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  Finding His Fairies Distribution: "Were The World Mine" Director Tom Gustafson
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally ran during indieWIRE's coverage of Outfest 2008 Four years ago, Tom Gustafson's short film "Fairies" was making a stop on its long run on the festival circuit. A 20-minute musical fantasy inspired by William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Fairies" ended up screening at nearly 100 festivals, including Tribeca and pretty much every LGBT festival around. But it was at this particular stop in L.A. that Gustafson realized "Fairies"' potential for expansion. "Many people expressed their interest in seeing more of the story," Gustafson said in an interview with indieWIRE. "[Co-writer and producer] Cory Krueckeberg and I started developing ideas for the feature-length musical on our way home [from Outfest] and by the time we landed in New York City, we had a full outline." Now that outline has been wholly realized as "Were The World Mine." And after many successful festival screenings (and almost as many audience awards), "World" is opening tonight in New York, San Francisco and Berkeley. [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Profiles ]
indieWIRE: Recent Headlines
 iW DISCUSSION | Boycotts and the Marriage Equality Debate
Published earlier this week, an indieWIRE article about the the fight for marriage equality and the intersection with indie film has generated a tremendous about of interest and discussion. Among those debating the matter this week are filmmakers Gregg Araki, Jenni Olson, and Malcolm Ingram, festival organizers Tom Hall and Jeff Abramson, film critic Howard Feinstein, and others. One commenter noted the intense activity surrounding the issue right now, noting, "For the first time in a very long time, the energy is palpable, it's in the news, and it's got real momentum... There has to be some landmark legislation passed, or a Supreme Court decision, that affirms how completely unconstitutional and horrible this is. What I don't know is whether boycotting individuals is the best way to get that going." Join the conversation here at indieWIRE.com  [permalink] [ filed under Biz ]  52nd San Francisco International Film Festival CALL FOR ENTRIES The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest running film festival in the Americas, and the crown jewel of the San Francisco Film Society's year-round programming, is now accepting submissions. Next spring's SFIFF52 runs April 23 - May 7, 2009, and cash prizes total nearly $100,000. Submissions to SFIFF52 can be narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, youth-produced, family films and television works on film, video and digital media. Final deadline - December 5
 DISPATCH FROM COLORADO | Denver Fest Keeps Eyes On The Prize
A refreshing sense of artistic drive and egalitarianism pervades the Starz Denver Film Festival. The 31st edition of this well-respected regional fest doesn't publish (or even collect) information on film premieres; while glitzier entities such as Cannes, Sundance, or the Toronto Film Festival struggle mightily to secure rights to national or world premieres, Denver happily escapes the frenzy. Not that the festival doesn't strive - often quite successfully - to provide the best in modern cinema; they simply keep their eye on the prize, recognizing that local audiences and filmmakers, the two communities most directly served by their event, are not enthralled by premieres, but rather by great and meaningful art. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story ] iW NEWS | Clint Eastwood to Take "Modern Master" Nod at Santa Barbara Fest
Clint Eastwood will receive "The Modern Master Award" at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, taking place January 22 - February 1. The tribute will take place Thursday, January 29 at the historic Arlington Theatre, SBIFF's executive director Roger Durling announced Thursday. The award is the highest honor presented by SBIFF. Established in 1995, it was created to honor an individual who "has enriched our culture through his/her accomplishments in the motion picture industry." Past Modern Masters recipients include Michael Douglas, Peter Jackson, Jodie Foster, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sean Penn, Jeff Bridges, Diane Keaton, George Clooney, Will Smith, and Cate Blanchett. "Clint Eastwood is inarguably one of our greatest directors, one of our greatest producers and one of our greatest actors ever - to call him a Modern Master is simply an understatement," commented Durling in a statement. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals ] iW NEWS | Oh, Bateman to Unveil Spirit Award Nominees
Actors Sandra Oh and Jason Bateman will be on hand December 2 at the Sofitel in Los Angeles to unveil the 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations. Selected from more than 250 submissions, this year’s winners will be unveiled at Film Independent’s Spirit Awards ceremony on Saturday, February 21, 2009, in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The ceremony will air uncut, uncensored, and commercial-free on IFC. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Awards Watch, Events ] iW NEWS | Falco Ink Announces Promotions
New York PR firm Falco Ink has promoted three of its staffers, the company's partners Janice Roland and Shannon Treusch recently announced. Caitlin Speed will now serve as Account Executive and Annie McDonough has been uped to Publicist while Brian Clark is now a Junior Publicist. Falco Ink. is a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the entertainment industry; handling a diverse range of accounts including film, television, DVD, video on demand, new media, corporate and personal, as well as awards campaigns, special events and strategic marketing. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Industry Moves ]  FIRST PERSON | Basil Tsiokos: The Challenging State of Film Fests Today
At the end of October, after 12 years with the organization, I officially stepped down from my position as the Artistic Director of NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, which just celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Within the last year, three of the other best-known U.S. LGBT film fests have also experienced significant staff changes, beginning with the departure of Outfest's Executive Director Stephen Gutwillig, followed by Frameline's Artistic Director Michael Lumpkin, and, most dramatically, by the wholesale staff restructuring of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. While some of these changes were simply career shifts after long tenures, others were unfortunately borne out of economic necessity. [ read more in People ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under First Person, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] CALL FOR ENTRIES: The 2009 L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition (March 5-8, Los Angeles, CA) is currently accepting submissions for short comedy films (30 minutes or less) and feature-length and short comedy scripts. - Priceless industry exposure: Winners meet with production execs from Benderspink (American Pie, The Ring) and Generate. - Great prizes: Over $40k in cash and prizes, including a short film production package. - Celebrity support: Endorsed by comedy stars such as Bill Engvall, Kevin Nealon, and MADtv co-creator Fax Bahr, with additional guest judges and presenters at the festival. So you think you're funny? Prove it! Submit your comedy script or short film today at www.lacomedyshorts.com. Hurry... Late Deadline ends Wednesday, December 3rd!
 DISPATCH FROM GREECE | The Young and Chill: Thessaloniki Spotlights Balkans and Itself
Called the gateway to the Balkans, the city of Thessaloniki (aka Salonica) is perfectly situated in southeastern Europe to host the region's key film event, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which kicked off November 13. This northern port city in Greece is in close proximity to countries with burgeoning local cinemas from Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and more. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story ]  "Mary and Max" to Open 2009 Sundance Film Festival
The world premiere of "Mary and Max," a clay animation freature from Academy Award-winning short creators Adam Elliot and producer Melanie Coombs will kick off the 25th Sundance Film Festival on January 15th in Park City, Utah. The feature stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette with narration by Barry Humphries. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Park City ] iW ROUND UP | Wednesday, November 19th
indieWIRE's snapshot of news and views from around the web on Wednesday.
10 Holiday Movies Court Oscar
Saving the Story (the Film Version)
Oscar ads going ... going ... gone
Whitaker/Sundance to Save Newark
Israeli Cinema's Golden Age?  SHORTS COLUMN | An Unlikely Partnership Results in Short Films with Something to Say
Back in May 2008, eight UCLA graduate students were given good news: the nonprofit organization AARP wanted to give each of them $10,000 to make short films on the hot-button topics of healthcare and financial security. The bad news was the students had only three months to shoot and edit their pieces, which had to be completed by an August 1, 2008 deadline. The eight shorts made under the Stolen Dreams competition umbrella were then whittled down to four finalists, which were shown on October 23, 2008 to AARP's Emilio Pardo and industry heavyweights Steven Bochco, Curtis Hanson, and Reggie Hudlin. After an intensive morning spent screening then deliberating, the four-man jury awarded a $7,500 cash prize to Anthony Onah's "The Cure." Onah's short will go on to be integral part of AARP's bi-partisanship Divided We Fail initiative. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column ]  REVIEW | Dream On: Tom Gustafson's "Were the World Mine"
[An indieWIRE review from Reverse Shot.] The least one could ask of a wish-fulfillment fantasy film is a little buoyancy and breeziness. Yet for all its good-natured intentions, Tom Gustafson's "Were the World Mine," in which a put-upon small-town gay teen converts his hopelessly straight town (including his corn-fed jock crush) to the pink team with the help of a magical, squirting purple pansy, is a mostly leaden affair, suffering as it does from a lack of realization and clarity. A film can't simply be "light as a feather" or contagiously sweet by virtue of its conception, but rather by the fine, clean lines of its craft. And this is no simple matter of budget: oodles of ingenuity have historically been wrung from more impoverished film productions than this one. [ read more in Movies ] [ 3 comments ] [ filed under Queer Cinema, Reviews ] iW NEWS | "Drummer" Wins Reel Asian Audience Award
The 12th annual Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival came to a close on Sunday, November 16, seeing the argest attendance in its history as well as many sold out shows. The fest announced awards in a number of categories, including the NOW Audience Award, which was given to Kenneth Bi's "The Drummer," which was the festival's opening night gala. Other awards included the NFB Best Documentary Award, which was given to Paul Wong's "Perfect Day," the Kim Orr Barristers Best Narrative Feature or Video Award, which was given to Liew Seng Tat's "Flower in the Pocket," and the Centennial College @ Wallace Studios Most Innovative Film Award, which went to Randall Lloyd Okita's "Machine With a Wishbone." [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Honors ] The best-selling Belgian beer in the world, Stella Artois is part of a brewing tradition dating back to 1366. The brand connects with adults through epic film-like advertising, its unique chalice glassware and the art of the Belgian Pouring Ritual. With its distinctive flavor and spicy hop character, Stella Artois is the gold standard for European lagers. Stella Artois is proud to support a wide variety of film industry programs around the world. From major film festivals to independent cinema, Stella Artois has a long history with and commitment to those who entertain audiences around the world.
 Launching New IFC Series, Pundits and Writers Ask: Is Modern Journalism About Truth?
If the mainstream media suffers from attention deficit disorder, bloggers have obsessive compulsive disorder, posed Arianna Huffington this afternoon at Michael's Restuarant, mecca for Manhattan's media elite. Ringleader for the leading left-leaning water cooler Huffington Post, she moderated a spirited conversation about the state of today's news media pegged to tonight's launch of The IFC Media Project. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Biz, Lead Story ] iW NEWS | Overture Deals With Cheadle's Crescendo
Overture Films has signed a two-year, first look deal with Crescendo Productions, the company headed by Don Cheadle, Lenore Zerman and Kay Liberman; Overture CEO Chris McGurk and COO Danny Rosett jointly announced Monday. The arrangement gives Overture access to film product from Crescendo. Crescendo's past projects include 2007's documentary "Darfur Now," and are in development on a project based on the life of legendary jazz musician Miles Davis. "There's no other company that we'd rather be in business with," said Cheadle in a statement. "All of us at Crescendo have a long and successful history with Chris and Danny that we are looking to build upon with this partnership." [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Industry Moves ] iW BOT UPDATE | "Slumdog" High Atop Chart
Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" was high atop the iW BOT box office chart, which was published this afternoon. The Fox Searchlight released grossed $360,018 on just ten screens. More in this week's box office column, which was published last night. [permalink] [ filed under ] iW NEWS | Balkan Funds Announces Awards
For the sixth consecutive year, the Balkan Fund of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival concluded its three-day Workshop with the participation of 11 pre-selected projects submitted by writers, directors and producers from the Balkan countries. An international jury consisting of Christina Kallas, Richard Kwietniowski, Milcho Manchevski, Simon Perry and Razvan Radulescu granted Balkan Fund Awards to four projects. They included Javor Gardev's "Zincograph," Sirri Sureyya Onder's "Number Zero," Natassa Segou's "White Thread, Black Thread," and Emre Yalgin's "Submission." This year's 49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is screening four previous Balkan Fund awarded films: "Small Crime" by Christos Georgiou (awarded in 2003), "Snow" by Aida Begic (awarded in 2004), "A Farewell to Hemingway" by Svetloslav Ovcharov (also awarded in 2004 and an International Premiere in Thessaloniki) and "The Tour" by Goran Markovic (participated in 2007). [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Honors ]  "I Don't Live On This Planet": Tilda Swinton On Her Post-Oscar Career and the Evolution of Independent Film
A short time ago in Los Angeles, actress Tilda Swinton had a very busy few days. She was there promoting her work in Erick Zonca's "Julia," screening at AFI Fest 2008. But in the two nights preceding its screening, she continued her newfound role as a staple honoree with back-to-back fetes: a tribute at AFI, and an award of excellence at the 2008 BAFTA/LA Britannia Awards. "It's very strange this getting awards," Swinton said upon accepting her award from BAFTA/LA. "I have to confess until so recently that the only thing I'd ever won was a raffle when I was twelve. I got a bottle of aftershave I gave my brother for Christmas and he still has it." [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Profiles ]  REVIEW | Dull Flame: Shamim Sarif's "I Can't Think Straight"
[An indieWIRE review from Reverse Shot. You would think that a cross-cultural, cross-religious lesbian romance should have enough built-in conflict to sustain an 80-minute feature, but Shamim Sarif's "I Can't Think Straight" slumps and stretches its way from its first uninspired set piece, an engagement party for Jordanian-Christian Tala (Lisa Ray), to its mildly embarrassing closing montage, cut to, natch, Jill Sobule's "I Kissed a Girl" (hello, 1995!). As with her other feature, "The World Unseen" (released to theaters earlier this month), Sarif adapts and directs her own novel here, with Ray and Sheetal Sheth playing the lead roles. For "I Can't Think Straight," she enlists the help of co-writer Kelly Moss, but to no avail: Sarif has crafted a movie with such paper-thin characterizations and so lacking in dramatic incident that it's frankly surprising that she was working from a novel at all -- much less one she wrote herself. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Queer Cinema, Reviews ] Don't sit around waiting to get noticed! Submit your film today for a chance to win over $ 135,000 in cash awards during the 4 Categories --- Documentary : Short Film : Animation : Mini Masterpiece Online audience voting, and professional jury selection of the winners, beginning in early 2009 with Spike Lee returning as Honorary Judge. For more info and to submit your films today click here
 BOX OFFICE REPORT | "Slumdog" Pays Off; And Ohh la-la "Xmas Tale"
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Box Office ]  AWARDS WATCH '08 | Academy Shortlists 15 for Best Doc Race
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have named 15 films that made the short-list in the Documentary Feature category for the 81st Academy Awards, whittling the number down from a record 94 that had originally qualified. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles on the shortlist. The Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater, and the awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. [ read more in Biz ] [ 10 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ]  indieWIRE INTERVIEW | Taking it all On: Ellen Kuras Directs "The Betrayal"
Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms. [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story ] iW NEWS | "Nirvana" and "Julius" Among Top Lone Star Fest Winners
Igor Volshin's "Nirvana" won the grand jury prize for narrative feature at the 2008 Lone Star International Film Festival in Ft. Worth, TX, while Tom Quinn's "The New Year Parade" won a special jury prize. Eric Bricker's "Visual Acoustics - The Modernism of Julius Shulman" took best documentary, while "The Banishment" by Andrei Zvyaginstev won best foreign-language film. "My Mom Smokes Weed" by Clay Liford won best short. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals ] iW NEWS | Sony Classics Turns Up "Loud"
Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim's "It Might Get Loud" has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, the company confirmed Monday afternoon. SPC picked up the title from producer Thomas Tull, chariman and CEO of Legendary Pictures. The Little Film Company was the sales agent on the film. Guggenheim's ("An Inconvenient Truth") is a celebration of the electric guitar. It brings together musicians The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White, examining a creative process of the three though their own words and music. "'It Might Get Loud' is a music lover's dream," SPC said in a statement. "The film covers three generations of guitar players (The Edge, Jimmy Page, Jack White) and our plan is to attract the three generations of fans when we open the film next summer. We are pleased to be in business with director Davis Guggenheim and producer Thomas Tull, whose obsession with the subject has brought so much to the high quality of the film." A theatrical release date was not disclosed. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions ] NYT | S.E.C. Accuses Mark Cuban of Insider Trading
The S.E.C. said Mr. Cuban sold the stock in the company, Mamma.com, based on nonpublic information about an impending stock offering. New York Times reports. [permalink] [ filed under Biz ] iW ROUND UP | Monday, November 17th
indieWIRE's snapshot of news and views from around the web on Halloween.
Rona Leaving Rogue
Del Toro's "Pinocchio"
Voynar: "No on H8, Not Yes to Hate"
Obama Doc Stirring Sales  iW INSIDER | Eugene Hernandez: The Battle for Marriage Equality and the Intersection with Indie Film
For a full week now, many friends, colleagues and co-workers have asked me if and when I'd write more personally about the intensifying fight for marriage equality and its intersection with the indie film community. Last week brought calls for a Sundance Film Festival boycott and then the focus shifted slightly to Film Independent and its Los Angeles Film Festival. Folks are clearly at odds over how to deal with the two festivals, arguing that each has some link to the Mormon church, which aggressively funneled some $20 million into the campaign to defeat Prop 8. But, the situation isn't black and white. Like most issues, it is complicated. There are no simple solutions and even at the indieWIRE office we've had passionate debates on the matter. It goes without saying that I don't speak for any of my colleagues here. [ read more in Biz ] [ 38 comments ] [ filed under Advocacy, Lead Story ] 2nd Annual Babelgum Online Film Festival Spike Lee returns as Honorary Judge, with online audience voting and professional jury selection of the winners beginning in early 2009. The Babelgum Online Film Festival celebrates and rewards the very best in independent short filmmaking in four popular categories. Unlimited submissions per filmmaker with no entry fees. Over 2000 entries were received for the successful first edition. For more info and to submit your films today click here
NYT & VAR | Killer Sells to GC Corporation
Killer Films partners Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler have sold 50% of the company to VC fund GC Corporation, according to the New York Times and Variety. Earlier tonight, the Times offered a news brief summarizing the pact and Variety's Mike Jones has also reported tonight that former ThinkFilm exec Randy Manis will become CEO of Killer Films and that company will increase its film production budgets to $40 - $50 million per film. GC is backed by Adi Cohen and partner Joseph Grinkorn, described by the Hollywood trade as "a major real estate and mortgage banking investor." "It's a big change," Vachon told Variety, while Koffler said it is, "a great opportunity for us to turn a corner." Also in the story, Cohen told Variety's Jones, "We want Killer to compete. He added, in the words of the article that, "he envisions the company becoming as big a player as Miramax or Fox Searchlight." New CEO Manis called Killer "an undervalued asset," telling Variety, "nothing will be too big for Killer." [permalink] [ filed under Biz ]  iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Slumdog" Scores Huge Numbers
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] ADVERTISE with indieWIRE * indieWIRE: Daily Sponsorship Reach our specific readership of industry and filmmakers with an indieWIRE: Daily Sponsorship. You can receive the top position text ad as well as a special masthead mention in indieWIRE: Daily. The text ad also runs on indieWIRE.com's front page. For more information and to book, contact: James Israel at james AT indiewire.com |
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