1301 flm fest sundance 2012 wrapup

7/29/2019 1301 FLM FEST Sundance 2012 Wrapup

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Back to reality. That may be the best way

to describe both the status of our global

economy and the previous 12 months in

independent film. Little irrational exuberance;

no breakout blockbusters; but a few profitable

indie films, perhaps countable on one hand,

that stand out as carrots for hundreds of oth-

ers to try to reach out and emulate.

Calmer heads prevailed at Sundance 2012

as sellers and buyers got down to the more

complicated business of the current indie mar-

ketplace, with its delicate mix of theatrical andVOD platform releasing. No one was throwing

money around like it was 2006, though famil-

iar players stepped into the dance with fairly

aggressive moves, such as Fox Searchlights

roughly $6-million deal for awards contender

The Sessions and Lionsgate/Roadside Attrac-

tions reported $2.5-million buy of the Rich-

ard Gere thrillerArbitrage, which is projected

to gross as much as $12 million on VOD and

nearly $8 million in theaters.

But 12 months later, there is little else to

talk about in terms of blowout successes

with the exception, perhaps, of Beasts of the

Southern Wild, Fox Searchlights far cheaper

acquisition (for a reported $1 million) that

has since earned nearly $12 million at the

U.S. box office. That Searchlight managed

to take this bold, brash and eccentric low-

budget film about a coastal Louisiana com-

munity to such a high level of commercial

success should be significant cause for op-

timism in the specialized sector.

Then again, as an indicator of how risk

averse the business continues to be, and

how little has changed when it comes to the

tastes of movie consumers and the habits

of the industry, the biggest Sundance hit ofthe year was actually a horror pick-up from

2011: Open Roads wide-release of Silent

House, which grossed $12.7 million, half of

which came from its 2,124-theater opening

weekend. Similarly, CBS Films pushed its

star-studded acquisition The Words out to

2,801 theaters, but even Bradley Coopers

handsome mug couldnt muster decent per-

theater averages. While the movie grossed

$11.5 million, its opening average was a

weak $1,696/screen.

More modest well-received Sundance

movies such as Safety Not Guaranteed and

Robot & Frank performed admirably in the-

aters, making $4 million and $3.2 million

respectively, setting the stage for healthy

lives on ancillary platforms. For low-budget

movies released on only about 200 screens,

thats pretty darn good. But its hard to say

whether those numbers are big enough to

inspire much confidence at Sundance 2013.

Given the dicey nature of the marketplace,

its a wonder we havent seen more bold dis-

tribution experiments in the last year. Perhaps

the bigger players can adhere to the older

models because theyve got the cash to con-

ventionally promote their pictures, but for therest of us its surprising that more filmmakers

arent trying to do what Oscilloscope Labora-

tories accomplished with their successful one-

night-only event screening of the LCD Sound-

system documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits

(for more on the release, see below).

And with most companies still keeping

mum on their VOD numbers, there isnt

enough concrete information to help quan-

tify how well the sector is or is not making

up for with respect to less than spectacular

theatrical ticket sales. According to Magno-

lia Pictures, its omnibus horror film V/H/S

was above average, and Julie Delpys 2

Days in New Yorkgrossed multitudes more

on VOD than its $633,210 theatrical box of-

fice. But what, really, do these statements

mean? The fact is that the VOD marketplace

is far more competitive and crowded than it

was just a couple of years ago. As IFC Films

Ryan Werner admits, Now there are hun-

dreds of films on VOD.

Adding little fuel to the fire, this years

award season is fairly quiet when it comes to

indie breakthroughs. Sure, Sessions and Beasts

will make an appearance, but its only the larg-

est specialty films, with budgets of around

$20 million or more (The Master, Moonrise

Kingdom,Anna Karenina) that are likely to get

recognized, along with a major push from the

studios, who appear to be making a comeback

this year (i.e., Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln).

For the dozens of indie filmmakers trying

to break into the business with their D.I.Y.

productions and releases, the fact is that

the mainstream industry simply doesntBeasts of the Southern Wild

Hits & Misses

COLUMNSINDUSTRY BEAT

Anthony Kaufman assesses Sundance 2012s crop.


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have room for you. (And the niche industry

is pretty overcrowded, too.) Sorry, thems

seats are taken.

While its extremely difficult to identify

what constitutes a hit in the current land-

scape, especially given the long-tail nature

of independent film, here are several case

studies from the Sundance class of 2012 ranging from the biggest hits to those who

have a more extended run to race.

Beasts of the Southern WildTHE FILM: Following in the wake of his am-

bitious, celebrated short film Glory at Sea, di-

rector Benh Zeitlins fantastical indie drama

follows the adventures of a six-year-old girl

named Hushpuppy and her father, Wink,

who survive a giant storm, prehistoric giant

warthogs and federal authorities trying to

shut down their close-knit bayou commu-

nity. After rousing Sundance screenings, thefilm wins the Grand Jury Prize, a cinematog-

raphy award and then an international berth

at Cannes, which begets more big accolades:

the Camera dOr prize for best debut film as

well as FIPRESCI critics and Youth Jury prizes.

FINANCING: Almost all of the films re-

ported $1.3-million budget comes from the

for-profit production division of Cinereach.

There are also a handful of grants from the

San Francisco Film Societys Kenneth Rainin

Foundation, the NHK International Filmmak-

ers Award, Sundance, a package from ARRI

cameras and the Rooftop Films Eastern Ef-

fects Grant, which provides a grip trucks

worth of equipment.

DEAL: Beating out competition from Sony

Pictures Classics, Focus and The Weinstein

Company, Searchlight pays a reported $1

million for U.S. rights. Foreign sales compa-

ny E One makes a raft of international sales

after other hot festival runs.

RELEASES: As summer counter-program-

ming to the Hollywood onslaught, Beasts

surges in its opening weekend, making

$169,702 in four theaters (the primo real

estate of the Sunshine and Lincoln Plaza

Cinemas in New York, and the Arclight and

Landmark in L.A.) making for one of the

years best per-theater debut averages.

In its third week in release, Searchlight

expands to 81 theaters. By week six, the

film maxes out on 318 theaters, earning

$1,154,768, its single biggest haul, over one

weekend. On Aug. 26, after nine weeks in

release, the entire cast appears on Oprah

Winfreys show Super Soul Sunday, follow-

ing a reported recommendation of the film

by President Barack Obama; the subsequent

weekend, Searchlight adds 55 theaters and

the films Labor Day box office increases by

50.8 percent over the previous weekend.

Beasts producer Michael Gottwald praises

Searchlight for their ability to get the film to

a variety of audiences, but also their openness

to ideas weve had to get it to some audiencesthat are important to us. For example, they

hold the national premiere in the filmmakers

hometown of New Orleans and present a spe-

cial screening in Montegut, La., for those who

took part in the film. And when something

like Oprah happens, adds Gottwald, they

have been admirably aggressive in their ability

to maximize the opportunity.

With the films high profile international

festival presence, Beasts also performs well

in overseas markets, such as the U.K., where

it cracks $1 million, and Australia, Norway and

the Netherlands, where it has earned hun-

dreds of thousands of dollars, as of December.

(Other major foreign markets such as France,

Germany and Brazil will also play the film.)

GROSS RESULTS: After more than 20

weeks in release, the film earns more than

$11.2 million in the U.S. alone. Well posi-

tioned after its strong theatrical run, the

films DVD release on Dec. 4 is also poised

for further success.

FINAL UPSHOT: A new indie auteur is

born: Zeitlin wins the Breakthrough Direc-

tor award at the Gothams, best director

and feature noms at the Spirit Awards and

potential Oscar recognition. He also begins

chatting up his next project (another fan-

tasy where people can age quickly or very

slowly). Though producers declined to dis-

cuss their profit potential, Zeitlin likely wont

be broke and homeless anymore. ProducerJosh Penn adds that the success of the film

gives us confidence that we can keep mak-

ing the movies we want to make in the way

that we and Benh want to make them.

Searching for Sugar ManTHE FILM: One of the opening-night films at

Sundance, first-time director Malik Bendjel-

louls musical doc mystery was also one of

the first movies at the festival to garner a

standing ovation and a teary-eyed crowd. A

moving, inspirational chronicle of a forgotten

Detroit folk singer who gets another chance

to shine in the spotlight, the movie was an

early breakout, with Sony Pictures Classics

already in hot pursuit before its premiere.

Trade reviews forecast lucrative niche sales,

but few predict any breakout potential.

FINANCING: A labor of love for Bendjel-

loul, the Swedish filmmaker, who quit his

day job at Swedish television and worked on

the project for four years, doing the editing,

animation and sound design himself on an

Searching for Sugar Man

PHOTOC

OURTESY

OFSONY

PICTURESCLA

SSICS


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iMac. The director cold-calls Oscar-winning

producer Simon Chinn (Man on Wire), who

eventually comes on board the project,

along with John Battsek (Project Nim). But

according to Bendjelloul, the biggest funder

is a late-in-the-game grant from the Swed-

ish Film Institute.

DEAL: Sony Pictures Classics pays a reported

mid-six figures for North American rights.

RELEASES: In late July, Sony Classics launch-

es a typical arthouse rollout in New York and

Los Angeles, following the new release of

a Rodriguez soundtrack album from sister

company Sony Legacy. The opening weekend

in three theaters yields a decent, but by no

means extraordinary, $9,153 average.

The grosses were not what we expect-

ed, admits Sony co-president Tom Bernard.

So the company shifts its campaign, de-em-

phasizing the storyline, instead calling it the

feel-good movie of the year.

The film finally holds in theaters, thanks

to strong word-of-mouth and a few key me-

dia appearances like Late Show with David

Letterman (one of the biggest boosts, says

Bernard); after 11 weeks in release, a full 60

Minutes segment (which kicks up grosses

120 percent); and several promotional con-

certs (The Newport Folk Festival in Rhode

Island and a free performance in Red Bank,

N.J., for Hurricane Sandy victims). Celebrity

backers like Bob Dylan and Kid Rock also

support Rodriguez and the film on Twitter.

So his success and the movies success are

hand-in-hand helping each other, Bernard

says.

GROSS RESULTS: In December, the film sur-

passes $2.8 million at the box office. Sony

Classics expects the film to hold through

award season and easily break $3 million.

A DVD release is set for January, with an

iTunes release two weeks prior to that. But

it wasnt as easy as it looked, Bernard says.

FINAL UPSHOT: The film could end up as

the second biggest indie doc of the year (be-

hind only 2016: Obamas America); Rodriguez

gets a second shot at fame, even though he

still lives in a run-down house in Detroit; and

with its frontrunner status in the Oscar racefor Best Documentary, Bendjelloul gets a

bigger payday than he could have ever imag-

ined: A significant career ahead of him.

The Queen of VersaillesTHE FILM: One of many docs pegged to

the economic meltdown, Versailles is also

uniquely positioned to capitalize on the Oc-

cupy Wall Street craze, with its intriguing

focus on the financial struggles of the top

1 percent in real estate tycoon David Siegel

and his larger-than-life wife, Jackie. Even be-

fore the movies Sundance premiere, the film

catches public media attention when Siegel

files a lawsuit against the filmmakers for

defamation. (An evidentiary hearing took

place in early December in Floridas Middle

District Court.) Buzz in Park City is strong

and trade reviews are solid, with suggesting

the film is timely and involving and should

impress in theatrical and tube play.

FINANCING: The high six-figure budget is

funded by a mix of foreign presales (includ-

ing BBC Storyville and the Danish Broad-

casting Corp), grants (Sundance Institute

Documentary Film Program, Cinereach) and

private equity (from Impact Partners).

DEAL: Submarine Entertainment brokers a

sale to Magnolia Pictures for North American

rights, holding onto TV rights with the belief

that a larger separate deal for television can

be made and, indeed, Bravo steps up to theplate. Total combined acquisition price: mid

to high six figures. Submarine also makes

theatrical sales to Australia, U.K. and France.

RELEASES: Rather than release as part of

their VOD program, Magnolia Pictures be-

gins a conventional theatrical run in New

York and Los Angeles on July 20, with digi-

tal releases to follow. We tend not to do

VOD with documentaries, says Magnolias

Neal Block, who notes the film performed

well in Orlando, where the movie is set, but

flopped in other Florida locales. In its third

weekend, Magnolia expands the doc to 68theaters, where it earns its highest single

total, $270,377. It holds particularly well in

New York and Washington, D.C., thanks, in

part, to some high-profile publicity spots

on The Today Showand Good Morning Amer-

ica, and Siegels continuing public relations

campaign against the film, which ironically,

only promotes it further. It was just one of

those movies that stuck around for a long

time and the reviews were uniformly posi-

tive, Block says. People were really at-

tracted to Jackies story. [She] starts out

as the outrageous character, but then be-comes a sympathetic [one].

GROSS RESULTS: All in all, Versailles plays

in more than 345 theaters and takes in

about $2.4 million domestically, making it

one of the top-grossing nonfiction indie re-

leases of the year. Its also a top seller on

VOD and iTunes.

FINAL UPSHOT: David Siegel becomes an

unlikely pop celebrity a slightly lower-rent

Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the filmmakers

are taking the film all the way to the bank.

According to Queen executive producer Frank

Evers, they expect their investors to be re-

paid based on their existing deals. We wont

know where we stand until the first quarter

of next year or the spring, but Im feeling

good about what Magnolia has done, he

says. We are in a great position. The films

success has also opened up a lot of doors,

adds Evers, who says he and director Lauren

Greenfield are taking a lot of meetings, on

both the television and feature side.

see page 110

The Queen of Versailles


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WINTER 2013

nologies. Are second-screen experiences

missing a larger opportunity by limiting

themselves to the living room?

HITS & MISSESfrom page 18

Sleepwalk with MeTHE FILM:

Stand-up comic turned filmmak-er Mike Birbiglia directs this story, based on

his own stand-up routine and theatrical play,

about a struggling comedian dealing with a

failing relationship and a severe sleepwalk-

ing disorder. The movie charmed Sundance

attendees, mostly won over reviewers and

walked away from Park City with an Audi-

ence Award.

FINANCING: About three-quarters of the

roughly $1-million budget comes from Bed-

rocket, a new media start-up in its first foray

into feature film, with the rest coming from

producer Ira Glasss WBEZ Chicago-basedradio show This American Life, which Birbig-

lia contributed to in the past.

DEAL: Shortly after Sundance, IFC Films ac-

quires a swath of distribution rights for low

six figures, including North America, Latin

America, France, Spain, Asia and a few oth-

er smaller territories as part of its day-and-

date theatrical/VOD releasing strategy.

RELEASES: Based on the Sundance Audi-

ence Award, IFC takes the film to other fes-

tivals to build word-of-mouth, from SXSW

to BAMcinemaFest. The movie opens in a

single theater in late August, earning a solid

$68,801. With promotion through Glasss

radio show, the film continues to build with

the help of some marketing stunts, including

late-night screening pajama parties, a viral

video tte--tte with The Avengers director

Josh Whedon and a high-profile screening

hosted by Tom Hanks. The grosses hit their

highest mark in week four, with $345,713

from 118 theaters. According to IFCs Ryan

Werner, Birbiglia and Glass traveled exten-

sively around the country with the film. The

combination of Mike, who is on the rise, with

Ira was a winning combo, Werner says.

They worked their asses off to turn it into

an event. In Glasss Chicago hometown, the

film raked in a record box office opening at

the Music Box Theatre.

GROSS RESULTS: Theatrically, the film

reaches nearly $2.5 million, while simulta-

neously, VOD downloads are also healthy.

Its going to be one of our most successful

day-and-date releases, says Werner, com-

paring it to their 2009 triumph In The Loop.

FINAL UPSHOT: We do expect it to be

profitable! says producer Ira Glass, who

adds that the success of the film has further

emboldened This American Life to move for-

ward in the feature film space, with projects

ranging from Errol Morriss cryonics drama,

starring Paul Rudd, to a film to be directed

by Tim Robbins. Birbiglia is also hard at work

writing a new movie.

Shut Up and Play the HitsTHE FILM: Playing in the often-overlooked

international documentary section at Sun-

dance, this chronicle of New York-based mu-

sic group LCD Soundsystem follows the band

in its last 48 hours, leading up to the groups

largest and last concert in Madison Square

Garden in 2011. Many reviewers suggest the

concert documentary will play mostly to fans

of the Grammy-winning band and few others.

FINANCING: U.K.-based production/ad

house Pulse Films, known mostly for theirconcert docs (Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D),

puts up the money for the low-budget docu-

mentary.

DEAL: Well into Spring, Adam Yauchs Os-

cilloscope Laboratories closes a deal on all

North American rights for low six figures.

As part of the pact, the company announces

a strategic one-night-only release for later

that summer.

RELEASES: Rather than platform release, Os-

cilloscope follows the pattern of a live show,

staging its single-night screening in about

180 theaters around the country on July 18

and selling tickets four weeks in advance.

Says Oscilloscopes Dan Berger, We sold

out the Music Box in Chicago in three min-

utes and added a 10 p.m. show, and that sold

out in eight minutes, so we added a midnight

show. In New York, similar sellouts occurred

at the Landmark Sunshine, as well as other

venues such as the IFC Center and BAM. At

Seattles massive 800-seat Cinerama, they

sold out two shows. We kept scaling accord-

ing to demand, Berger says. By event-izing

this film, we were creating immediacy and a

fleetingness, which created a necessity for

people to go and see it.

By the time the film was about to come

out, any additional public relations or mar-

keting such as a feature article was

simply icing on the cake, as tickets were

no longer available. Still, promotions such

as an online series of videos, made in col-

laboration with the Creators Project, VICE

Magazine and Intel, along with targeted on-

line ads on sites like Pitchfork encouraging

fans of the band to spread the word about

the film, helped raise the movies profile.

Wild posting around New York City of a

black-and-white poster that reads Shut Up

and, followed by an open space for readers

to graffiti in their own content, also aids fan

involvement.

GROSS RESULTS: If the film caters only to

fans of the band, it turns out the band haslots of fans. Over a single day or two, ticket

sales reach about $400,000; the film picks

up another $100,000 in subsequent weeks,

based on additional bookings that didnt

take part in the single-night showing. A

month later, the film is available exclusively

on iTunes for two weeks, where it performed

strongly, according to Berger; another

couple weeks later, it is available across all

VOD platforms. In October, a special home

video version, which includes the bands en-

tire four-hour farewell concert, is released

on DVD and Blu-ray. Were very pleased,Berger says. It exceeded expectations.

FINAL UPSHOT: Like the one-night-only re-

lease this year of another Sundance doc, Indie

Game: The Movie, Oscilloscopes distribution

of offers further proof that unconventional

releasing patterns may be a strong way for-

ward for releasing indie movies theatrically

especially docs with a built-in fan base. Sadly,

Oscilloscopes founder Adam Yauch dies in

May, unable to witness the films suc

DetropiaTHE FILM: From the successful documenta-

ry duo of Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Je-

sus Camp) comes this impressionistic vision

of urban blight. One of Sundances must-see

docs, the film wins an award for best edit-

ing and is widely heralded for its craft. But

reviews suggest the film is short on new

revelations, which could limit its reach. Va-

rietycalls it the most aesthetically pleasing,

if not the most informative doc about De-

troits economic troubles.

FINANCING: With a sizable budget for a

documentary just under $1 million the

movie is funded through several sources:

the Ford Foundation, ITVS, Vital Projects,

Impact Partners and the Sundance Docu-

mentary Fund.

DEAL: After the films Sundance premiere,

the filmmakers receive three offers from

the usual suspects, which consist of

small advances in exchange for a three-

to-five-city-release guarantee, as well as all

DVD and VOD rights. (Domestic TV rights

already belong to ITVS/PBS.) Ultimately,

1301 flm fest sundance 2012 wrapup

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