The Sundance Film Festival 2011 documentary, REBIRTH, directed by Jim Whitaker was acquired and will be released by Oscilloscope Laboratories and Showtime Networks. Oscilloscope will release REBIRTH in theatres in August 2011. SHOWTIME will broadcast REBIRTH on the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11th.
The 3D documentary PINA which world-premiered at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival will be distributed in the US by Sundance Selects, a sister division to IFC Films. Directed by Wim Wenders’ (WINGS OF DESIRE, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB), PINA is an in-depth look into the work of iconic dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch.
“God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” will debut at this year’s Tribeca Flim Festival. The film is a documentary about Ozzy’s life and times, and is said to be “an intimate documentary that delves deep into the life of music icon Ozzy Osbourne. A sober Ozzy has reached a point of clarity as he looks back on a lifetime of unparalleled success, misdiagnosed disease, unrelenting fear and a recurring dependency on drugs and alcohol. This is a film about reconciling the past and looking toward the future.” Directed by Mike Piscitelli and written and produced by Jordan Tappis, it will be the first release from Jack Osbourne’s company, Jacko Productions.
Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the Michael Rapaport’s documentary BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST about the rap group group A Tribe Called Quest which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The documentary film had generated some controversy when Q-Tip, a member of the group, expressed his non-support for the film. However, early reviews of the film from the Sundance Film Festival were fairly positive. No release date was announced
HBO has picked up the U.S. TV rights for, SING YOUR SONG, filmmaker Susanne Rostock (“The Long Way Home,”) documentary on the life of Harry Belafonte. The documentary will debut in Fall 2011, exclusively on HBO.
‘The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls’ a documentary by Leanne Pooley will open in New York at Cinema Village on May 13. Winner of numerous awards, including Best Feature Documentary at New York’s NewFest 2010 and the Cadillac People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009 ‘The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls’ tells the story of the world’s only comedic, singing, yodeling lesbian twin sisters, Lynda and Jools Topp.
Zeitgeist Films has just acquired Miralan Productions’ SOMETHING VENTURED which looks at the early investors behind the revolutionary technology that created companies like Apple, Intel and Cisco and in the process completely changed our world.
Magnolia Pictures announced they have acquired SQUARE GROUPER: THE GODFATHERS OF GANJA, a wildly entertaining doc about pot smuggling in 1970s South Florida from Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman of rakontur, the filmmakers behind the globally popular Cocaine Cowboys series and ESPN’s The U.
Legendary film producer and personal manager Jerry Weintraub steps out from behind the scenes as he takes his turn in the spotlight with the feature-length documentary HIS WAY, acquired by HBO Documentary Films from Polsky Films. Directed by Oscar® nominee Douglas McGrath, produced by Emmy®- and Peabody-winning documentary producer Graydon Carter, Alan Polsky and Gabe Polsky, and executive produced by Oscar® winner Steven Soderbergh and Audrey Rosenberg, HIS WAY chronicles the five-decade career of the trailblazing Hollywood entrepreneur, utilizing personal video, archival footage and one-on-one interviews with Weintraub, his friends, family and co-workers, and some of today’s brightest stars.
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced that it has acquired Yoav Potash’s documentary “Crime After Crime.” Crime After Crime screened at 2011 Sundance Film Festival in U.S. Documentary Competition category.
Sundance Selects announced yesterday that the company is acquiring North American rights to Errol Morris’ highly acclaimed documentary TABLOID. The dark, funny and altogether surreal film was one of the standout hits at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival winning indieWIRE’s critics poll for Best Documentary. The film was produced by Morris regular collaborators Julie Bilson Ahlberg (THE FOG OF WAR, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE), and Mark Lipson, (THE THIN BLUE LINE, co-produced FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL). The company plans to play the critically acclaimed film at key film festivals before aggressively rolling it out theatrically and on their video on-demand platform in the summer of 2011.
