On Tuesday Night at the West Bank Cafe on 42nd St. in Manhattan, Docurama, IFC and InDigEnt noshed rocket shrimp and the mini cheeseburgers, celebrating the DVD release of Eric Bogosian's "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee". Bogosian, pictured here (center) with Ellen Capon from Docurama and the film's director Michael Rauch, performed for about an hour at the event.
[Image provided by Docurama.]

"Some time in the 1920s, Sam Goldwyn went to Vienna to ask Sigmund Freud to write him a screenplay. He wanted to bill it as 'the greatest love story from the world's most famous doctor of love,' but Freud scotched the idea. Around the same time, Sergei Eisenstein, another man not short on ambition, conceived a desire to film Karl Marx's doorstopper 'Das Kapital.' Vetoed by Stalin, that film was never made either. Now, however, Canadian artist Mark Lewis has made these 'Two Impossible Films,'" Samantha Ellis reports for The Guardian.

"As the awards season approaches, Hollywood rushes to release movies it hopes could be Oscar contenders. BBC News Online tips the runners and riders," Neil Smith reports.

Filmmaker Ondi Timoner (right), pictured here with Joel Gion (formerly of The Brian Jonestown Massacre), toasts the opening of her new doc "DIG!" at Monday night's party at 6's & 8's on Chrystie St. on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The film, winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year, hits theaters tomorrow and we'll have a profile of Ondi in Monday's edition of indieWIRE.
[Photo by Brian Brooks © indieWIRE]

"The Republicans finally have Hollywood's answer to Michael Moore: 'Celsius 41.11 - The Temperature at Which the Brain Begins to Die,' a documentary made in six weeks that is billed as 'The Truth Behind the Lies of Fahrenheit 9/11!' After its premiere in Georgetown on Tuesday night, there seemed to be two prevailing sentiments among the solidly Republican crowd of 300. One was that the film is a lot more thoughtful and accurate than 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' The other was that it is not going to gross $100 million," John Tierney reports in the New York Times.

A total of 111 films will screen over the next few days (October 1 - 3) in Coney Island, NY at the 4th Coney Island Film Festival. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) at Sideshows By The Seashore with two film screenings, followed by a party at The Coney Island Museum featuring sideshow and burlesque performers. Organizers are again planning a low-key fest vibe, according to a recent announcement:

In keeping with the spirit of Coney Island, the Festival organizers eschew high-art snootiness in favor of a more egalitarian approach to film (the consumption of beer and hot dogs is encouraged).

For more information, visit the Festival website.

[Certainly not to be missed is a screening of "Terrain Vague" by indieWIRE's own James Israel and his brother Jeff Israel. The short is screening on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m..]

"This normally carefree hamlet at the base of Mount Tamalpais was jolted last month when the ceiling of the classic Sequoia Theatre collapsed during a bargain matinee. Sure, there will be some receptions in Mill Valley, and a movie or two at the newly revitalized 142 Throckmorton Theatre, known locally by its former moniker, the Odd Fellows Hall. But the majority of the glitterati of filmdom will be congregating elsewhere during the [Mill Valley Film Festival] Oct. 7-17," Peter Fimrite reports in the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Lions Gate Films has acquired North American theatrical and pay TV distribution rights to 'A Love Song for Bobby Long,' starring John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson," according to Chris Gardner in the Hollywood Reporter.

A note from our civic-minded friends at AIVF today:

November 2nd is fast approaching, and that means it will be time to vote in
the 2004 Presidential Election.

It is not too late to register to vote. With the help of www.november2.org
and www.yourvotematters.org AIVF is offering an easy solution if you have
not registered yet.

At the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York today, NY governor George Pataki, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, and others, announced the fall launch of the Steiner Studios and its first production, Mel Brooks' "The Producers." the film will star Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. The studios are on a 15-acre site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, making it the first full-service, "Hollywood-style" complex in New York.

[The complete press release is below.]

"Washington actor Wes Johnson was cast in the role of 'Fat F -- Frank' in the new John Waters movie 'A Dirty Shame,' a comedy about head injuries and sex addicts in blue-collar Baltimore. We asked him to share his on-set experiences," Wes Johnson reports for the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Lions Gate Entertainment and Discovery Channel's Discovery Docs unit have teamed to co-produce a documentary from director Werner Herzog about the gruesome death last year of grizzly bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. 'Grizzly Man' is the first feature from Lions Gate's newly formed documentary unit," Andrew Wallenstein writes for the Hollywood Reporter.

"In 1966, the fourth year of the New York Film Festival's existence, a correspondent for Cahiers du Cinéma wrote that the festival had 'proved itself incontestably one of the cultural ornaments of this city.' By bringing the French New Wave (via Jean-Luc Godard), the Czech New Wave (Milos Forman and Ivan Passer) and some Hollywood dazzle (a documentary about Marlon Brando) to New York, the festival had drawn a following, as well as the contempt of some of the city's reviewers, including the chief film critic of The New York Times," Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott report for The New York Times.

The documentary TV special "National Anthem: Inside the 'Vote for Change' Concert Tour" will air on Sundance Channel, capturing behind-the-scenes footage and live performances from the October 11th "Vote for Change" concert in D.C. It will air from 6:30pm to 11:30pm ET/PT on October 11th. Among the artists scheduled to participate in the concert include Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Jurassic 5, Keb' Mo', Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Pearl Jam, and R.E.M.

"A bride is dressed in white lace, but her back is exposed. The Koranic verse that says a man may take his woman in any manner, time or place ordained by God is written on her skin. These are scenes from 'Submission,' a 10-minute film shown on Dutch prime time television, written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born refugee, now a member of the Dutch Parliament. Since the English-language film was shown in late August, it has been at the center of a national uproar, which is exactly what the author wanted," Marlise Simons reports for the New York Times (free subscription required to view).

"Global cinema takings are expected to show a steady rise during 2004 with a boost in admission numbers, a research body has predicted. Research body Informa predicted 8.5bn visits to the cinema would be recorded this year, up from 8.2bn in 2003." BBC reports.

"A film about Iraqi villagers desperate for a satellite dish as they await the U.S. invasion won the top prize Saturday at Spain's leading film festival. The honors for 'Turtles Can Fly' concluded the San Sebastian festival, after nine days of showings that featured the debut of Woody Allen's new film 'Melinda and Melinda' and lifetime achievement awards for Allen, Jeff Bridges and Annette Bening," A.P. reports.

"The wave of Latin American movies is one that can be compared to other great film movements, says "The Motorcycle Diaries" director Walter Salles. At the after-party for the film's Los Angeles premiere -- held at Sunset Boulevard haunt Falcon -- Salles said that the so-called Latin wave rose not just because of directors but thanks to actors, too," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Bahman Ghobadi won the Golden Shell this weekend at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain for his new film, "Turtles Can Fly."

"This film has moved us all, not only because of the terrible conditions in which it was filmed, but also because ... despite the tragedy which it recounts, it is filled with humanity, poetry and even humour," said the festival jury, according to a report in Reuters.

Jamie Wolf profiles Wong Kar-Wai in the New York Times:

The kind of person who might once have proclaimed ''Jules and Jim'' or ''Wings of Desire'' his or her favorite movie now rates Wong Kar-wai at the top of the list. Flirting with the conventions of genre (melodrama in ''Days of Being Wild''; Chinese swordsman adventures in ''Ashes of Time''; Hong Kong action movies in ''Chungking Express'' and ''Fallen Angels''), his meditative, pop-savvy films home in on emotional tipping points in the lives of young city-dwellers -- the moments that forever mark them and from which they cannot escape. Their witty invention, color-drenched visuals and romantic longing offer the kind of bittersweet satisfaction found in the fiction of Haruki Murakami or the photographs of William Gedney, about whose subjects John Cage once said, ''They seem to be doing happy things sadly, or maybe they're doing sad things happily.''

Hollywood Reporter NY bureau chief Ian Mohr has left HR to join Variety as the paper's NY film reporter. Mohr is replacing David Rooney, who was recently named a theater critic at the Hollywood trade paper. He will be joining Variety on October 12th.

In unrelated news at HR, the trade paper announced that it has purchased the publishing division of IFILM Corp., including The Hollywood Creative Directory and Lone Eagle Publishing.

Last night at the Angelika Film Center in New York, Sundance Channel toasted Curtiss Clayton's "Rick," opening in NYC tonight and debuting on a Sundance Channel Home Entertainment DVD on November 9th. Pictured (left to right) are:
Mike Haney, Vice President of Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, the film's Dylan Baker, director Curtiss Clayton, and the film's Bill Pullman.
[Image provided by Sundance Channel.]

"James Meek attends the world's first right-wing film festival," The Guardian reports.

"The 2004 edition of the AFI Fest will feature gala showings of Kevin Spacey's 'Beyond the Sea,' Michael Radford's 'The Merchant of Venice,' Zhang Yimou's 'House of Flying Daggers,' Pedro Almodovar's 'Bad Education' and Alejandro Amenabar's 'The Sea Inside,'" Chris Gardner writes for the Hollywood Reporter.

"A consortium led by Sony Corp. that includes cable television giant Comcast Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire venerable film studio Metro-Goldyn-Mayer, the parties said Thursday," Gary Gentire reports for A.P.

In Reuters, Bob Tourtellotte reports on more job cuts at Miramax:

Miramax Films on Thursday began cutting 55 jobs, or 13 percent of its staff, in a second round of layoffs that accompanied further word that co-chief Harvey Weinstein was looking to stay with the maker of Oscar winners like "Chicago" and "Shakespeare in Love."

But Miramax spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said on Thursday: "Bob and Harvey are looking for an amicable resolution that will keep them together at Disney." He declined further comment.

"They came from 'between jobs' and their parents' basements. More than 200 people, mostly men, stood in line outside Metreon in San Francisco on Monday for a chance to be contestants on the Independent Film Channel's game show, 'Ultimate Film Fanatic,'" Delfin Vigil reports in the San Francisco Chronicle.

"After the huge controversy (and the equally huge profits) entailed in distributing 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' Miramax is reported to have agreed to finance and distribute Michael Moore's follow-up - a caustic study of the US healthcare system, provisionally titled 'Sicko,'" The Guardian reports.

"Forget the violins and the soft fade to waves on a beach as the sweethearts embrace. Acclaimed British film director Michael Winterbottom sets out to break long-standing cinematic taboos about sex in his new and controversial film 'Nine Songs,' competing in Spain's San Sebastian film festival this week," Elisabeth O'Leary reports for Reuters.

"U.S. lawmakers are near a compromise on legislation that would significantly raise the penalties for television and radio broadcasters that violate decency standards, Sen. Sam Brownback said on Thursday," Jeremy Pelofsky reports for Reuters.

"The movie 'Olga,' the true tale of a Jew who was expelled from Brazil only to die in Nazi Germany, was chosen on Tuesday by Brazil's culture ministry to compete for a foreign film Oscar in 2005," reports Reuters.

"Backed by the success of 'The Passion of the Christ,' Mel Gibson will be feted by the Hollywood Film Festival with the Hollywood Producer of the Year Award. Gibson will receive the trophy Oct. 18 at the festival's closing-night awards gala, to take place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills," Chris Gardner writes for the Hollywood Reporter.

"Director Russ Meyer, whose soft core porn films, 'The Immoral Mr Teas,' 'Vixen' and 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls' earned him millions of dollars and the title of Hollywood's 'King Leer,' has died at age 82, his film company said on Wednesday," Reuters reports.

"For French director Claude Lelouch, his art comes at a price. To counter critics who panned his latest movie 'Les Parisiens,' Lelouch paid for free screenings nationwide last Friday so the moviegoing public could make up its own mind. Thousands took him up on his offer of free tickets — leaving him with a big bill.
'It's going to cost me about a million francs (about $186,000) for some 40,000-45,000 spectators who came to see the film for free,' Lelouch told RTL radio," The Associated Press reports.

"The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it expects to announce a new chief executive by next June after a search that will include both inside and outside candidates to replace Michael Eisner, who is retiring in 2006," Gary Gentile reports for A.P.

"It has taken four years and a lot of editing, but 2046 is finally ready for its UK premiere. Wong Kar-wai tells Howard Feinstein why making it was so traumatic," in The Guardian ahead of the film's U.K. release.

"Actor Kevin Spacey has attacked audiences who allow their mobile phones to ring during a theatre performance, saying visitors should learn to behave," BBC reports.

"The European Film Academy has announced a list of 42 films to contend for the 17th European Film Awards on Dec. 11 in Barcelona. The selection includes Ken Loach's 'Ae Fond Kiss'; Cannes opener Pedro Almodovar's 'Bad Education'; Toronto opener Istvan Szabo's 'Being Julia'; Berlin Golden Bear winner 'Head On'; 'The Sea Inside,' which won Javier Bardem actor honors at Venice; and Christophe Barratier's French B.O. hit 'Le Choristes,' John Hopewell reports for Variety.

"Mill Valley Film Festival Executive Director Mark Fishkin and director of programming Zoë Elton say the 27th edition, which runs Oct. 7-17, is one of their best, but don't they always say that? Still, you have to admire their chutzpah. After all, to get Dustin Hoffman to show, they're not screening just one of his films, but two on opening night: Marc Forster's biopic of 'Peter Pan' author J.M. Barrie, 'Finding Neverland,'" G. Allen Johnson reports for the San Francisco Chronicle.

"A German film about Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's final 12 days leapt to the top of the country's box office with nearly half a million tickets sold in its opening weekend, distributor Constantin Film said on Monday. 'The Downfall' starring Swiss actor Bruno Ganz that shows Hitler's diabolical nature as well as a softer side that is foreign to most Germans attracted 480,000 viewers in its first four days," Reuters reports.

"The world premiere of Oliver Stone's follow-up documentary on Cuban President Fidel Castro met timid applause from a half-full house at the San Sebastian International Film Festival on Saturday," Alberto Letona reports for A.P.

'When Will I Be Loved' starring Neve Campbell and Mike Tyson??? will be
screened tonight at the Union Square Cinema (13th and Broadway) at 7:00pm
followed by a Q and A w/ the film's writer and director, James Toback - shot
for 1.2 mil in 12 days

Info about the film from the Toronto Star:

The title of James Toback's When Will I Be Loved could also refer to
the director's reputation as it does to Vera (Neve Campbell), the
spoiled, table-turning heroine of the movie.

Since his earliest movies, The Gambler and Fingers, the
writer/director has demonstrated an audience-splitting fondness for
fast-talking, neurotic Manhattan hustlers, and his films tend to work
on some people in the same way that his characters work on their
hustlees: Sometimes you just wish they'd get out of your face.

Full story:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1095372613420&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630

"After a lynching of his latest film by critics, French director Claude Lelouch says he's offering moviegoers a chance to decide for themselves on Friday — by buying their tickets himself. Lelouch, irked by the critical thumbs-down for 'Les Parisiens,' said the giveaway to public viewers affected about 400 theaters nationwide for showings around 7 p.m. on Friday," A.P. reports.

"Like most independent filmmakers, Jennifer Elster had to cope with making her debut film 'Particles of Truth' on a shoestring budget," Lynn Elber profiles the film and speaks to the director in A.P.

"Director Mike Leigh says he is 'pretty chuffed' that his controversial new drama 'Vera Drake' has been chosen to open this year's London Film Festival," BBC reports.

On Reuters, Julie MacIntosh reports:

A bidding group headlined by Sony Corp has agreed in principle to buy Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for nearly $5 billion (2.8 billion pounds), after rival bidder Time Warner Inc. withdrew from the auction.

Sony and its partners will pay $12 a share for MGM and assume slightly less than $2 billion in debt as part of the agreement, sources close to the deal said on Monday.

"Describing his new film, 'Silver City,' as part murder mystery and part political satire, director John Sayles made it very clear on Saturday which politician the movie is satirizing," Cameron French reports for Reuters.

"But don't expect any liberals at the American Film Renaissance, a conservative-style film festival where "Michael Moore Hates America" will make its world premiere on Sunday," Bobby Ross reports in A.P.