatre and film and watching two lead actors at the top of their games," said screenwriter Morgan in a statement. "Now, having the film premiere at my hometown just completes a thrilling, fairy-tale ride for me." The full programme for the festival will be announced on September 10th. The festival runs from October 15-30, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Focus Establishes Program For African Filmmakers

Focus Features has announced an initiative exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence. The Africa First Program is offering participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for production and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and utilizing the resources of the film industry there. Complete details on Africa First - including application information - here. "It's about time the American film industry took a more active interest in the enormous filmmaking talents emerging in Africa," said Focus CEO James Schamus. "Everyone at Focus is excited to be a part of this initiative." [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | MSNBC Launches New Film Division with "Dear Zachary"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

Cable news network MSNBC has opened a new doc division dubbed MSNBC Films. The initiative will give MSNBC a platform to present and produce films on television, while also "supporting films during their festival run and theatrical release," according to a company statement. Kurt Kuenne's "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father" will be the first film tied to the new venture. Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment represents the film and negotiated and structured the partnership with MSNBC. The Slamdance film began as a memorial to Kuenne's life-long friend Dr. Andrew Bagby, but it took on a whole new meaning when it was revealed that Bagby's ex-girlfriend and suspected murderer was pregnant with his child. Kuenne travels to dozens of cities in three countries where he meets with virtually every person who ever touched and was touched by Bagby, while Bagby's parents fight for custody of the baby. "MSNBC Films is another way for NBC News to partner with great independent filmmakers, who bring different takes on the world, commented Michael Rubin, Vice President, Long-form Programming at MSNBC. "We're doing cartwheels over 'Dear Zachary.'" The film will premiere on MSNBC following a theatrical release that is currently in negotiations and expected to be announced in the coming weeks. [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | Liberation Takes "Eden"

Liberation Entertainment announced today the acquisition of North American rights to the award-winning Irish drama, "Eden." Directed by Declan Recks, the film is adaptation of Eugene O'Brien's Play that follows a troubled marriage in a small provincial town. The film had its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival last month where Eileen Walsh won the Best Actress Award. "This is a film that grabs hold of you and won't let go," commented Liberation CEO Jay Boberg. "We were completely taken by the power of the performances and Declan Recks' unique take on the material." The deal was negotiated by Josh Braun of Submarine on behalf of the filmmakers and Jay Boberg, CEO and Rob Williams, VP Acquisitions for Liberation Entertainment. Liberation plans a theatrical release in the fall of 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW BOT UPDATE | "An American Girl" On Top

Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical

Patricia Rozema's "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl." from Picturehouse is atop the weekly iW BOT box office chart, which was published this afternoon. The film earned $220,297 on 5 screens over the weekend, for a $44,059 average. More in this week's box office column, which was published last night. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | CineVegas Goes For "She Unfolds"

The 10th Annual CineVegas Film Festival concluded this weekend, and winners were announced in a variety of categories. They included Rolf Belgum's "She Unfolds By Day," which received the Grand Jury Prize; Rachel Samuels' "Dark Streets," which was acknowledged with a Special Jury Award; and Bill Pullman, who received a Special Jury Award for his role in Matthew Wilder's "Your Name Here." Additionally, the Jury Prize for the Festival's special section, Pioneer Documentaries, was awarded to Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard's "Beautiful Losers," with Paul Eagleston and Stephen Rose's "Hi My Name is Ryan" garnering a Special Documentary Jury Prize. Jonas Cuaron's "Ano una" (Year of the Nail) received the La Proxima Ola Grand Jury Prize. John Corey's "Lost in the Fog" and Jared Drake's "Visioneers" picked up the Audience Awards for Documentary and Narrative Features. "We have seen a considerable amount of filmmaker talent at the Festival over the past decade, and this year is no exception," said Artistic Director Trevor Groth in a statement. "In addition, CineVegas had record number of attendees this year. From our groundbreaking films, to our extravagant parties, this has by far been our most well-attended Festival to date." indieWIRE published two dispatches from CineVegas, which you can check out here and here. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | "Garden" Leads SILVERDOCS Winners

SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announced its award winners Sunday, culminating the weeklong Festival activities that included screening 108 films representing 63 countries. Winning filmmakers received over $70,000 in combined cash and in-kind prizes. The Audience Award winners will be announced Monday. SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a US Feature went to Scott Hamilton Kennedy's "The Garden." The director will receive $10,000 cash and $5,000 in film stock from Kodak. This year's inaugural SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a World Feature went to Geoffrey Smith's "The English Surgeon," while the award for a Short Film was given to Jan Zabeil's "What Would The Drop Know About That?" The Music Documentary Award went to Sascha Paladino's "Throw Down Your Heart," and the Cinematic Vision Award went to Margaret Brown for "The Order of Myths." "Our greatest goal in joining with AFI to produce SILVERDOCS was to celebrate and honor the creativity of independent filmmakers and the documentary art form," said Carrie Passmore, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility, in a statement. " With these awards, we are honoring those filmmakers from around the world whose vision and storytelling truly excel." Check out indieWIRE's first dispatch from SILVERDOCS here. A second will be posted this evening. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Nantucket Awards Burnstein, Schechter, Marsh

The 13th Annual Nantucket Film Festival closed things off this Sunday, after screening over 50 features and shorts and holding a variety of events, including tributes and awards to Judd Apatow and Meg Ryan. "We're thrilled about the wonderful turnout for this year's festival from loyal supporters and new visitors alike" said Jill Burkhart, Co-Founder and Executive Director in a statement. On Sunday afternoon, a ceremony was held to award the winner of Showtime's Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, which recognizes an emerging screenwriter. A jury comprised of Doug Liman, Chris Eigeman, and Liz Tucillo chose FM Strype for his script "Anna Down East" out of hundreds of submissions. Also presented was the Adrienne Shelley Excellence in Filmmaking Award, to Nanette Burstein ("American Teen"), Showtime's Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting, given to Daniel Schechter for the movie "Goodbye Baby," the Audience Award for Best Feature was awarded to "Of All the Things," written and directed by Jody Lambert, and an award for Best Storytelling in a Documentary Film, to James Marsh ("Man on Wire") . [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Academy Invites 105 For Membership

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 105 artists and executives who have "distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures." Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2008 to the Academy's roster of voting members. "These individuals are all incredibly talented and a credit to the world of filmmaking," said Academy President Sid Ganis in a statement. "They exemplify the high standards of the Academy and I welcome each and every one of them to our ranks." Invitees include actors Sacha Baron Cohen, Josh Brolin, Marion Cotillard and Ruby Dee, directors Sergei Bodrov, James Gray, Michael Haneke, Kimberly Peirce and Jason Reitman, documentarians Nanette Burstein, Heidi Ewing, Liz Garbus, Michele Ohayon and Deborah Shaffer, and writers Judd Apatow, Diablo Cody, Jean-Claude Carriere, Nancy Oliver and Tamara Jenkins. New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Zeitgeist Gets "Stranded"

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

As it prepares to celebrates its 20th anniversary with a retrospective at MoMA this week, Zeitgeist Films has announced a deal for U.S. theatrical and home video rights to Gonzalo Arijon's "Stranded: I've Come From a Plane the Crashed in the Mountains." Uruguayan director Arijon's film is the story the story of the survivors of a plane crash in the South American Andes 35 years ago, profiling the survivors, who subsisted the ten weeks in the freezing weather by consuming the remains of those who died after the plane went down. Winner of the jury prize at last year's International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (where indieWIRE first reported on the film), the doc had its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year. "This is truly one of the most remarkable stories turned into one of the most haunting films we've ever encountered," Zeitgeist co-president Emily Russo (who negotiated the deal with Emmanuelle Erbsmann at ARTE France) and co-president Nancy Gerstman said today in a statement, "We expect it to have a great theatrical life and beyond, as this films provides a truly an indelible experience." After releasing its recent acquisition, Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner "Trouble The Water," Zeitgeist will open the movie at New York City's Film Forum on October 22, 2008, followed by a national roll-out. [Eugene Hernandez]  
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iW NEWS | "Frozen River" and "Flow" Take Top Provincetown Audience Prizes

The Provincetown International Film Festival capped its 10th edition with director Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River" taking the audience award for best feature, while Irena Salina's "Flow: For the Love of Water" received the audience prize for best doc. Best short went to "Who I Am" by Whitney Peters and Lance Hammer won the John Schlesinger Award for "Ballast" (given to a first time filmmaker). Celebs being feted at the fest included Quentin Tarantino who received the fest's "Filmmaker on the Edge Award," while Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was honored with the "Excellence in Acting Award" and Jane Lynch received the Faith Hubley Memoiral Award. [Brian Brooks] 
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iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Encounters" Impresses

Werner Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World" found itself atop the specialty-focused iW BOT in its second weekend, according to those films that submitted numbers to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon. Remaining exclusively at New York's Film Forum, the ThinkFilm release impressively lost under one percent of its gross from last weekend, taking in $17,575 and bring its total to $59,386. Last week's leader, Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol," expanded from 5 to 94 screens this weekend, and held on to a very good $7,919 average. The Picturehouse release grossed $744,368 and now has taken in $1,115,165 as it continues to expand over the next few weekends. The only reporting opener was Sarah Gavron's "Brick Lane." The film grossed a decent $50,470 on 7 screens for Sony Pictures Classics, averaging $7,210. 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]  
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