An Impromtu Virtual Conversation: Has the trade press passed on indie and international film coverage?

Based upon a photograph in Cannes from 2010 when IndieWire was still under the leadership of Eugene Hernandez as it was beginning its Blog Network, Eugene, Anne Thompson, Eric Kohn, Brian Brooks, Todd McCarthy and I celebrated at the Grand Hotel in Cannes. I recently posted this question and received some interesting feedback. 

Has the trade press passed on indie and international film coverage?

Robert Koehler, film critic and programmer: Nice pic Sydney! A few of my past colleagues from Variety (Todd), Sundance (Eugene) and IndieWire (Eric and Anne)…

Mark Rabinowitz, public relations and journalist, co-founder of Indiewire: Long time ago. If there aren't clicks, it's not worth them covering it. 

Robert Koehler: True that Sydney. When I'm at these festivals, and I ask them what they've watched, I try to control myself from rolling my eyes…

Dan Mirvish, Indiefilm DGA director and author: FWIW, I think statistically Variety covers the most number of festivals (especially international ones) of the Penske trades. Way more than IndieWire. 

  

Sydney: Good to know. Do you have numbers? What about Screen? 

Dan Mirvish: Sydney - no I don't have numbers (I've thought about doing a quickie spreadsheet but haven't gotten around to it). I suspect Screen is better at international fest coverage, but not so much on US regional fests. I think Variety probably has the best mix of international coverage by virtue of their network of stringers (I've met Variety reporters in fests from Gijon, Spain to Belize to Whistler), but also their embrace of some US regional festivals where they're sometimes also a sponsor or are doing various Top 10 honorees (cinematographers or screenwriters). I also know from personal experience Variety is more open to freelance first-person pieces from filmmakers/ journalists attending regional fests (see my dispatch from Woodstock a couple of years ago). 

Sydney: Do you think festivals might become a more viable form of distribution for indies? 

Dan: I do think there's an unreported trend that (particularly since Covid), there's more of a blurring of lines between "festival" and "art house". More fests are paying revenue share with filmmakers, but also more fests are doing year-round programming, often in their own theaters (i.e., Seattle, Baltimore, Orlando). Meanwhile, I think more art houses can and are doing more to "festivalize" exhibition, by doing live or zoom Q&As with filmmakers. 

Vera Mijojlic, Founder and festival director at South East European Film Festival: Festivals are the last outpost for indies still standing, but the pressure to attract audiences will only increase. Our grant makers push for that too. Everyone is looking for numbers. 

Sydney: How do you go about attracting new audiences? 

Vera: It takes tremendous and relentless outreach. Plus making each event, each screening, special and packed with additional "content" - special guests, food, parties, booze, etc. Films are almost an afterthought. 

Sydney: What about The Film Verdict, the latest trade paper on the circuit? It is doing more than its share in putting international film criticism and festivals into the spotlight again. It is present as a partner at many festivals, though more in Europe than in USA and it covers indie and international film in the way that made its senior critics, Deborah Young, Jay Weissberg and Boyd Van Hoej, top critics in the business. 

Robert: I'm actually pretty close to The Film Verdict, since it's now affiliated with ScreenDollars, for which I write as a contributor. I've also done some festival director profiles for TFV, but not as a contributing critic. TFV can best be viewed as counter-programming to the other trades, which are mainly focused on commercial movies and only a small slice of the titles premiering at the major festivals. I agree with Dan that Variety does far more coverage of the world festival scene than the other trades - -except for The Film Verdict, which is almost entirely trained on non-US festivals. Eric just recently hired Alonso Duralde to cover a single Hollywood release weekly. So 99% of TFV is about international festivals. 

Sydney: Thank you for this impromptu online conversation! Almost two years old, The Film Verdict also hosts Spanish language (Cine Verdict), Middle Eastern and Shorts components that are good enough to stand alone. The Film Verdict's Short Films column by Ben Nicholson is a unique feature that recognizes the growing influence of shorts on the film industry and the role they play in the careers of young filmmakers in particular. 

These are only part of the larger vision held by its founders, Eric Mika, Deborah Young and Jay Weissberg. Presided over and published by Eric Mika who as Publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and Vice President of Nielsen's Entertainment Group, led these companies through transformational expansion, redesign and globalization and launched multiple digital products. Prior to Nielsen, Eric served as Vice President and Managing Director for Reed Elsevier's entertainment business magazine group, overseeing Variety magazine's European, Middle East and Asian operations. He published the Variety Cannes Dailies and several other festival dailies. He was Publisher of Variety China and its Beijing- based domestic market strategy. 

The Editor and Senior Critic Deborah Young is an American writer, film critic and festival director based in Rome. In 2008 she became The Hollywood Reporter's international film editor; formerly, she served as Variety's bureau chief in Rome. She directed the Taormina Film Festival for five years and has been a programming consultant for the Tribeca Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, among others. As a screenwriter and adapter, Deborah has contributed to key Italian films including Ermanno Olmi's The Legend of the Holy Drinker, the Taviani brothers' Good Morning, Babylon and Valerio Zurlini's Across the River and Into the Trees. Her first novel, Pirates in Black Tie, is published by Europe Books. 

Senior Critic Jay Weissberg is a native New Yorker living in Rome. A film historian and critic, he began writing for Variety in 2003. His work on contemporary cinema has appeared in international publications and he's contributed essays in numerous festival and retrospective catalogues, with a particular focus on Arab and Romanian film. He was appointed director of the Giornate del Cinema Muto/Pordenone Silent Film Festival in 2015, writes widely about silent film, and is a co-curator of the Ottoman Film Project. A frequent participant of festival juries, he often takes part in panel discussions on the current state of cinema and film criticism, regularly moderates Masterclasses with filmmakers, and has mentored programs for young film critics worldwide. His discussion on Romanian cinema appears as an extra on Criterion's Blu-ray/DVD release of Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. He also has a blog, "The Silent Cat," which delves into forgotten stories of the silent film era. 

Senior Critic Boyd Van Hoej is a film writer based in Luxembourg and Paris. He started as a trade critic for Variety and moved to The Hollywood Reporter in 2013, where he worked until he joined The Film Verdict in 2021. Boyd also regularly writes for De Filmkrant (Netherlands) and has contributed to Indiewire and The Atlantic. He was awarded the 2020 Plume d'Or for his work as a critic by the French Union des journalistes de cinéma. Van Hoeij is also the Curator at Large of the Luxembourg City Film Festival, President of the Selection Committee of the Luxembourg Film Fund and has been part of juries and panels at festivals including Cannes, Venice, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Sydney, Palm Springs and Mar del Plata. He has taught film criticism workshops and conducted shot-by-shot analyses of film classics around the world and moderated masterclasses with talents including Quentin Tarantino and Todd Haynes. 

Stephen Dalton, Senior Critic, has been writing professionally about cinema and music for over 30 years, including for The Hollywood Reporter as a regular film/theater reviewer and occasional columnist. He has written extensively for The Times of London, where he was a daily TV film columnist for 12 years, Sight and Sound, the BFI (British Film Institute), and the UK film and music monthly Uncut. His work has also appeared in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, the Evening Standard (London), Wallpaper, New Musical Express, The Quietus, Electronic Sound, Classic Rock, The National (UAE) and other publications. He is based in London. 

Then there is the sizable list of contributing critics like Jordan Mintzer, writer, producer and film critic born in Queens, New York. He produced Matt Porterfield's feature films Hamilton, Putty Hill and Sollers Point, and is co-writing and producing his upcoming hip-hop movie Check Me in Another Place. Based in Paris, he works as a film critic for The Hollywood Reporter, covering French and international cinema, as well as festivals like Cannes, Berlin and Toronto. 

Clarence Tsui is a Hong Kong-based film critic, programmer and part-time lecturer. He has written for The Hollywood Reporter, South China Morning Post, Cineaste and Film Quarterly, and has served on juries at Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam and Tokyo. He was the director of the Broadway Cinematheque and the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival from 2019 to 2022. He teaches at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Oris Aigbokhaevbolo lives in Lagos, Nigeria and is an award-winning writer and critic. He won the 2015 AFRIMA award for Entertainment Journalist of the Year and has led a team of writers across Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Gambia as West Africa editor for a digital publication supported by the German Cultural Centre. Well-respected as a leading critic of Nollywood and African cinema, Aigbokhaevbolo has covered Sundance, the African International Film Festival, and Africa's oldest film festival, FESPACO. His writing has appeared in the New York Review of Books, the Guardian UK, the Africa Report, and the London Review of Books. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Carmen Gray is a New Zealander who lives in Berlin. A film critic and journalist, she has contributed to Sight & Sound, The Guardian, The Observer, Screen International, and more. She has written liner essays for several Criterion releases, and was previously Film Editor of Dazed & Confused magazine in London. She contributes regularly to The New York Times with investigative journalism on culture and politics in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus, and has written chapters for books on Portuguese cinema and Peter Watkins. As a film programmer, she is on the selection committees of the Generation section of the Berlin International Film Festival and the Winterthur International Short Film Festival in Switzerland, and is a program adviser for Open City Docs in London. She also consults on projects, and is a regular industry adviser on films at the editing stage for First Cut Lab. She frequently serves on festival juries, and has taught writing workshops in Poland, Serbia, Estonia and the Czech Republic. 

Lucy Virgen is a journalist, film critic and programmer who works mainly in Mexico and Argentina. She is the founding editor of the specialized online magazine The Thinking Eye. She has worked with the Guadalajara Film Festival, Ventana Sur in Argentina and a number of film institutions all over Latin America. 

Alonso Duralde is the former Film Reviews Editor for The Wrap and the co-host of the "Linoleum Knife," "Maximum Film!," "Breakfast All Day" and "Deck the Hallmark" podcasts. Duralde has appeared on TCM and was a regular contributor to FilmStruck. He is the author of two books, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (Limelight Editions) and 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (Advocate Books), and the co-author of I'll Be Home for Christmas Movies (Running Press). His book on the history of LGBTQ+ Hollywood will be published by TCM/Running Press in 2024.

Cinequest

(Peter Belsito is Sydney Levine's partner and he recently attended the Festival and moderated a panel at Cinequest)

'The Panel on new and traditional forms of the film business was certainly a highlight of this wonderful Fest this year for me. It was very well attended in a big hall and the panel experts from the industry offered hundreds of filmmakers a glimpse into the future of distribution--both traditional theatrical and the latest cutting-edge Internet options.

We have heard so much lately of digital this and DIY that and I think that what is forgotten is that although these developments of technology have offered us new (and welcome!) options, the fact is that the film business such as it is still exits and, if the recent Berlin Fest and EFM Market is any evidence, is quite vigorously alive and kicking and must and should be taken into account by filmmakers, whether they go DIY or not.

Cinequest's strength and position as one of the foremost US Festivals is its focus on filmmakers always and its cutting edge programming tastes. My friend and fest knowledgeable guy Christian Gaines (formerly Hawaii FF Head, AFI Fest Head, now Festival Head of IMDb) once said, "The way you judge a festival is not by any one year but by the way it steadily delivers quality events and experiences year after year ..." I could not agree more and Cinequest this year by its lineup and programs has gone on once again to prove its first ranking place among US Festivals.'

2010: A Look to the Future: Shorter Windows, Lower Marketing Costs as the Majors Emulate Indies.

Spending the holidays in sunny California after three weeks in Latin America, I was struck with how life is so easy here, the luxury of living so taken for granted. What a pleasure to be home.

Looking homeward, I find the theatrical distribution/ exhibition business is less changed than all the fear of change suggests. The exceptions to this are the decline in DVD revenues and the proliferation of grassroots hybrid distribution models…the last post about this being Gene Hernandez’ article in Indie Wire on Bass Ackward’s proposed release plan after its Sundance debut. Among the first 57 backers was Ted Hope himself.

But the majors -- which constitute a completely different business from the indies -- go on as (blindly) as usual, still luxuriating in the ease of releasing without sweating too much over originality or innovation. The majors preempt the indies whenever the indie business shows vitality. They did it creating the classic divisions and Paramount did it with online marketing for Paranormal Activity. It will be to the majors’ advantage that digital is changing film distribution because it is to their advantage that consumers are watching more movies than ever – and whenever and wherever they want.

Chez the majors:

• Attendance and box office are up and ticket sales hit $10 billion for the first time ever in 2009.

• Internationally the majors $10 billion as well. Often films playing abroad bring in more than they do in their US releases.

• DVD revenues were down to $21.6 billion in 2008, and declined another 13% in 2009.  [Additions by a reader:  Rentals however have spiked a bit.]

• Online distribution revenues are very slow to grow and numbers are not yet published, nor will Amazon likely ever publish their numbers. [Important addition by a reader: To add to the conversation: you state that "online distribution revenue is very slow to grow." While it's true that VOD still represents a relatively small % of overall distribution revenue it's growing very quickly, doubled in 2009 and is currently estimated to quadruple by the end of 2011. Later in the article you point to the success that companies like Magnolia have seen with internet VOD and IFC have seen with Cable on Demand. There isn't a company out there that doesn't agree that DVD distribution is looking at a shelf life of 5-10 years. The decline in DVD sales is an indication of this (even, incidentally, as DVD rentals have spiked - indicating that DVD owner/collectors are hesitant to expand their permanent collections).

The domestic and international growth allows the studios a chance to continue as usual theatrically while they watch the indie sector’s vital and groundbreaking activity. Hulu turns to charging viewers and Paramount stalls on its decision to go with Redbox pending closer investigation on whether the cheap rentals hurt the “other” already declining rental business – in other venues, in cities not serviced by the other venues, etc. The five year agreement to supply movies to Redbox was expected to generate $575 million for the studio. They will decide whether to sign on in June 2010 instead of the earlier deadline of December 31, 2009.

And the tug of war regarding the windows, how long a film will stay in the theaters whose ticket sales have increased in volume remarkably well in this economic time of crisis with a 5% increase of moviegoers continues as seen in Sony’s fight with Regal over a 90 day window for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The typical interval of time between a studio film’s theatrical and its DVD release has narrowed by a month (four months being the average period between these two windows) over the last decade.

Viewed from the other end of the spectrum, the indies are having fewer problems with windows…witness HDNet which draws viewers offering pre-theatrical if not day and date release of its films of IFC’s day and date strategies. Again this is a distinguishing difference between the business model of the majors and that of indies and as online exhibition continues to grow the marketing power of the indies will need to keep pace.

What also bears comparison is to be seen as we watch the indies and the majors in their international runs. International box office continues to thrive (2009 combined gross $10 billion, 7% more than last year and 20% more than 3 years ago), with day and date theatrical releases from studios protecting them somewhat from piracy and with movies often grossing more abroad than they do here. Fox's Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs grossed $691 million internationally -- 77% of its gross compared with $197 million domestically. Sony’s 2012 and This is It both helped Sony exceed $2 billion overseas for the first time making it the fourth studio to ever do so, though it was beaten out by Fox which grossed $2.4 billion. The Hollywood Reporter points out that Of 2009's top 10 best-grossing domestic titles, only three failed to gross more overseas than in the U.S. and Canada.

Obviously the indies don’t approximate such numbers as these. So how are they doing? The traditional international sales agents continue to bank on theatrical sales which bear watching in 2010. To their disadvantage, low budget American indies must compete with European subsidized films whose distribution is also often subsidized as well. Latin American cinema (subsidized by their countries) is now gaining subsidy money for coproduction and distribution from Europe as well and paying back investors is less important than to their US indie filmmakers. Video on demand with such entities as Kadokawa MovieGate and MovieWalker, Spain’s Filmotech, The Auteurs, etc. need to be watched. How many films are US made? What returns are being made? Equally, IFC and HDNet, iTunes and Amazon. All need to be tracked publically to know the rate of growth of online exhibition.

The belief that mass marketing through the internet is key to growth and that new demographic targets offer the greatest room for growth may be slow to be implemented by the studios that have been targeting 13- 35-year-old men or families. That thinking is what we see in the predominance of actioners, raunchy comedies, horror and animated fare.

However, women’s flms have been breaking some records of their own (Sex and the City, The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia, The Proposal, Julie and Julia, and the Twilight franchise), and African American women (Tyler Perry’s films, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog) are creating a new space for action. However, this has not extended to Latino or African American films either in the studios or among the indies. It seems like a missed opportunity to many of us.

Smaller indie distributors such as IFC Films and Magnolia had their most profitable years ever thanks to a combination releasing approach. Magnolia senior VP Tom Quinn credits the shingle's stellar year to a combination of the VOD platform, a solid and eclectic slate, plus a great year on DVD through their own label Magnolia Home Entertainment. "We have multiple titles netting seven figures on VOD alone," he added, "and more in the high six." Magnolia prexy Eamonn Bowles also pointed to more efficient marketing spends.

Theatrically, Magnolia is one of about a dozen U.S. distribs outside of the six major studios and the mini-majors to cross into the double-digit millions. It opened 25 films and grossed nearly $12 million in 2009. Magnolia's top title was documentary Food, Inc. ($4.4 million), which received a big marketing push thanks to various grassroots efforts.

IFC Films opened the same number of films theatrically in 2009 with a year-end cumulative gross of $7.2 million. Three titles crossed the $1 million mark, with Sundance pickup In the Loop grossing $2.4 million and also becoming one of IFC's most successful VOD titles of the year. Another big VOD title was Cannes acquisition Antichrist.

The niche films, specialty films, art house films (whatever) remain in their small niche. Of Focus, Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics, the three surviving studio specialty units we are only hearing about SPC lately who is holding steady and happy with greatly decreased marketing costs thanks to the internet and viral campaigns. And I doubt that Paramount will know how to operate its planned “microbudget" unit, inspired by the $11,000 it cost to make Paranormal Activity, but their “belief” should convince others that there is a space for indies with true low budget fare. A last note on digital marketing: Variety on December 30, 2009, New Focus For Film Marketing gives an insightful view of how marketing costs are being reallocated.

So what is so bad about the business?

In LA we are so lucky to be able to see the entire range of films, from revival, arthouse, foreign and American. But throughout the US and the world, with online services, more people can see more films than ever before.

Toronto's US Buyers and International Representation at the Festival

This blog was written for Toronto but has been updated to include more U.S. buyers who were not necessarily in Toronto. Its purpose is to list the current U.S. buyers and so it will be updated continually. ---Sydney November 1, 2009.

Of course there are the veterans which includes Sony Pictures Classics, Miramax Films, IFC, Magnolia Pictures, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, and perhaps Focus Features if it is still acquiring specialty films. Most of the other veterans have retained their micro size which allows them to exist and even have wider choices today. These include Zeitgeist Films, Kino International, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Roadside Attractions, Strand Releasing, Regent Releasing incuding Here Films, Wolfe Releasing, Water Bearer Films, Troma, The Global Film Initiative, Indican Pictures, Film Forum, First Run Features, Women Make Movies, Roxie Releasing, Panorama Entertainment, The Criterion Collection/ Janus Film, Seventh Art Releasing, the essentially home entertainment companies Lorber Films, Image, Screen Media Ventures, MPI Media Group, Entertainment One, ArtMattan, or TV's LAP TV.

The new interesting labels are Marc Urman's Palladium Entertainment, Bob Berney's Apparition, Summit and Overture Films whose path seems to be diverging from specialty films.

Distributors who still need to prove their longevity include The Weinstein Company, Senator U.S., Liberation Entertainment , Film Movement, Palisades Tartan who just picked up Lourdes in Venice, Music Box Films, National Geographic , Indiepix , Film Movement, B-Side Entertainment, Oscilloscope, Figa, Gigantic, PorchLight, Indiepix and Cinema Tropical who are also looking to make a profitable deal.

Even the For-Rent-DIY distributors like Susan Jackson's Freestyle Releasing, Richard Abramowitz' Abramorama, Wendy Lidell's International Film Circuit and MJ Pekos' Mitropoulos Films, all run by truly professional vets, will be hunting future relationships.

Links will show all their films now and past.

We'll be watching.

Toronto's Sales & Industry Office director Stefan Wirthensohn reports that a number equa to last year's 3,000+ delegates from 62 countries have signed up this year. Higher numbers are in from Australia, China, Germany, Italy and Denmark. Attendance from Spain doubled this year. Fewer are on hand from Argentina which is gearing up for its new Cannes Market cobranded market Ventana Sur to be held in November after AFM, and from Japan -- though 2 last minute registrations came in just before the festival began -- which has been experiencing meltdown in the last 6 months, from South Korea, Mexico and the US. The number from US is attributable to indie prods staying at home.

New York Times on DIY Distribution

I LOVE BLOGGING!!! The article in NY Times was rather simplistic and rang false on the "tipping the concierge" strategy. However, appearing in the NY Times is a great way to elicit a variety of comments and these are more interesting to me than the article itself. I'm commenting on the comments here....Sydney

Mitchell Block
There is still no "there" there. For the most part the small companies don't have the fiscal resources to do PR, advertising, trailers, promotions, viral marketing and the range of digital and film prints needed to cover the US. The theaters still need decent box office to hold over the titles and few independent films can make $2,000 plus a week.Even if the filmmakers and distributors had the capital to make it work, the films can't attract the audiences. They open small and can't build. The NY Times article was a bit short on the numbers....

3 Dave Kliman
Glen Cove, NY
August 13th, 2009
9:29 am
One reason we need to make the internet at least as fast as internet2.edu is because we want independent film makers to be able to widely distribute their work without cost, or possibly censorious middlemen, to anybody who wants to see it, in the world.current internet speed in usa: up to 100mbit downstream / up to 15mbit upstream.current internet2 speed in usa: up to 10gbit down/up. upgrading to 100gbit down/up.If every user had a 100 gigabit upload speed, they could send an entire movie they produced, that might be 1 gigabyte, in a fraction of a second. THEN we'd be talking freedom of expression.

I like this! Technological advances and democratization go hand in hand.

6.
Tim1965
Washington, D.C.
August 13th, 2009
9:29 am
The NY Times is just now discovering this? Even basic film-making magazines like "Film Comment" and "Filmmaker" have been talking about this for more than 10 years!I consider it slipshod reporting when a major news outlet decides to talk about common knowledge like this. An entertainment industry or business reporter should have known about this trend long ago. I expect the "Washington Post" to jump on bandwagons that are already moving and halfway down the hill, not the "New York Times."

It is old news but perhaps to the readership of NY Times this is new and interesting. Based on the comments, it is of great interest.


8.
Jon Braeley
USA
August 13th, 2009
9:42 am
I think it's important for an independent to go after specialty markets, that's what I do as an independent film maker. I specialize in documentaries on Asian genre and distribute my titles mostly on DVD, direct from my website. It is beginning to work. We have released six film releases in the last eight years. The first two films have now recouped their investment ... yes it took a few years to get there, but now all we have to do is hang in and keep creative! See http://emptymindfilms.com/. The key is to believe in your product and never stop creating content. If it is good, there is someone out there who will find it and the word spreads. We have never advertised or marketed. It is all word of mouth. I think that marketing budgets for films are out of control and lead to high expectations and disapointment form the audience. As they say "If it is good, they will come" and you don't need to bribe concierge at film festivals to direct people to your gig. Thats absurd!!

Recouping the investment is the most important aspect of filmmaking and distribution! And being creative constantly is the job of the filmmaker. and yes, to bribe the concierge at film festivals is absurd!

9.
Virginia Miracle
Washington, DC
August 13th, 2009
9:43 am
This is a great article, with one very important ethical issue nestled into it - unethical Word of Mouth Marketing practices:"Internet advocates who flood social networks with admiring comments, sometimes for a fee, sometimes not"Paying shills to flood message boards, blogs, or social networks with "buzz" for pay is not ethical by any cut of industry standards. (see http://womma.org/ethics/ for a very robust discussion) A blind eye has long been turned to the fact that the entertainment has kept up this practice while the rest of the marketing world woke up to it as "astroturfing" (fake grassroots marketing). Empowering potential fans to see the movie and inviting them to spread the word - their honest words - if they see fit in their natural venues online is a great practice. Paying people to seed fake comments or use assumed online identities simply serves to further erode the faith that people put in recommendations they read online.

There's always a certain amount of hype, using only good quotes from reviews on ads, etc. Social networking offers a chance for this as well, but in the end, the good will out.


11.
jillian
new york, ny
August 13th, 2009
10:12 am
Writers in the literary world are doing very much the same thing, taking the fate of their work into their own hands and bypassing large publishing houses. Sure, there are costs--but you have complete creative control from start to finish.Best of luck,thefictionist

I love this literary model. If writers can do it, then filmmakers can!


12.
Mike W
cleveland, ohio
August 13th, 2009
10:19 am
It's a great and admirable trend. The only problem is that while decrying its benefits, proponents and fans underestimate the parochialism and simple mindedness of the general population who will continue to flock to "mainstream" cinema and the garbage turned out by the studio system. Most people who go to the theatre don't want to think or don't know how to think, they just want flashy fx, naked breasts, clueless beautiful stars, and unmitigated violence. Or something like that.

This is an ongoing discussion. People want to be told where to go and what to see. Too many choices lead to indecision. When I have 100+ cable channels and 100+ dvds around, I can't decide what to see and usually end up seeing nothing. With an ad in the paper, with a word spoken at a party, I am directed to go see something and I tend to go with that. The larger public goes to see the films with the larger ads.



13.
David Redmon
Tokyo, for now ...
August 13th, 2009
10:34 am
Article is lazy and should have dug deeper into the difficulties and ethos of self-distribution, going below directors who have hundreds and thousands of dollars to release their own film (as indicated in the article). I'd much rather that readers read about those who tried diy, yet failed, and those who accomplished their own goals while starting with just a few hundred dollars in their pockets while paying rent and juggling jobs. If you're gonna publish an article about diy, then at least mimic some of the same gutsy efforts instead of writing about those with publicists and create Spielberg's scripts.

It is a rather lazy and cliched article.


15.
Jason Goldstein, Be The Shoe Productions
St. Louis
August 13th, 2009
10:57 am
This is much more involved than most people realize. Theaters won't disappear, but as they install digital projectors they're creating an infrastructure that's friendly towards DIY filmmakers.It's just a matter of time before one of these DIY projects gains a wide audience.If you haven't seen it already, take a look at ProjectShoestring.com It's an online distribution platform launching in November.

Theaters won't disappear, it's true. They offer a communal experience. Mulitiplexes were seen as a way to diversify what types of films would be shown but failed. Instead the blockbusters took over all the screening rooms. Perhaps digital projectors will live up to the promise of more diversification. Already theaters are showing operal projected digitally and live and are having great success finding audiences at off hours.


16.
Peter Vesterbacka
Helsinki, Finland
August 13th, 2009
10:57 am
Great to see the NY Times discover this as well;-) And it's not limited to the US either, there's life in the Rest Of the World as well... Star Wreck, http://www.starwreck.com/ was one of the first, if not the first, full feature length films with Hollywood quality special effects that was relased for free on the net in 2005 already. Star Wreck was also a first as it was done by two guys in Tampere, Finland and a few hundred of their friends around the world. I guess today that would be called crowdsourcing by those in the know;-)Another great example of what is going on is a crowdsourced movie called Snowblind in Germany by Kalle Max Hofmann and Co. The trailer looks very cool for a production with next to no budget, shows what can be done when you involve the community for real in the production. Snowblind can be found here: http://www.wreckamovie.com/productions/show/snowblindWe are living in exciting times for filmmakers everywhere!

The rest of the world is at least 50% of the market and for many non-American films, it is even more. To hear such optimism from Helsinki makes me optimistic as well. European budgets are smaller than American budgets, but American indies' budgets are not studio budgets and perhaps digital exhibition will be profitable for those not needed to recoup 8 digit budgets.

17.
relentless Aaron
atlanta, georgia
August 13th, 2009
11:15 am
EXACTLY. We have figured it out. No more high-end toaster programs and monster AVID computers. No more 4000-track soundstage/studios and reels and reels of film. I just shot my first music video with a ZERO budget. Everything from the location, to the actors to the make-up and clothing stylist was free of charge. Everything else, the equipment, the cameraman, the location, props, and postproduction was me. The million-dollar music video can now be shot for less than 25k The short film can now be produced for less than 10kI have a 3-picture option with Hollywood giant BILL DUKE (see Hollywood Reporter 'Bill Duke/Relentless Aaron', however I'm beginning to lean towards Bill's mention of straight to DVD as a better financial decision.. We'll see. Meanwhile, I'll keep shooting, producing and saving money for me and my clients. Eventually my voice and movement will be understood.

I love this comment. If he's a true artist, his voice and movement will be understood! Guaranteed.

18.
Peter Vesterbacka
Helsinki, Finland
August 13th, 2009
11:53 am
There's also 150+ productions going at http://wreckamovie.com/ Anybody reading this can join the party and contribute to any of the movies being made. It's not just about watching all the way too predictable Hollywood produce anymore, it's about participating in the creation. Crowdsourcing is starting to happen in a big way in filmmaking.

Participation in creation and crowdsourcing are the future of filmmaking and exhibition. Digital 'distribution' is a misnomer. By calling it digital exhibition, the broken model of distribution we now know becomes a thing of the past.


19.
Liza Dittoe
True South Studios. Memphis, TN
August 13th, 2009
11:53 am
Straight to DVD is working brilliantly for us. Started by a passionate businessman and creative filmmakers, True South Studios' style may be the wave of the future. Check out trailers of their films here: http://www.truesouthstudios.com/

I am so glad to hear this. Not every film must have a theatrical run.


21.
linh
ny
August 13th, 2009
11:54 am
now go read Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail"

And over time with enough word of mouth and visibility, a film can find its audience and recoup its costs.

22.
R Richardson
NYC
August 13th, 2009
11:58 am
Self-distribution has been a viable alternative for filmmakers for quite awhile. I wrote about it for indieWIRE five years ago: http://www.indiewire.com/article/tales_of_self-distribution_robot_stories_maestro_the_gatekeeper_and_superst/

Yes the article was a seminal article.

23.
ralcarbo
Philadelphia
August 13th, 2009
12:01 pm
The DIY method might get a story told but it doesn't pay the bills. The article implies that people make a film and pursue this distribution route because of a commitment to the material and do it for little or no pay. That's admirable, however, film making is a collaborative process that requires skill to produce a quality product. Professionals need to make a living and people seek distribution deals to pay production costs. These deferred compensation arrangements make it very hard for a project to be more than an amateur effort and will remain stuck there until funding methods catch up with advances in distribution.

It can pay the bills if the filmmaker and collaborators can turn their attention to the promotion with as much gusto as they make the movie itself.


25.
Debbie S.
New York
August 13th, 2009
2:37 pm
Not only do independent filmmakers have to finance their own films, now we're expected to come up with the money to market and distribute them. What a glamorous business. Meanwhile millions of dollars are spent marketing studio films that are so incoherent, I wonder if anyone read the script before they greenlit the film. It's a case of misallocated resources if you ask me.

Yes, the producer's job is to produce the money. The millions spent by studios is another story entirely and is an example of another problem in the system.

26.
magnus_h
bergen
August 13th, 2009
2:37 pm
This is a strange article with a very strange focus. I believe in the power of selfpromoting the film by independent filmmakers, but there is a huge difference between cutting out the studio system and distributing the film on the internet or on a limited DVD-release and releasing a film like THE AGE OF STUPID on 400 screens. An independet filmmaker will have huge problems of putting up so much money for making so many DCPs (or transmitting it by satalite - just the costs and coordination of 400 screens costs a lot of money) - so the filmmakers may be out-smarting the Hollywood studio system, but at the same time they are falling into a trap of another system. As the article implies money are being putt up by the films backers - but is there a difference if the backer is a studio or a private investor? They are both in it for the same reason - to make some money.(By the way both the films THE AGE OF STUPID and ANVIL! were sold on the international market by international sales agents - so the DIY idea is not as true at is may seem in this article if the films at least want to make it big in the international market)

International sales are an extremely important component in the whole picture. Anvil has a good sales agent (Jeremy Thomas' The Works International), but I am not sure of what sales it has made. The Age of Stupid has a great sales agent (Celluloid Dreams) who also has devised a way to show the film internationally via downloads. As a partner in The Auteurs they are ahead of the game. Most international sales agents have not ventured down this path (yet)

28.
Andres
North Carolina
August 13th, 2009
2:37 pm
Why even bother with a theatrical release? Releasing a film on such a small number of screens seems to be more about vanity than getting the largest number of people to see your film. The mentality that a film is not really a legitimate film unless is runs in theaters is still predominant even among the indy producers. Selling the rights to a cable channel or straight to DVD would be far more profitable and lead to a greater audience than showing your film in 50 theaters. The ever increasing number of cable channels are desperate for product to air.

Theatrical releases give a visibility and a prestige of a film. International sales agents won't take on films which have no U.S. theatrical distribution because the other distributors in the world perceive the film as having no upside potential if it did not get U.S. theatrical release. However, it could be profitable with no theatrical release if it is only being released in the U.S. and can recoup its budget in that one market.

29.
Ana
San Francisco, CA
August 13th, 2009
2:37 pm
Here's a whole other angle on DIY: crowdsourcing. Just read and dugg this article from one of the editors of RealScreen (http://digg.com/d310Zfe) about a BBC project called "Digital Revolution." It's a documentary series about web that will comprise, in part, of content FROM the web - or rather, web users. It brings up the concept of getting funding not just from filmmakers themselves, like those highlighted in this article, but from the public. "Crowdfunding" - a method of financing in which individuals are solicited to contribute financial donations to the production - does seem to be the new trend. I guess it's the Kiva of the indie film world.But he does make the point that even in "content-saturated marketplace" there are no guarantees. That is, even if that even if you do get the funding from the public, they're not necessarily going to throw their support into it post-production.

Interesting concept. IndieGoGo is trying crowdfunding, but I'm not sure it will take hold. I wouldn't invest in a film because of it's online hype. When I prebought films professionally, I was never really pleased with the final outcome.

30.
Zoe Golightly
Los Angeles
August 13th, 2009
2:37 pm
I can relate with what this article is bringing forward, and with many of the comments. This evolving model of film distribution is certainly not well pathed or established currently, and incredibly challenging. I'm currently working with producers of an independent film http://spiritualwarriors.com/ - privately screening and DVD distribution all completely independently.We have found Amazon works really well - our sales have been incredible via Amazon solely. And working the social media marketing strategies is key.Happy to help or share our story with others looking for guidance. You can contact me via the spiritualwarriors.com website.Oh and of course anyone looking for an incredible indie film to watch this weekend - get 'Spiritual Warriors' on amazon.com :)

I'm thrilled with this commentary. Especially as I recently sold my company FilmFinders to IMDb which is owned by Amazon. I agree they have a really smart model. If they can beat YouTube and iTunes or hold their own, then they will be the leaders in the field. What a great company!

31.
Sabrina
Los Angeles, CA
August 13th, 2009
2:37 pm
It is such a struggle when filmmakers have great work to show but have a hard time distributing it. Having worked for a non-profit documentary company for over a year, I understand the motivation necessary to get viewers and support for newly released films. I think people would like our work (http://explore.org/ if anyone is interested) - but the only way to find out is by using different forms of online distribution.

It's so very hard for filmmakers! And making the film is only half of it. Finding distribution is when the hard work really begins.


32.
Jim Latham
Los Angeles
August 13th, 2009
2:42 pm
I'm glad to see there's so much going on that gives filmmakers more and better options for producing and distributing their work. There are a lot of interesting ideas and issues in this article as well as the responses to it. My own blog focuses on indie film marketing and distribution (http://blogs.pavaline.com/jlatham and this article has inspired me to look more closely at some of those ideas. One thing that hasn't been discussed much here is the often poor quality of so many independently produced films today. Whether because of limited material resources or talent or other factors, there are a lot of films today seeking distribution that frankly don't deserve it, at least not traditional theatrical distribution. Still, I'm glad that even the lamest amateur film can potentially be seen online, and, who knows, maybe even find its own audience niche.

Well poor quality, lame and amateur films are everywhere. Even the majors make them. Maybe 10% of any craft reaches the level of art. Popular art is not easy to make either. But if the subject matter is of interest, there is always some sement of an audience to be found online at least.

33.
DocGirl
Los Angeles, CA
August 13th, 2009
8:00 pm
I've seen a great number of documentary films that have premiered at Sundance, Toronto & SXSW lately via streaming video on Netflix, Hulu.com and SnagFilms. If they weren't available online, I would rent the DVDs. A lot of them have not been picked up yet or else their theatrical presence has been too limited. If you take a look, there are actually more feature-length documentaries available to watch online (Hulu gave it its own featured menu button) than any other genre...Surfwise, Frontrunners, Summercamp!, Stagedoor, We Are Wizards, Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Helvetica, Super Size Me, Confessions of a Superhero, The Future of Food...the list goes on and on. There IS an audience out there for these films - and believe it or not - they're not just "doc people", just people interested in simple, instant entertainment. It's the reality TV generation. But the trend to a successful commercial documentary is the subject matter. Social issue and political documentaries are definitely important, but would you really pay $10 on a Friday night to watch talking heads, war footage and or a depressing exposé on the state of our economy? We have PBS, NPR and CNN on a weeknight for that. Movies - no matter if they're indies, blockbusters or even the dreaded doc, were originally made for escapism and entertainment. I think more film festivals and distributors should think about that.

This comment is so relevent to docs today. For such comments I repeat: I love blogging. The intelligent thinking that goes on in response to news and opinions (except on some political blogs where the comments are so venomous and hateful) delights me.

The above comments far outstrip the article itself for their interesting insights. The article itself is, as one commenter says, quite simplistic and old news. But appearing in NY Times for readers outside of the film business is a good thing.

Don't forget the U.S. market is roughly 50% of the world market. The international sales agents are also scouring Toronto and other festivals looking to represent films to distributors in the rest of the world (which, as I said, accounts for around 50% of the revenues at this point). They are also facing such hard and slim returns that they cannot offer filmmakers advances or minimum guarantees on films because they are not getting them from the rest of the world's distributors. The films cannot recoup their budgets from the advances or minimum guarantees anymore.

Just as so many filmmakers are now paying for their own marketing in U.S. distribution with DIY, (albeit these costs are much less than traditional costs to buy national TV and huge newspaper ads and billboards like the majors do), now I have heard an international sales agent seriously suggest that the filmmakers pay the marketing costs to the sales agents rather than expect the sales agents to pay them!

Producers are having tough times raising production budgets and now must consider adding marketing and distribution costs as well not only for the U.S. but perhaps even for the rest of the world. However, if they hold onto the distribution rights they can recoup much more than when they relied on distributors. But this only works in their own territory (U.S. here) because they don't know the ins and outs of 60 other international territories where their films optimally will be distributed....Sydney

Latin America In the News

Ventana Sur, a new Latin American Event was launched today in Cannes. In the current Cannes Film Festival announced the project called South Window, a market to be held in Buenos Aires in partnership with the French festival, the first of its kind that supports Cannes beyond its borders. Jerôme Paillard and Liliana Mazure, president of the National Film Institute (INCAE), will hold Window South, a market, in Buenos Aires in the second half of November at the site of the former store Harrods. Its aim is to boost sales and production not only of Argentine cinema but of all Latin American cinema through the participation of film professionals from around the world.

From Screen International: Pyramide, Wild Bunch, Diaphana, three of the 70 distributors in 19 European countries who make up a pan European network called Europa Distribution want to forge closer ties with Latin America and is seeking funds from MEDIA to do so. Launched in 2006, Europa Distribution would use the money to offer direct support to distributors in the region. The outfit is currently supported by members’ subscriptions. Distributors pay $1,358 (€1000) each per year in annual fees) and has also received $353,249 (€260,000) in support for 2009 from the EU’s MEDIA Programme. Now, it is looking to access an extra $543,461 (€400,000) in MEDIA backing. The idea is to back both Latin-American distributors handling European movies and Europeans distributing Latin-American fare.

Cine Sin Fronteras is a new initiative whose aim is to support distribution of Latin American cinema in Europe and of European cinema in Latin America. It is led by four partners and supported by MEDIA. Partners are Europa Distribution, a network of 70 independent European distributors, CICAE (Confederation Internationale des Cinemas d’Art et d’Essai) a network of exhibitors festivals and some distributor of art movies, ARCALT (Association Rencontre Cinema d’Amerique Latin de Toulouse) which shows also show works in progress in partnership with the San Sebastian Film Festival, and FICCO (Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporaneo de la Ciudad de Mexico). Workshops have already been held in Mexico city and in Toulouse in the first half of 2009.

Don Ranvaud of Buena Onda has partnered with Syrian company The Orient Group and their first production will be the Argentinean film by short filmmaker Dario Nardi "Sadourni's Butterflies". Max Saidel of Latido will be one of four associate producers.

Toonz Animation India and Argentina-based Illusion Studios have inked a co-production deal for a 90-minute 3D animated feature "Gaturro" based on the famous Argentine comic strip of the same name.

International Distribution Deals Done in Cannes 2009

To the readers: It helps if you have subscriptions to IMDbPro and Cinando as most of the links are to these two sites. Please let me know if you are not subscribers and I will try to vary the sources more broadly.

26 Films licensed "Keep It Together" to Splendid for German speaking territories.

Absurda - A David Lynch Company has licensed "My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?" to Kinowelt for German speaking territories. Unified has U.S. and WS has Canada.

Alliance licensed its entire library to Talat Captaan for the Middle East including Iran. It will serve as the basis for Captaan's reentering the sales business.

American World Pictures licensed "Parasomnia" to Kmy Films for Cambodia.

Bavaria’s "Van Dieman’s Land" went to U.K. (High Fliers). "Bad Day To Go Fishing" went to Greece (PCV). "Everyone Else" aka "Alle Anderen" went to CIS (Russian Report). "Let The Right One In" went to Turkey(Bir), Hong Kong (Edko), Colombia (Cinecolombia). "Troubled Water" went to Taiwan (Khan).

Beta licensed "North Face" to Music Box Films for U.S.

Bleiberg licensed "Adam Resurrected" to Image for U.S. "Gene 2.0" went to Splendid for German speaking territories.

Celluloid Dreams licensed "Un Prophete" to Sony Pictures Classics for North America and Alta for Spain. Its other distributors include Cinemien for Netherlands, Bim for Italy, UGC for France.

Cinemavault has licensed “Trucker” to High Fliers for U.K., Falcon for Middle East, Village Roadshow for Greece, Lap TV for Latin America, HBO for Eastern Europe, DBS for Israel and ATP Insaat for Turkey. "Newsmakers" has gone to Showbox for the U.K., New Select for Japan, Beijing United for China, ECS for the Middle East, Horizon for Turkey, Cinema Without Frontiers and Kino Bez Granits for CIS.

CJ licensed "Thirst," to Lola Film for Spain, Paris Filmes for Brazil, Edko for Hong Kong, Avsar Film for Turkey and Discovery for the ex-Yugoslavia territories, MFA+ for Germany, Madman for Australia and New Zealand, Ecofilmes for Portugal. "Mother" went to Madman for Australia and New Zealand, Paris Films for Brazil. "Sophie’s Revenge" went to Nettai for Japan, Huayi Brothers for China. "Haeundai" went to VSG for Singapore and Malyasia, Optimum for U.K., Splendid for German speaking territories, Edko for Hong Kong. "Castaway on the Moon" went to Horizon for Turkey and Flash Forward for Taiwan. "Private Eye" went to Horizon for Turkey.

CMG licensed "Blood and Bone" to G2 for U.K. after fielding at least four other offers from UK buyers. It also went to Australia (Eagle Pictures), South Africa (Nu Metro), Eastern Europe (SPI), Brazil (California), Turkey (Horizon), India (PVR), and the Middle East (Front Row). "Khumba" went to Russia (Luxor), Portugal (VC Multimedia), the Middle East (Front Row), Turkey (Film Pop), Czech/Slovak Republics (Hollywood), and Poland (Vision). "American Violet" went to Australia (Eagle Pictures), Scandinavia (CCV), the Middle East (Front Row), Turkey (Horizon), and Poland (Vision). "Zambezia" went to Nu Metro in South Africa and Hollywood for the Czech/Slovak Republics. U.S. is with Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Coach 14's "Wild Grass" was coproduced and will be distributed in Italy by Bim. Imovision has Brazil and Studio Canal has France.

Contentfilm licensed "Fish Tank" to Cineart for Benelux, IFC for North America, Artificial Eye for U.K. and Alta for Spain, . MK2 has French rights.

Coproduction Office licensed "A Town Called Panic" to Cineart for Benelux, and to UK (Optimum), Australia (Madman), Korea (Jin Jin), Greece (La Strada), Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam (Suraya), Middle East (Media International),Switzerland (Frenetic)

E1 Entertainment licensed "Amreeka" to Cineart for Benelux.

Elle Driver licensed "Dead Snow" to Splendid for German speaking territories. IFC has No. America. Midget has Denmark and Euforia has Norway. "De l'autre cote du lit" went to Atlas for German speaking territories. "Hysteria" went to Bim for Italy.

Endeavor licensed "Picasso and Braque Go To The Movies" to Arthouse for U.S. who will also also distribute abroad through its output deals with Revolver Entertainment in the UK and Ireland, Mongrel Media in Canada, Madman Entertainment in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and digitally via Apple iTunes.

Enlightenment licensed "I Can't Think Straight" and "The World Unseen" to Optimale for French speaking territories, PRO-FUN media Filmverleih for Germany, Homescreen for Benelux. Regent has U.S.

Entertainment 7 licensed "Baby on Board" to Telepool for German speaking territories, Free Dolphin for France, WEG for India, IDG for China. New Horizon has Australia and New Zealand. Mares has Brazil, Film Depot has CIS, Leda has Latin America and Five Star has Israel. Entertainment 1 has U.S. and Canada.

Epic licensed "Pig Hunt" to Splendid for German speaking territories.

Europacorp licensed "D13 - Ultimatum" to Magnolia Pictures genre arm Magnet Releasing for U.S. "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec" sold every territory except U.K. and U.S. "I Love You Phillip Morris" went to Consolidated Pictures Group for North America.

Films Distribution licensed “Happy Ever After” to Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand, Telepool for Germany. Negotiations are underway for U.S."Eyes Wide Open” went to Haut et Court for France. “Yuki & Nina” and "It’s Not Me, I Swear!” went to JinJin for South Korea. “Tomorrow at Dawn” and "Private Lessons” went to Word of Mouth for Greece. "Cell 211” went to Senator for Germany, “L’Amour Fou” went to Frenetic for Switzerland. "Tomorrow At Dawn" went to Metropole for Canada, Russian Report for Central Europe. "YSL" went to ABC for Benelux, Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand, Midas for Portugal. "Stella" went to Primer Plano for Argentina. "The Horde" went to California Filmes for Brazil, Hopscotch for Australia and New Zealand. "Salamandra' went to Jaguar for the Middle East. "Karl Lagerfeld" went to ABC for Benelux.

Finecut licensed "Like You Know It All" to CTV for French speaking territories. "Chaw" went to Ascot Elite for Switzerland and Germany, to Visicom Suraya for Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam. "Go Go 70s" went to Fine Films for Japan and to Thailand’s KR Contents Group.

Focus Features licensed "Sin Nombre" to Metrodome for U.K. "The Eagle Of The Ninth" sold out in all territories including BIM Distribuzione for Italy, Metropolitan Filmexport for France, Entertainment/ Universal and UPI for U.K., Nordisk for Scandinavia, RCV for Benelux, Ssamzie for So. Korea, Odeon for Greece, Shani for Israel, Castello Lopes for Portugal, Italia for the Middle East, PVR for India, Queen for Indonesia, Shaw for Singapore, Prorom for Bulgaria, Hungry and Romania, Hollywood Classics for Czech Republic and Slovaiak, Monlith for Poland, Concorde Telemuenchen for German speaking territories. Deal are about to close for South Afreica, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Turkey. Focus itself has North America and Universal Pictures has rights for Australia, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, "Greenberg" went to Bim for Italy.

Fortissimo has licensed "Prince of Tears" by Yonfan to Ocean Films for France and Intercontinental Film Distribution for Hong Kong. "Basquiat", "Magic Bus", and "Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress And The Tangerine" to Pretty Pictures for France and Benelux and to Zeitgeist for U.S. "Air Doll" went to Golem for Spain, Ocean for France. Asmik Ace has Japanese rights.

HanWay Films has presold "Black Death" to 12 distributors including Revolver/ Sony for U.K., Odeon for Romania and Greece, Lusomundo for Portugal, Soyuz for CIS and the Baltics, Hollywood Classics for Czech Repulic and Slovakia, Polsat for Poland, First Productions for Ex-Yugoslavia, Front Row for Middle East, Queen Imperial Films for Indonesia, Avsar for Turkey, PA Pictures for Brazil and En Pantalla for Mexico. "Sunshine Cleaning" went to Anchor Bay for U.K.

High Point licensed "Winter in Wartime" to Kaleidoscope for U.K. and Ireland.

Hyde Park licensed "Unbound Captives" to UK (Entertainment),Spain (Aurum), Benelux (RCV), Scandinavia (Scanbox), Turkey (Aqua Pinema), Portugal (Lusomundo), Middle East (Phars).

Icon licensed “Oranges and Sunshine” to Diaphana for France, Odeon for Greece and Lusomundo for Portugal.

IM Global licensed Bitch Slap to Momentum in the U.K., Splendid in Germany, IPA Asia Pacific for Thailand, Tripictures for Spain, Euro TV for France, AMG for Japan.

Imagina licensed "Map of the Sounds of Tokyo" to Alta for Spain.

Independent sold out on "Moon" Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, which had already taken the rights to all English speaking territories, took all Asian territories excluding South Korea as well as Italy, Spain, Latin America. Sony Pictures Classics has U.S. and further deals were for France (Swift Distribution), Scandinavia (Nonstop Entertainment), Benelux (A – Film Distribution), Middle East (Shooting Stars), CIS (CP Digital), Poland (Monolith Films), Greece (Seven Films), Turkey (Mars Production), South Korea (Daisy Entertainment) and German speaking Europe (Telepool).

InTandem licensed "Your Perfect Angel" to Splendid for German speaking territories, Lusomundo for Portugal and Falcon for the Middle East.

ITV Global Entertainment licensed "The Red Shoes" in its newly restored digital format to more than 20 international territories.

Jinga Films licensed "Salvage" to MIG for Germany, Italia for the Middle East and has also sold Japan. "The Disappeared" went to Moonlight for Benelux, Savoy for Germany. "Summer Scars" went to Wise for Spain, Sahamongkol for Thailand. "Love me Still" went to Italia for the Middle East. "Gnaw" sold to Japan. "The Disappeared" and "Summer Scars" U.K. distributor is ICA's New British Cinema.

Kimmel’s "Trust" went to Mexico (Gussi), Benelux (A Film), Greece (Village Roadshow), Portugal (Lusomundo), Turkey (Aqua Pimena), IPA Asia Pacific for Thailand. "Sympathy For Delicious" went to Italy (CDI), Thailand (IPA), Indonesia (PT Amero). "The Greatest" went to U.K. (High Fliers), Italy (Mediaset), Russia (Soyuz) and previously (Berlin) to Senator Distribution for U.S., E1 Entertainment for Canada, Pinema for Turkey. "An Invisible Sign Of My Own" went to Italy (Mediafilm),Hong Kong (Edko).

Kinology licensed "Gainsbourg" to Prokino for Germany. Focus has North America.

Latido licensed "Bejart: The Show Must Go On" to Cetera for Japan. "Paper Castles" has gone to Only Hearts for Japan who has also acquired "The One I Love". "Ander" went to Look Now for Switzerland. "The Chicken, The Fish and The King Crab" went to Media Factory for Japan. An eleven title package deal closed with TVR in Romania which includes "Seven Minutes" and "La Buena Vida". "Sex, Party & Lies" has sold to 20 territories inlcuding G2 for U.K. and Picture This for U.S. A four picture deal with Suraya for Malaysia includes "Seven Minutes", "Paper Castles", "Animal Crisis" and "Sex Party and Lies".

Le Pacte licensed "Ricky" to IFC for North America. Other rights holders are California Filmes for Brazil, Central Partnership for Russia, Cinéart for Benelux, Concorde Filmverleih for German speaking territories, Hollywood Classic Entertainment for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Le Pacte has France.

Les Films Du Losange licensed "The White Ribbon" to Sony Pictures Classics for North America, Golem for Spain and to Cineart for Benelux. XFilme has Germany, Filmladen has Austria, Lucky Red has Italy. "The Father of My Children" went to Teodora for Italy

Magnolia licensed "The Eclipse" to Jump Street for Australia and New Zealand. Mangolia will release in North America.

Mandarin licensed "Ip Man" to Splendid for German speaking territories.

Mandate licensed "Saw 6" and "Five Killers" to Kinowelt for German speaking territories for which Lions Gate has U.S. and A-Film has Benelux. "Men Who Stare At Goats" went to Kinowelt for German speaking territories, Overture for U.S. and was produced by BBC in U.K.

Media 8 licensed "The Horseman" to U.K.’s Kaleidoscope Entertainment.

Media Asia licensed "Warlords" to Magnolia's genre arm Magnet Releasing for North America, Minerva for Italy, Mario Pimentel for Spain. "City of Life and Death" aka "Nanking Nanking" went to Lark for Hong Kong, Applause for Taiwan, Golden Screen for Malaysia, Rose Media for Thailand, and High Fliers for U.K.

Meridiana licensed "Altiplano" to Imagine Films for Belgium, Farbfilm for Germany and Austria, Cineworx for Switzerland, Contact Cinematheque for The Netherlands.

MK2 licensed "El Nino Pez", "Zion and His Brother" and "Fish Child" to Regent Here! for North America.

Moving Pictures Film and Television has sold 30-50 catalog titles to Polyphony for Australia, Septieme Factory for France and Cinema Novo CRL for Portugal.

MPower licensed "Snowmen" to Italia for the Middle East and NuMetro for South Africa. "The Stoning of Soraya" went to Scanbox for Scandinavia, Nu Metro for South Africa and Independent Distributors for Israel. Front Row has it for the Middle East.

Myriad licensed "Serious Moonlight" to Bim for Italy, Swen for Latin America, Les Films De L'Elysee for Benelux, SPI for Eastern Europe, Eagle for the Middle East, Spentzos for Greece, ECM for Portugal and D Productions for Turkey.

New Films has licensed a seven title packed to Falcon for the Middle East including "Witch Hunt", "P.V.C.-1", "Mysterious Hearts", "Peter and Vandy", "Camp Hope", "Circle" and "Keepsake". A 10 title deal was set with BBI for Benelux which includes "Americano", "Broken" "Undermind", "El Rey", "Don't Fade Away" and "Dark Moon Rising". Strand also licensed "Peter and Vandy" for U.S.

NonStop licensed "Magic Silver" to Rich for So. Korea. "The Forest" went to Suraya for Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Middle East. "Leningrad" went to New View for China.

Nu Image licensed "Solitary Man" and "Ninja" to Splendid for German speaking territories. Thai rights to "Ninja are with IPA Asia Pacific. "The Expendables" went to California Filmes for Brazil, CatchPlay for Taiwan, Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) for Benelux, Eagle Film for the Middle East, Lionsgate for U.K. and U.S., Metropolitan Filmexport for France, Midget Entertainment for Denmark, Noble Entertainment for Sweden, Odeon for Greece and Pony Canyon for Japan and Blu Cinematografica for Italy. "The Mechanic" went to Blu Cinematografica for Italy.

Other Angle licensed "La premiere etoile" and "Les Beaux Gosses" to Kool for Germany. Mars has France. "Les

Parkland licensed "The Heavy" to EuroVideo for Germany, Kaliedoscope for U.K., New Select for Japan, Vendetta Films for Australia and New Zealand and Falcon Films for the Middle East.

Pathe International licensed "Bright Star" to Bob Berney's unnamed company for U.S. and Canada, Vertigo for Spain, Atlantic Film for Scandinavia, SSG for Taiwan, Babilla for Colombia, Phars for the Middle East, PT Camila for Indonesia, Golden Village for Singapore and Myndform for Iceland. The film is now virtually sold out. Presales for"Centurion" closed with MediaFilm (Italian), Cinemax (the CIS), Showbox (South Korea), Monolith (Polan), SSG (Taiwan), Hollywood Classics (the Czech Republic), Mediapro (Romania), Ster-Kinekor (South Africa), Babilla (Colombia), Cathy (Singapore), Tiglon (Turkey), PT Camila (Indonesia) and IPA (Thailand and Vietnam). Deals concluded before Cannes including Constantin for Germany, Aurum for Spain, Hopscotch for Australia/New Zealand and Scanbox for Scandinavia make the film virtually sold out. "Le Herisson" (The Hedgehog)went to Madman for Australia/New Zealand, Europa for Brazil, Cathay for Singapore and Tiglon for Turkey. "Loup" (Wolf) was picked up for Germany and Austria by Square One, IPA for Thailand and Vietnam, Mediavizyon for Turkey and Babilla for Colombia. "Miral" was sold to Europa for Brazil and WEG for India. "Oceans" sold to Atlantic Film for Scandinavia and PT Camila for Indonesia. "Cheri" went to WEG for India, Golden Village for Singapore, IPA for Thailand and Vietnam and Bir Film for Turkey. "Five Minutes Of Heaven" went to Savor for Spain and Bir Film for Turkey and a German deal is imminent. "Lol", currently the biggest film at the French box-office with over 3.5 million admissions, was sold to Madman for Australia/New Zealand, Cinema Nueva for Mexico, Golden Village for Singapore and Mediavizyon for Turkey.

PorchLight’s "Passchendaele" went to U.K. (High Fliers), Japan (AMG), Australia (21st Century), Holland (DFW), Scandinavia (Atlantic).

Prime Entertainment licensed "The Elephant on the Bike" to Kmy Films for Cambodia.

Protagonist Pictures licensed U.K. and Irish rights to "Nativity" to E1 Entertainment. "Unmade Beds" went to Kool for Germany.

Pyramide licensed "Fais Moi Plaisir" to Golem for Spain.

Quantum Releasing licensed "Last of the Living" to Kmy Films for Cambodia.

Roissy licensed "Io, Don Giovanni" to Korea (Line Tree), Taiwan (Zeus International/Khan Entertainment), Hong Kong (Edko Films) and Lucky Red who coproduced with Istituto Luce for Italy. "Sister Smile" went to Korea (Mars Entertainment), Taiwan (Joint), Hong Kong (Edko), Canada (Seville), Switzerland (Xenix), KFD for Belgium, Océan Films for France, RCV Film Distribution for the Netherlands. "The Beaches of Agnes" went to Korea (JinJin). "Seraphine" went to Hong Kong (Edko).

Sahamongkolfilm International licensed "Chocolate" to Magnolia Pictures genre arm Magnet Releasing for U.S. North American rights to the film had been with The Weinstein Company (TWC), but Sahamongkolfilm took the rights back whenTWC returned "Ong Bak 2".

Scanbox's Joni Sighvatsson's remake of "The Killer Elite" sold to Splendid for German speaking territories.

Showbox licensed "The Murderer" to Wild Side for France. "Breathless" has been sold to Tadrart Film for France.

SPI International licensed "Broken Promises" to Picture This! for North America.

StudioCanal licensed "L'Armee du crime" to Cineart for Benelux. “The Red Riding Trilogy" went to IFC for U.S., Alliance for Canada. "Cotton" will be sold soon to Spain. "Change Of Plans " went to IFC for U.S. "Around the World in 50 Years 3D" and "Chloe" went to StudioCanal owned Kinowelt for German speaking territories and both virtually sold out including to Svensk for Scandinavia, TMC for Turkey. Universal Music Group acquired North American rights to "Around the World". "Baby(ies)" went to Focus for U.S. and some other international territories. "Quelque Choise A Te Dire" went to Golem for Spain. "A Thorn in the Heart" went to Oscilloscope for U.S.

Summit licensed "Red Cliff" to Magnolia Pictures genre arm Magnet Releasing for U.S. "Astro Boy" has gone to E1 for U.K. and DeaPlaneta for Spain. "Tree Of Life" and "Letters To Juliet" went to TriPictures for Spain. "Tree of Life" also went to EuropaCorp in France, Icon (UK and Australia), Concorde TeleMuenchen Group (Germany), Svensk (Scandinavia), O1 (Italy) and Belga (Benelux). "New Moon", the "Twilight Sequel" sold to Concorde Filmverleih for German speaking territories Austria, Germany and German speaking Switzerland, Eagle Pictures for Italy, Kadokawa Pictures for Japan, Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution for Scandinavia, Odeon for Greece and Cyprus, Of course Summit Entertainment has U.S. and Seville has Canada. "Remember Me" also sold exceedingly well.

The Match Factory licensed"Ajami" to the U.K. (Vertigo Films) and France (Ad Vitam). "Cloud 9" went to Music Box for U.S.

The Weintstein Co. licensed "The Fighter" to France, Spain and South Korea. Rights are already held by Paramount Pictures for North America and Universal Pictures International (UPI) for Benelux.

The Works International and Rena Ronson of WM Independent licensed "The Cove" to Europacorp for France.

Toie licensed "A Good Husband" to K&Entertainment for So. Korea.

Trust Nordisk has licensed "Antichrist" to IFC Films for U.S., Artificial Eye for U.K. and Golem Distribución for Spain. Other distributors include ACME for Lithuania, Budapest Film for Hungary, California Filmes for Brazil, Central Partnership for Russia, Discovery Film & Video Distribution for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estinfilm for Estonia, Gutek Film for Poland, Lucky Red for Italy , MFA Filmdistribution for Germany, Palador Pictures for India,Pars Film for Iran, Pro Film for Bulgaria, Prorom Media-Trade for Romania, Seven Films for Greece, Wild Bunch Benelux for Benelux and of course Nordisk Film Distribution for Scandinavia. "Mammoth" went to IFC for U.S., A-Film Distribution for Benelux, Budapest Film for Hungary, Filmcoopi Zürich for Switzerland, Filmladen for Austria, KinoVista for France, Seven Films for Greece, Svensk Filmindustri (SF) for Sweden. "Storm" went to Serendip for Brazil and Film Movement for U.S. "Love at First Hiccup" went to Kinomate for So. Korea and Suraya Film for Singapore and Indonesia. "Terribly Happy" went to Oscilioscope for the U.S, Syrena Films for Poland, European Film Partners (EFP) for Benelux, Cinema Art for Czech Republic and Slovakia."Quest for a Heart" went to Empire Film in Romania, "Cold Prey 2" to IPA for Japan and G2 for U.K. "The Green Butchers"Cirko Film for Hungary. was picked up by

Universe licensed "Storm Warriors" to Splendid for German speaking territories.

Upload Films licensed “Drool” to Strand Releasing for North America.

Visit Films licensed “The Missing Person” to Strand Releasing for U.S.

Voltage licensed "...Of the Dead" and "Game of Death" to Splendid for German speaking territories.

We Distribution/ Cinema Popular of Hong Kong has licensed "Bodyguards and Assassins" to Mediacorp Raintree Pictures and Festive Films for Singapore, RAM Entertainment for Malaysia, PT for Brunei, Teguh Bakti Mandiri for Indonesia, Parkit Films for Vietnam and Applause Entertainment for Taiwan.

Westend, the new international sales agency of Sharon Harel (founder of Capitol), licensed "Chatroom" to BIM Distribuzione for Italy, CMC Entertainment for Taiwan, Diaphana Films for France, ECS Film Distribution for Lebanon, Pathé for U.K., Seven Films for Greece, Universum Film (UFA), who also exec produced the film for Germany, Vision for Poland and other Eastern European countries, ECS for the Middle East, VTI for Ex-Yugoslavia. "Mother and Child" went to Haut & Court (France), Cineart (Benelux), Smile (Scandinavia) and Hopscotch (Australia), Vision (Pan-Eastern Europe), Seven Group (Greece), Front Row (Middle East), Bir Film (Turkey) and VTI (Ex-Yugoslavia).

Wide licensed "Tears of April" to Alcine Terran for Japan, FS Film Oy for Finland. "Fissure," went to Japan's 9 Miles Inc. It is also with FilmFrog Productions for USA, Los Banditos Films for Germany. "Louise Michel, the Rebel" went to France's Hevadis Films. "Unfailing" went to Germany's MIG Film for Austria, Germany and German-speaking Switzerland. "I Dreamt Under the Water" went to Taiwan's AV Jet Intl as well as to Optimale for France, PRO-FUN media Filmverleih for Germany, TLA Releasing for the U.K. and U.S. "South Coast" went to Daxar Multimedia Limited for the Middle East. "La Vida Loca" went to Ascot Elite in Germany for German-speaking territories. "Lola Montes" went to Immovision for Brazil.

Wild Bunch licensed "Spring Fever", "The Time That Remain", "Don't Look Back" and "Enter The Void" to Cineart for Benelux. “Don’t Look Back” and Park Benches went to IFC for U.S. They are also sold for Canada: Don’t Look Back to E1 Entertainment and Benches to Metropole. "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky" went to Sony Pictures Classics for North America and to Cineart for Benelux, Canada (E1), China (Metro China), Mexico (Cinemas Nueva), Australia (Madman). "Looking for Eric" went to Alta for Spain, Cinéart for The Netherlands, BIM Distribuzione for Italy, Diaphana Films for France, IFC Films for U.S., Icon Film Distribution for U.K. "Who Knows about Persian Cats" went to Mexico (Quality), Argentina (Pacha Mama), Canada (E1), Israel (Shani), Italy (Bim), Spain (Alta), Romania (Independenta), Greece (Videorama), Portugal (Lusomundo), Columbia (Babilla), Benelux (Cineart) and the Middle East (Front Row Entertainment). A deal with Mars Films for France was concluded just prior to the market. The only major territories remaining are Japan and the US, and both have offering pending "Goeman" went to Splendid for German speaking territories. "The Extra Man" went to Bim for Italy. "Tales From The Golden Age" went to IFC for U.S. Imovision has Brazil. It also went to UK (Trinity), Spain (Alta), Canada (Metropole), Italy (Archibaldo), France (Le Pacte), Scandinavia (Cinema Mondo), Benelux (Imagine). “Spring Fever” went to Strand for U.S., NCF for ex-Yugoslavai and Leopard for Russia. “Polytechnique” sold to Argentina’s Pacha Mama, Brazil’s Immovision, Teleview in the Middle East, Babilla in Columbia and Norway’s Arthouse. “Irish Route” presold to Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF), Romania (Independenta), Greece (Spentzos), Israel (Shani), Middle East (Teleview), Portugal (Lusomundo), Columbia (Babilla), South Africa (Video Vision), Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines (Sound Space) and Bulgaria (Radio Vision). Discussions are ongoing for France, Italy and the UK.

“Socialism” went to Germany (Delphi), Brazil (Immovision), Romania (Independenta), Czech Republic (Artcam), Greece (Videorama), Portugal (Midas), Japan (Open Sesame/Kadokawa), Bulgaria (Radio Vision) and Korea (Sorcerer’s Apprentice). “The Exodus – The Fortress” (“Burnt By The Sun 2”), was licensed to France (TFM), China (New Vision), Ex-Yugoslavia (Discovery), Romania (Independenta), Czech Republic (Hollywood Classics), Greece (Videorama), the Middle East (Teleview), Portugal (Lusomundo), Taiwan (CMC), Columbia (Babilla), Turkey (Umut Sanat), Bulgaria (Radiovision), Poland (Kino Swiat) and Benelux (Paradiso).

“The Extra Man” sold to Ex-Yugoslavia (Discovery), Romania (Independenta), Czech Republic (Hollywood Classics), Greece (Videorama), Israel (Orlando), the Middle East (Teleview), Portugal (Lusomundo), Singapore (Festive), Taiwan (Group Power), Turkey (D Productions), South Africa (Video Vision), Italy (Bim) and Poland (Kino Swiat).

“Full Treatment” sealed deals in Australia (Transmission), Romania (Independenta), Czech Republic (Hollywood Classics), Greece (Videorama), Hong Kong (Panorama), the Middle East (Teleview), Taiwan (CMC), Bulgaria (Radio Vision), Russia (Leopolis), Scandinavia (Cinema Mondo) and Benelux (Paradiso).

“Bunny & The Bull” went to Australia’s Madman, Israel’s Orlando and Germany’s Delphi. “Room in Rome” went to the UK’s Optimum, Hong Kong’s First Distributor, Japan’s Comstock and Australia’s Transmission. “Whatever Works” sealed deals in Israel (Nachson), Iceland (Greenlight), Australia (Hopscotch), Korea (Line Tree), Benelux (Paradiso) and the Czech Republic (Artcam). Deals are pending in Germany and Japan. “The Killer Inside Me” went to Hollywood Classics for Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Umut Sanat in Turkey, Radio Vision in Bulgaria, Top Films of Russia and Paradiso in Benelux. “Petit Nicolas” went to Spain (Vertigo), Italy (Bim), Israel (Nachson) and Korea (Sorcerer’s Apprentice). “Dog Pound” went to Benelux (Paradiso) and Mexico (Quality). Quality also picked up “Yona Yona Penguin” for Mexico.

“Rabia” sold to Romania (Independenta), Greece (Spentzos), the Middle East (Front Row) and Paradiso in Benelux. “A Distant Neighborhood went to Teleview for the Middle East, Babilla in Columbia and Bim in Italy.

William Morris Independent licensed Paris, Not France to Pretty Pictures for France and Benelux, to TVA for Canada and MTV for North America.