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 August 22, 2008 iW NEWS | SPC Buys "Paris"
Christophe Barratier's "Paris 36" (Faubourg 36), which opened the Montreal World Film Festival last night, has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. The company announced today a deal for U.S., Australasian and Scandinavian rights rights to the movie. Described as the story of "a bygone era in France," the film is Barratier's follow-up to "The Chorus" (Les Choristes). The film was produced by Jacques Perrin, and Nicolas Mauvernay and co-produced by Romain Le Grand for Pathe. "This is one of those amazing populist movies no one seems to make anymore: a big, boisterous, moving 1930's music hall movie with perfect attention to detail in performance, cinematography, and production design," SPC's Michael Barker said in a statement today. "Director Christophe Barratier integrates the power and beauty of music with great visual storytelling seamlessly." It is also set for next month's Toronto International Film Festival. [Eugene Hernandez]  [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto, World Cinema ] SFC | "I.O.U.S.A.": In debt we trust
Don't start snoozing yet. "I.O.U.S.A." might be the most must-see movie out there, if only because it is constantly evolving. G. Allen Johnson reports. [permalink] [ filed under Movies ] The Week in Fests | "The State of the Fest" in Two Parts, and Toronto "Celeb Overflow"
The latest from the festival scene this week. A link exchange by Variety.com and indieWIRE.
"DO FESTIVALS MATTER?"
"THINGS GOTTA CHANGE"
CELEBRITY OVERKILL?
More at Variety's Festival Central
August 21, 2008iW NEWS | Peace Arch Takes "JCVD"
Peace Arch Home Entertainment, LLC has announced that it has acquired all North American distribution rights to director Mabrouk El Mechr's "JCVD." The film, which had its world premiere at Cannes this May and will make its North American debut in Toronto, stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a self-deprecating version of himself. "'JCVD' is the first significant acquisition of the new venture between Peace Arch and ContentFilm," said Berry Meyerowitz, President of Peace Arch Home Entertainment, in a statement. "This outstanding film resonates with moviegoers, and we are thrilled to partner with Jean-Claude, director Mabrouk El Mechri and Gaumont to present it to audiences in North America." The film will screen on opening night of the Midnight Madness program of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival on September 4th. Peace Arch plans to release the film in theaters "shortly thereafter." [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Toronto ] iW NEWS | IFC To Walk Stabile's "Shoes"
IFC Films has acquired North American rights to director Salvatore Stabile's "Where God Left His Shoes," which stars John Leguizamo. The film premiered in the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007, and details a family facing homelessness. "Shoes" will be released in December 2008 theatrically through IFC Films and on VOD through IFC in Theaters. The film will also be distributed through IFC Entertainment's exclusive deal with Blockbuster Inc. through its stores, its by-mail rental service and its digital downloading service. "When we screened Salvatore's film in Tribeca last year, we knew immediately that this would be a fit with our model and our audience," said Arianna Bocco, Vice President of Acquisitions and Production for IFC Films, in a statement. Bocco negotiated the deal with Michael Caldwell and Richard Hutton from Vulcan Productions. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions ] iW NEWS | Sarsenova is Pusan's Asian Filmmaker of the Year
The 13th Pusan International Film Festival has announced that Gulnara Sarsenova is their annual recipient for their award for Asian Filmmaker of the Year. As the first female award winner, Sarsenova is currently a festival chairman of International Eurasia Film Festival and also a producer in Kazakhstan. She established Eurasia Film Production in 2004. The award, in its sixth year, has previously been given to Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Hou Hsiao-hsien, broadcasting company NHK, Andy Lau and the late Edward Yang. The festival runs October 2-10, 2008. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Honors ] iW NEWS | Financial Town Hall Kicks off "I.O.U.S.A" Release Tonight
Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms. iW NEWS | Financial Town Hall Kicks off "I.O.U.S.A" Tonight Hundreds of American movie theaters will become local town halls tonight (Thursday, August 21st) as part of a special event kicking off the theatrical release of "Wordplay" director Patrick Creadon's latest doc, "I.O.U.S.A." Warren Buffet will be among the panelists participating in a 45-minute panel discussion that will air following a screening of the film in nearly 400 theaters. "I think this is a really interesting model with tons of potential for special interest docs," noted distributor Roadside Attractions co-president Eric D'Arbeloff on Wednesday from Ohio, where the town hall event set to take place. It is being delivered via satellite to chain theaters via NCM's digital broadcast network and Fathom Events. "I.O.U.S.A." opens on 18 screens this Friday. For more information, visit the Fathom Events website. [Eugene Hernandez][permalink] [ filed under Documentary, Movies ] August 20, 2008iW NEWS | Weeks & Caldwell Launch Online Release for "10 Yards"
Aiming to create wider awareness and prime the pump for an upcoming DVD release, filmmakers Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell are previewing their new documentary, "10 Yards: Fantasy Football," via OurStage.com, iTunes and SnagFilms. Now online, the film explores the 20 million strong universe of fantasy football fans. Viewers can grab a free iTunes download of the film on OurStage or watch it via Snag's viral movie theater widgets. The film's DVD release will kick-off on September 30th. "Distributing '10 Yards' online is the perfect approach for connecting with a substantial number of web-savvy, socially-active consumers of indie art, " said OurStage's Lora Kratchounova, in a statement. "Studios take note, this unconventional release strategy is a prime example of the changing landscape of film and music distribution." [Eugene Hernandez] DISCLOSURE: indieWIRE is owned by SnagFilms (Recent letter to iW readers). [permalink] [ filed under New Media & Technology ] iW NEWS | Friedlander To Head CBS Films Distribution
Steven Friedlander has been named Executive Vice President, Theatrical Distribution of CBS Films. In this new position, Friedlander will be responsible for overseeing the domestic theatrical distribution for the studio's films. The move officially establishes CBS Films' planned domestic distribution unit. "Steven's reputation is stellar," said Amy Baer, President and Chief Executive Officer of the film division within CBS Corporation, in a statement. "He's one of the most respected distribution executives in the industry today -- highly regarded among filmmakers and exhibitors alike." Friedlander joins CBS Films from Warner Independent Pictures, where he served as Executive Vice President of Distribution. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Biz, Industry Moves ] iW NEWS | Zurich Fest To Honor Stallone
The Zurich Film Festival has announced that Sylvester Stallone will receive the inaugural Golden Icon Award at this year's Festival, taking place September 25-October 5, 2008. "We are absolutely honored to welcome incomparable Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone as the first Golden Icon Award winner and Zurich Master Class lecturer at our young Film Festival," said Festival Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri in a statement. Stallone will accept the award on September 26th. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Honors ] iW NEWS | Icarus Offering "Bird's Nest" Doc Online
Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms. Capitalizing on the high profile awareness of the 29th Summer Olympics in Bejing, Icarus Films is showcasing -- exclusively via Amazon Unbox -- Christoph Schaub and Michael Schindhelm's "Bird's Nest: Herzog & de Meuron in China." The doc looks at architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron's building of Bejing's distinctive National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. Available for a limited time through the end of the Games, the film is priced for both sale and rental. Company president Jonathan Miller developed the strategy while in conversations with Amazon aimed at securing a swift released timed to the Olympics. While he is open to other online opportunites for the film, after the Olympics, the film will continue on its traditional release plan, including theatrical books, nontheatrical sales, and a DVD release next year, including a new architecture line for the company. [Eugene Hernandez][permalink] [ filed under Documentary, Movies ] indieWIRE Presents: Alan Ball and Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Join filmmaker Alan Ball ("American Beauty", "Six Feet Under") and actress Summer Bishil at the Apple Store as they discuss their film, "Towelhead." Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Alicia Erian and written for the screen and directed by Alan Ball, "Towelhead" follows the dark, bold, and sometimes shockingly funny life of Jasira, a 13-year-old Arab-American girl, as she navigates the confusing and frightening path of adolescence and her own sexual awakening. The discussion will be moderated by indieWIRE writer, Eric Kohn. Warner Independent Pictures will release Towelhead in theaters on September 12. WHEN: Monday, September 8, 7:00 p.m. WHERE: Apple Store, SoHo, 103 Prince Street, NYC [permalink] [ filed under Events ] iW NEWS | IndiePix, Harrington Announce $700k Film Slate
In the wake of naming Ryan Harrington to run IndiePix Studios, the company has announced $700,000 in funding for its first slate of films. In production this week is Paola Mendoza and Gloria Lamorte's "Entre Nos," a story of Colombian immigrants starring Mendoza. Also on the IndiePix slate are Samantha Buck's verite documentary "21 Below," about a family in Buffalo, NY (set for the '09 fest circuit); Gabriel Noble and Marjan Tehrani's doc "P Star's Redemption," the story of a father and daughter pursuing a dream of rap stardom (also set for the '09 fest circuit). Rounding out the slate are Nicole Quinn's "Slap and Tickle," a film described as "a coming-of-age story by, for, and about women, and specifically women of color," starring Gloria Reuben, Linda Powell, Adam Lefevre, Melissa Leo, Giancarlo Esposito, and Caitlin Quinn; Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern's doc "The End of America," based on Naomi Wolf's book of the same name, which will be released this fall; and Kristi Jacobson's "Toots," the award winner from the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Production ] iW NEWS | Pusan Promotion Plan Announces Projects
The 11th Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) has announced its official selection of film projects for 2008. The official line-up will showcase 30 projects from 17 countries, selected out of 200 submissions. The largest project market in Asia, it allows projects to seek various possibilities for financings and co-production through individual meetings and networking chances organized by the event. This year's event will feature work from filmmakers such as Lee Chang-dong, Zhang Lu, Choi Dong-hoon, Chang Tso Chi, Sabu, Lee Sang-il, Marat Sarulu, Zhang Yuan and Viet Linh. The 30 finalists will be presented at Paradise Hotel at Haeundae beach on Oct 3-6, 2008, during the 13th Pusan International Film Festival. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Events, World Cinema ] August 19, 2008iW BOT UPDATE | "A Girl" Leads
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical Claude Chabrol's "A Girl Cut In Two," from IFC Films is atop the weekly iW BOT box office chart, which was published this afternoon. The film earned $18,658 from 2 runs. More in this week's box office column, which was published last night.[permalink] [ filed under Box Office ] iW NEWS | 28 Films On Tap For Latinbeat
The Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Latinbeat series announced their 2008 programming, which presents 28 films from 11 different countries. This year's series hosts films from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela and the United States. "Never before has the landscape of Latin American film been richer and more varied in style, genre, theme, location and the number of countries explored," says the Film Society's Marcela Goglio, who curated the series with Film Society program director Richard Pena, in a statement. "The number of strong, arresting works and the range of exciting unique personal voices reflect the diversity and overall cultural effervescence of the region itself." Announced titles include Lucia Cedron's "Lamb of God," Laura Amelia-Guzman's "Cochochi," Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez's "The Path," Wolney Oliveira's "El cayo de la muerte," Mariana Randon's "Postcards from Leningrad," Anahi Berneri's "Encarnacion" and Enrique Fernandez and Cesar Charlone's "The Pope's Toilet." Latinbeat runs from September 5-25, 2008 at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City. For tickets and more information, visit their website. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, New York, World Cinema ] iW NEWS | Gotham Awards To Honor Cruz
The IFP has announced that Penelope Cruz will be presented with a Gotham Award Tribute at the 18th Annual Gotham Awards. Cruz currently stars in both "Elegy" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." "Penelope's body of work embodies what is exciting and vibrant about filmmaking today, in particular independent filmmaking" said Michelle Byrd, executive director of IFP, in a statement. "Her performances working with internationally acclaimed directors and her choice of roles are dynamic, vivacious and varied. IFP is especially pleased to salute her still very young career this year as she delivers knockout performances in two extremely different and winning films presently in theaters." Additional Tribute recipients will be announced next week. Nominees for the awards will be announced on October 20th, 2008, and winners will be honored at a ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on December 2nd. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Awards Watch, Honors ] SF360 | Manny Farber (1917-2008): "The Geography of Gesture"
Film critic Manny Farber died in California yesterday at the age of 91, reports SF360. "I can only say that Manny was a dear friend and one of my heroes, a great writer and a great painter," Telluride Film Festival co-director Tom Luddy told the site. Reprinting an article about the critic from 2003, SF360 added, "One of America's greatest film critics, Farber leaves behind many other admirers and friends in the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Film Society, who enjoyed Farber's presence when he received the Mel Novikoff Award during the 2003 Festival. [permalink] [ filed under People ] August 18, 2008iW NEWS | BAMcinematek Presents "Best of NewFest"
BAMcinematek, the repertory film program at BAM Rose Cinemas, will present "The Best of NewFest: The 20th Anniversary New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival," this Friday through Sunday, August 22-24. The program will spotlight a selection of the 2008 programming, including are festival award winners "Pageant," directed by Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern (Audience Award For Best Feature), and "The Lost Coast," directed by Gabriel Fleming (Best U.S. Narrative Feature Award). Other films include Lonnie Tristan Renteria's "Ebony Chunky Love," Shamim Sharif's "The World Unseen," Morgan Jon Fox's "OMG/HaHaHa," James Vasquez's "Ready? Ok!," Monalisa McComb's "Being Proud, Black, & LGBT In America," Charles B. Brack's "Dreams Deferred," Hanifah Walidah and Olive Demetrius' "U People," and the short programs "Maneater" and "Girls On Film." Tickets are available at the BAM Rose Cinemas box office or online. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Events, Festivals, New York, Queer Cinema ] iW NEWS | Reykjavik Announces Honorees, Programs
The 5th Annual Reykjavik International Film Festival has announced that it will run from September 25-October 5, 2008, and will honor filmmaker Constanin Costa-Gavras with its lifetime achievement award. Costas-Gavras and Shirin Neshat will be the festival's guests of honor, with Neshat's work being showcased throughout the eleven day event. The festival also announced a new program, "Sound on Sight," which will highlight the relation between music and films. On October 2nd, music supervisors, film producers, composers, network programmers and record company executives from the two entertainment sectors will meet to "discuss practical aspects of the fusion of music and films, its production methods, and how to market and distribute the artifacts, such as soundtracks and music documentaries." The not-yet-announced festival programme will consist of approximately 80 feature films and documentaries. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals ] iW NEWS | Celluloid Takes Rights to Venice's "Plastic City" and "Birdwatchers"
Rights to Venice competition titles "Plastic City" by Yu Lik-wai and Marco Bechis' "Birdwatchers" have been picked up by Celluloid Dreams. Set in Liberdade, Sao Paulo, Brazil, "Plastic City" recounts a futuristic multi-ethnic neighbourhood with the largest Japanese immigrant community in the world. "Birdwatchers" revolves around the conflict between Brazil's landed wealthy and mostly landless natives who exist on the periphery. Both films join Takeshi Kitano’s "Achilles and the Tortoise" to make three films on Celluloid Dreams’ Venice festival slate. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals ] August 17, 2008iW NEWS | Marchetti Launches Variance Films with "Smother" and "Dead Fish"
Former ThinkFilm exec Dylan Marchetti is launching Variance Films, described as a micro-distributor aimed at securing traditional U.S. theatrical distribution for independent films. A former director of distribution and marketing at the company, Marchetti will build a slate by partnering with filmmakers on self-funded released and ultimately acquiring titles for distribution. Variance's first two titles are Franklin Martin's "Walking on Dead Fish" (with Dutchmen Films). Narrated and executive produced by Terry Bradshaw, the football documentary will be released on September 5th. Next up will be the September 26th release of Vince Di Meglio's "Smother," a comedy featuring Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard, and Liv Tyler. "Variance Films will represent the best of the old thinking and the best of the new, adapting both to the reality of today's marketplace," said Marchetti, in a statement. "While there is no shortage of independent films being made today, there are far too many noteworthy films that are struggling to find distribution and often winding up going straight-to-video. Variance Films is designed to take these smaller films to theaters - tailoring each release to the specific film for the specific US markets, even when it doesn't fit the standard theatrical NY/LA expansion model. And we will have a strong acquisitions component, so we'll soon be a staple at festivals and markets, chasing after films we believe in." [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions ] iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: Vital "Vicky," Paltry "Poole"
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical According to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon, Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and Mark Pellington's "Henry Poole Is Here" aggressively entered the late summer specialty derby to contrasting results. On 692 screens, The Weinstein Company and MGM's "Barcelona" showed a lot of promise, grossing $3.7 million and averaging $5,361. However, though it did much better than January's "Cassandra's Dream," "Barcelona" actually found an average slightly lower than Woody's last summer-Scarlett offering, 2006's considerably less applauded "Scoop." That film averaged $5,663 from 538 theaters. But "Scoop" didn't have the Olympics to contend with. "Poole," on the other hand, is a disappointment with or without Michael Phelps' shadow, managing just $800,000 on 527 screens for Overture Films, averaging only $1,518. Neither film looks to lead the iW BOT though, which ranks by per-theatre-average. Claude Chabrol's "A Girl Cut In Two" grossed $19,480 on 2 screens for IFC Films, averaging $9,740. That narrowly beat the average of Isabel Coixet's "Elegy," which remained on 6 screens on its second weekend and saw its grosses cut roughly in half, taking in $54,054 or $9,009 per run. 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 Box Office ]
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