The Sundance Film Festival says farewell today as the 2013 shindig comes to a close, but deals are still being made, and one of the most hotly buzzed movies of the past week has found a home.
IFC Films has bagged the U.S. rights to David Lowery's "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck. The film, about two young lovers separated by the law, drew largely rave reviews (including our own) and as such, the bidding was apparently heated and went into the night, with calls going back and forth even as folks headed to the airport. But the veteran indie label came out on top, besting eOne, Sony Pictures Classics, Roadside Attractions, Picturehouse and Magnolia for the movie. The plan is for a multi-platform release not unlike what producer Cassian Elwes did for "Margin Call," which perhaps suggests they will be pushing this for some awards play.
Meanwhle, Magnolia has snapped up "S-VHS," which is a bit of a no-brainer considering they released the original "V/H/S." The horror omnibus got solid feedback (our review here) with particular praise being given to "The Raid" director Gareth Evans' entry. Don't expect Magnolia to rock the boat too hard, and follow the similar release pattern for the first collection, which has done well for them.
Lastly, The Weinstein Company and their shingle Radius have snapped up the documentary "Inequality For All." Directed by Jacob Kornbluth, the film explores the widening gap between the wealthy, middle and lower class, its devastating effect on the economy, and what we can do about it. It seems like the kind of thing Harvey Weinstein will aim for an awards season play and perhaps some limited theatrical love, with Radius doing the rest on VOD. But as always, we shall see. [Deadline/Variety]
IFC has great films for sure and I am very excited about this … but Weinstein (who had first refusal) not picking it up makes me feel like it won't be playing anywhere other than the art houses.