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 November 17, 2008 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 ]  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 ] [ 37 comments ] [ filed under Advocacy, Lead Story ] November 16, 2008 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 ] November 14, 2008 AWARDS WATCH '08 | Back and Forth: Buzzing Best Picture, Underdogs
Continuing this year's awards season coverage in indieWIRE, editor-in-chief Eugene Hernandez and assistant editor Peter Knegt chatted yesterday via instant message about the ever-evolving race. Topics for this installment include a look at emerging best picture contenders, from "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to "Milk," and potential dark horses that might play a larger role in this race than people are expecting. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ] November 9, 2008 iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Pajamas" Leads
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office ]  iW NEWS | IFC Adds Honore Film to Growing Fest Direct Slate
Christophe Honore's "La Belle Personne," the final film in the French director's Parisian youth trilogy, has been acquired for U.S. distribution by IFC Films. The acquisition marks the latest in a string of deals for the company's Festival Direct VOD label and the third time that IFC will distribute an Honore film (following "Love Songs" and "Dans Paris"). The news at the of the deal came on Saturday night at the American Film Market, one day after IFC announced a ten film Festival Direct pact with sales company Celluloid Dreams. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Acquistions, Lead Story ] November 8, 2008 AWARDS WATCH | With "Gomorrah" and "Il Divo," Italy In Spotlight at 21st European Film Award Nominations
Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah" and Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo," both from Italy, lead the nominations for the 21st European Film Awards which were announced this morning at the Seville European Film Festival. Each film received five nominations today. The complete list of nominees is available now. Winners will be chosen by the 1,800 members of the European Film Academy and announced December 6th in Copenhagen, Denmark. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ] November 6, 2008 HBO Scores Obama Doc
Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms. [ read more in Biz ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Acquistions, Documentary, Lead Story ] November 3, 2008 iW BOT | Sony Classics Trio Help Lead Out Fall Season
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] November 2, 2008 iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Bruce" Leads, "Lake" Bombs
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] November 1, 2008 iW NEWS | MSNBC Deal for "Witch Hunt" Ahead of AFI Fest Debut
Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms. [ read more in Biz ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Acquistions, Documentary, Lead Story ] October 30, 2008 Cash Crunch: Seeking Film Financing in Lean Times
"Call me when the economy is better." That's what one New York-based indie producer heard from a potential investor recently. With Wall Street crashing, hedge funds shaking out, and a possible global depression on the horizon, it's not exactly the best time to be looking for film financing these days. While some producers say it's too soon to see fallout from the economic turmoil, many are seeing immediate and substantial effects. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Trends ] October 28, 2008 "Kassim," "Wire," "Stranded," "Waltz" and "Young" Compete for IDA Honors
The five feature film nominations were announced today for the International Documentary Association's 2008 IDA Documentary Awards competition. "Kassim The Dream," "Man On Wire," "Stranded: I Have Come From A Plane That Crashed On the Mountains," "Waltz With Bashir" and "Young @ Heart" will compete for the group's Distinguished Documentary Achievement nod. Winners will be feted on December 5th at the Directors Guild, in a ceremony hosted by Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. [ read more in Biz ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Documentary, Lead Story ] October 27, 2008 iW BOT | "Noah's Arc" Shocks Amid Batch of Strong Openers
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] October 26, 2008 iW BOT | Weekend Estimates: "Changeling," "Noah's Arc" Among Year's Best Per-Theater-Averages
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] October 23, 2008 Gigantic Releasing Moves Indie Film Distribution Into New Era
With the launch of Gigantic Digital, New York-based film company Gigantic Releasing are offering audiences the chance to see first-run independent movie releases anywhere in the United States. The website will enable anyone with a broadband connection to access Gigantic's first-run feature films in markets where there is no theatrical distribution. Releases will go up day-and-date with theatrical openings in major markets. The features presented will come from Gigantic Releasing's slate of acquisitions, in addition to partnerships with independent filmmakers. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Trends ] October 20, 2008 AWARDS WATCH '08 | Back and Forth: Chatting About the Gotham Award Nods
Awards seasons continues to emerge, with today's announcement of the Gotham Independent Film Award nominations... indieWIRE offers new latest back and forth, featuring editor-in-chief Eugene Hernandez and assistant editor Peter Knegt talking today via instant messenger about this morning's Gotham Award nominations. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch ]  iW BOT | "Frontrunners" Leads Openers, Madonna Battles Exes
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ]  AWARDS WATCH '08 | "Ballast" Leads Gotham Awards With Four Nominations
Lance Hammer's "Ballast" led the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award nominations, which were announced this morning by IFP. "Ballast" garnered four nods, including Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Breakthrough Director, and Best Breakthrough Actor. The other films feted for Best Feature were Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River," Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor," and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler." [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ] October 17, 200867 Foreign Language Oscar Submissions Tops Last Year, Sets New Record
A whopping 67 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category at the 81st Oscars, topping last year's record of 63 countries. Announcing the list today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences noted that Jordan has submitted its first entry. The nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009 and the Oscars will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ]  AWARDS WATCH '08 | Back and Forth: Guessing the Gothams, Buzzing About the Actors
As awards season continues to shift and take shape, films are in and films are out...indieWIRE offers its latest back and forth. Editor-in-chief Eugene Hernandez and assistant editor Peter Knegt chatted yesterday via instant message about the looming Gotham Award nominations, speculation about the hot performances, and buzz about the foreign language film race. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ] October 16, 2008 Fanning the Fear of Zombies, Pursuing User-Generated Storylines via the Internet
Zombies have invaded the internet. Earlier this year, two separate attempts to create user-generated narratives about outbreaks of cannibalistic living dead launched into cyberspace, but each one approached the concept from a vastly different angle. "Lost Zombies," which started in May, asks users to submit footage with "proof" of zombie outbreaks, which will be compiled into some semblance of a documentary feature. "Nation Undead," a more streamlined project that gives people specific guidelines but more options for the material they can submit, went live earlier this year. [ read more in Biz ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Trends ] October 14, 2008AWARDS WATCH '08 | Foreign Language Oscar Race May Offer Fewer Surprises and Acquisitions
From Bangladesh to Vietnam, nearly 100 countries were invited to submit films for this year's foreign-language Oscar race. (The official list of titles will come out this week.) Notoriously, the category is one of the most unpredictable - last year, leading contenders "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" and "Persepolis" were shafted, while entries from Poland, Israel and Russia surprisingly made the final cut. If this year's race may be one of the widest open in years, it may also turn out to be one of the most predictable due to a radical change in Academy regulations as a result of last year's "embarrassment," as one industry insider called it. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story, Trends ] October 13, 2008 iW BOT | Latest From Ritchie and Leigh See "Lucky" Numbers
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] October 8, 2008 NYFF '08 | IFC Takes "Let It Rain"; 3rd French Title in NY Film Fest
Agnes Jaoui's "Let It Rain" has been acquired by IFC Films, the company announced today, ahead of the French film's North American premiere this week at the New York Film Festival. The company is planning a day-and-date release via its IFC In Theaters platform next year. The film, set in the South of France, features Jaoui as a feminist novelist pondering politics as she returns to her family's summer home. As she works to resolve issues with the family business, she becomes the subject of a documentary. Following Jaoui's acclaimed "The Taste of Others" and "Look At Me," the film mark's her third film with Jean-Pierre Bacri. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Acquistions ] October 6, 2008 iW BOT | Audiences Getting "Married," "Religulous" Sets 2008 Doc High
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office ] September 29, 2008 iW BOT | "Fireproof" Finds Followers While "Ones" Isn't So Lucky
Box Office coverage presented by Rentrak Theatrical [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Box Office, Lead Story ] September 26, 2008 Youssou NDour Doc Coming to America; Oscilloscope Gets U.S. Rights
Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Acquistions, Documentary ] September 25, 2008AWARDS WATCH '08 | Back and Forth: Are the Fall Fests Telling Us Anything?
Kicking off this year's awards season coverage in indieWIRE, editor-in-chief Eugene Hernandez and assistant editor Peter Knegt chatted yesterday via instant message about the opening moments of awards race. Topics for this first installment include a look at what we've learned from the film festivals, and speculation about some of the season's frontrunners and dark horse contenders. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Awards Watch, Lead Story ] 
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