Tag Archives: Sundance acquisitions

SUNDANCE: day 5

Posted on by
3

WATCH LIVE STREAMING FROM 2012 SUNDANCE

Acquisitions

Director Lise Birk Pedersen’s feature-length documentary Putin’s Kiss has been picked up by UK-based distributor, Dogwoof, the distributor of the recent UK-screened Dreams of a Life by Carol Morley.  Dogwoof has theatrical distro rights for the UK, and the film is being planned for release this year.

With such a relatively high price paid for distribution rights in one country, Dogwoof must be expecting that Pedersen’s film will be enthusiastically embraced by the British film-going public.  Read the Screen International story from earlier today.

Trailer for Putin’s Kiss:

L to R: Katie Anne Naylon, Lauren Anne MillerScreenwriters Katie Anne Naylon and Lauren Anne Miller see their film For a Good Time, Call… picked up by Focus Features for theatrical distribution, for just over $2M for worldwide rights. Read the Deadline story complete with a Focus Features press release.

Storyline (from imdb): Lauren and Katie, college frenemies with a mutual good friend, move in together at age 28 in order to afford an amazing Gramercy Park apartment. The unlikely pair start a phone sex line and become best friends while learning about this hilarious world of vibrators, fake orgasms and nighttime callers. When the hot line is hung up and reality comes calling, the most meaningful relationship of their lives is put to the test.

Celeste and Jesse Forever, co-written by and starring Rashida Jones, was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.  Theatrical distro rights include North America, Latin America and Eastern Europe.  I’ve read tweets and other bits about this film that seem to say it was a given that it’d be a standout at Sundance this year.  With comedy star-power like Rashida Jones, backed up by SNL cast member Andy Samberg, how could it not?  Variety indicates that the price was $2M (but no word on what territories the rights apply to, yet). Read the Screen Daily story for a few more details on the SPC deal.

Beasts of the Southern Wild, co-written by Lucy Alibar, was finally picked up after a few days of speculation in the press (and by more than a few brokers, I’m sure).  Fox Searchlight secured theatrical distribution rights, but I haven’t found anything yet on what was paid.

Updates:  Director Katie Aselton’s feature film, Black Rock, as I’ve mentioned here on the blog a couple of times already, was picked up by LD Distribution, but I’ve finally found a figure through Variety that says the price was $1M.  No word yet on the territories that distribution covers: worldwide, U.S., who knows?

I predicted yesterday that Leslye Headland’s feature Bachelorette would be picked up during or soon after the Sundance Film Festival, and Sharon Waxman over at The Wrap seems to think so, too.  Interesting comparison with John Hughes’ movies, but let’s just hope Headland gave her film a heart like Hughes did with every film he ever made.  And, uh, I can’t stand the comment about Gloria Steinem at the end of the article!  Read and share in my painy pissed-offness.

Other Deals

Apparently on Sunday (day 4 of Sundance), director Julie Dash finalized a deal to direct Tupelo ’77, a feature film written by Rich Mancuso.  From a Reuters news article (scroll to “Also on Sunday” heading for details), the film is described as a story “set in a small town in Mississippi in the summer of 1977. It tells the story of a group of women of various ages and races who are regulars at a roadside diner. The summer of 1977 — the year Elvis Presley died — is the hottest on record in Mississippi.”  Shooting begins summer 2012; casting has begun.  I am SO excited about this!

Day 5

Screenings

Among the films by women screened at Sundance on day five were the following titles.  Check out the trailers for the films by clicking on the highlighted links below. How pathetic, I could only find one trailer!  It seems there are very few Sundance movie trailers out now.

2 Days in New York (writer-director Julie Delpy)

The Atomic States of America (co-director Sheena M. Joyce; based on book by Kelly McMasters)

Bachelorette (writer-director Leslye Headland)

Daughters of the Dust (writer-director Julie Dash)                                                         Film released in 1991, this is part of a series of films being shown again to Sundance audiences.

My Best Day (writer-director Erin Greenwell)                                                             (Thanks to Harris Doran for posting a comment with a link to the YouTube trailer.)

Slavery by Another Name (writer Sheila Curran Bernard)

Young & Wild (writer-director Marialy Rivas; Rivas credited writer with Camila Gutierrez and two male writers)

Your Sister’s Sister (writer-director Lynn Shelton)

SUNDANCE: days 1-3

Posted on by
2

WATCH LIVE STREAMING FROM 2012 SUNDANCE

Below is a list of all the women filmmakers whose films screened during the first three days of Sundance (from January 19-21).  I am including feature films, documentaries and shorts which were directed, written or filmed by women.  Credits will also include co-writers, co-directors and cinematographers (sole or one of a group).

To read about one filmmaker’s experience at Sundance this year, take a look at director Kat Candler’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” blog where she’s writing about taking her film Hellion to the festival.

 

DAY 1 (Opening night)

Director Lauren Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles (U.S. documentary category) was one of four films in the festival’s opening night lineup. (In fact, Greenfield was the only female director of the bunch.) Word is that the film was a big hit, and reports were quickly released that Magnolia Pictures had picked up Greenfield’s film for North American distribution.  Ann Thompson of “Thompson on Hollywood” writes about it here.  Watch a Sundance Channel interview with Greenfield done during this year’s festival here.

Writer Sarah Koskoff’s Hello I Must Be Going (filmed by Julie Kirkwood) also joined the opening night lineup.

 

DAY 2

Writer-director Ava DuVernay’s eagerly awaited narrative feature Middle of Nowhere screens at Sundance.  DuVernay describes the film as an “…unconventional love story that explores a woman who’s lost her husband to incarceration and how she maintains her marriage from behind bars and what that’s like for her, and that struggle.” (Watch the Middle of Nowhere premiere party video and hear more about the film by clicking here.)

Among the films by women screened at Sundance on day two were the following titles.  Check out the trailers for the films by clicking on the highlighted links:

The Ambassador (co-writer Maja Jul Larsen)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (co-writer Lucy Alibar)

Big Boy Gone Bananas (co-cinematographer Kiki Allgeier)

Celeste and Jesse Forever (co-writer Rashida Jones)

Declaration of War (director & co-writer Valerie Donzelli)

The D Word (co-writer Jen Bradwell)

Father’s Chair (co-writer Elena Soarez)

Escape Fire (co-director Susan Froemke)

Indie Game (co-director, co-writer, one of cinematographers, editors and producers Lisanne Pajot)

The Invisible War (co-cinematographer Kirsten Johnson)

Madrid, 1987 (cinematographer Leonor Rodriguez)

Middle of Nowhere (writer-director Ava DuVernay)

Payback (director Jennifer Baichwal)

Putin’s Kiss (writer-director Lise Birk Pedersen)

That’s What She Said (director Carrie Preston, writer Kellie Overbey)

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (cinematographer Rachel Morrison)

West of Memphis (writer-director Amy Berg)

 

DAY 3

Black Rock (director Katie Aselton, cinematographer Hillary Spera)

(Update: Aselton’s Black Rock was just picked up by LD Distribution according to a Jan. 22 report from indieWIRE.)

Detropia (directors Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady)

For Ellen (writer-director So Yong Kim, cinematographer Reed Morano)

ME at the ZOO (co-director & producer Valerie Veatch)

Wuthering Heights (director Andrea Arnold)