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Variety reports today on the expected launch of The Auteurs, a new online film distributor. From the story by John Hopewell and Charles Newbery: Film producer Eduardo Costantini and computer scientist Efe Cakarel are launching the Auteurs, a Silicon Valley-based global online cinematheque that will stream high-definition independent and classic films. The Auteurs’ main content provider is Celluloid Dreams…. The site will be curated by established programmers: the Latin America section, for example, is curated by Peter Schumann, recipient of the Berlinale Camera, who worked for the Berlinale for 35 years. In consumer terms, the Auteurs will deliver feature-length films […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 9, 2008I don’t know what’s funnier in Karina Longworth’s very amusing blog post at Spout, “Five Indie Films that Should Be Video Games” — the five titles or the purportedly real news that Juno is in the process of being turned into a game. The five films are Gummo, Happiness, Redacted, The Brown Bunny and Mutual Appreciation, of which Lombard writes: Think Guitar Hero meets The Legend of Zelda. After every performance, instead of moving on to the next song, you have to wander around Brooklyn, battling your way through awkward encounters with girls and weird older dudes who are friends […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 8, 2008The New York-based film festival CineKink has announced their line-up for this year’s event, which runs from February 26 to March 2. From the press release: Billing itself as “the really alternative film festival,” the event will run February 26-March 2, 2008. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works presented at CineKink NYC will range from documentary to drama, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between. “It seems our programming theme for this year was ‘No mercy!’” says Lisa Vandever, CineKink’s co-founder and […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 7, 2008Over at Wired.com, Megan McCarthy has an article about Dealipedia, a new start-up from Michael Robertson, who previously founded MP3.com, which he sold to Vivendi in 2001. From the piece: Michael Robertson, who made $115 million when he sold his startup MP3.com to Vivendi in 2001, wants every other entrepreneur to tell the world how much, or little, they pocketed during their business deals. His new site, the recently launched Dealipedia, aims to become a hub of information about mergers, investments, acquisitions, and other business deals by encouraging the people in on the deals to upload information to its public […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 7, 2008Interesting news via Pitchfork Media: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has launched Oscilloscope Pictures, a new independent distributor, with former Think Film V.P. David Fenkel and former Think employee Dan Berger. The Pitchfork article quotes this Reuters/Hollywood Reporter piece, which gives more details. From the Gregg Goldstein piece: Yauch and Fenkel plan to acquire narrative and documentary features from festivals for release in the U.S. and provide funds to complete and release unfinished films. The pair, who worked on Yauch’s Beastie Boys documentary “Awesome! I F***in’ Shot That!” at ThinkFilm, will oversee postproduction and marketing work at Oscilloscope Laboratories’ downtown Manhattan […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 6, 2008Over at the FilmInFocus site there’s a five-part series beginning today in which five documentary filmmakers (or filmmaking teams) tell us their top sources for news and political reporting and commentary. The first set, picked by Jesus Camp directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, spans an “alternative news nexus” to a site that measures “hostility across the political spectrum.” Their selections are at the link.
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 5, 2008An amazing, amazing Super Bowl with a fourth quarter for the ages. John Woods, liveblogging for The New York Times, says, “To heck with the Coen brothers. This is your best picture of the year.” I just finished watching the game in Paris on France 2, where most of the late-game commentary consisted of “Incroyable!” and “Ooh, la la!” (Seriously.) Anyway, congrats to the Giants and all the fans!
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 3, 2008The AP is reporting that four New York indie film companies — Greenestreet Films, This is That Corporation, Killer Films and Open City Films — have signed an interim agreement with the striking WGA, allowing them to go forward with WGA-scripted development projects and productions. From the piece as it runs on CNN.com: Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente, speaking for GreeneStreet, Open City and Killer films, credited the union with “thoughtfulness during the discussions.” This is that co-founders, Ted Hope and Anne Carey, said the united action by the companies to settle “clarifies our support for and solidarity with the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 3, 2008Brian Chirls, who was part of the Filmmaker team at Sundance this year, sat down for an interview with Scott Kirsner over at his Cinematech blog/ They talked about audience building, monetizing your web audience, and Brian’s work with the Four Eyed Monsters team. I’ve embedded it below. And if you are not a regular visitor to Kirsner’s blog, click over there for lots of other great commentary on web video, new media, and new distribution and business models.
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 2, 2008Given that he’s just made his debut feature about the mysteries, speculations, half-truths and flights of fancy that comprise the 9/11 Truth Movement, I guess it makes sense that filmmaker Paul Krik is accustomed to finding conspiracy wherever he goes. He’s travelled from Brooklyn to Rotterdam to premiere Able Danger, but when I ask him to shoot me an email about why he chose to make a movie about 9/11 conspiracy theorists, he responds by noting some suspicious activities having to do with Dutch bicycle renting: “Indruk de en Brooklyn fietser in Rotterdam” True Conspiracy #1; It is illegal to […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 1, 2008