Paramount Vantage finally made a big play at its maiden Sundance, swooping on Garth Jennings' coming-of-age tale Son Of Rambow and Ian Iqbal Rashid's hip-hop drama How She Move for an estimated combined cost of $11.5m.
In another intense day of deals in Park City, the Weinsteins announced two more joint acquisitions, taking Patricia Riggen's family drama La Misma Luna with Fox Searchlight and Justin Theroux' romantic comedy Dedication with First Look Studios.
Magnolia Pictures announced its second pick-up, paying a little over $2m on David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry's horror film The Signal.
Meanwhile Fortissimo took worldwide rights excluding China to Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman's documentary Nanking, and Summit Entertainment acquired the world excluding Ireland on John Carney's Irish musical Once.
Vantage paid $7.5m for worldwide rights excluding Japan, Germany and French free TV to Son Of Rambow, one of the more popular and uplifting films to screen here. The tale charts the growing friendship between two boys as they film a homage to Sylvester Stallone's celluloid warrior Rambo in southern England in the 1980s. Bill Milner, Will Poulter and Jessica Stevenson star.
Jennings and producing partner Nick Goldsmith produced through their Hammer & Tongs company, along with Celluloid Dreams president Hengameh Panahi, Ben Goldhirsh and Bristol Baughan.
'Son Of Rambow is a funny, moving and beautifully crafted tale of friendship and the poignant journey of filmmaking,' Paramount Vantage president John Lesher and co-president Nick Meyer said. 'Hammer and Tongs are hard-wired into the essence of childhood,' Panahi said. 'It's extraordinary!'
Vantage executive vice president of production and acquisitions Amy Israel and executive vice president of business affairs and operations Jeff Freedman negotiated the deal with Panahi, Frank Wulliger of Gersh Agency, and attorney Andrew Hurwitz.
Vantage and MTV Films paid around $4m to worldwide rights excluding Canada for How She Move, about a Toronto teenager who enters step dancing competitions to pay her way to medical school. Rutina Wesley, Dwain Murphy and Tre Armstrong star and Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny and Brent Barclay produced.
'Director Ian Iqbal Rashid's has proven himself to be an exceptionally talented film-maker whose work can deliver on all levels,' Israel said. Vantage's Meyer and Freedman brokered the deal with Charlotte Mickie of Celluloid Dreams and Rich Klubeck of UTA. Paramount Vantage vice president of acquisitions and co-productions Joe Matukewicz alerted the company to the project.
The Weinstein Company (TWC) and First Look will partner on the worldwide release of Plum Pictures' Dedication, with TWC taking the lead on domestic theatrical. The love story centres on a misanthropic children's author who falls for an illustrator. Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore and Tom Wilkinson star. This is the Weinsteins' second acquisition here of a Plum Pictures film following Grace Is Gone at the weekend.
TWC's Harvey Weinstein and Michael Cole, First Look chief executive officer Henry Winterstern and international and domestic chiefs Stuart Ford and Ruth Vitale negotiated the deal with Cinetic and UTA.
'We're thrilled to be in business with the Plum team on such a smart, commercially orientated film,' Weinstein and Winterstern said. 'We're also looking forward to making our partnership on the film a success.' Plum partner Celine Rattray added: 'First Look and The Weinstein Company understand the commercial potential for this film and have exciting plans for it.'
TWC and Searchlight jointly acquired worldwide rights to La Misma Luna for an estimated $5m and will share equally in worldwide revenues. Talks are underway to decide which distributor will release in which territories.
America Ferrera, Adrian Alonso, Kate del Castillo and Eugenio Derbez star in the saga of a Mexican illegal immigrant and her nine-year-old son who try to reunite. Riggen produced with screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos.
Searchlight senior vice president of acquisitions Tony Safford and senior vice president of business affairs Stephen Plum negotiated with TWC's Harvey Weinstein and Cole and Cinetic Media.
Magnolia closed the deal on The Signal late last on Monday night, taking all English-language rights on Shoreline Entertainment and Popfilm's apocalyptic title. The three-part story chronicles the end of the world as brought about by everyday technology. Magnolia's upcoming horror releases include The Host and Severance.
'The Signal isn't just a great horror movie - it's a great movie, period,' Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said. Bowles, head of acquisitions Tom Quinn, manager of acquisitions Ben Stambler, and head of business affairs Jason Janego negotiated the deal with WMA's Jerome Duboz, Phil Alberstat and Cassian Elwes, and Shoreline's Morris Ruskin and Brian Sweet.
Fortissimo co-heads Michael Werner and Wouter Barendrecht pounced on Nanking following its world premiere at the weekend. The film recounts the efforts by a small group of Westerners to protect Chinese refugees from a brutal attack by Japanese troops in 1937. AOL vice chairman Ted Leonsis produced.
'Nanking is an incredibly powerful film told in a creative and compelling way,' Barendrecht said. 'It is impossible not to be deeply moved by the material. We look forward to sharing this film with international audiences.' CAA negotiated the deal with Barendrecht and Winnie Lau for Fortissimo.
Summit Entertainment took theatrical, video and television rights to Samson Films' Once and will sell the world excluding Ireland in its first partnership with Dublin-based Samson. The modern take on the musical genre stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
'We have been tracking Once for a while because its one of those unique treasures that appeals across all ages and genders - and we are thrilled to be working with the producers David Collins and Martina Niland on this Sundance crowd-pleaser,' Summit's executive vice president David Garrett said.
'We are delighted with the wonderful response of the Sundance audience to our film Once and thrilled that it has found its home with a company of the calibre of Summit Entertainment,' Samson Films' David Collins and Martina Niland added.
Garrett brought in the project in and along with fellow company principal Patrick Wachsberger and production president negotiated the deal with Collins and Samsons' production counsel James Hickey of Irish law firm Matheson, Ormsby, Prentice.
In another intense day of deals in Park City, the Weinsteins announced two more joint acquisitions, taking Patricia Riggen's family drama La Misma Luna with Fox Searchlight and Justin Theroux' romantic comedy Dedication with First Look Studios.
Magnolia Pictures announced its second pick-up, paying a little over $2m on David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry's horror film The Signal.
Meanwhile Fortissimo took worldwide rights excluding China to Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman's documentary Nanking, and Summit Entertainment acquired the world excluding Ireland on John Carney's Irish musical Once.
Vantage paid $7.5m for worldwide rights excluding Japan, Germany and French free TV to Son Of Rambow, one of the more popular and uplifting films to screen here. The tale charts the growing friendship between two boys as they film a homage to Sylvester Stallone's celluloid warrior Rambo in southern England in the 1980s. Bill Milner, Will Poulter and Jessica Stevenson star.
Jennings and producing partner Nick Goldsmith produced through their Hammer & Tongs company, along with Celluloid Dreams president Hengameh Panahi, Ben Goldhirsh and Bristol Baughan.
'Son Of Rambow is a funny, moving and beautifully crafted tale of friendship and the poignant journey of filmmaking,' Paramount Vantage president John Lesher and co-president Nick Meyer said. 'Hammer and Tongs are hard-wired into the essence of childhood,' Panahi said. 'It's extraordinary!'
Vantage executive vice president of production and acquisitions Amy Israel and executive vice president of business affairs and operations Jeff Freedman negotiated the deal with Panahi, Frank Wulliger of Gersh Agency, and attorney Andrew Hurwitz.
Vantage and MTV Films paid around $4m to worldwide rights excluding Canada for How She Move, about a Toronto teenager who enters step dancing competitions to pay her way to medical school. Rutina Wesley, Dwain Murphy and Tre Armstrong star and Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny and Brent Barclay produced.
'Director Ian Iqbal Rashid's has proven himself to be an exceptionally talented film-maker whose work can deliver on all levels,' Israel said. Vantage's Meyer and Freedman brokered the deal with Charlotte Mickie of Celluloid Dreams and Rich Klubeck of UTA. Paramount Vantage vice president of acquisitions and co-productions Joe Matukewicz alerted the company to the project.
The Weinstein Company (TWC) and First Look will partner on the worldwide release of Plum Pictures' Dedication, with TWC taking the lead on domestic theatrical. The love story centres on a misanthropic children's author who falls for an illustrator. Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore and Tom Wilkinson star. This is the Weinsteins' second acquisition here of a Plum Pictures film following Grace Is Gone at the weekend.
TWC's Harvey Weinstein and Michael Cole, First Look chief executive officer Henry Winterstern and international and domestic chiefs Stuart Ford and Ruth Vitale negotiated the deal with Cinetic and UTA.
'We're thrilled to be in business with the Plum team on such a smart, commercially orientated film,' Weinstein and Winterstern said. 'We're also looking forward to making our partnership on the film a success.' Plum partner Celine Rattray added: 'First Look and The Weinstein Company understand the commercial potential for this film and have exciting plans for it.'
TWC and Searchlight jointly acquired worldwide rights to La Misma Luna for an estimated $5m and will share equally in worldwide revenues. Talks are underway to decide which distributor will release in which territories.
America Ferrera, Adrian Alonso, Kate del Castillo and Eugenio Derbez star in the saga of a Mexican illegal immigrant and her nine-year-old son who try to reunite. Riggen produced with screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos.
Searchlight senior vice president of acquisitions Tony Safford and senior vice president of business affairs Stephen Plum negotiated with TWC's Harvey Weinstein and Cole and Cinetic Media.
Magnolia closed the deal on The Signal late last on Monday night, taking all English-language rights on Shoreline Entertainment and Popfilm's apocalyptic title. The three-part story chronicles the end of the world as brought about by everyday technology. Magnolia's upcoming horror releases include The Host and Severance.
'The Signal isn't just a great horror movie - it's a great movie, period,' Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said. Bowles, head of acquisitions Tom Quinn, manager of acquisitions Ben Stambler, and head of business affairs Jason Janego negotiated the deal with WMA's Jerome Duboz, Phil Alberstat and Cassian Elwes, and Shoreline's Morris Ruskin and Brian Sweet.
Fortissimo co-heads Michael Werner and Wouter Barendrecht pounced on Nanking following its world premiere at the weekend. The film recounts the efforts by a small group of Westerners to protect Chinese refugees from a brutal attack by Japanese troops in 1937. AOL vice chairman Ted Leonsis produced.
'Nanking is an incredibly powerful film told in a creative and compelling way,' Barendrecht said. 'It is impossible not to be deeply moved by the material. We look forward to sharing this film with international audiences.' CAA negotiated the deal with Barendrecht and Winnie Lau for Fortissimo.
Summit Entertainment took theatrical, video and television rights to Samson Films' Once and will sell the world excluding Ireland in its first partnership with Dublin-based Samson. The modern take on the musical genre stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
'We have been tracking Once for a while because its one of those unique treasures that appeals across all ages and genders - and we are thrilled to be working with the producers David Collins and Martina Niland on this Sundance crowd-pleaser,' Summit's executive vice president David Garrett said.
'We are delighted with the wonderful response of the Sundance audience to our film Once and thrilled that it has found its home with a company of the calibre of Summit Entertainment,' Samson Films' David Collins and Martina Niland added.
Garrett brought in the project in and along with fellow company principal Patrick Wachsberger and production president negotiated the deal with Collins and Samsons' production counsel James Hickey of Irish law firm Matheson, Ormsby, Prentice.
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