Sony Pictures Classics

Dimension Picks Up COMPULSION; SPC Acquires Susanne Bier’s LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 16th, 2012 at 8:22 pm

Two movies found their North American distributors today.

• Dimension Films picked up Compulsion, a psychological thriller led by Heather Graham, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Dillon, and Joe Mantegna.
• Sony Pictures Classics acquired Love Is All You Need, a romantic comedy set in Italy, directed by Susanne Bier (In a Better World).  Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, and Paprika Steen star.

The announcing press releases provide all the details after the jump.

Woody Allen’s NERO FIDDLED Now Titled TO ROME WITH LOVE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 19th, 2012 at 2:00 pm

No doubt hoping to capitalize on the success of last year’s Midnight in Paris, Sony Pictures Classics has announced a title change for Woody Allen’s next film. Previously titled Nero Fiddled, the pic will now be called To Rome With Love. The studio gives its reasoning for the title change as follows:

“The film’s former title, Nero Fiddled, while an appropriate and humorous phrase in the U.S., is not a familiar expression overseas and many international territories preferred a more globally understood name.”

This is actually the second title change for the pic, as Allen originally called it The Bop Decameron. Obviously, the film takes place in Rome, and it is comprised of four separate vignettes, two featuring American characters and two featuring Italian characters. Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Alison Pill, and Alessandra Mastronardi star. To Rome With Love opens on June 22nd. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Peter Jackson-produced West Memphis Three Documentary WEST OF MEMPHIS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 29th, 2012 at 4:17 pm

Following its much-anticipated premiere at last month’s Sundance Film Festival, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to director Amy Berg’s documentary West of Memphis. Produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the film chronicles the new investigation surrounding the “West Memphis Three”, a trio of innocent men who were wrongly convicted of murdering three young boys in Arkansas in 1993 despite the fact that there was no evidence linking them to the crime. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. served nearly 20 years in prison (Echols on death row), before finally being released late last year. West of Memphis not only follows the fight to free the innocent men, but also seeks to provide evidence that convicts the true perpetrator of the crime.

I’m pleased to see that Sony Pictures Classics is handling the distribution, as I’m itching to get a look at the film. It premiered to positive reviews at Sundance, and Echols is actually a credited producer on the pic. There’s no word on what kind of distribution model is planned, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s given an awards push later this year. Hit the jump to watch the powerful trailer, followed by the full press release.

Acquisition News: Sony Pictures Classics Gets SMASHED; Magnolia to Distribute Kevin Macdonald’s Bob Marley Documentary, MARLEY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 11:18 am

The alcoholism drama Smashed and the Bob Marley documentary Marley have now found a way to you.  According to The Wrap, Sony Pictures Classics will distribute Smashed, which features a powerful performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an alcoholic who’s struggling to get sober.  I caught the film at Sundance and was blown away by Winstead as well as her co-star Aaron Paul.  As for Marley, the film was directed by Kevin Macdonald (Life in a Day) and will tell the legendary musician’s life story with unprecedented support from Marley’s family.  The film will make its US premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March.

Hit the jump for the press release for Marley.

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.

Sony Pictures Classics and Woody Allen Reunite for Summer 2012 Release NERO FIDDLED

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 21st, 2011 at 4:57 pm

After one brief fling in 1999 with Sweet and Lowdown, Sony Pictures Classics got back in the Woody Allen business in 2009 to produce Whatever Works, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, and Midnight in Paris.  The partnership was especially lucrative this year, since Midnight Paris grossed $144 million worldwide on the way to major Oscar buzz.  So it comes as no surprise when SPC announced today their acquisition of Allen’s next project, Nero Fiddled.  Said Allen:

“[Sony Pictures Classics] seems to be very sensitive to the kind of films I make, and I’m looking forward to working with them now again.”

Set in Rome, Nero Fiddled is comprised of four vignettes—two center on American characters; the other two center on Italians.  Allen will step in front of the camera for the first time since 2006′s Scoop to take on a starring role alongside Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, and Ellen Page.  The comedy is tentatively scheduled for a summer 2012 release.  Read the press release after the jump.

Sony Pictures Classics Comes Down with HYSTERIA Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 10th, 2011 at 5:01 pm

This one’s for the ladies: Hysteria, the Tanya Wexler-directed picture starring Oscar-nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal, has sold its US and South African rights to Sony Pictures Classics. The romantic comedy is based on the historically (and hysterically) accurate tale of Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville’s invention of the first vibrator, all in the name of medical science. The heart of the film is about the realization that everyone is in control of their own happiness.

Written by Stephen Dyer and Jonah Lisa Dyer, and produced by the all-female trio of Sarah Curtis, Judy Cairo and Tracey Becker, Hysteria also stars Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett and Felicity Jones. Hit the jump for more on Hysteria.

Sony Pictures Classics Picks up Jonathan Demme’s Documentary NEIL YOUNG JOURNEYS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 11th, 2011 at 8:15 am

Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the worldwide rights to Jonathan Demme’s documentary Neil Young Journeys.  The film follows Young’s journey to his hometown of Omemee Ontario where he played the last two nights of his solo world tour.  The documentary mixes Young’s performances with his trip back into town.  Neil Young Journeys is the third Neil Young doc from Demme who previously directed Neil Young: Heart of Gold and Neil Young Trunk Show.  I missed Journeys when it played at the Toronto Film Festival, but I heard only positive things about the doc from those that saw it.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 16th, 2011 at 12:51 pm

Director David Cronenberg’s latest flick, A Dangerous Method, has been picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. Based on Christopher Hampton’s 2002 play The Talking Cure, the film centers on the relationship between Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the woman who came between them. The fantastic cast also includes Vincent Cassel. Images from the film were released late last year, giving us a preview of what’s sure to be one hell of a period film with Cronenberg at the helm. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Berlin Winners NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPARATION and IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND Land Distribution

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 3rd, 2011 at 9:31 pm

Two of the 2011 Berlin Film Festival award winners landed North American distribution today. Sony Pictures Classics picked up Nader and Simin, A Separation, which won the festival’s highest honor, the Golden Bear.  Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi (About Elly), the Iranian drama centers on Simin’s effort to divorce her husband.  For what it’s worth, Nader and Simin ranks 210 on the IMDB Top 250 as of this writing.

In nonfiction, THR reports 7th Art Releasing has acquired the North American rights to the documentary In Heaven, Underground: The Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee, which won the Panorama Audience Award following its world premiere at the Berlin Fest.  Directed by Britta Wauer, In Heaven observes the cultural importance of the oldest Jewish cemetery still in use in Europe.  Hit the jump for more on both films.

Release Dates for Pedro Almodovar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN and TAKE SHELTER Starring Michael Shannon

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 28th, 2011 at 5:24 pm

The release dates for a couple of Sony Pictures Classics flicks are now known. Director Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In is set to be released in the US in November, with a UK release date of August 26^th. The film, an adaptation of Thierry Jonquet’s novel Tarantula, stars Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeron out for revenge on the man who raped his daughter.

Additionally, Jeff Nichols’ Sundance hit Take Shelter is slated for an October 7^th release. Starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, the thriller tells the story of a husband and father trying to figure out if his dreams of an apocalyptic storm are a sign of things to come or a result of his own mental illness. Hit the jump to read the official synopsis for both films.

Sony Pictures Classics to Release Gus Van Sant’s RESTLESS Starring Mia Wasikowska

by Jason Barr    Posted: March 31st, 2011 at 4:26 pm

In November of last year, we reported that Sony had moved Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant’s (Milk) drama Restless from its January 28th release date to an unspecified date later in 2011. While the film, starring Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper, is still without a solid release date (sometime around the fall 2011 festival season might make sense), a press release from Sony earlier today confirms that it has been shifted to the studio’s Sony Pictures Classics division who will handle its domestic distribution.

As a reminder, Restless tells the story of a terminally ill girl (Wasikowska) who befriends a gentleman who attends funerals for the heck of it (Hopper) and their ensuing friendship. You can check out a trailer for the film by clicking here. Hit the jump to check out the full press release.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Whit Stillman’s VIOLET WISTER’S DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 29th, 2011 at 8:07 am

Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the worldwide distribution rights to Whit Stillman’s new film Violet Wister’s Damsels in Distress.  Formerly titled just “Damsels in Distress“, the movie is first Stillman’s first picture since 1998′s The Last Days of Disco.  The comedy stars Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, and Analeigh Tipton and centers on a group of young women who set out to revolutionize life at a grungy East Coast university.  I know fans of Stillman can’t wait to see the flick so hopefully SPC will announce a release date soon.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

Sony Pictures Classics Picks up Michael Rapaport’s Documentary BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 10th, 2011 at 8:17 am

One of the films I wish I got a chance to see at Sundance this year was Michael Rapaport’s documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.  I’m not as familiar with A Tribe Called Quest as I want to be and I only heard positive things about the documentary from those who saw it.

Now it looks like I’ll have a chance to see it thanks to the folks at Sony Pictures Classics who have acquired the North American distribution rights to the flick, which documents the behind-the-scenes world of the influential alternative rap group.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Sony Pictures Classics to Distribute Vera Farmiga’s HIGHER GROUND

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 14th, 2011 at 7:42 am

Sony Pictures Classics have acquired the North American distribution rights to Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut, Higher Ground.  I caught the film at Sundance and while it left me cold, I should note that some of my fellow critics absolutely adored the flick.  The film centers on Corinne (Farmiga), a devoutly-Christian woman who slowly begins to question her faith and the male-dominated power structure of her church.  It has some funny moments, but it rarely seems to be mocking faith, and I applaud it for that.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

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