indieWIRE reports that upstart New York distribution company Elephant Eye Films has acquired rights to two SXSW 2007 world premieres: Michael Jacobs' documentary, Audience Of One, and Nate Meyer's narrative feature, Frat Girl (formerly titled Pretty in the Face). See these films when they hit theaters! According to the report, the films will be represented by Elephant Eye at the Cannes Market starting this week. Congrats all around!

Joe Swanberg's Hannah Takes the Stairs is now available on DVD (with the popular SXSW 2007 Hannah trailers as "extras"). Like many DVD releases, the artwork for the DVD box is very different than the one-sheet poster used for the film's theatrical release. A few people have noted that the image used on the Hannah DVD gives a very different vibe than the one-sheet. Personally, I think the DVD cover does its job: if you're walking around Blockbuster and you're looking for a good romantic drama, Hannah will look like it delivers. The DVD art resembles the kind of 1990s romantic-comedy DVD boxes we got with angst/romance films such as Kicking & Screaming or Reality Bites, and that's good company to be in if you ask me. That said, Hannah Takes the Stairs co-star Kent Osborne has a few things to say about the new DVD art (which features him on the far right):

this is the DUMBEST cover ever! this picture says NOTHING about the movie. (for those who haven't seen it, the movie is about a young woman who dates three different guys) this picture makes it look like it's about two girls and a guy who are all friends, and then there's this OTHER weird guy who wants to be in their club and he ends up killing them.

Doug Pray's trucker documentary, Big Rig, will finally have its national release with some very appropriate bells and whistles. The documentary, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2007, is already available as a VOD title at truck stops (courtesy of IdleAire Technology). Starting June 3, the DVD of the film will be available wherever DVDs are sold, and especially at truck stops. Meanwhile, Sirius Satellite Radio and IdleAire are sponsoring an American tour of screenings, kicking of June 4 in Foristell, MO. Click here for more details.

I'll be back later today with photos and thoughts on my Spirit Awards weekend, but right now I have to catch a plane and get home. I did wanna say, though, that congratulations are in order for SXSW 2007 alumni winners including: SXSW 2007 Opening Night Film, The Lookout (winner of the Best First Feature prize), Laura Dunn's documentary The Unforeseen (winner of the Truer than Fiction prize), and Chris Eska's August Evening (winner of the John Cassavetes Award). And, additionally, congrats to all the SXSW 2007 filmmakers who were nominated.

It was almost a year ago exactly, when The Signal wowed audiences at SXSW 2007. I remember the first screening, it was a rainy Sunday night and the film geeks who showed up were ready to have their minds blown. And, their minds were blown. Magnolia Pictures, which acquired the film at Sundance last year, is releasing this techno-horror-thriller on screens across the country this weekend. For Austin, this includes an engagement at the same venue it played during SXSW: the wonderful Alamo South Lamar. Don't miss The Signal, especially if you're a real fan of fright flicks. Big time Signal booster Scott Weinberg recently profiled some of the film's extended team for FEARnet. Here's some of what they have to say:

FEARnet: From an actor's perspective, what's unique about telling a scary tale?

Scott Poythress: I can tell you what's FUN about it. Getting together with your best friends at 5:00 AM for week after week and throwing fake blood on each other! Playing with such amazing special effects that Toby Sells created for the movie and imaging holding an actual severed head! That's just good ol' American fun.

AJ Bowen: You know, I didn't know it was a "scary" movie until I met our publicist at Magnolia and she told me she didn't like me. (Really.) I don't think there is a different approach. The story is still about human relationships. The scary elements are an effect, and we are responsible for defining the cause, so it's really the same approach as anything else. I WILL say that the commitment level has to be high, because if you see the actors winking, the story quickly becomes a comedy. An unintentional comedy. And I think we've all seen plenty of those.

Very funny and totally absurd, Mike Clattenburg's Trailer Park Boys: The Movie will land in U.S. theaters January 25. The Canadian comedy, based on the hit TV series, had its U.S. Premiere during SXSW 2007, where it was a big crowd-pleaser. Click here to watch the new trailer.

Upstart DVD label Benten Films (think Criterion for the indie kids) is prepping its second release, a double-disc special edition of two features by New York filmmaker Aaron Katz. The two features are Dance Party, USA (2006) and Quiet City (2007), both SXSW world premieres in their respective years. I'm a big Katz fan, and happy to call him a friend. Stumbling upon the engrossing and piercing Dance Party, USA still ranks as one of my happiest memories as a festival programmer. His quick follow-up, the Brooklyn romance Quiet City, is even more technically accomplished and nuanced.

For the Benten release, the extras are plentiful. Disc 1 features Quiet City, as well as a cast commentary track, some clips from talented composer Keegan Dewitt, and the prank film Joe Swanberg's Quiet City. Disc 2 features Dance Party, USA, separate cast and crew commentary tracks, alternate scenes, an early Katz short film, and a couple of essays by Ray Carney and Ray Pride. Whew. This hefty set is available starting January 29. And, check out the nifty packaging:

The SXSW 2007 Emerging Visions Audience Award Winner, Bill Haney's The Price of Sugar, seems to have created a little controversy in Denver. According to the blog of the Denver Film Society's Brit Withey, the organization (which operates the Starz Film Center multiplex) has received a letter regarding the Oscar-shortlisted documentary. The doc will open, as scheduled, this weekend. From Brit's blog:

This morning our office received a letter from the law firm Patton Boggs informing us that a lawsuit was underway against Bill Haney and his production company Uncommon Productions by Grupo Vicini asking to cease and desist any further screenings of the film. Included was a copy of a cease and desist letter from Patton Boggs to Bill Haney and copies of 24 pages of the complaint filed against Haney and Uncommon Pictures in the United States District Court of Boston. The legal action has been reported earlier this year by The Los Angeles Times (among other stories which can be read here and here.)

Just to be clear, the letter from Patton Boggs isn’t asking us to do anything, but is apparently just letting us know that they and their clients feel that the film is defamatory, inaccurate and intentionally misleading.

Marcy Garriott's award-winning documentary, Inside The Circle, is screening at New York's Lincoln Center on January 6 as part of the Dance on Camera Festival. Marcy's film, which premiered at SXSW 2007, is a tender yet electrifying portrait of Texas-based B-boy dancers. If you find yourself in New York on Sunday, check it out!

A lot of people who caught The Signal at SXSW 2007 have asked, "when will this film be in theaters?" It's had a few release dates, but it looks like the horror film will find its way to screens on February 22. Don't miss it. The gang at Magnolia Pictures (who acquired the film at Sundance) has put together what I feel is a top-notch new trailer and one-sheet poster (above). It looks awesome, and rightfully so. It's a really cool, really scary, and really intense modern horror story. Click here to see the new trailer.

Rob VanAlkemade's SXSW 2007 premiere documentary, What Would Jesus Buy?, has become a solid grassroots hit during its limited theatrical release across the nation. This weekend, the holiday-consumerism documentary opens in Denver, San Diego, Sacramento, Indianapolis, and Norfolk. In Austin, the film will have a special engagement at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Plus, VanAlkemade is scheduled to be in attendance for Q&A's at the Saturday and Sunday night shows. As part of the film's continued expansion, I asked What Would Jesus Buy? producer Morgan (Super Size Me) Spurlock to answer a few questions via email. Spurlock is busy himself these days, finishing his second directorial effort (Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?) in time for its Sundance premiere next month. Here's what Spurlock (pictured below, with VanAlkemade at SXSW 2007*) had to say:

Q&A with MORGAN SPURLOCK

Me: Some people may think What Would Jesus Buy? is anti-consumerism but it's not, really. I mean, then how else would someone buy a ticket to go see it?

Spurlock: You're absolutely right, but at the end of the day, paying 8 or 9 bucks to watch a movie that may keep you from maxing out your new Visa card may just be the best thing you purchase all Christmas!

Me: As a new father, what is it like for you around this time of year when it comes to shopping and gift giving?

Spurlock: My whole family has decided not to give gifts to each other (at least to the adults), instead we are all meeting at a cabin in the mountains where we can eat, play games, hang out and have fun. That's what the holiday is all about for me anyway, my family.

Me: What's Reverend Billy like to hang out with, when he's not protesting or marching down Times Square?

Spurlock: Billy is a pretty thoughtful guy, and his wife Savatri really keeps him grounded. I think he's hilarious and even when you're just hanging out, you can tell those gears are turning like crazy... plotting and planning something revolutionary.

Me: What was harder: distributing this film nationwide or finding Osama Bin Laden for your next film?

Spurlock: HA! You can't trick me with your Jedi mind tricks, Dentler! You'll have to wait til Sundance like everyone else!

*Photo courtesy of indieWIRE. What Would Jesus Buy? plays in theaters nationwide through the holidays. Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? is due to open in theaters next Spring.

SXSW 2007 world premiere, Arranged, opens at New York's Quad Cinema this weekend. The sweet drama, directed by Stefan Schaefer and Diane Crespo, was picked up for North American distribution at SXSW (by Film Movement). The film is now available as the Film Movement DVD selection for the month of December. But, if you really wanna see it on the big screen, you can do so this weekend. As a primer, here's an interview that eFilmCritic conducted with Schaefer and Crespo just before the film's debut in Austin.

Jennifer Venditti's SXSW 2007 award-winning documentary, Billy The Kid, is enjoying a strong opening weekend in New York. Soon, it will expand to theaters across the country. For the Sunday New York Times, Dennis Lim profiles Venditti and her doc subject:

When Ms. Venditti met Billy, she ”immediately wanted to know what was wrong with him,” she said. “That’s how we are as a society. We’ve been conditioned to think if we don’t understand something, we need to put a name on it to help us understand.”

She talked to teachers and students and got “really vague answers,” she said, “like ‘Oh, he’s complex,’ or ‘He has emotional disabilities.’” Billy was found to have Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, last year. But “Billy the Kid,” completed before that diagnosis, mirrors Ms. Venditti’s experience with Billy. It proceeds largely without explanation or judgment.

Ms. Venditti said that “Billy the Kid” reflected “my whole process of thinking about Billy.” She added: “It was almost like an experiment for myself. I want to see what the world looks like from Billy’s point of view. The challenge is to understand someone on their own terms, not on the basis of a diagnosis.”

Billy, to say the least, is unlike most documentary subjects. He makes wary eye contact with the camera and yet is remarkably un-self-conscious about performing in front of it. “I’d set up all these things I was going to do with Billy, but when I got there, I realized he’s been directing and starring in his own movie his whole life,” Ms. Venditti said. “My job was mainly to create a safe environment.”

The SXSW 2007 Documentary Jury Award winner, Jennifer Venditti's Billy The Kid, starts a New York theatrical run on December 5 at the IFC Center. It's an acclaimed film, one of the favorites among many in the film industry, and hopefully it can find an audience for its tender glimpse at a very cool young man. Here's the theatrical trailer:

Ronnie Bronstein's SXSW 2007 premiere, Frownland, won the Gotham Award last night for "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You." This amazing and striking debut feature is the reason why awards such as this exist. Ronnie's movie is a tough sell but it has developed a devoted following of major fans. And rightfully so. For me, Ronnie's win is especially nice. It was almost precisely a year ago that I fished Ronnie's film out of the submissions, put it on, and was instantly hypnotized. For all those filmmakers out there who feel you have to have "connections" and "legacy" to get attention or noticed, Frownland is proof against that.

There's still hope for first-time filmmakers who want to make a daring and prickly film on their own terms. A film that may not find a theatrical release around the country, but can receive recognition and acclaim that almost transcends that. I'd never met Ronnie before he arrived at SXSW. I remember when I phoned him to invite the film, I said something along the lines of "I think you're going to feel very comfortable at SXSW." My hope and goal was that some of the right people would see Ronnie's film (which was easy to manage) and that they would have the same reaction I did (much harder to predict). At Sundance last year, during an informal condo party, a couple of people asked "Who's gonna be the next Katz/Swanberg discovery at SXSW this year?" My reply was, "Well, there's this guy named Ronnie Bronstein and he made a film called Frownland."

Prior to SXSW, no one I knew outside of the staff, had seen Frownland. How would people react? It could have been a huge disaster. I told Joe Swanberg to see it. I told Scott Macaulay to see it. I crossed my fingers that people like this would, at the very least, appreciate it. I introduced Ronnie and the film, and decided to stay for the first 15 minutes to see how it went. Five minutes in... three people got up to leave. Then, all of sudden, laughter. And more laughter. Uneasy, for the most part, but laughter. Days later, both Swanberg and Macaulay would become big supporters and fans of Frownland. So much so, that Joe is making a Web series starring Ronnie and his wife. Macaulay picked Ronnie as one of "the 25 New Faces of Independent Film" for his Filmmaker Magazine. So, it worked. So far.

Ronnie's film won a special jury award at SXSW, but the rest of its festival tour was mixed. There was the infamous "booing" argument during a Q&A at Cinevegas. But there was the Maryland Film Festival, where acclaimed filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan would see the film and become a champion. Then there was also the Munich Film Festival, where Frownland would secure a distribution deal for France, as well as a new fan in fellow Munich guest Richard Linklater. The Gotham win this week is not even the end of the road. The film will compete for an Independent Spirit Award this February and even sooner, Ronnie and the film will be in Austin this weekend for a screening. I have a feeling there will be fewer walk-outs this time around.

Eagle Pennell's influential and satisfying 1979 Texas indie film character study, The Whole Shootin' Match, will have a triumphant return to Austin this weekend. Coincidentally, the film will screen for a week at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. A coincidence, because Pennell's 1983 follow-up film was Last Night At The Alamo (also the slogan for the original theater's closure this summer). We screened the newly-remastered print of Shootin' Match at SXSW this year, and it was a big hit with film fans both young and old. So, see this lost classic of regional cinema, on the big screen. Click here for details and tickets. On a related note, The Reeler recently posted a Q&A with Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater, to discuss the influence of the deceased Pennell on the eve of the film's recent New York run. From that interview:

The Reeler: Slacker in particular seems to mine the rambling, discursive quality of Last Night at the Alamo and The Whole Shootin' Match. Was that a reference you had in mind while writing?

Linklater: I don't know. Eagle and I always fashioned ourselves as opposites even though we were pretty close. He was dealing with more of the country; those actors -- Lou Perryman and Sonny Davis -- are stereotypical Texans. I grew up around them, and I love that. But I was going for something totally different in Slacker. You don't see a cowboy hat in Slacker; you don't see boots. It was a much more urban, postmodern attempt at narrative. Yet I don't disagree with you; there's a certain pace and a certain quality that's innate to the air we breathe down here. I totally appreciated the authenticity of his dialogue and those characters. That's what really kind of turned me on and made it OK to portray people I know the way I know them. But that's what people everywhere do; it was just rare in Texas.

Film Independent announced this year's Independent Spirit Award nominations today. Several SXSW alumni made the list, including: Aaron Katz's Quiet City (nominated for the "John Cassavetes Award"), Ronnie Bronstein's Frownland (the "Someone to Watch Award"), Gary Hustwit's Helvetica (the "Truer Than Fiction Award"), Michael Tucker & Petra Epperlein's The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair (the "Best Documentary Award"), Scott Frank's The Lookout (the "Best First Feature Award"), Craig Zobel's Great World of Sound (the "Best First Feature" and "Best Supporting Male" awards), and Laura Dunn's The Unforeseen (the "Truer Than Fiction Award"). The winners will be announced on February 23. Congrats and best of luck to all the nominees!

The winner of our SXSW 2007 Emerging Visions Audience Award, Bill Haney's The Price of Sugar, is one of 15 films on the recently announced shortlist of nominees for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. Haney's SXSW 2007 premiere is among the politically-minded features on the list (see the others on indieWIRE). In fact, one could argue that every single doc on the 15-film list has some sort of social or political story and/or message. Interesting for sure. The final five nominees will be announced, with the other Oscar nods, on January 22. Congrats and best of luck to Bill Haney and the Price of Sugar team!

SXSW 2007 hit Smiley Face, by super-talented Gregg Araki, opens in a theater this weekend. And, there's no indication that the stoner comedy will expand anywhere beyond that. Many have wondered why this film, which was originally pegged for an April 20 opening, has been faced with a such an odd theatrical result. After all, it's the only film of 2007 that has the distinction of playing Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and... um... SXSW. The reviews, and audience word-of-mouth, have been fairly positive. So, what gives? I have no idea. So, people should try to see Smiley Face in its theater (which would be the Nuart in L.A). It's a funny and entertaining film, but even more so when you watch with an eager audience. While you're at it, read this interview with Gregg Araki, featured recently on indieWIRE.

Two stellar SXSW 2007 world premieres, Ronnie Bronstein's Frownland and Lanre Olabisi's August The First, will screen in New York this weekend as part of the Gotham Awards' "Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You" nominees series.

August The First will screen at MoMA on Friday, November 16 and Sunday, November 18. The synopsis from their site is:

A powerful drama in which old tensions resurface—and a family is torn apart—when a son invites his estranged father in Nigeria back to the United States for his graduation party. First-time feature director Olabisi, who shot August the First almost entirely in his mother's suburban home, is remarkably attuned to the language and behavior of middle-class American life.

Frownland, on the other hand, screens at MoMA on Saturday, November 17 and then Monday, November 19 with an introduction by Bronstein himself. The synopsis from the site:

A self-described "troll from under the bridge," the painfully awkward Keith Sontag spends his days selling coupons door-to-door and his evenings trapped in a squalid apartment situated in some particularly hellish outer ring of New York. With the most basic elements of human communication a struggle, Sontag lurches through an uncaring city, attempting to aid a suicidal friend, evict an unctuous roommate, and simply attain some measure of self-respect. With Frownland, Bronstein has made a bold and bracing film that is both a hilarious black comedy and a ragged love letter to an earlier era of independent film. Both the film and its singular hero are raw, confrontational, and, finally, unforgettable.

Go check out these SXSW 2007 alumni, and tell them we said "hi." Thanks to Gabe, for the reminder.

In honor of the November 16 theatrical opening of Rob VanAlkemade's documentary, What Would Jesus Buy?, we wanted to put a spotlight on this series of video clips from the film's world premiere at SXSW 2007. It was a rousing, sold-out Paramount screening this March.

In the clips, the film's producer - Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock - introduces the film and gets the crowd going for what they can expect. Meanwhile, The Brooklyn Rail recently sat down to chat with VanAlkemade, to discuss the making of the doc:

Brooklyn Rail: So, what, ideally, should people take from this movie as they do their Christmas shopping?

VanAlkemade: Well, an incredibly diverse audience has responded strongly to the film as we’ve toured the festival circuit and taken some roads beyond it. I’ve spoken with or heard from teenagers who are earnestly thinking twice about their habits and priorities after seeing the film, yet were thoroughly amused and entertained along the way. I’ve seen conservative, liberal and mainline Evangelical Christians laughing to the point of exhaustion, and have had offers of support from all across the religious spectrum. And I’ve been told by self-proclaimed "raving atheists" that the message came through loud and clear without any heavy-handed theology.

Gary Hustwit, the director of popular graphic design doc Helvetica, checks in via the film's blog to announce that he's just wrapped his final public appearance on the worldwide tour for the documentary. The doc, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2007 and has managed a successful DIY theatrical run across the nation, will continue to screen at various venues and events. Just without Hustwit. As he jokes, "Really, I love graphic design, and I love typography, but after 100 events in the past seven months I can’t answer any more questions about fonts!" In the same post, he relays an amusing exchange he had with the rabbi of a Tulsa wedding. In related news, Helvetica sees its DVD release on November 20. Pre-order your copy here.

In the middle of her preparation for this weekend's New York and L.A. opening of the SXSW 2007 premiere documentary, Steal A Pencil For Me, I asked director Michele Ohayon (Cowboy Del Amor) to answer a few quick questions about her acclaimed new film. The doc, a sweet and sad love story centered around the Holocaust, is without a doubt worth checking out. Audiences at SXSW loved it, and you should to. Here's what Michele had to say:

Me: How was the process of discovering this story and making it a film, different from your previous features?

Ohayon: I had a huge challenge telling a love story that took place 60 years ago, with main characters that are now in their 80s and 90s. And, a story that revolves around letters, which are not visual. Being a cinema verite queen, i was facing the archival footage ordeal for the first time. I had to be extremely creative in telling the story in a visual way, but it all paid off!

Me: What was the couple's reaction when they first saw the film?

Ohayon: They were speechless, for once. They loved it, loved it, loved it and were overwhelmed by the standing ovations. Jack claims that he saw it seven times, and every time he likes it even better. The first time they saw it was at SXSW!!

Me: It's obviously heartbreaking material as well as truly uplifting. Was there a point in the production where you were afraid the doc might be too sad?

Ohayon: I was aware of it, and tried to keep it from "sinking" into the sad. I think that people are moved by the love story and the optimistic look the lovers had desite the horrible circumstances of the camps. I tried to avoid too many graphic images, yet keep a truthful portrayal of the era and the war.

Me: What's next for you and where and when can people see the film after the first opening weekend?

Ohayon: I have several projects in the works. Surprises. We are playing Steal A Pencil For Me this week in New York and L.A. And perhaps next week, if people go see it this weekend! Otherwise, put it on your Netflix queue.

SXSW 2007 premiere documentary, Fall From Grace, will have its debut on Showtime on December 4. Director K. Ryan Jones, who made the feature while attending Kansas University, speaks with the Lawrence Journal-World about the road to getting the film completed and distributed. From the article:

After “Fall From Grace” premiered this year at the South By Southwest Film Festival, Jones says he negotiated with a number of distributors, including Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me” fame. But Showtime took a more active interest when Jones revealed that ABC’s “20/20” series would be airing clips of the movie during a John Stossel report on anger and rage in the U.S.

Jones was brought in as an expert witness by ABC. And although a greatly abridged version of the report aired last Friday, the experience proved useful to the filmmaker.

“My interview wasn’t in there, but that didn’t bother me so much. It was more about having the film on national TV for the first time and to publicize the Showtime date,” he says.

Michele Ohayon's touching and engrossing SXSW 2007 documentary premiere, Steal a Pencil for Me, will open in theaters starting November 9 in New York and L.A. The nonfiction look at a love affair that transpired during the Holocaust, Ohayon's film is highly recommended. She recently had an interview with indieWIRE, about the making of the film.

SXSW 2007 premiere documentary, What Would Jesus Buy?, is director Rob VanAlkemade and producer Morgan Spurlock's funny and frightening look at the world of consumerism in America. Using the holiday shopping season as a starting line, and following the protests of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, the film does for holiday shopping what Spurlock's Super Size Me did for fast food. The film will reach theaters on November 16, just in time for the beginning of the shopping season. You can watch the film's trailer, by clicking right here. And, if you want to see when the documentary is coming to a theater near you, just check out the schedule here.

Three SXSW 2007 premieres announced distribution news this week. Congrats to all the filmmakers! The films include:

Jennifer Venditti's SXSW award-winning documentary, Billy The Kid, will begin a theatrical release on December 5 courtesy of new indie outfit Elephant Eye. Brian Brooks at indieWIRE has the news.

Ti West's gripping and taut wilderness thriller, Trigger Man, follows its SXSW 2007 premiere with news of a pickup by Kino International for the rest of its American release. It opened in New York two weeks ago, but Kino will handle a DVD release next Spring. Trigger Man is also on a foreign sales stampede at AFM right now. Dade Hayes has the story for Variety.

Dan Cox's SXSW 2007 premiere documentary, Running With Arnold, announced a distribution pact with Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment. The DVD division will release this Arnold Schwarzenegger campaign chronicle next year, after Lantern Lane Entertainment manages a multi-city theatrical opening. Get more on the details, over at Variety.

Walking along Hollywood Blvd. today, I noticed a severe lack of costumed characters on display, posing for photos with tourists. Who knows why, but some insight can be found in Matt Ogens' SXSW 2007 doc premiere, Confessions of a Superhero, which opens nationwide this weekend. One character you will definitely NOT see in Hollywood on Saturday night, is Christopher "Superman" Dennis. That's because Dennis will be in Austin, making an appearance at the Saturday night show of Confessions, at the Alamo Downtown Ritz (which officially opens on Thursday). So, check out this doc while checking out the newest Alamo location. Plus, you can meet and touch and have your photo taken with "Superman." You know you want to.

Eagle Pennell's legendary 1978 feature, The Whole Shootin' Match, is making its way to New York's Walter Reade Theatre for a series of screenings. This new print of the film, will be the same one we screened at SXSW this year, beautiful and restored. Pennell's Austin-based cult hit was a critical smash, and it's now coming back to theaters and DVD, for a whole new generation of indie film fans. The New York engagement is scheduled for November 16 to 21, and will be quickly followed by an Austin engagement at the new Alamo Drafthouse Ritz (November 30 to December 7). See it!

Borderland and Mulberry Street, two popular "Round Midnight" titles from SXSW 2007, will be part of the After Dark Horrorfest 2007. The second annual, one-week engagement of "8 Films to Die For," will open in hundreds of theaters around the nation on November 9. Zev Berman's bordertown bloodbath, Borderland, had its world premiere at SXSW 2007, and was a topic of conversation amongst the panelists at our "Panel of the Dead: Horror Films of Today" session. Meanwhile, Jim Mickle's Mulberry Street (which had its North American premiere at SXSW) is a gritty (almost arty) New York gorefest about mutant rats run amok. Check these out! You can watch the Horrorfest 2007 trailer right here.

For the next three Tuesdays, audiences in New York can catch three popular SXSW 2007 premieres. As part of the IFC Center's "Stranger Than Fiction" series, New Yorkers can catch the following:

Harris Fishman's Cat Dancers on October 23

Doug Pray's Big Rig on October 30

Katy Chevigny's Election Day on November 5

All three of these documentaries went over incredibly well during SXSW this year, and we HIGHLY recommend you check them all out!

The nominees for this year's Gotham Awards, were announced today. Among them, multiple nods for SXSW 2007 hit Great World of Sound (Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor) as well as a nomination each for Lanre Olabisi's August The First and Ronnie Bronstein's Frownland, in the "Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You" category. Joining them, meanwhile, is Austin-based filmmaker John Fiege and his doc Mississippi Chicken. Congrats all around, and get the full nomination list over at indieWIRE.

Some positive reviews have started to land, in conjunction with the national rollout of Ti West's SXSW 2007 premiere, Trigger Man. GreenCine has started to compile them. Check it out. And, see the movie!

Jeremy Saulnier's entertaining, shocking, and funny horror comedy, Murder Party (SXSW 2007), is out on DVD this week. Just in time for Halloween. The film is also the inaugural release for new Magnolia division, Magnet. As someone I've gotten to know over the 2007 festival circuit, I knew that Jeremy was the kind of guy that wouldn't be afraid to answer the tough questions about his film. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with any really tough questions. But, luckily, he still found time between releasing his film and welcoming his first child, to answer these:

Me: What inspired Murder Party to be your first feature?

Saulnier: I’d been working in advertising directing cheese-ball commercials and selling my soul. I wanted to blow all the money I made on something crass, irreverent and highly scatological. My cohorts and I agreed to drop the "coming of age" script we’d been rewriting since 2001, get back to our gory roots and fast track Murder Party into production. It was a blast, and a way to introduce ourselves (production company The Lab of Madness) to audiences and the industry on our own terms, for better or for worse.

Me: The film satirizes New York art students, to the point of gruesome death. Do you hate New York art students?

Saulnier: No more than any other clique. While Murder Party lampoons the Brooklyn art scene, the bickering dipshits in the film are modeled after the filmmakers themselves. As a creative collective, The Lab of Madness has had its share of tension, rivalry and attempted murders.

Me: Any advice or lessons you learned about making a horror feature for a very low budget?

Saulnier: Pull the trigger. You could wait a lifetime for everything to line up perfectly but you should capitalize on what you’ve got and dive in. And if you don’t have enough money to make it truly terrifying, make it funny as hell. Meanwhile, did you really need THAT much blood? But of course! It’s sort of a quantity vs. quality issue, or rather quantity vs. frequency for us.

Murder Party is primarily a comedy but it passes as a horror film because of the Halloween atmosphere and some genuinely creepy set pieces. We couldn’t afford to showcase kick ass gore FX throughout the entire film. But when shit hits the fan during the finale, we had to go all out- the "wolfmelt" and the chainsaw scenes were our marquee effect sequences. As we filmed the climactic slaughter, blood literally seeped through the set floor and oozed down the walls of the loft space beneath it.

Me: What did you have to do, as a writer and director, to maintain that balance between horror and comedy?

Saulnier: It’s an easy line to ride as long as the actors play it straight. It all hinges upon the cast- and they must never try to be funny, or everything goes to shit.

Me: Okay, it's Halloween night... people are deciding what to watch... Of the many many options, why should they watch Murder Party?

Saulnier: If it’s Halloween night, I’d suggest vandalism. But if you’re going to watch a movie, watch Murder Party because it has slapstick gags and gory mayhem and celebrates the holiday like no other film. It’s The Breakfast Club - with chainsaws and hard drugs. And, I desperately need the royalties.

Jeremy Saulnier's horror comedy, Murder Party, will have some special midnight screenings this weekend in New York. This is all a primer for the film's DVD release via Magnet (the new Magnolia Pictures division) on October 16. To get you ready, check out the film's international trailer:

You wouldn't think it, but inside the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine, some SXSW Film Festival alumni get a little love. This month brings the annual "Hot Issue," and among the Movies entries, is "Hot Genre: Mumblecore." Included is a full-page spread, detailing the family tree between Joe Swanberg, Andrew Bujalski, Aaron Katz, and the Duplass Brothers. HOT. Besides plenty of background on the filmmakers and films (past, present, and future), journalist Melissa Maerz writes:

Imagine YouTube as a series of movies. That's the raw vibe of mumblecore, a talky new genre where young people play out their most awkward moments on camera... Mumblecore directors have gotten by without Hollywood the way young bands have gotten by without record companies: by using inexpensive technology and relying on the Internet for publicity and distribution...

It doesn't stop there. Two pages earlier in the magazine, Rolling Stone picks a "Hot Topic" for the Movies, and they choose Jeremy Saulnier's SXSW 2007 selection Murder Party (which gets a DVD release later this month). Jon Steinberg writes:

If you've ever wished death - or worse - upon a hipster, Jeremy Saulnier's got the movie for you. This month, the rookie horror director will release Murder Party, a slasher comedy about a clique of coke-snorting artists who plot to kill a random, innocent man on Halloween.

These entries in "The Hot Issue" are not available online, so go to your local newsstand and pick up a copy!

Ti West's sensational survival thriller, Trigger Man, opens in New York and L.A. theaters next week. Ti's second feature, following the indie horror hit The Roost (SXSW 2005), has earned raves and fans since its premiere at SXSW 2007. See what everyone's talking about, starting October 17 at the Pioneer Theater in New York. If you live in L.A., the film will open on October 19 at the Laemmle Grande. Come to both Opening Night screenings to meet the cast and crew. And, wish Ti luck, as he feverishly works to finish his third feature: the sequel to Cabin Fever.

Filmmaker Matt Ogens has tipped us off to the new theatrical trailer for his documentary, Confessions of a Superhero. The doc, which premiered at SXSW 2007, will be released in theaters courtesy of Arts Alliance America and Red Envelope Entertainment starting November 2. Here's the trailer:

I've asked the filmmakers from the SXSW 2007 "Emerging Visions" section to give us all an update on their projects. Keep an eye out for more updates to come. Today's update is from Aaron Hillis, co-director of amusingly sad flea-market documentary portrait Fish Kill Flea:

Hot off its SXSW world premiere, Fish Kill Flea caused a ruthless bidding war between Paramount, Sony, the Weinstein Company, and Warner Brothers, who ultimately inked with [directors] Cassidy, Hillis and Loeber for a low seven-figure deal. Warners won out by agreeing to bump I Am Legend from its 4,000-screen December release to a small mid-January run in order to make room for the little documentary that could. Said an unnamed exec: "Sure, the American people love Will Smith like their own families, but I think even Big Willy would understand that flea markets are all the buzz in Hollywood right now."

All kidding aside, Fish Kill Flea has had a rewarding run since SXSW, including invitations to the Austin Film Society's Texas Documentary Tour, Rooftop Films, deadCENTER, the Dallas Video Festival, UnionDocs, and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Fest. The film made its international premiere at the Milan Film Festival in September, and will soon screen at Ireland's prestigious Cork festival, with more dates in Germany and the UK in early 2008.

Cassidy was featured this summer in Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film (along with his God Provides and The Delaware Project collaborator Melanie Shatzky), and the two are currently in pre-production on their first narrative feature. Later this month, Loeber and Hillis will travel cross-country by rail to shoot an exploratory short on the decline of train culture in America, a project that will be expanded to feature length next spring. As partner to the new boutique DVD label Benten Films, Hillis released SXSW alum Joe Swanberg's LOL in stores in August, and will put out two more SXSW titles—Aaron Katz's Quiet City and Dance Party USA—in January '08.

Marlo Poras' charming and thrilling documentary feature, Run Granny Run, will have its HBO premiere on Thursday, October 18. And you don't wanna miss it. The film, which won the Documentary Competition Audience Award at its SXSW 2007 world premiere, is an entertaining and insightful look at the political process. It all goes down from the perspective of Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who ran for a New Hampshire Senate seat at the age of 94. Check out the official HBO page. Also, be sure to read the recent Associated Press article about the film, which includes:

"Run Granny Run," by Brooklyn, N.Y., filmmaker Marlo Poras, depicts Haddock's 2004 decision -- with no money and no campaign experience -- to go from an activist for voter registration to actively seeking votes in a campaign against Republican Sen. Judd Gregg.

The documentary initially had been planned as a road-trip film chronicling Haddock's efforts in swing states to register women and minorities to vote during a critical election year. But when the presumptive Democratic nominee dropped out of the Senate race -- over financial fraud by his campaign manager -- Haddock jumped in on the last day to file. As her subject's path veered in a new direction, Poras, camera in hand, decided to hang on.

From this month's SXSW email newsletter:

Just because SXSW 2008 is five months away, doesn't mean you can't see many of previous years' selections, in a theater or DVD store near you. Here's a look at some of the films making their way to theaters and DVD stores soon.

COMING SOON TO THEATERS:

a. Kurt Cobain About A Son (SXSW 2007) in select theaters now.
Summary: "An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life - from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame - and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations heard in the film have never before been made public and they reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood." For more information, click here.

b. King Corn (SXSW 2007) opens October 12.
Summary: "America’s fast-food empire is fueled by a secret ingredient: corn. High fructose corn syrup makes the sodas sweet, corn-fed beef makes the burgers fat, and corn oil crisps the fries. As college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis find out, their junk food generation has grown up eating so much corn that if you test their hair– it’s actually made of the stuff. King Corn follows Ian and Curt to a tiny town in the middle of Iowa, where they plant and grow an acre of America’s most powerful crop, and attempt to follow its fate as food. What they find is alternately hilarious and horrifying: genetically modified seeds and home- brewed corn syrup, a bumper crop of obesity and diabetes, and a government paying farmers to grow what’s making us sick. You’ll never enjoy a soda again." For more information, click here.

COMING SOON TO DVD:

a. Reign Over Me (SXSW 2007) is in stores starting October 9. For more information, click here.

b. Black Sheep (SXSW 2007) is on DVD starting October 9. For more information, click here.

c. Fido (SXSW 2007) arrives in stores October 23. For more information, click here.

d. The Wendell Baker Story (SXSW 2005) lands at DVD retailers on October 30. For more information, click here.

Plus, you can still catch Helvetica, Itty Bitty Titty Committee, Hannah Takes the Stairs, Quiet City, Great World of Sound, and more in select cities!

As we share some of these "Emerging Visions Class of 2007" updates, I would be remiss not to mention Bill Haney's The Price of Sugar, the winner of the Emerging Visions Audience Award at SXSW 2007. Bill's important documentary portrait of sugar workers, opened on one screen in New York this weekend, following a run as part of the IDA's "Docuweek" series. The film opened at the Cinema Village in New York with a (so-so) $3,384 weekend. The film, which is certainly worth seeing, continues on at the New York theater, before expanding to L.A. in a few weeks.

Already opening to robust numbers in Los Angeles, is Jamie Babbit's SXSW 2007 Narrative Competition Jury Award-winning feature, Itty Bitty Titty Committee. That film, a riot grrl satire, opened to an $11,505 weekend at L.A. arthouse Laemmle Sunset 5. I'm no expert, but that sounds like a pretty good weekend for one screen in Hollywood. Hopefully the film's strong first weekend will continue throughout the month and around the nation. I'm still awaiting returns on Gary Hustwit's third weekend of the already-strong Helvetica, as well as the L.A. and Seattle openings of Joe Swanberg's Hannah Takes the Stairs I'll update this post, as those figures become public.

UPDATE: The numbers for Helvetica are in, and the film is holding strong during week number three in New York. It made over $5,000 this weekend, to bring its total to $50,554. Not bad for one screen and three weeks... we'll see how that goes once it expands.