26th
‘Sundance 2011 in a Nutshell’
Kevin Smith had suggested for weeks that he would hold an auction
post-screening for rights to his film ‘Red State’, but ultimately
announced that he would self distribute throughout 2011 ahead of a planned
Oct. 19 release. He paid himself a token $20 for the privilege, and he
hopes that the roadshow will make some of the movie’s roughly $4 million
budget back.
Fox Searchlight has acquired worldwide remake rights from Native Voice
Films to the Sundance documentary The Bengali Detective, a non-fiction
crime thriller that delves richly into class issues and the corrupting
undercurrent of an exploding economy
In one of the longest gestating bids at Sundance so far, Sony Pictures
Classics has closed a 7-figure deal for U.S. and Latin American
distribution rights to ‘The Guard’, the Irish action comedy. Plot, local
cop who begrudgingly assists an FBI agent (Don Cheadle) who is chasing the
members of an international drug smuggling ring.
National Geographic Films picked up U.S. distribution rights to the global
feature experiment ‘Life in a Day’. The non-profit will release the film
theatrically day-and-date along with YouTube, which helped orchestrate the
massive project. The user-generated film, which Ridley Scott executive
produced, encouraged YouTube users around the world to film some part of
their lives on July 24, 2010, and then submit the footage for potential
inclusion in a feature-length documentary.
The Weinstein Co., which has been active in several heated bidding
situations over the past few days, has grabbed domestic rights to the
comedy ‘My Idiot Brother’. Paul Rudd & Zooey Deschanel star in the story
of a dim, laidback but sweet biodynamic farmer who gets into some
pot-related trouble.
IFC Films’ purchase of ‘The Ledge’, Liv Tyler’s drama about a young man
threatening to jump off a high-rise office building. IFC paid just over $1
million for the film, which will get theatrical and VOD releases in the
late Spring. The deal finally closed around 3 am.
Fox Searchlight picks up most worldwide rights to the coming of age film
‘Homework’ for north of $3 million.
