Fox Searchlight

Sundance 2012: Fox Searchlight Acquires BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD; Focus Features Picks Up FOR A GOOD TIME CALL…

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 2:49 pm

While the 2012 Sundance Film Festival is only a few days in, more than a few favorites are starting to emerge. Earlier today Sony Pictures Classics picked up the Rashida Jones comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever and Fox Searchlight acquired crowd-favorite The Surrogate (John Hawkes is apparently amazing in the latter). Now Fox Searchlight has made yet another high profile acquisition, as they’ve picked up U.S. rights to Benh Zeitlin’s fantastical drama Beasts of the Southern Wild. The film centers on a six-year-old on the brink of orphanhood who lives in a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world.

The pic has been picking up some serious buzz ever since its first screening. Matt called it a must-see and say it’s “a movie unlike anything you’ve seen in recent years.” You can read his full review here. Fox Searchlight plans to release the film this year. Hit the jump for acquisition news regarding the comedy For a Good Time Call… and to read the full press release regarding both films.

Sundance 2012: Fox Searchlight Picks Up THE SURROGATE; Sony Pictures Classics Acquires CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 10:44 am

Two of the more high profile films featured at this year’s Sundance Film Festival have now secured distribution. Fox Searchlight will handle the drama The Surrogate, while Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever. The Surrogate is quickly becoming one of the more crowd-pleasing pics at the fest, picking up a considerable amount of buzz with each screening. The film stars John Hawkes as a paraplegic polio victim who sets out to find a sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) wiling to take his virginity. Fox Searchlight acquired worldwide rights to the flick, which also stars William H. Macy.

Additionally, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired distribution rights to Celeste and Jesse Forever. Co-written by and starring Rashida Jones, the film centers on a couple that decides to break up. The impressive cast is rounded out by Andy Samberg, Emma Roberts, and Elijah Wood. Hit the jump to read the full press release regarding both acquisitions, and click here to read Matt’s review of the Celeste and Jesse Forever.

How Fox Searchlight Plans to Market the NC-17-Rated SHAME

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 20th, 2011 at 1:49 pm

Fox Searchlight’s distribution deal with Shame provided that the studio would not re-edit the movie for a lower-rating even though it’s almost certainly going to get an NC-17.  The movie, which follows the downward spiral of a sex addict (played brilliantly by Michael Fassbender), features copious amounts of graphic sex and nudity with a sprinkling of implied incest.

There are multiple challenges to marketing an NC-17 movie.  Most networks won’t air promos for an NC-17 film (at least not during primetime), newspapers are wary of buying ads for NC-17 movies, and even theaters aren’t eager to show NC-17 movies because it’s adults only.  There’s no possibility of anyone under the age of seventeen getting in and that cuts in on sales and allows for stupid folks to come out an accuse the theater of not being family friendly.  So what can Fox Searchlight do?  Hit the jump to find out

Steve McQueen’s SHAME Set for December 2nd

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 4th, 2011 at 3:05 pm

Fox Searchlight has tweeted that they’ll be releasing Steve McQueen’s Shame (click here for my review) on December 2nd.  The movie, which centers on a man whose life begins spiraling out of control due to his sex addiction, was picked up by Fox Searchlight at the Toronto Film Festival and the deal requires the studio to release the film uncut.  The uncut film has a lot of graphic sex, and as we all know, the MPAA absolutely hates sex. That means Shame is going out either NC-17 or Unrated.  Since ads for NC-17 and Unrated films are forbidden just about everywhere except the Internet, Shame has an uphill battle and the hill is at a 90-degree angle.  It’s an award season film and if the Academy can get over its prudery, Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, and McQueen could be serious contenders for Oscar nominations.  That’s a tremendous “if” but Fox Searchlight knows how to play the award-season game, and hopefully they can get Shame out to as many folks as possible.

Surprisingly, there are no wide releases set for December 2nd.  However, the equally-brutal We Need to Talk about Kevin will also be opening in limited release.  Happy holidays!

Fox Searchlight Acquires Steve McQueen’s SHAME Starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 10th, 2011 at 7:12 pm

Matt went in to the Toronto International Film Festival with Shame near the top of his most-anticipated list, and I’m looking forward to his review after tomorrow’s premiere.  In the meantime, you can rest easy knowing Shame will open beyond the festival circuit, and soon.  Fox Searchlight has acquired the U.S. distribution rights for release in 2011.  The film is the second collaboration between Michael Fassbender and Hunger writer/director Steve McQueen.  Fassbender stars as Brandon, a a sex addict with intimacy issues: “When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control.”

To give you some idea of how the film plays, we’ve included an oh-so-creepy clip after the jump along with Fox Searchlight’s press release.

Fox Searchlight Picks Up Sundance Drama SOUND OF MY VOICE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 20th, 2011 at 5:44 pm

Fox Searchlight has picked up distribution rights to Zal Batmanglij’s Sound of My Voice. The film, which premiered at Sundance, was co-written by (and stars) Brit Marling who also wrote and starred in the Sundance hit Another Earth, a film which Fox Searchlight is also distributing. Commenting on the acquisition, Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley had this to say:

“Zal Batmanglij’s first feature offers a truly unique voice in filmmaking with a tense and compelling tale. Brit Marling amazed us once again with her stunningly deft performance. We are thrilled to be working with such exceptional talent.”

Directed by Zal Batmanglij and written by Batmanglij and Marling, the film stars Brit Marling, Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius and Avery Pohl. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Director Tom McCarthy Talks WIN WIN, THE MILLION DOLLAR ARM, Working for Pixar & Making UP, More

by Ron Messer    Posted: April 11th, 2011 at 9:31 am

After three weeks of rave reviews in selected cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Phoenix, Win Win expanded to a host of new cities this weekend.  It paid off with $5,398 per theater, (in the top 5 averages over the past 3 days) and $1.22 million overall.  We’ve spread out our interviews with the film’s Oscar-nominated stars Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan and newcomer Alex Shaffer through the platform release because highly praised independent films which actually exceed that hype are rare and deserve all the extended support that sites like the one you’re reading can provide.

That brings us to our fourth installment: an interview with the film’s Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor and Up).  For a writer, director and actor who is so meticulous about his work on both sides of the camera, he was surprisingly open about his process in all three disciplines.  Hit the jump for the interview’s audio and transcript, including a look inside Pixar, the latest on The Million Dollar Arm, how Patricia Clarkson one-upped him on The Station Agent and his memories of an indie film trailblazer.  Continued after the jump.

Fox Searchlight Launches THE TREE OF LIFE Site with 20 Mini-Clips

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 7th, 2011 at 7:29 pm

Fox Searchlight has launched a comprehensive, interactive website for The Tree of Life at the domain www.twowaysthroughlife.com.  Once you enter, you are greeted by hypnotic music and two options: “the father’s way” or “the mother’s way.”  Each path offers ten different clips, none much longer than five seconds and mostly free of dialogue.  I still can’t tell you much about the big picture of Terrence Malick’s film, but the site provides more of the ethereal imagery that I’ve been fawning over since the debut of the trailer.

Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain star in this “impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s.”  Click here to head down the rabbit hole.  Read the official synopsis for The Tree of Life after the break.

Alexander Payne’s THE DESCENDANTS Set for December 16th; ONE FOR THE MONEY Falls to January 27, 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 22nd, 2011 at 9:15 am

For those who like to plan in far in advance, we have some release date news for you this morning.  First up, Fox Searchlight has set Alexander Payne’s The Descendants for December 16th.  The film stars George Clooney as a wealthy landowner who tries to re-connect with his daughters.  While the release date puts it in prime position for awards season, it will have to contend with three blockbusters getting released the same day: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  Presumably, Searchlight is going to start out with a limited release and then expand the film since releasing it wide as counter-programming would be incredibly risky.  I’m also going to assume that The Descendants will make the rounds at various fall film festivals because if you make a modestly-budgeted film starring George Clooney, federal law requires that you show it at Toronto and/or Telluride.

Hit the jump for news on the release date for One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl.

David O. Russell in Talks to Direct Russ Meyer Biopic

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 17th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

I hope David O. Russell (The Fighter) eventually starts directing another film rather than continually add to the list of films he might direct.  Not tonight: Deadline reports that Fox Searchlight wants to buy for Russell a pitch package for a biopic based on the life of B-movie legend Russ Meyer.  Merritt Johnson (Temple Grandin), who served as Russell’s assistant during Three Kings, will write the script.

The studio is working to acquire the rights to the biography Big Bosoms And Square Jaws: The Biography Of Russ Meyer, King Of The Sex Film to serve as the foundation for the script.  Meyer directed a series of popular sexploitation films throughout the 1960s like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Vixen! that were marked by campy humor and enormous bust sizes.

Hit the jump for a list of the other projects Russell has been linked to over the past year.

Release Dates for Pixar’s BRAVE and ANOTHER EARTH

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 16th, 2011 at 8:33 pm

After a brief sequel detour of Toy Story 3 and Cars 2, Pixar returns to original properties in 2012 with Brave.  According to The Wrap, Disney has moved the release date from July 22 to July 15, 2012.  Brave is a princess fairy tale set in the Scottish highlands and features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson,  Julie Walters, and (like all Pixar films that precede it) John Ratzenberger.

Fox Searchlight acquired Another Earth out of the Sundance Film Festival and has now scheduled a limited release for July 22.  William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, and Flint Beverage star in the sci-fi film that centers on the discovery of a second Earth.  Hit the jump for synopses for both Brave and Another Earth.

BLACK SWAN Writer Mark Heyman to Script Sci-Fi AGE OF RAGE for Marc Webb

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 26th, 2011 at 10:21 pm

Back in 2008, music video director Marc Webb began to develop the sci-fi project Age of Rage based on his own idea.  Since then his debut feature (500) Days of Summer was an indie hit, which thrust Webb into production on the Spider-Man reboot for the forseeable future.  Webb hasn’t decided on what film he’ll shoot after Spider-Man, but Age of Rage ranks high on the list of possibilities.

Fox Searchlight has just signed Mark Heyman (Black Swan) to write the script.  According to Heat Vision, Age of Rage “is set in a post-apocalyptic society where all the adults have died and a group of teens sets about trying to establish a new society.”  Count me in.  I hope Webb gets a chance to cleanse his palate with this relatively smaller Fox Searchlight film before he’s called to the set of a Spider-Man sequel.  Heyman is currently working on an adaptation of Max Berry’s Machine Man, which should reunite him with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky.

Sundance 2011: Acquisitions for THE DETAILS, I MELT WITH YOU, PERFECT SENSE, ANOTHER EARTH and THE GUARD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 26th, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Quite a few more acquisitions to report from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival today. Two star-studded films found distributors at the festival, with The Weinstein Company picking up worldwide rights to the dark comedy The Details starring Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks, and Magnolia Pictures grabbing the US rights to the polarizingly dark drama I Melt With You starring Rob Lowe, Thomas Jane and Jeremy Piven. IFC Films acquired North American rights to the Ewan McGregor and Eva Green romantic thriller Perfect Sense, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the action comedy The Guard starring Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson, and Fox Searchlight snatched up the sci-fi drama Another Earth starring William Mapother and Brit Marling. Magnolia SVP Tom Quinn had this to say about acquiring I Melt With You:

“Mark Pellington has made a maverick, stylish and powerful film that resonates for days after viewing. Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven and Christian McKay give some of the best performances of their entire careers and attention must be paid.”

Hit the jump to read the full press releases of all of the aforementioned films. Be sure to check out all of our Sundance coverage (including interviews, reviews and acquisitions) here.

Sundance 2011: Fox Searchlight Grabs HOMEWORK and MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, IFC Picks Up THE LEDGE and Sundance Selects Takes BUCK

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 24th, 2011 at 4:21 pm

Quite a few more acquisitions were made at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival today. Fox Searchlight picked up most of the worldwide rights to Homework starring Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts, and the worldwide rights to Martha Marcy May Marlene starring breakout Sundance star (and sister to Mary-Kate and Ashley) Elizabeth Olsen. IFC Films acquired the U.S. rights to Matthew Chapman’s thriller The Ledge starring Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard. Regarding the acquisition, Chapman had this to say:

“Having watched THE LEDGE play to audiences in Sundance and seeing  their reactions, I believe that with the help of IFC Films we will reach the widest audience possible, which was always my intention.”

On the documentary side of things, Sundance Selects grabbed the North American rights to the Buck, a documentary about the real life “Horse Whisperer” Buck Brannaman.  Hit the jump to read the full press releases.

127 HOURS Expands to 600 Theaters on January 28 to Capitalize on Academy Awards Nominations

by Jeff Ames    Posted: January 20th, 2011 at 10:12 pm

Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours is one of 2010’s overlooked gems. I happened to catch a screening of it in Las Vegas back in December and I can honestly say it’s one of the director’s finest works. Of course it helps to have James Franco on board, delivering a heart wrenching, even gutsy performance as Aron Ralston, the daredevil hiker/mountain biker who became trapped in a gorge after an accident left his right hand pinned between a rock and a hard place. I should also mention the film contains one of the most graphically explicit hand-chopping sequences I’ve ever paid witness to (the bit makes Saw look like a children’s PBS special).  Despite my wild enthusiasm for the film, I’m sorry to say not many people have had a chance to see Boyle’s work. That’s because it’s currently showing on just 76 screens across the country.

Well, fret no longer movie fans! According to THR, 127 Hours is getting a pre-Oscar expansion in order to take advantage of Franco’s sure-to-be-nominated performance. Fox Searchlight is planning on expanding the film to more than 600 screens January 28, three days after the Oscar noms are announced, which should give you plenty of time to see this magnificent tour de force before the Academy Awards on February 27.  Franco himself will host along with Anne “Catwoman” Hathaway. Hit the jump for the trailer and the synopsis.

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