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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

Yesterday, we reported on the acquisitions of Beautiful Boy, The Conspirator, Submarine, and Insidious at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.  Today, we have three more purchases to report.  First up, The Wrap is reporting that Lionsgate has picked up the drama Rabbit Hole, which stars Nicole Kidman as a mother grieving over the loss of her child.  The studio plans to release it before the end of the year as Kidman is receiving heavy awards buzz for her performance.  Next, there’s Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin That I Inhabit, which hasn’t started filming yet, but Sony Pictures Classics now owns the North American distribution rights.  The film stars Antonio Banderas as a father avenging the death of his daughter.  Finally, IFC Films has purchased Unauthorized: The Harvey Weinstein Project.  The documentary is billed as a “powerful, uncensored, no-holds-barred account” biopic of the Hollywood mogul.  Hit the jump for more on each film.

In what seems like a match made in heaven, Sylvain Chomet–the writer/director of the whimsically Oscar-nominated The Triplets of Belleville–teamed up with the timeless French funnyman and filmmaker Jacques Tati for the new animated feature The Illusionist.  (Given that Tati died in 1982, said match was in all likelihood negotiated within the pearly gates).  Sony Picture Classics bore witness to the magic of Illusionist after its Berlin Film Festival world premiere and acquired the North American distribution rights, targeting an end of the year release: your move, Oscar.

In The Illusionist, Chomet brings Tati back to life in animated form through an unproduced Tati screenplay, which tells the tale of “details the story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars.”  You’ll find the full press release after the jump.

Earlier in the month we featured an international red band trailer for Chloe, the new film from director Atom Egoyan starring Amanda Seyfreid, Julianne Moore, and Liam Neeson.  Now Sony Pictures Classics has released an official green band trailer that is decidedly less European; that is to say, it features nearly all the same scenes but none of the nudity.  From the very tense footage on display, Chloe looks to be an escalating cat-and-mouse thriller infused with lust and betrayal a la Fatal Attraction.  Seyfreid seems perfect for her assigned role of seductress, given her uniquely lovely features, while Moore and Neeson are sure to bring gravitas to their potentially melodramatic roles.  More after the jump:

[CORRECTION: Much like Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, I fucked up.  Sony Pictures Classics had nothing to do with Moon's non-existent awards-campaign.  It is the fault of SPWAG and this article has been updated where appropriate.  My deepest apologies to Sony Pictures Classics] One of the best science fiction films in years, Duncan Jones’ Moon has been largely absent from this year’s awards race.  A large reason for that is because Sony Pictures Classics, the studio behind the film, has failed to give the film any promotion, especially where screeners are concerned.  According to Movieline, the reason they’re not sending screeners out to voters is fear of piracy.  Already a poor excuse since other studios take the risk to get their films into Oscar contention, SPWAG’s reason is nonsense since the film is already on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK where it has been available since November 16th.  I don’t mean to cast aspersions on the British people, but I’m pretty sure they have the technology to pirate movies.

Hit the jump for more outrage from me and from Jones.