Well, this sucks: The Reeler recently learned that the venerable Film Forum is involved in a multi-party lawsuit stemming from its repertory presentation of the Luis Buñuel masterpiece Los Olvidados.

According to Variety, Film Forum and American distributor Koch Lorber are named in a suit filed by Mexican media titan Televisa, which claims it holds exclusive rights to the 1950 film. Film Forum, which featured Los Olvidados both as part of its 2004 Mexican cinema program and in a reprise last March, secured its print from Koch Lorber--which in turn had secured the film from French distributor Films Sans Frontieres.

So Televisa and FSF are now challenging each other in a Buñuel steel-cage match, with poor Film Forum caught in the middle. A settlement is reportedly in the works; FF repertory chief Bruce Goldstein did not return The Reeler's phone calls requesting comment.

At the end of it all, Buñuel fans are likely to be rewarded with the long-awaited, full-length American release of Los Olvidados on DVD. So at least something good comes out of all this kerfuffle.