Thompson on Hollywood

Cannes Deals: Sony Pictures Classics Snaps Up Asghar Farhadi's 'The Past,' Radius Nabs 'Blue Ruin' and More (VIDEOS)

Festivals

Sony Pictures Classics has won US rights to "The Past," the new film by Asghar Farhadi (director of 2012 Best Foreign Language Oscar winner "A Separation") starring Tahar Rahim, Berenice Bejo and Ali Mosaffa. The film, which centers on the complex divorce between a French woman and an Iranian man, premiered in competition at the festival on May 17, and has thus far been garnering rave reviews.

By Beth Hanna
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May 20, 2013 1:49 PM
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Mike Leigh Will Make His Long-Planned Turner Biopic, Helped By Sony Pictures Classics

News

Mike Leigh is finally going to make his passion project, a biopic on painter J.W.W. Turner: "I want to explore the man, his working life, his relationships and how he lived. But what fascinates me most is the drama that lies in the tension between this driven eccentric and the epic, timeless world he evoked in his masterpieces."

By Beth Hanna
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March 19, 2013 11:55 AM
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Spain Gets 'Excited' About Almodovar's Latest Before U.S. Release (TRAILER)

Box Office

Pedro Almodovar’s new comedy “I’m So Excited” (“Los Amantes Pasajeros”) opened to the highest take of any his films in his native Spain last weekend in its initial release. The film, to be released in the U.S. on June 27 by his usual American distributor Sony Pictures Classics, grossed about $2.6 million on 295 screens for the number two position behind “Oz: The Great and Powerful” (which grossed close to $2.7 million on more than twice as many screens). The per screen average for “Excited” though was slightly better than what “Oz” had, even though this was the widest release ever for an Almodovar film opening in Spain.

By Tom Brueggemann
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March 14, 2013 6:29 AM
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Arthouse Audit: Sony Pictures Classics Rolls Out Oscar Bounty

Box Office

Sony Pictures Classics is looking forward to a big Oscar night with foreign contenders "Amour" and "No" as well as two leading documentary entries, "Searching for Sugar Man" and "The Gatekeepers." The question is where the specialty box office goes after the awards. "No" and "The Gatekeepers" are both rolling out well in their initial stages, giving hope for success in further markets in upcoming weeks, whatever wins tonight. "Amour" is amassing less than spectacular numbers given its high profile.

By Tom Brueggemann
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February 24, 2013 3:47 PM
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Oscar Watch: 'The Gatekeepers' Pops the Lid Off the Israeli/Arab Conflict, Dror Moreh Q & A (VIDEO)

Interviews

Things aren't getting any easier in the Middle East. Filmmaker Dror Moreh decided to look at the Israeli/Palestine conflict from another angle. He went to the six living men who have run Shin Bet, Israel's Secret Service, from 1980 through 2011. Backed by Israel, France, Germany and Belgium, "The Gatekeepers" was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and has been a hit on the festival circuit.

By Anne Thompson
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January 31, 2013 1:57 PM
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Sony Pictures Classics Nabs 'For No Good Reason,' Documentary on Gonzo Cartoonist Ralph Steadman with Johnny Depp

News

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all North American rights to Charlie Paul's directorial debut, "For No Good Reason." The documentary centers on British cartoonist Ralph Steadman, best known for his artwork with author Hunter S. Thompson, and features Johnny Depp observing Steadman's working process at his home studio.

By Beth Hanna
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January 30, 2013 11:44 AM
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Linklater, Hawke and Delpy Return to Sony with "Before Midnight'

News

John Sloss did the right thing. The Cinetic Media chief was pacing the second floor of Zoom in Park City Monday night as his annual Sundance Film Festival party raged around him. He was weighing the offers that had come pouring in for "Before Midnight," the third film in Richard Linklater's trilogy about Celine and Jesse, who first met 18 years ago in "Before Sunrise," and reignited their romance nine years ago in "Before Sunset," which nabbed an Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay.

By Anne Thompson
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January 25, 2013 2:46 PM
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Sundance Deal: Sony Pictures Classics Nabs 'Kill Your Darlings,' Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Young Allen Ginsberg

News

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all U.S., Australian, New Zealand, South African, African TV and Eastern European rights to John Krokidas' debut feature "Kill Your Darlings," which stars Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg and is a dramatic competition feature at the Sundance Film Festival.

By Beth Hanna
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January 23, 2013 12:12 PM
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Catching Up With Foreign Language and Documentary Feature Nominees

Awards

Three categories - Foreign Language Film, Documentary Feature and Animated Feature - frequently have nominees that have received little or no U.S. theatrical play, and even sometimes no set playdate ahead. Things look better this year, but still not ideal for those who want to see all the nominees prior to the awards.

By Tom Brueggemann
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January 14, 2013 6:33 AM
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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine'

News

In its sixth collaboration with Woody Allen, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all North American rights to his latest film "Blue Jasmine," which marks the New York auteur's return to his native environs. The distributor also released "To Rome with Love" and Allen's best-performing film to date, Oscar-nominated "Midnight in Paris."