As most distributors headed home after 10 days of furious film watching, a few last minute deals were announced in the waning days of the Sundance Film Festival. Several more announcements will accompany the excitement surrounding the Awards Ceremony on Saturday. A prize may tip the interest in films that have yet gone unsold.
MAN PUSH CART, an American film screening in the Spectrum section, has signed a deal for US and Canadian distribution via Films Philos and international sales via French-based sales company Wide Entertainment. The film, directed by Ramin Bahran, is the story and struggles of a pushcart vendor. The film world premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and won major prizes at the London Film Festival and the Thessaloniki Film Festival.
STAY, by former comedian-turned-director Bob Goldthwait, has been acquired by Roadside Attractions and the Samuel Goldwyn Company. The film, which is screening in the Sundance Dramatic Competition, is a quirky comedy about how a secret sexual tryst threatens to upend the engagement of a school teacher and her strait-laced fiancé. Eric D’Abeloff, co-president of Roadside Attractions, gushed in the press release that he “had never encountered a film that so intelligently combines raunchy humor with warmth and emotional truth.” The film will be jointly released by the two companies later this year.
THE DARWIN AWARDS, a surrealistic comedy by Finn Taylor, has been purchased by Bauer Martinez for worldwide rights. The film stars Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, David Arquette and Juliette Lewis, and features a soundtrack by rock group Metallica.
KZ, a documentary film by Rex Boomstein on the effect of the infamous Mauthausen concentration camp on the current dwellers of the idyllic village, has been picked up for international sales by Canadian sales company Films Transit International. The company’s Jan Rofekamp is bringing the film to the European Film Market next month as the starting point for theatrical and television sales.
Deals are expected, although still not announced, for some other prominent titles including Dramatic Award Competition titles STEPHANIE DALEY, HALF NELSON, THE ILLUSIONIST and A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS. Perhaps distributors are waiting to see if these, and other, films win awards tomorrow evening before making final bids and commitments. Deals could be announced within hours of the Awards Ceremony to be held on Saturday night. And if previous years are any indication, announcements will continue for weeks after the last Sundance screening.
Sandy Mandelberger, Industry Editor
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Posted by: Free Business Grant Help | September 09, 2008 at 11:43 PM