The Circuit

"Baby Mama," the comedy by first-timer Michael McCullers starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will open the Tribeca Film Festival.  Produced by Lorne Michaels, Fey plays a woman who hires a surrogate (Poehler) to have her baby.

The doc "Second Skin" explores the world of MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games, and the people who's personal relationships have all but been enveloped into World of Warcraft, Everquest, etc. 

The filmmakers have started to vlog their SXSW experience.  Much like online gaming, instead of actually attending the fest, you can watch these:

On the heels of their opening night announcement, we're starting to hear about other titles in the Full Frame program, including Bari Pearlman's doc "Daughters of Wisdom." about a rare Buddhist Monastery exclusively for women in Nangchen, in remote northeastern Tibet. The photography is stunning.

Saying his "body looks like 30, but face looks like 50," Jean-Claude Van Damme announced to MTV that his film "J.C.V.D." will "premiere at Cannes."

While the question of whether it will premiere at the festival, in the market, or in an Airstream trailer wasn't answered, JCVD did claim it was the best film he's ever done:

It was well-written by Mabrouk El Mechri. They call him "the new Besson." He wrote a script about a guy who was arrested too many times in the U.S. Being drunk, my [character's] life was from success to failure. And this guy is now leaving the States to refresh himself, to go back to Brussels to see his parents. He's got no money and he's looking for any type of movie to pay his lawyers for child custody.

And then he shows up in a post office where a heist is happening, and people think I'm part of it. And then it becomes very "Dog Day Afternoon."

I think it's the best film I've done in my career. I didn't take any salary for it. I've got to respect my fanbase, the people who made me famous, but I'm trying to bring them something different. With me playing me, it was a very shocking experience. When I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago, I wasn't able to function for a few days. After 37 movies, I said, "I will never do another movie I would not like." What Mabrouk did to me, it's like Scorsese did to De Niro years ago. It's a very different picture for Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Peter Askin's film, "Trumbo" will open the Full Frame Documentary Festival on April 3 in Durham, NC.  Based on the play written by Christopher Trumbo, the docu profiles "Spartacus" screenwriter Dalton Trumbo through readings of the famous scribe's letters by Joan Allen, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, and Dustin Hoffman among others. Trumbo was a member of the blacklisted Hollywood 10 and served 10 months in federal prison for contempt of Congress.

His Oscar-winning script for "Roman Holiday" was written under a pseudonym.

"We are honored to present the U.S. premiere of 'Trumbo' as the opening night film at the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival," said Peg Palmer, exec director of Full Frame.  "This film is a stirring reminder of the struggle and high price some pay for freedom of speech.  With the recent Writer's Guild of America strike, we are even more keenly aware of the power of words and the impact a writer's absence can have on our entertainment culture."

Full Frame will run April 3-6.

Photo:  Dalton Trumbo in his favorite writing location, courtesy of Mitzi Trumbo.

Winter Miller reports that the Tribeca Institute, the parent org of the film festival, is merging with Renew Media, a nonprofit org that's grants fellowships to media artists and is funded by the Rockefeller and Ford foundations. 

"It's harder and harder to make movies; this is a welcoming home for filmmakers and media artists, and I think we need that," fest co-founder Jane Rosenthal said. "It's harder and harder to get arts funding in the schools, and we're going in and promoting arts education."

But there's also this nugget of info in regards to the festival's future:

The fest itself has experienced growing pains as it's expanded, and both the 10-day fest and the institute are seeking permanent digs in which to cohabitate. Pier 40 has been bandied about as a possible future home.

by Pat Saperstein
San Jose's Cinequest film festival marked its 18th edition with 12 days of programming and a record 80,000 expected attendance. With theatrical distribution becoming increasingly difficult for independents, filmmakers at the Distribution Day panels were eager to discuss self-distribution alternatives and ways to get the word out via blogs and social networking.

Buzz was building on titles such as Vuze Audience Favorite Online Competition winner "The Pussycat Preacher," about Heather Veitch (pictured), who has run afoul of Christians over her ministry for sex workers. "They think my breasts are too large to preach the gospel," she explains.

Other titles being talked about were "Sherman's Way," starring James LeGros, which director Craig Saavedra said was not so much a road movie as a pit-stop movie, and "Disfigured," about a Venice Beach-based fat acceptance group facing an anorexic woman who wants to join their group, with a feisty performance by Deidra Edwards.

Michael Keaton, who preemed his directing debut "The Merry Gentleman" at Sundance, came to town to accept the fest's Maverick Spirit Award. Also in line to receive Maverick awards during the fest are Danny Glover, Michael Arndt and Bobby Moresco.

While even the best smaller films are often left high and dry after making the festival rounds,  Cinequest acquires several films each year through its distribution arm, headed by Halfdan Hussey, which acquires films for DVD and online distribution, giving filmmakers a generous percentage of sales. One of its latest acquisitions, docu "Trained in the Ways of Men," about a Northern California transgender murder case, is already drawing attention prior to its DVD release.

Karina @ SpoutBlog has a short interview with actress Greta Gerwig, star of the Duplass' Bros. "Baghead" and colaborator with Joe Swanberg on "Nights and Weekends," debuting at SXSW.  What is she excited about re: the upcoming fest?

I’m all about the delicious free food they serve at SXSW. In 2006, my first year, there was an an event that served Atomic Tacos. There were three options of taco spiciness: mild, medium, and atomic. Because I live in New York, I think I’m really hard, so I decided to go for the atomic strength. I started crying in thirty seconds. By two minutes, I had to throw up. Tragedy + Time = Comedy. Isn’t that what they say?

Here's the "Nights and Weekends" trailer:

In response to The Circuit's post on Sarasota's homegrown opening night film, programmer Tom Hall posted a lengthy explanation on his blog.  Tom has always been wonderfully upfront about the fest biz -- the good and the bad.  His comments on selecting an opening night film are interesting:

I am not sure which film festivals don't have this problem, but the Opening Night Film, while a high profile slot in terms of visibility, is without question the hardest slot to fill in our entire program. I never have the problem of multiple films that we feel are high profile enough to sell-out a 1736 seat auditorium beating down the door to take this slot in our festival.

In fact, we usually have to work incredibly hard to find a film that will accept the slot. I have been rejected by just about every film company in America over the course of my career, and a majority of those rejections are companies and films declining our invitation for Opening Night.

Steven Schachter's "The Deal" starring William H. Macy and Meg Ryan will open the 10^th annual Sarasota Film Festival.  The home-grown adaptation of Peter Lefcourt's Hollywood comedy, written by Macy and Schachter, was co-produced by fest exec director Jody Kielbasa and financed partly by a dozen Sarasota investors.  "The Deal" premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

"There is a ton of local interest in this film," said Sarasota programmer Tom Hall, who said he doesn't consider the programming choice a conflict-of-interest. "With this we're actually hoping to encourage other filmmakers to use the festival to seek investment for future projects." 

Hall named "Canvas" director Joseph Gecco and "Hounddog" helmer Deborah Kampmeier as filmmakers who have also received funds from Sarasota investors.

With "The Deal," the festival assisted Macy by setting up meetings and navigating local investment options.  Hall said there is so much interest in film by wealthy Sarasotans that they're considering further initiatives, including an institute modeled after Sundance.

UPDATE:  Tom Hall has a good, long post about it all here.

They also announced their lineup, (from their press release):

The 2008 Sarasota Film Festival Narrative Feature Competition features a cash award of $5,000. 
* California Dreamin' by Cristian Nemescu (Romania)

* Edge Of Heaven by Fatih Akin (Germany)

* Gone With The Woman by Petter Naess (Norway)

* Mongol by Sergei Bodrov (Kazakhstan)

* Munyurangabo by Lee Issac Chung (Rwanda/USA)

* Roman De Gare (Crossed Tracks) by Claude Lelouch (France)

* Then She Found Me by Helen Hunt (USA)

The Jurors for the 10th Sarasota Film Festival's Narrative Feature Competition include John Kochman, President - UNIFRANCE USA; Writer/Producer Ligiah Villalobos (La Misma Luna)

The 2008 Sarasota Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Competition also features a cash award of $5,000.
* American Teen by Nanette Burstein

* At The Death House Door by Peter Gilbert and Steve James

* Flow: For The Love of Water by Irena Salina

* Great Speeches From A Dying World by Linas Phillips

* Song Sung Blue by Greg Kohs

* Stranded: I Have Come From A Plane That Crashed On The Mountains by Gonzalo Arijon

* To See If I'm Smiling by Tamar Yarom

* We Are Wizards by Josh Koury

The Jurors for the 2008 SFF Best Documentary Feature Competition include Head of Acquisitions for Red Envelope Entertainment, Liesl Copland; Matt Dentler, Festival Producer, SXSW Film Festival and Filmmaker AJ Schnack, (Kurt Cobain: About A Son)

The 2008 Sarasota Film Festival Independent Visions Competition features a cash prize award of $5,000.  
* Medicine For Melancholy by Barry Jenkins

* My Effortless Brilliance By Lynn Shelton

* Natural Causes by Alex Cannon, Paul Cannon and Michael Lerman

* The Pleasure Of Being Robbed by Josh Safdie

* Up With Me by Greg Takoudes

* Woodpecker by Alex Karpovsky

* Yeast by Mary Bronstein

* The Toe Tactic by Emily Hubley

The 2008 SFF Independent Visions Competition Jury includes Marc Mauceri, VP, First Run Features David Nugent, Director of Programming, Hamptons International Film Festival and Nick Dawson, Filmmaker Magazine

 

From The Workbook Project comes M dot Strange at Berlin's Talent Campus.  He forgoed regular distribution for his 2007 Sundance film, "We are the Strange," to self distribute his self-financed animated feature.

I'm not trying to make it in Hollywood.  I have nothing to do with the movie business at all.  So I can speak with you honestly. 

I had the Cinderalla story.  Make a film in a bedroom.  Go to Sundance.  But it turned into a nightmare.  In the end it ended up being okay through self distribution.

M dot Strange: Berlin Talent Campus 08 from M dot Strange on Vimeo.

ZZ Top, Mike Judge, and Morgan Fairchild will be honored at the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards in Austin on March 7.  Dan Rather will emcee the evening, which coincides with the opening night of SXSW.  Dallas native Luke Wilson will present the award to ZZ Top trio, Billy F. Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, who were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 as "Texas's foremost cultural ambassadors."

Continuing their tradition of honoring films shot in the state, Debra Winger will accept the award for the 1980 honky tonker "Urban Cowboy," shot at the famed Gilley's Club in Pasadena, Texas.  Previous film honorees include the Archer City-set "The Last Picture Show" and "Giant," shot in Marfa, TX. 

The Texas Hall of Fame Awards is a fundraising event for the Austin Film Society.  Under the artistic direction of Richard Linklater, the org puts on regular screenings throughout Austin, distributes funds to through its Texas Filmmakers' Production Grants, and runs the Austin Studios which is currently hosting the shooting of "Will," Walden Media's high school comedy starring Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical").

On Spout I found this instructional video via the From Here to Awesome people - a group of filmmakers who made a success at self distribution and now run a site on how they did it.  They also have a festival of their own.

Panel updates from SXSW put Cuban next to Eisner:

HDNet co-founder and media mogul, Mark Cuban, is confirmed to interview fellow mogul Michael Eisner during a “Conversation with Michael Eisner” on Tuesday, March 11. In addition, acclaimed journalist Elvis Mitchell is scheduled to moderate our “Conversation with Billy Bob Thornton."

Ain’t It Cool News founder and chief Harry Knowles will moderate the “Conversation with Harlan Ellison” on Sunday, March 9.